''En af rikets herrar'' (in

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 ...

) or Lord of the Realm was an honorary title introduced by King

Gustaf III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

shortly after his bloodless coup d'état in 1772, and after the new constitution was passed by the

Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates ( sv, Riksens ständer; informally sv, Ståndsriksdagen) 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 t ...

. It was first granted to Prince

Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein Frederick William, Prince von Hessenstein (17 March 1735, Stockholm — 27 July 1808, Panker), was a Swedish soldier and statesman. He was an extramarital son of King Frederick I of Sweden and his royal mistress Hedvig Taube. Biography King ...

on January 15, 1773. The title was not hereditary and was not connected with any special function or appointment at court or in public life. It was simply meant as a great honour bestowed upon deserving individuals (noblemen) after years of successful service to the King and the country. The title gave the holder the same rank as a

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 ...

and the style ''Excellency''. It could be used as a title in itself, e.g.: "''His Excellency The High Well Born Count Axel von Fersen, one of the Lords of the Realm, Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty the King, Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Sword"'' The title was officially dropped on January 10, 1868. One of the most famous recipients of this title and honour was

Count Axel von Fersen the Younger Hans Axel von Fersen (; 4 September 175520 June 1810), known as Axel de Fersen in France, was a Swedish count, Marshal of the Realm of Sweden, a General of Horse in the Royal Swedish Army, one of the Lords of the Realm, aide-de-camp to Rochamb ...

the supposed lover and confidant of Queen

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

of France.

Sources

{{Reflist Swedish titles