Klas Henriksson (Finnish: Klaus Henrikinpoika; c. 1440 – c. 1520) of Horn family was one of the most prominent noblemen in late medieval Finland, which at the time was part of the Swedish realm. He served as justiciar (lagman) of southern Finland from 1487 until his death, and was appointed to the Swedish Privy Council in 1488. Over the course of a career spanning nearly five decades, he became widely regarded as one of the foremost legal authorities of his time.
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Origins and estates
Klas was the only surviving son of Henrik Olofsson (Horn), a squire (väpnare) and lord of Joensuu Manor in Halikko, and Cecilia Klausdotter, the daughter of Klas Lydekesson Diekn, a wealthy and long-serving castellan of Turku Castle (1416–1434). On his father's side, the family had belonged to the Finnish lower nobility since at least the 14th century and received confirmation of noble status and tax exemption from King Erik of Pomerania in 1407. Their coat of arms bore the image of a drinking horn, from which the family name Horn was later derived. Klas himself never used a surname.
Through his mother, Klas inherited a portion of Kankainen Manor in Masku, a major estate in southwest Finland. He acquired full control of it after his sister's death. From his father, he inherited Joensuu Manor, and through his first wife, daughter of the justiciar Kristiern Frille, he gained access to the Haapaniemi Manor in Kisko. His second wife, Kristina Jakobsdotter, brought him lands in Vehkalahti, within the Margraviate of Viborg. By the end of his life, Klas Henriksson was one of the wealthiest landowners in Finland.