Leijonhufvud (Germanized as Lewenhaupt, literally "Lionhead") is the name of a Swedish noble family, from which some of the family members were granted baronial title. The baronial branch was 1568 granted the status of counts, and changed their family name to Lewenhaupt. There are still living members of both the branch of the family belonging to the lower nobility and the baronial one.
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, but lower than a viscount or count. Often, barons hold their fief – their lands and income – directly from the monarch. Barons are less often the vassals of other nobles. In many kingdoms, they were entitled to wear a smaller form of a crown called a coronet.
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.
Freiherr, Freifrau and Freiin are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire and in its various successor states, including Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, etc. Traditionally, it denotes the titled rank within the nobility above Ritter (knight) and Edler and below Graf. The title superseded the earlier medieval form, Edelherr.
The Barnekow family is a medieval German noble family originating from Mecklenburg and Pommerania. Though the original Mecklenburg branch died out around 1600, Danish, Swedish, and German lines of the family still exist.
The House of Pahlen is an old German, Estonian, Russian, Lithuanian, Swedish and Baltic German noble family of Pomeranian origin.
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 Kurki family or Kurck, also known as the family of Laukko, is a medievally-originated Finnish noble family that produced several historically prominent persons. It is documented in the late 14th century. The family is usually divided in several lineages as it continued through female succession.
The creation and granting of counties and baronies in Finland began with the coronation of King Eric XIV in 1561 and continued through Great Reductions in the latter half of the 17th century.
The Klinkowström family or Klinckowström is an old Prussian noble house whose members played prominent roles in the history of Prussia, Sweden and Austria.
Adlersparre is a Swedish noble family, which is descended from the mayor of Bogesund Christopher Andersson, who was active during the earlier half of the 17th century.
Ebba Månsdotter Lilliehöök of Kolbäck, was a Swedish noble, landlord and county administrator, Countess of Raseborg, Baroness of Gräfsnäs and lady of Käggleholm.
Lewenhaupt is the name of an old Swedish noble family, whose members occupied significant military and political positions in the Kingdom of Sweden.
Ebba Mauritzdotter Leijonhufvud, also called Ebba Mauritzdotter Lewenhaupt, Countess of Raseborg, Lady of Käggleholm, Eksjöhovgård and Tullgarn, was a Swedish noble and courtier and member of the Leijonhufvud family. She served as överhovmästarinna in 1633–1634 and foster mother in 1639–1644 to Christina, Queen of Sweden. She was also known for her donations to various churches.
Bornemisza or Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva is the name of the Hungarian noble family which dates back to 17th century. In 1905 Heinrich Thyssen, member of the German Thyssen family, married Baroness Margit (1887-1971), the daughter of the king's Hungarian chamberlain Baron Gábor Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (1859-1915). Gabor, being the last male of his line and having no sons of his own, adopted Heinrich, his son in law. As a result of the adoption, the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary officially extended his father-in-law's baronial title in the Hungarian nobility to Heinrich and his male-line descendants in 1907. Since then, their legitimate male line offspring bear the name von Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva.
The Verschuer family is a Dutch noble family originally from Appelrebroeck near Barneveld in Gelderland. The family has branches in The Netherlands and Germany. The family name is spelled van Verschuer in Dutch and von Verschuer in German.
The Wachtmeister family is a Swedish noble family from Livonia, who immigrated to Sweden in the 16th century. The name Wachtmeister is German for 'sergeant'.
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.
The County of Raseborg was a historic county in southern Finland. It was donated posthumously to Sten Eriksson Leijonhufvud, whose wife Ebba Leijonhufvud became its first holder in 1569. The county was passed down in the Leijonhufvud family until the Crown recaptured it in the Great Reduction of 1680.
Axel Gabriel LeijonhufvudtheElder was a Swedish military officer and baron. He personally witnessed the horrors of the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790.