Paus
Encyclopedia
Paus is a Norwegian
and Swedish
family of clergymen, civil servants, merchants, industrialists and land-owners, among others, traceable back to the late 15th century and a man named Oluf. The oldest documented member of this family was canon
at the St Mary's Church
, the royal chapel, in Oslo
, Hans Olufsson (1500–70), who was a priest
in Norway both before and after the Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein. His prebend included the income of no less than 43 church estates. His son Povel Hansson (born ca. 1545–50) was a burgher
of Oslo, a merchant and a ship-owner. He was the father of two clergymen who became the patriarchs to two lineages of the family. They were Hans Povelsson Paus (b. 1587), who became parish priest in Fredrikstad
, and Peder Povelsson Paus (b. 1590), who became provost
in Øvre Telemark. Many of their descendants also were priests.
The family has been believed to be descended from mediaeval nobility in earlier literature, although the exact circumstances were never established. Nevertheless, a Catholic member of the family, papal chamberlain and art collector Christopher Tostrup Paus
, was conferred the hereditary title of count
by Pope Pius XI
on 25 May 1923, a title that was also recognized by the Kingdom of Italy
. As he lived in Sweden, the (comital branch of the) family joined the Sveriges Ointroducerade Adels Förening in 1924, thus becoming part of Sweden's unintroduced nobility. The comital branch became extinct in 1943, as Christopher Paus did not have children.
The family's coat of arms
features in red a silver bull's head, in the upper dexter
corner a six-pointed golden star. It was adopted in the 19th century, as an interpretation of a 14th century seal that was believed to be the seal of an ancestor. It was given its modern design by Hallvard Trætteberg
, Norway's preeminent heraldic artist, and published in his book Norske By og Adelsvåben. Family members used other coats of arms in the 17th and 18th centuries, including a coat of arms featuring a wild man
used by Judge Cornelius Paus (1662–1723).
Since the 16th century, members of the family have been priests, judges, ship-owners, merchants, bankers, military officers, members of parliament, ambassadors, industrialists, and artists. From the 17th to the 19th century, family members were prominent in Telemark
(formerly Bratsberg) county. Members of the family also live in Sweden
, where the family owns several estates including Herresta
. The family has intermarried with the Swedish branch of the Tolstoy family, and the Norwegian families Wedel-Jarlsberg
, Løvenskiold
and von Munthe af Morgenstierne
. Paus & Paus, an industrial company founded in 1906 by members of the family, existed until 2001.
As Henrik Ibsen
points out in an 1882 letter to Rasmus B. Anderson
, the family was one of the patrician families dominating the port town of Skien
, where he grew up.
The origin of the Paus name is unclear and several theories have been asserted. The genealogist S. H. Finne-Grønn has suggested that the name originated in a (possibly related) family in the 14th century, possibly under influence from German in the late mediæval Norway. Historian and Ibsen biographer Halvdan Koht
suggested it could be a patronymic
based on the first name Paul. The researcher Ivar Utne has suggested that the name is cognate
with the word pave, the Norwegian word for pope
(Latin for "father", also "paus" in Dutch means pope), being used as a nickname.
Famous family members include:
Famous descendants of the Paus family include playwright Henrik Ibsen
(maternal grandmother and father's stepfather). The Paus family was Henrik Ibsen's closest relatives after his parents and siblings. Ibsen named the character Hedvig in The Wild Duck
for his grandmother Hedvig Altenburg née Paus.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
family of clergymen, civil servants, merchants, industrialists and land-owners, among others, traceable back to the late 15th century and a man named Oluf. The oldest documented member of this family was canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
at the St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Oslo
St Mary's Church was a medieval church in Oslo, Norway.St Mary's Church, which functioned as royal chapel, had been built in stages with final additions made in the 1300s. The church was put on fire by Swedish forces in connection with an attack in 1523...
, the royal chapel, in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Hans Olufsson (1500–70), who was a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in Norway both before and after the Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein. His prebend included the income of no less than 43 church estates. His son Povel Hansson (born ca. 1545–50) was a burgher
Burgher
Burgher may refer to:* A citizen of a borough or town, especially one belonging to middle class* A resident of a burgh* A formally defined class in medieval German cities, usually the only group from which city officials could be drawn...
of Oslo, a merchant and a ship-owner. He was the father of two clergymen who became the patriarchs to two lineages of the family. They were Hans Povelsson Paus (b. 1587), who became parish priest in Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad....
