User:LeoFromFinland/De la Motte (Finland)

De la Motte is an old french noble family and the first member to arrive in Finland was Samson de la Motte. The family was introduced to the swedish House of Nobility in 1642 as noble family number 280. After the unification of Finland and Russia in 1809, the family was registered on 28 January 1818 into the finnish directory of nobility as noble family number 23.

History
Samson was born in France, became a major general in Finland, died about 1620, Sääksmäki. He married Anna Michelsdotter Rapp, but after her death Samson got a new wife, Brita Munck af Fulkila.

On 2 January 1600 Samson got the Sääksmäki Lahinens' seat farm residence as a fief, which Hogenskild Bjelke had lost to the state.

He was a major during the Polish-Swedish War in the siege of Wolmar in 1601. The fort was lost and he was captured as a prisoner of war, but he survived and became a cavalry master 7.9.1603. In 1606 he was tasked to transport infantry from Tavastia to Narva.

His right to own the Sääksmäki Lahinens' and Luopioinens' Kantola seat farms was verified on 22 March 1613. Samson signed the legislative assembly of the Diet of Finland along with the other nobles on 2.2.1616 in Helsinki. He was promoted to major general and lived atleast until 6.3.1620 but probably died shortly after.

In the history of Sweden-Finland the end of the sixteenth century was troubled time due to royal power struggles. The son of Gustav I, John III was the ruler until 1592, when his son Sigismund III was the king of both Poland and Sweden. Gustav's third son Charles wasn't happy about this and provoked swedes and finns against his nephew. Charles won and conquered Finland in 1599 punishing Sigismund's supporters ruthlessly. Many lost their lands and deserted residencies were given away to soldiers and nobles of conquered regions and allied countries. Samson was one of the nobles who gained land after the war.

In conclusion, the family of de la Motte came to Finland in the end of the sixteenth century and Samson de la Motte was it's first representative.

The family was already seen as noble in France and it was marked into the swedish House of Nobility in 1642. In 1809 the family didn't have a representative in Sweden anymore but still existed in Finland until the male line of the family died in 1886. The family lost Lahinens' mansion in 1720, but it still owned other residencies.

Lahinen's landlord had three seat farm tenants in the towns of Pajulahti and Oittila in 1630.

Title holders

 * Carl de la Motte (about. 1615) lieutenant colonel "inherited the Sääksmäki Lahinens' mansion from his father, which included for example the Vahanka town houses in Saarijärvi".
 * Carl de la Motte (12 November 1641–4 December 1676) major, Riksdag of the Estates in 1660.
 * Carl Johan de la Motte (about. 1667–28 February 1736 Rågö, Lokalahti, Finland, auscultant of Turku's Court of Appeal. — Notary of Turku's Court of Appeal (after 1710). Owned Ruissaari of Lokalahti. Statesman in 1720.
 * Reinhold de la Motte (2 July 1705 Lokalahti, Finland – October 1742 Stockholm, Sweden, lieutenant.
 * Katarina de la Motte (about 1640 Sääksmäki Lahinen – about 1695 Heinola, Paaso. Spouses (1) about 1659 Evert Johan Johansson Ållongren (2) about 1667, Christian Magnus von der Pahlen.