The House of Nobility either refers to the institution of the Finnish nobility or the palace of the noble estate. The Finnish nobility was from 1809 until 1906 the first of the four estates of the realm.
The House of Nobility either refers to the institution of the Finnish nobility or the palace of the noble estate. The Finnish nobility was from 1809 until 1906 the first of the four estates of the realm.
Before the Finnish War 1808-1809, the Finnish nobility were full members of the Swedish nobility and the Swedish House of Nobility for centuries. [1] Finland was conquered from Sweden by Imperial Russia. [1] The estate of nobility existed fully starting from the 1809 Diet of Porvoo when the Grand Duchy of Finland was formally created. [1] The Finnish nobility was formally organized in 1818. [1]
Families of Finnish nobility were registered in the rolls of the Finnish House of Nobility, through a process called introduction to one's peers, after the imperial creation. [1]
First introductions in 1818 were registrations of those noble families registered in the Swedish House of Nobility whose male members lived in Finland and had sworn fealty to the emperor.
During the period of Finland being a Grand Duchy to Russia, a number of de novo creations and naturalizations were made by the Russian emperors. The first estate of the four estates of the realm of Finland existed until 1906 when a single chamber parliament was introduced. Baron August Langhoff was the last to be ennobled, in 1912. Hence, Finnish nobility today is a closed society. Today the House of Nobility is a hereditary association of members of registered nobility.
The families introduced to the Finnish House of Nobility together with a brief description of the origins of the family and the coats of arms are listed on the House of Nobility website. [2]
Some Finnish noble families are originally members of the Swedish House of Nobility. [1] Immigration between Finland and Sweden is constant because countries have strong historical, cultural, economical, and political ties. [1] According to new rules, which were created in the 1900s, members of the Finnish House of Nobility can be introduced to the Swedish House of Nobility, and vice versa. [1]
The Finnish House of Nobility as corporation owns, since 1857, the assembly building completed in 1862.
The building, called Ritarihuone in Finnish and Riddarhuset in Swedish, (House of Knights) is of Neogothic style by G.T. Chiewitz. The building is located in Kruununhaka, downtown Helsinki. The block and its land is owned collectively by the Finnish nobility. There are the offices of the House, for example its General Secretary, the Chancellery, and the Genealogist as well as a library, archives and heraldic collections.
Traditionally, the Lord Marshal was the chairman of sessions of the noble class (House of Nobility) as well as the overall speaker of the Diet. The persons who held the office of Lord Marshal in various diet sessions, are listed below:
Riksdag of the Estates was the name used for the Estates of Sweden when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King. It was a Diet made up of the Four Estates, which historically were the lines of division in Swedish society:
The Swedish nobility has historically been a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, and part of the so-called frälse. The archaic term for nobility, frälse, also included the clergy, a classification defined by tax exemptions and representation in the diet. Today the nobility does not maintain its former legal privileges although family names, titles and coats of arms are still protected. The Swedish nobility consists of both "introduced" and "unintroduced" nobility, where the latter has not been formally "introduced" at the House of Nobility (Riddarhuset). The House of Nobility still maintains a fee for male members over the age of 18 for upkeep on pertinent buildings in Stockholm.
The Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in the independent Finland from 1917 to 1918.
The Governor of a province of Finland headed the activities of the State Provincial Office until the end of 2009, when the provinces were abolished. The governors were appointed by the President. Many former ministers including but not limited to Kaarlo Hillilä, Martti Miettunen, Hannele Pokka and Anneli Taina served as governors, since the post was regarded as prestigious enough for a retiring minister, but still politically neutral. The title of maaherra was also considered a personal title, such that once appointed, the title maaherra remained for life.
Turku and Pori Province was a province of independent Finland from 1917 to 1997. The province was however founded as a county in 1634 when today's Finland was an integrated part of Sweden. It is named after the cities of Turku and Pori.
The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and evolved over time.
Lantmarskalk, was the title of one of the speakers of the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates, from 1627 to 1866 and of the Diet of Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906. The Lantmarskalk was appointed by the Estate of the Nobles and also served as its speaker (talman). The Lantmarskalk should not be confused with the Riksmarsk or the Riksmarskalk, which were Great Officers of the Realm and royal appointees.
The Diet of Finland, was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 and the recipient of the powers of the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates.
The Grand Duchy of Finland, also translated as Grand Principality of Finland, was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed between 1809 and 1917 as an autonomous state within the former Russian Empire.
The Bank of Finland is the Finnish member of the Eurosystem and has been the monetary authority for Finland from 1812 to 1998, issuing the markka. It views itself as the fourth oldest surviving central bank in the world, after Sweden's Riksbank, the Bank of England, and the Bank of France.
Jacob Axelsson Lindblom was a Swedish scholar and professor who became Archbishop of Uppsala, a position he held between 1805 and 1819.
The Finnish nobility was historically a privileged class in Finland, deriving from its period as part of Sweden and the Russian Empire. Noble families and their descendants are still a part of Finnish republican society, but except for the titles themselves, no longer retain any specific or granted privileges. A majority of Finnish nobles have traditionally been Swedish-speakers using their titles mostly in Swedish. The Finnish nobility today has some 6,000 male and female members.
The Creutz family is a Swedish noble family with the title friherre with its roots in Swedish-governed Finland. The family, both a branch of counts and a baronial branch, continues in Finland and Sweden.
The Carpelan family is a Finnish noble family from Middle Ages. Members of the family were awarded with the title of Baron on 15 October 1771 by Adolf Frederick of Sweden.
The Province of Uusimaa was a province of Finland from 1831 to 1997.
The Aminofffamily is a Swedish-Finnish noble family of Holy Roman and Russian origin. The family has produced statesmen, officers, academics, merchants, industrialists, and landowners. The Aminoff family is known for its active participation in commerce and industry.
The Stackelberg family, also spelled Stakelberg is the name of an old and influential Baltic German noble family of German origin, represented at the Swedish Russian and Finnish houses of nobility.
The Tersmeden family, originally tor Smede, is a noble Swedish family originally from Stade that rose to prominence in the 15th-century with Thomas tor Smede, founder of one of the most prominent trading companies in northern Germany. The family was elevated to noble rank in the Kingdom of Sweden in 1751, and got introduced at the House of Nobility in 1752. The Tersmeden family consists of several branches of different noble ranks.
Baron Johan Mauritz Nordenstam was a Finnish general who served as Vice Chairman of the Economic Division of the Senate of Finland, an office preceding that of Prime Minister, from 1858 to his death in 1882. He was the longest-serving head of government in Finnish history. He also served as the governor of Uusimaa Province from 1847 to 1858, vice chancellor of the University of Helsinki from 1847 to 1855, and a senator without portfolio from 1848 to 1858. He briefly served as acting Governor-General five times, and was Lord Marshal (speaker) at the first three sessions of the Diet of Finland following 54 years without an assembly.
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