, and Peder Povelsson Paus (b. 1590), who became provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
in Øvre Telemark. Many of their descendants also were priests.
The family has been believed to be descended from mediaeval nobility in earlier literature, although the exact circumstances were never established. Nevertheless, a Catholic member of the family, papal chamberlain and art collector Christopher Tostrup Paus
Christopher de Paus
Christopher Tostrup Paus, from 1923 The Count of Paus, usually known as Christopher Paus was a Norwegian land owner, papal chamberlain and count, known as philanthropist, art collector and socialite in the late 19th and early 20th century...
, was conferred the hereditary title of count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
on 25 May 1923, a title that was also recognized by the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
. As he lived in Sweden, the (comital branch of the) family joined the Sveriges Ointroducerade Adels Förening in 1924, thus becoming part of Sweden's unintroduced nobility. The comital branch became extinct in 1943, as Christopher Paus did not have children.
The family's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
features in red a silver bull's head, in the upper dexter
Dexter and sinister
Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...
corner a six-pointed golden star. It was adopted in the 19th century, as an interpretation of a 14th century seal that was believed to be the seal of an ancestor. It was given its modern design by Hallvard Trætteberg
Hallvard Trætteberg
Hallvard Trætteberg was the leading Norwegian heraldic artist and the expert adviser on heraldry to the Government of Norway and the Norwegian Royal Family for much of the 20th century. From about 1930 he played a central role in the renewal of public heraldry in Norway with an emphasis on...
, Norway's preeminent heraldic artist, and published in his book Norske By og Adelsvåben. Family members used other coats of arms in the 17th and 18th centuries, including a coat of arms featuring a wild man
Wild man
The wild man is a mythical figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to Silvanus, the Roman god of the woodlands.The defining characteristic of the figure is its "wildness"; from the 12th century...
used by Judge Cornelius Paus (1662–1723).
Since the 16th century, members of the family have been priests, judges, ship-owners, merchants, bankers, military officers, members of parliament, ambassadors, industrialists, and artists. From the 17th to the 19th century, family members were prominent in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
(formerly Bratsberg) county. Members of the family also live in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where the family owns several estates including Herresta
Herresta
Herresta is a large estate in Södermanland County in Sweden, located outside Mariefred. It has been in the possession of the Paus family since 1923....
. The family has intermarried with the Swedish branch of the Tolstoy family, and the Norwegian families Wedel-Jarlsberg
Wedel-Jarlsberg
Wedel-Jarlsberg is a Danish and Norwegian noble family. It is also a branch of the family von Wedel, which comes from Pomerania, Germany...
, Løvenskiold
Løvenskiold
Løvenskiold is a Dano-Norwegian noble family. Members of the family now live primarily in Norway.-History:The Løvenskiold family descend from merchant Herman Leopoldus , who immigrated from Lübeck to Christiania. His son, also named Herman Leopoldus , became very rich and was in 1739 ennobled by...
and von Munthe af Morgenstierne
Von Munthe af Morgenstierne
von Munthe af Morgenstierne is a Norwegian noble family. It descends from Bredo Munthe, who on 19 December 1755 was ennobled under the name von Munthe af Morgenstierne...
. Paus & Paus, an industrial company founded in 1906 by members of the family, existed until 2001.
As Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
points out in an 1882 letter to Rasmus B. Anderson
Rasmus B. Anderson
Rasmus Bjørn Anderson was an American author, professor, and diplomat. He brought to popular attention the idea that Viking explorers discovered the New World and was the originator of Leif Erikson Day.-Biography:...
, the family was one of the patrician families dominating the port town of Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
, where he grew up.
Halvdan Koht
Halvdan Koht was a Norwegian historian and politician representing the Labour Party.As a politician he served as the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1935 to 1941. He was never elected as a member of the Parliament of Norway, but was a member of Bærum municipal council in 1917–1919 and...
suggested it could be a patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
based on the first name Paul. The researcher Ivar Utne has suggested that the name is cognate
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
with the word pave, the Norwegian word for pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
(Latin for "father", also "paus" in Dutch means pope), being used as a nickname.
Famous family members include:
- Christian Cornelius PausChristian Cornelius PausChristian Cornelius Paus was a Norwegian lawyer, civil servant and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1848 until 1861. He was the judge and magistrate of the city of Skien...
