Per Brahe the Elder (1520–1590) was a Swedish statesman. Brahe was the son of Joakim Brahe (died 1520 in the

Stockholm Bloodbath The Stockholm Bloodbath ( sv, Stockholms blodbad; da, Det Stockholmske Blodbad) was a trial that led to a series of executions in Stockholm between 7 and 9 November 1520. The event is also known as the Stockholm massacre. The events occurred af ...

) and

Margareta Eriksdotter Vasa Margareta Eriksdotter Vasa (1497 – 31 December 1536), also called ''Margareta Vasa'' and ''Margareta of Hoya'', was a Swedish noblewoman, sister of king Gustav I of Sweden. Between 1525 and 1534, she commanded Vyborg Castle on several occasio ...

, the sister of Gustav Eriksson Vasa, who became King of Sweden in 1523. Brahe was thus the cousin of three future kings,

Eric XIV Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535). He was also ruler of Es ...

, John III and Charles IX, all of them sons of Gustav Vasa. Brahe was among the first members of the

Swedish nobility The Swedish nobility ( sv, Adeln eller Ridderskapet och Adeln) has historically been a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, and part of the so-called ''frälse'' (a derivation from Old Swedish meaning ''free neck''). The archaic term ...

to be created a

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

when titles of nobility were introduced by King Eric XIV on the occasion of his coronation in 1561. Brahe was given the county of Visingsborg, situated on

Visingsö Visingsö is an island in the southern half of Lake Vättern in Sweden. Visingsö lies north of the city Jönköping and west of Gränna from which two car ferries connect the island. The island is long and wide, with a total area of . Ac ...

, the next year. He had been member of the

Privy Council of Sweden The Council of the Realm, or simply The Council ( sv, Riksrådet or sv, Rådet: sometimes in la, Senatus Regni Sueciae), was a cabinet of medieval origin, consisting of magnates ( sv, stormän) which advised, and at times co-ruled with, the Ki ...

and Governor of

Stockholm Castle Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Pala ...

from 1540. At the accession of King John III, he was appointed the

Lord High Justiciar of Sweden The Lord High Steward or Lord High Justiciar (Swedish: ''Riksdrots'' or only '' Drots'') was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council from the 13th century until 1809, excluding periods when the office was out of use. Middle Ages The ...

(''

riksdrots The Lord High Steward or Lord High Justiciar (Swedish: ''Riksdrots'' or only '' Drots'') was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council from the 13th century until 1809, excluding periods when the office was out of use. Middle Ages The ...

'') and Governor of

Norrland Norrland (, "Northland", originally ''Norrlanden'' or "the Northlands") is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administr ...

as well as Governor of Stockholm Castle again. He married Beata Stenbock (1533–1583), daughter of Gustaf Olofsson Stenbock and Brita Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud, and elder sister of Gustav Vasa's third wife,

Katarina Stenbock Catherine Stenbock (Swedish: ''Katarina Gustavsdotter Stenbock''; 22 July 1535 at Torpa, Tranemo Municipality, Västergötland – 13 December 1621 at Strömsholm, Västmanland) was Queen of Sweden from 1552 to 1560 as the third and last wife of ...

. Brahe's mother-in-law was the daughter of Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufvud and

Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa (c. 1491 – 21 November 1549) was a Swedish noblewoman. She was the mother of Queen Margaret Leijonhufvud and the second cousin and mother-in-law of King Gustav Vasa. Life Ebba was the daughter of the nobles '' riksråd'' Er ...

, the mother of Gustav Vasa's second wife, Margaret Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud. (Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa was herself a second cousin of Gustav Vasa.) Brahe was the father of Erik Brahe (1552–1614),

Gustaf Brahe Gustaf Brahe (8 March 1558 – 10 January 1615) was a Swedish ''riksråd'' and a Polish Field marshal. Gustaf Brahe was the son of Per Brahe the Elder and Beata Stenbock, and related to the royal family. He was the paternal grandson of Margareta ...

(1558–1615),

Margareta Brahe (1559–1638) Margareta Brahe (2 July 1559 – 26 April 1638) was a Swedish courtier; ''hovmästarinna'' (Mistress of the Robes) to princess Anna Vasa of Sweden, from 1591. Born to count Per Brahe the Elder and Beata Stenbock and niece of queen dowager Catheri ...

, Magnus Brahe (1564–1633),

Sigrid Brahe Sigrid Brahe (1568–1608), was a Swedish countess, known for the great scandal ''Onsdagsbröllopet'' (The Wednesday Wedding) in 1595. Sigrid Brahe was the daughter of count Per Brahe the Elder and Beata Stenbock and niece of queen dowager Cathe ...

and

Abraham Brahe Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

(1569–1630), and the grandfather of

Per Brahe the Younger Count Per Brahe the Younger (18 February 1602 – 12 September 1680) was a Swedish soldier, statesman, and author. He served as Privy Councillor from 1630, Lord High Steward from 1640, as well as Governor-General of Finland in 1637–1640 and 1 ...

(1602–1680),

Ebba Brahe Ebba Magnusdotter Brahe (16 March 1596 – 5 January 1674) was a Swedish countess, landowner, and courtier. She is foremost known for being the love object of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and because he wished to marry her prior to his marria ...

and

Margareta Brahe Margareta Abrahamsdotter Brahe (28 June 1603, Rydboholm – 15 May 1669, Weferlingen) was a Swedish aristocrat and court official, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg by marriage to Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. She aroused a lot of attentio ...

References

External links

* 1520 births 1590 deaths Swedish nobility

Per Per is a Latin preposition which means "through" or "for each", as in per capita. Per or PER may also refer to: Places * IOC country code for Peru * Pér, a village in Hungary * Chapman code for Perthshire, historic county in Scotland Math ...

16th-century Swedish politicians Members of the Privy Council of Sweden {{Europe-noble-stub es:Per Brahe (el viejo)#top