De la Gardie
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De la Gardie, occasionally de la Gardie (French family name: d´Escouperie), Swedish noble family of French origin. The family's social status in France before the migration to Sweden is uncertain, they were possibly of lower gentry or bourgeoisie. Ponce d´Escouperie, a son of a tradesman, left 1565 for Sweden and took the name Pontus De la Gardie when registered by the House of Knights. He married an illegitim daughter of king John III and was given the title baron in 1571, the baronial lineage of the family ended with his oldest son John De la Gardie. Pontus De la Gardie's second son, Jacob De la Gardie, was given the title count of Läckö in 1615 and his son Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie became favourite of Queen Kristina and married her cousin countess Maria Eufrosyne of Zweibrücken (sister to Charles X Gustav of Sweden). The countship lineage De la Gardie of Läckö is still existing, although the countships in Sweden no longer are existing as administrative regions, and the head of the family is Carl Gustaf De la Gardie (1946- ) and lives outside Linköping.
Notable members include:
- Pontus De la Gardie (1520–1585). He married the illegitimate daughter of John III of Sweden
- Jacob De la Gardie (1583–1652), son of Pontus, led Swedish army to Moscow.
- Brita De la Gardie (1581–1645), daughter of Pontus
- Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (1622–1686), Swedish statesman, son of Jacob.
- Axel Julius De la Gardie (1637–1710), Swedish Field Marshal, son of Jacob.
- Magnus Julius De la Gardie (1668–1710), Swedish General and statesman, son of Axel.
- Christina Catharine de la Gardie, wife of Gustaf Otto Stenbock (1614 - 1685)
- Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie (1732 - 1800), daughter of Magnus Julis, wife of Axel von Fersen the Elder and mother to Axel von Fersen the Younger.
