Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna af Korsholm och Wasa, 1st Count of Korsholma and

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

, Finnish: ''Gabriel Pentinpoika Oxenstierna'', (18 March 1586 at

Lindholmen Castle, Västergötland Lindholmen Castle () is a castle ruins at Lidköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. History Lindholmen was first mentioned in 1514. The property was made a manor house in 1516. Vice Admiral Bengt Gabrielsson Oxenstierna ( ...

– 12 December 1656 at Edsberg Manor, Sollentuna) was a Swedish statesman, jurist and diplomat.

Biography

Oxenstierna was the son of Bengt Gabrielsson Oxenstierna the Elder, councillor to Duke Charles of Södermanland, Närke and Värmland (later King Charles IX), and his first wife Sigrid Gustafsdotter (Tre Rosor). He was orphaned at an early age. Like other contemporary members of the influential

Oxenstierna Oxenstierna ( , ) is a Swedish noble family, originally from Småland in southern Sweden which can be traced up to the middle of the 14th century. The Oxenstierna family held vast estates in Södermanland and Uppland during the late Middle Ages a ...

family, he was educated abroad and entered the service of King Charles IX upon his return in 1606. He retained royal favour during the rule of King

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...

and was made Governor-General of

Reval Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...

and

Swedish Estonia Estonia under Swedish rule (1561–1710) signifies the period of time when large parts of the country, and after 1645, entire present-day Estonia, were under Swedish rule. In the wake of the breakup of the State of the Teutonic Order, the Balti ...

in 1611, subsequently being appointed Privy Councillor and Master of the Ordnance in 1617. Alongside his more famous cousins, Lord 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 ...

and

Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna Baron Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (15 June 1587 – 27 November 1640) was a Swedish statesman. Born either in Tyresö, Sweden, or in Reval (modern Tallinn, Estonia), he was the son of Privy Councillor Gustaf Gabrielsson Oxenstierna and Ba ...

, he was made responsible for arming the Swedish army during the Polish–Swedish War and was part of the governing council in the King's absence. He was made ''

Hovrättsråd A ''hovrättsråd'' (Swedish) or ''hovioikeudenneuvos'' (Finnish) is a judge of the Swedish or Finnish Court of Appeal (''hovrätt The courts of appeal in Sweden and in Finland'','' also known as Hovrätt ( fi, 'Hovioikeus', Swedish: Hovrätt ...

'' and

Lawspeaker A lawspeaker or lawman (Swedish language, Swedish: ''lagman'', Old Swedish: ''laghmaþer'' or ''laghman'', Danish language, Danish: ''lovsigemand'', Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''lagmann'', Icelandic language, Icelandic: , Faroese language, ...

Värmland Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ''Va ...

in 1627 and was part of the Swedish diplomatic delegation to the Holy Roman Emperor during the 1630 peace negotiations in Danzig. In 1631, he was appointed

Governor-General of Finland The governor-general of Finland ( fi, Suomen kenraalikuvernööri; sv, generalguvernör över Finland; russian: генерал-губернатор Финляндии) was the military commander and the highest administrator of Finland sporadic ...

, continuing the work of his predecessor

Nils Turesson Bielke Nils Turesson Bielke (5 November 1569 – 17 December 1639) was a Swedish statesman, member of the privy council, son of Ture Pedersson Bielke. Career Nils Turesson Bielke was an ardent supporter of Duke Carl which rewarded his fidelity i ...

to improve the central administration and legal system. He returned to

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 ...

after the death of King Gustavus Adolphus to become part of the regency council for Queen Christina in 1633, becoming

Lord High Treasurer of Sweden The Lord High Treasurer (Swedish: ''Riksskattmästare'') was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council between 1602 and 1684, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The Lord High Treasurer was head of the ''Kammarkollegium'' ...

in 1634. However, the Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna and Steward Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna thought him less suited for the post, as he was inexperienced on state economics and unable to stop the embezzlement of state funds during the regency. In 1645, the Oxenstierna administration was removed by Queen Christina upon reaching maturity. The Queen appointed Oxenstierna Governor-General of

Swedish Livonia Swedish Livonia ( sv, Svenska Livland) was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1629 until 1721. The territory, which constituted the southern part of modern Estonia (including the island of Ösel ceded by Denmark after the Treaty of Brömse ...

in 1645, a post which he resigned from in 1647. He was created 1st Count of Korsholma and Vaasa by the Queen in 1651, one of the largest fiefdoms in Sweden, and was appointed supreme naval administrator as

Lord High Admiral of Sweden The Lord High Admiral or Admiral of the Realm ( sv, Riksamiral) was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from c. 1571 until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Counci ...

in 1652, without previous naval experience. He improved the finances of his county, but received numerous complaints from the peasantry of Ostrobothnia due to tax increases and labour requirements. Oxenstierna died in 1656 at Edsberg Manor in present-day Sollentuna and was buried in

Fasterna Church Fasterna Church ( sv, Fasterna kyrka) is a Lutheran church in the Archdiocese of Uppsala in Stockholm County, Sweden. History and architecture Fasterna Church is built on the remains of an earlier medieval church, which was considered to have beco ...

Family

Oxenstierna married Anna Gustafsdotter Banér (1585–1656) in Stockholm on 7 October 1610. He fathered eleven children, among them Gabriel, Bengt and Gustaf Gabrielsson Oxenstierna. He was older half-brother to

Bengt Bengtsson Oxenstierna Bengt Bengtsson Oxenstierna af Eka och Lindö, Baron of Eka and Lindö (1591 at Frösvik near Rydbo – 1643 in Riga, Swedish Livonia), in non-contemporary sources sometimes referred to as Resare-Bengt ''("Bengt the Traveller")'', was a Swedish d ...

and cousin to Axel and

. Oxenstierna founded the comital af Korsholm and Wasa branch of the Oxenstierna family, the only male-line branch still in existence today.

References

Nordisk familjebok ''Nordisk familjebok'' (, "Nordic Family Book") is a Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. Despite their consi ...

Oxenstierna, 13. Gabriel Bengtsson
1904–1926. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Oxenstierna, Gabriel Bengtsson Swedish counts 1586 births Gabriel Bengtsson 1656 deaths People from Lidköping Municipality 17th-century Swedish judges Diplomats of the Swedish Empire Swedish admirals Lawspeakers Members of the Privy Council of Sweden 17th-century Swedish politicians Swedish Governors-General of Finland