Finnish House of Knights and Nobility

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Finnish House of Nobility either refers to the institution of the Finnish nobility or the palace of the noble estate. The Finnish nobility was until 1906 the first of the four estates of the realm.

[edit] The Estate

The estate of nobility existed fully starting from the 1809 Diet of Porvoo, and was formally organized in 1818. Diets that were held, are listed in [1].

Families of Finnish nobility were registered in the rolls of the Finnish House of Nobility, through a process called introduction to one's peers, after the royal/imperial creation.

First introductions in 1818 were registrations of those noble families registered in the Swedish House of Nobility whose male members lived in Finland and had swore fealty to the emperor.

During the period of Finland being a Grand Duchy to Russia, a number of de novo creations and naturalizations were made by the Russian emperors. Baron August Langhoff was the last to be ennobled, in 1912. Hence, Finnish nobility today is a closed society.

The families introduced to the Finnish House of Nobility together with a brief description of the origins of the family and the family crest are listed in [2].

[edit] The Palace

Main article: Ritarihuone

The Finnish House of Nobility as corporation owns, since 1857, the building (ready 1862).

The building is of Neogothic style. Planned by G.T. Chiewitz. Ready in 1862. Located in Kruununhaka in downtown Helsinki. The block and its land is owned collectively by the Finnish nobility. There are the offices of the House, for example its General Secretary, the Chancellery, and the Genealogist as well as a library, archives and heraldic collections.

[edit] Lord Marshals

Main article: lantmarskalk

Traditionally, the Lord Marshal (Finnish: maamarsalkka, Swedish: lantmarskalk) was the chairman of sessions of the noble class (House of Nobility) as well as the overall speaker of the Diet. The persons who held the office of lord marshal in various diet sessions, are listed below: