Norwegian Nobility - Noble Privileges

Noble Privileges

The noble privileges consisted of freedoms (Norwegian: frihet), rights (Norwegian: rettighet), and prerogatives (Norwegian: forrettighet). There were two primary sources for such privileges: the letters of privilege and the electoral charters, both issued by the King.

The royal decrees on the order of precedence, introduced in the 17th century, created the office nobility (Norwegian: embetsadel, rangadel), i.e. persons who by holding a high civilian or military office or by belonging to, most often, one of the three highest classes of rank automatically received noble status for themselves as well as for wife and legitimate children.

List of Electoral Charters

• Electoral Charter of 1449 (Only Norway.)
• Electoral Charter of 1483 (Both Norway and Denmark.)
• Electoral Charter of 1513 (Both Norway and Denmark.)
• Electoral Charter of 1524 (Only Norway.)
• Electoral Charter of 1536 (Only Denmark.)
• Electoral Charter of 1648 (Only Denmark.)

List of Noble Privileges

• Noble Privileges of 1582
• Noble Privileges of 1591
• Noble Privileges of 1646
• Noble Privileges of 1649
• Noble Privileges of 1661
• Counts' Privileges of 1671 (25 May)
• Barons' Privileges of 1671 (25 May)

List of Decrees on Order of Precedence

• Decree on the Order of Precedence of 1671
• Decree on the Order of Precedence of 1680
• Decree on the Order of Precedence of 1693
• Decree on the Order of Precedence of 1717
• Decree on the Order of Precedence of 1730
• Decree on the Order of Precedence of 1743
• Decree on the Order of Precedence of 1746
• Decree on the Order of Precedence of 1808

The decree of 1808 was the last of its kind to be in introduced in Norway. The personal union between Denmark and Norway was dissolved in 1814. In Denmark the decree of 1746, with some changes and amendments, still exists.