Baron Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (15 June 1587 – 27 November 1640) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

statesman. Born either in Tyresö, Sweden, or in Reval (modern Tallinn, Estonia), he was the son of

Privy Councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

Gustaf Gabrielsson Oxenstierna Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

and Barbro Axelsdotter Bielke. As such he was brother of, among others, Lord High Chancellor

Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre (; 1583–1654), Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a c ...

Career

Oxenstierna began studying in Uppsala. He continued to study abroad, in German towns Rostock, Wittenberg and Jena. After his return to Sweden, he was in the service of King Charles IX from 1604. From 1612 he was chancellor and chief adviser of

Duke John John III ( sv , Johan III, fi, Juhana III; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomou ...

, son of former King John III. Also in 1612, Oxenstierna was appointed governor of Estonia. In 1617 he became a Privy Councillor and a

marshal of the court Marshal of the Court may refer to: *Court Marshal of Denmark *''Hofmarschall'' (Court Marshal), in German princely courts *Marshal of the Court of Lithuania * Marshal of the Court (Serbia, Yugoslavia) *Marshal of the Court (Sweden) * Marshal of the ...

of King Gustavus Adolphus. Being a close confidant of older brother Axel Oxenstierna (Lord High Chancellor 1612–1654) as well as of the king, Gabriel Oxenstierna was used as a diplomatic representative on numerous occasions. He was sent as a legate to Denmark both in 1622 and 1625, and during the latter year he also visited Lübeck, Hamburg, Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Pomerania, the Netherlands and England. After the death of Gustavus Adolphus in 1632, Oxenstierna travelled to Germany to meet his brother Axel. Gabriel then became responsible to transport the body of the king back to Sweden. In 1634, he became Lord High Steward (''riksdrots''), making him head of Svea Court of Appeal (''Svea Hovrätt'') and as such supervisor of justice in Sweden.

Family life

In 1611, Oxenstierna married Märta Bielke, daughter of Privy Councillor Ture Bielke and Margareta Sture. Märta gave birth to seven children, two of which died at an early age. In 1620, Märta died. Two years later, in November 1620, Oxenstierna married again, this time with Margareta Bielke, daughter of Claes Nilsson Bielke and Elin Fleming. Margareta died in 1629 and two years later, Oxenstierna married for the third time, now with Brita De la Gardie, daughter of Pontus De la Gardie and, as such, sister to Lord High Constable Jacob De la Gardie. Oxenstierna's two last marriages were both childless. Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna died in Von der Linderska Palace,

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

on 27 November 1640.

Legacy

Oxenstierna has been described as "reasonable, honest, jovial and outspoken, loved by high and low". Because of his service and loyalty to his home country, his children and grandchildren were created counts, under the name Oxenstierna of Croneberg. After inheriting Tyresö in the 1620s, Oxenstierna ordered a reconstruction of

Tyresö Palace Tyresö Palace (Swedish: ''Tyresö slott'') is a 17th-century palace in Tyresö, Stockholm County, Sweden, about 25 km south-east of central Stockholm. The construction of the palace began in the 1620s and completed in 1636 by the Lord Hi ...

as well as the building

Tyresö Church Tyresö Church ( sv, Tyresö kyrka) is a 17th-century church (building), church in Tyresö Municipality, Tyresö, Sweden, belonging to the Tyresö parish. The church is located near Tyresö Palace, which was built during the same era. The church ...

. The church was inaugurated with his own burial in 1641.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oxenstierna, Gabriel 1587 births 1640 deaths Politicians from Tallinn Gabriel Gustafsson Swedish nobility Swedish politicians 17th-century Finnish people 17th-century Swedish politicians People of the Swedish Empire