Løvenskiold is a Dano- Norwegian noble family of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

origin. Members of the family now live primarily in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Originally named Leopoldus, it was one of the first

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

Norwegian families to buy noble status, in 1739, when it was also granted the surname Løvenskiold.

History

The Løvenskiold family descend from merchant Herman Leopoldus (died 1696), who immigrated from

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

to Christiania (now Oslo, Norway). His son, also named Herman Leopoldus (1677–1750), became quite wealthy. Both he and his son, Herman Løvenskiold (1701-1759), were ennobled by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

in 1739, by paying the King's private fund (''partikulærkassen''). At the same time, they received the surname ''Løvenskiold'' (lit. ‘Lion Shield’). His grandson was

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

Herman Leopoldus Løvenskiold (1739-1799). His great-grandson Severin Løvenskiold (1743–1818) was made a

baron 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 knig ...

(Norwegian: ''baron'' or ''friherre''). He was the father of

Severin Løvenskiold Severin Løvenskiold (7 February 1777 – 15 September 1856) was a Norwegian nobleman, politician and the prime minister of Norway. Family Severin Løvenskiold, the younger, was born in Porsgrunn in Telemark, Norway to Severin Løvenskiold, t ...

(1777–1856) who served as Governor-general of Norway.

Property

Members of the family have owned a number of historic homes in Denmark and Norway including Løvenborg Castle (''Løvenborg Slot'') at Merløse in

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 29,608 (1 January 2022).Ulefoss Ulefoss is the administrative centre of Nome municipality in Telemark, Norway, located near the border of Grenland. Its population is 2,699. It occupies both sides of Ulefoss falls on the river Eidselva. Ulefoss is one of Norway's oldest industri ...

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

and Fossum Manor (''Fossum hovedgård'') at Fossum Ironworks in

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsj ...

. Other family estates included

Vækerø Manor Vækerø Manor ( no, Vækerø gård) is a historic manor house situated in Oslo, Norway. Vækerø Manor is located in the neighborhood of Vækerø in the district of Ullern on Oslo's west side. The house manor was formerly a part of a larger e ...

west of

Bærums Verk Bærums Verk is a village in Bærum in Akershus, Norway, with a population of about 8000. It is located on both sides of the river Lomma. History Iron ore was found in the areas now known as Kirkerud and Eineåsen in Bærum in 1603 and 1604, a ...

Bærum Bærum () is a municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Norway that forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). It is part of the electoral ...

and the Ask estate in Ringerike (''Ask storgård i Ringerike''). The name is also given to the family's privately owned company Løvenskiold-Vækerø, headquartered at

Ullern Ullern is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. History The borough has its name from an old farm, Norse ''Ullarin''. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullr. The last element is ''vin'', meaning pasture or mea ...

. The holding company owns vast tracts of woodland in and around

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The co ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardan ...

and

, as well as the building materials retail chain Maxbo.

Coats of arms

File:Loevenskjold-vaapen.JPG, Heraldic arms of the family of Løvenskjold from 1739 File:Coatofarms-Baron Loevenskiold.jpg, Coat of arms of the baronial family Løvenskiold from 1889 File:Slægten Løvenskiolds våben.jpg, Løvenskiold coat of arms from Solum Church, Telemark

Notable family members

''See :Løvenskiold family.''

References

Literature

Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon ''Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon'' is a Danish encyclopedia that has been published in several editions. The first edition, ''Salmonsens Store Illustrerede Konversationsleksikon'' was published in nineteen volumes 1893–1911 by Brødrene Sal ...

(Copenhagen: J H Schultz Forlag, second edition. 1915 to 1930). * ''

Danmarks Adels Aarbog Danmarks Adels Aarbog (''Yearbook of the Danish Nobility'') is an annual – now tri-annual – publication that details the genealogies, titles, and coats of arms of Danish and Norwegian noble families. It was first published in 1884, making it o ...

'', Copenhagen 1949 *Axel Løvenskiold and Herman L. Løvenskiold: ''Slekten Løvenskiold gjennom 300 år i Norge'', Oslo 1974 * Hans Cappelen: ''Norske Slektsvåpen'' (Norwegian Family Coats of Arms) with an English Summary, Oslo 1969 (2nd ed. 1976), p. 31 and 161 *

External links

Løvenskiold official websiteLøvenborg Castle
Danish noble families Norwegian noble families Norwegian families Patriciate of Norway Families of German ancestry {{noble-stub