Jarlsberg was a former county which forms part of Vestfold county in Norway. The former counties of Jarlsberg and Larvik were merged in 1821. Jarlsberg and Larvik counties (Jarlsberg og Larviks Amt) were renamed Vestfold in 1919.[1]
Created in 1673 as Griffenfeldt County (Griffenfeld grevskap), it was known as Tønsberg County (Tønsberg grevskap) until 1684 when the name became Jarlsberg. Dating to 1681, the county was associated with members of the Norwegian noble family, Wedel-Jarlsberg. [2]
Jarlsberg was originally established in 1673 for Count Peder Schumacher Griffenfeld, a Danish statesman and Chancellor of Denmark during the reign of King Christian V of Denmark. The creation of the county meant that Count Griffenfeld, in addition to owning 14% of county land, received large tax revenues and also the right to appoint all civil and ecclesiastical officials, including officers and judges, who would serve within the county. [3]
After Griffenfeld's arrest in 1676 in the aftermath of the Scanian War, his properties were transferred by King Christian V to Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve, the Count of Larvik. Gyldenløve, an illegitimate son King Frederick III of Denmark, was the Viceroy (Statholder) of Norway. [4]
In 1683, Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve sold the county to Gustav Frederik Wilhelm Wedel (1641-1717). Field Marshal Wedel, who had become commanding General in Norway in 1681, received the title Wedel af Jarlsberg in 1684 and introduced the Jarlsberg county name. [5]