Adliga

Adliga is a Swedish term meaning noble in reference to the nobility as a social class. The word is used both as an adjective (adlig) and as a noun to describe people, families, or things associated with the noble estate. In historical and genealogical contexts, adlig denotes connection to a hereditary lineage that was recognized as distinct from other social groups.

Historically, adliga referred to the nobility that formed a privileged estate in Sweden and other Nordic countries. Members of the adliga were represented in the political system through the former Riksdag of the Estates, and they enjoyed certain legal privileges and prerogatives. The House of Nobility, or Riddarhuset, in Stockholm acted as a registry and a ceremonial body, maintaining genealogies, granting noble patents, and preserving coats of arms for those deemed adliga.

In terms of ranks, noble status was linked to hereditary titles such as greve (count) and friherre (baron), with knights (riddare) constituting a lower tier within the adliga. Over time, legal privileges associated with adlig status were reduced and eventually largely abolished during the 18th and 19th centuries. The major turning point came with the reform of 1866, which ended the special political status of the nobility and transformed the political landscape. Today, adlig status carries no legal privileges; the Riddarhuset remains as a genealogical archive and ceremonial body, while the concept persists mainly in historical, genealogical, and cultural contexts.

In contemporary use, adliga släkter or adliga personer refer to historic noble lineages with documented genealogies, often including coats of arms. The term is also found in Danish and Norwegian as adelig, with a similar historical meaning, though modern societies grant equal rights to all citizens.