(1800–1879), lawyer and member of parliament, uncle of Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre... - Count Christopher de PausChristopher de PausChristopher Tostrup Paus, from 1923 The Count of Paus, usually known as Christopher Paus was a Norwegian land owner, papal chamberlain and count, known as philanthropist, art collector and socialite in the late 19th and early 20th century...
(1862–1943), Chamberlain, art collector and socialite - Nikolai Nissen PausNikolai Nissen PausNikolai Nissen Paus was a Norwegian surgeon and humanitarian. He served as President of the Norwegian Red Cross 1945–1947, and as Vice President 1930–1945 and acting President 1939–1940. He also was President of the Norwegian Florence Nightingale Committee.Paus finished his medical studies in 1903...
(1877–1956), surgeon and President of the Norwegian Red CrossNorwegian Red CrossThe Norwegian Red Cross was founded September 22, 1865 by prime minister Frederik Stang. In 1907 the Norwegian Ministry of Defence authorized the organization for voluntary medical aid in war... - Ole Otto PausOle Otto PausOle Otto Paus was a Norwegian General, diplomat and NATO official.Born in Vienna, Austria to the Norwegian Consul, Thorleif Paus, and a Viennese mother, Paus grew up in Vienna and took his Matura there in 1929...
(1910–2003), General - Bernhard PausBernhard PausBernhard Cathrinus Paus was a Norwegian orthopedic surgeon and the Grand Master of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons from 1969 to 1990.-Biography:...
(1910–1999), surgeon and Grand MasterGrand Master (Masonic)In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....
of the Norwegian Order of FreemasonsNorwegian Order of FreemasonsThe Norwegian Order of Freemasons is the Masonic Grand Lodge in Norway. The first lodge was opened in 1749 and is still working. The Grand Lodge has followed the Swedish Rite since 1818, which requires its members to adhere to Christianity... - Thorleif Lintrup PausThorleif Lintrup PausThorleif Lintrup Paus was a Norwegian lawyer and diplomat.Born at Rjukan he finished law school in 1937 and worked as a judge before joining the diplomatic service after World War II. He served as bureau chief at the Foreign Ministry, first secretary at the embassy in Washington D.C...
(1912–2006), diplomat - Brita Collett PausBrita Collett PausBrita Lucie Collett Paus was a Norwegian humanitarian leader and the founder of Fransiskushjelpen, a Catholic charitable organisation in Norway...
(1917–1998), founder of the catholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
charityCharitable organizationA charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
FransiskushjelpenFransiskushjelpenFransiskushjelpen is a Catholic charitable organisation in Norway, founded in by Brita Collett Paus in 1956.It is connected to the Franciscan order....
. - Lucie Paus FalckLucie Paus FalckLucie Paus Falck is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.She served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Akershus during the term 1989–1993...
(1938–), Labour politician - Peder Nicolas Paus (1945–); Chairman of the Board of Questerre Energy CorporationQuesterre Energy CorporationQuesterre Energy Corporation is an international energy exploration company headquartered in Calgary, Canada, and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Oslo Stock Exchange...
- Ole PausOlé PausOle Paus is a Norwegian singer-wongwriter, author, poet and actor. He is widely considered one of Norway's most popular musicians.-Background:...
(1947–), singer
Famous descendants of the Paus family include playwright Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
(maternal grandmother and father's stepfather). The Paus family was Henrik Ibsen's closest relatives after his parents and siblings. Ibsen named the character Hedvig in The Wild Duck
The Wild Duck
The Wild Duck is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.-Plot:The first act opens with a dinner party hosted by Håkon Werle, a wealthy merchant and industrialist. The gathering is attended by his son, Gregers Werle, who has just returned to his father's home following a self-imposed...
for his grandmother Hedvig Altenburg née Paus.
Quote
- "When the Pauses are dead, they are dead, but my name will live on." (Knud IbsenKnud IbsenKnud Ibsen was the father of playwright Henrik Ibsen, and is widely considered the model for many central characters in his son's plays, including most famously Jon Gynt in Peer Gynt and Old Ekdahl in The Wild Duck, but also Daniel Hejre in The League of Youth.Once a rich merchant in Skien with a...
, father of Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
, referring to his and his wife's relatives following his own bankruptcy)
See also
- Paus is also the name of a Swedish band including Peter Svensson from The CardigansThe CardigansThe Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
and Joakim Berg from KentKent (band)Kent is a Swedish alternative rock band founded in Eskilstuna in 1990, with the name Coca-Cola Kids, later Jones & Giftet , and Havsänglar...
.