Gabriel Oxenstierna

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Count Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (1587-1640), Swedish statesman, brother of Axel Oxenstierna, was from 1612 to 1618 the chief adviser of Duke John, son of King John III of Sweden, and Gustavus Adolphus’s competitor for the Swedish throne. After the duke’s death he became, virtually, the locum-tenens of the Chancellor (with whom he was always on the most intimate terms) during Axel’s frequent absences from Sweden. He was also employed successfully on numerous diplomatic missions. He was most usually the intermediary between his brother and the Riksdag of the Estates and Privy Council. In 1634 he was created “Drots” or Lord High Steward. His special department, Svea Hovrätt the supreme court of justice, was ever a model of efficiency, and he frequently acted as Chancellor and Lord High Treasurer as well.

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• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.