This medal is struck in honour of the Privy Councillor Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie and pays tribute to his steadfastness. On the obverse (front side) we see his portrait, and on the back a symbolic representation of the battles he endured within the Council. A palm tree stands alone with a large stone on top and storms blowing from all directions. Both image and text tell us that Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie was not crushed by either heavy burden or persecution.
Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie was Chancellor in the guardianship of King Karl XI, who was only four years old when his father Karl X Gustav died. During the time of the guardianship, many of the crown's estates and farms were distributed to the nobility.
When Karl XI took over the government from the guardians, he saw how the crown's finances had weakened and how neglected the army and navy had become. He decided to withdraw estates and farms from the nobility to the crown. The person most affected by these withdrawals was Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie. Of his 1,000 farms and 10 castles, he was only allowed to keep Höjentorp and Venngarn.
)Object number: 704680_KMK
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