SKYTTE OF DUDERHOFF, JACOB [SSNE 4920]

Surname

SKYTTE OF DUDERHOFF, STRÖMSRUM AND SKYTTEHOLM

First name

JACOB, JAKOB, JAMES

Title/rank

BARON

Nationality

SCOT

Region

UPPSALA

Social status

NOBILITY

Text source

Jacob Skytte (1613-1654) was the son of Johan Skytte [SSNE 4754] and Margaret Neave (Neaf) [SSNE 6272] from Scotland. He was probably born in 1613(although one source notes his year of birth as 1623). In 1624 he was a student in Uppsala. He later became the first rector of Dorpat university in 1633 and was reknowned for his lectures on Caesar. In 1635 he travelled with his father to the Court of Charles Stuart where he was knighted. Intriguingly Elgenstierna gives this same information for his brother Johan [SSNE 6280] so at some point these names have been conflated. He returned to Sweden and on 22 January 1638 he took up his position as a 2nd class "assessor" of Svea Hovrätt, and in June that year he took the oath to become a judge. In 1641 he became the 7th vice president of Svea Hovrätt taking up his position on 6 May. He married Anna Nilsdotter Bjelkenstierna, daughter of Admiral Nils Claesson of Edeby and baroness Gunilla Gyllenstjerna, on 23 August 1643. She lived until 1663. Their children included Gustav Adolf [SSNE 4921], Jacob [SSNE 7270], Johan, Maria, Gunnilla, Christina Anna [SSNE 7271] and Sofia Beata. On 10 August 1645 Jacob became a regional governor (landshövding) in Linköping, Östergötland which position he held until August 1650. He was known as a "vältalare" - someone who is wellspoken. He suffered from poor health from 1650 and subsquently died on 1 March 1654

Swedish Krigsarkiv, index to muster rolls; A. Anjou, Kongl. Svea Hofrätts presidenter samt embets och tjenstemän 1614-1898 (Eksjö, 1899), p.45; G. Elgenstierna, Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, VII, pp.319-320; C. Gartz, "Äreminne, öfver Riks-Rådet Johan Skytte, Friherre til Duderhoff, Herre til Grönsjö och Elfvesjö; Hvilket vunnit accessit den 20 Marii 1786", Svenska Vitterhets-Academiens Handlingar, del 5, (Stockholm, 1788), pp.116-7; H. Hofberg, Svenskt Biografiskt Handlexikon, vol.2, (Stockholm, 1906), p.474

Service record

SWEDEN, UPPSALA

Arrived 1624-01-01

Capacity STUDENT, purpose ACADEMIC

SWEDEN, DORPAT, GERMANY

Arrived 1633-01-01

Departed 1634-12-31

Capacity UNIVERSITY RECTOR, ACADEMIC, purpose ACADEMIC

SWEDEN, STUART COURT, LONDON

Arrived 1635-01-01

Departed 1635-12-31

Capacity DIPLOMAT, purpose DIPLOMACY

SWEDEN, SVEA HOVRÄTT

Arrived 1638-01-22, as ASSESSOR

Departed 1645-08-09, as PRESIDENT

Capacity JUDICIAL OFFICER, purpose CIVIC

SWEDEN, LINKÖPING, ÖSTERGÖTLAND

Arrived 1645-08-10, as GOVERNOR

Departed 1650-08-03, as GOVERNOR

Purpose CIVIC