Fabian Wrede

Fabian Wrede (Peipola, Finland, 20 March 1641 – 6 December 1712 ) was a Swedish statesman, count, and landowner who served as a central figure in the administration of the Swedish Empire under Kings Charles XI and Charles XII. He is best known for his work on the Great Reduction, a reclamation of noble lands for the Crown's treasury.

Throughout his career, Wrede held numerous high-ranking positions in the Swedish government. He was created Count of Östanå in 1687.

Early life Fabian Wrede was born on March 20, 1641 in Peippola, Finland to Baron Casper Henriksson Wrede and Sophia Taube of the noble Taube family. He was born to the Finnish-Swede Wrede noble family. He held the title of Baron by birthright, a title granted to his father by Queen Christina in 1654, as a posthumous reward for the actions of his grandfather, Henrik Wrede. During the Battle of Kircholm in 1605, Henrik Wrede saved the life of King Charles IX of Sweden by giving the King his own horse after the King's horse had been killed, allowing the king to flee the battlefield. Henrik Wrede was subsequently encircled and killed.

In 1661, Wrede began a six-year tour of Europe, visiting Holland, France, Italy, and Hungary. While returning through Hamburg, he met the abdicated Christina, Queen of Sweden, who appointed him as her chamberlain, a position he would exchange for a similar one with the king.

Political career

Wrede began his administrative career as a governor, first in Vyborg County in 1675 and later in Uppsala County in 1681. At the 1682 Riksdag of the Estates, Wrede was appointed Lord Marshal, the presiding officer of the Estate of the Nobility. and was appointed president of the Board of Mines and the state treasury. After the death of Claes Fleming in the same year, Wrede became the central figure in the Great Reduction serving as the head of the Reduction Commission and the Reduction Board, a political project that confiscated lands from the nobility to stabilize the crown's finances. Although he was a member of the nobility, Wrede's work on the policy established him as a key advisor to King Charles XI. In 1687, he was elevated to president of both the Chamber College and the Board of Commerce. For his service, he was created Count of Östanå on 10 December 1687.

Following the accession of Charles XII, Wrede was appointed to the regency government of 1697. With the outbreak of the Great Northern War, he became responsible for the procurement of war funds and the Navy. In 1711, Wrede was dismissed from all his offices except for the council office and the presidency of the Board of Commerce.

Wrede married Brita Cruus af Gudhem on 19 May 1672. Brita Cruus was the daughter of Agneta Horn, and the great-granddaughter of Axel Oxenstierna. They had four children:

A dirge was composed for his burial reflected on his legal knowledge and service to the Swedish Crown: