Adolf Frederick or
Adolph Frederick (
GottorpGottorf Castle is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Germany. It is the ancestral home of the Holstein-Gottorp branch of the House of Oldenburg...
, 14 May 1710 –
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
, 12 February 1771) was
King of SwedenThe monarch is the head of state of the Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden, being a constitutional monarchy with a representative democracy based on a parliamentary system has a largely ceremonial monarch, though officially he or she holds the highest public office in Sweden and the highest military rank...
from 1751 until his death. He was the son of
Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of EutinPrince Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp was Duke of Slesvig-Holstein, prince regent of Eutin, prince-bishop of Lubeck and regent of the duchy of Holstein-Gottorp....
and Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach.
Ancestry
His father was
Christian AugustusPrince Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp was Duke of Slesvig-Holstein, prince regent of Eutin, prince-bishop of Lubeck and regent of the duchy of Holstein-Gottorp....
(1673—1726) duke and a younger prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, prince-bishop of Lubeck, and administrator, during the
Great Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a war in which the so-called Northern Alliance composed of Russia, Denmark-Norway, Poland-Lithuania and Saxony engaged Sweden for the supremacy in the Baltic Sea. The war ended with a defeat for Sweden in 1721, leaving Russia as the new major power in the Baltic Sea and...
, of the duchies of Holstein-Gottorp for his relative
Charles FrederickDuke Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp , was the son of Frederick IV of Holstein-Gottorp and his wife, Hedvig Sophia, daughter of King Charles XI of Sweden. He became reigning duke in infancy, upon his father's death in 1702.Duke Charles Frederick was under the regency of his mother, with...
. His mother was Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach.
On his mother's side, Adolf Frederick descended from king
Gustav I of SwedenGustav I, born Gustav Eriksson and later known as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death. He was the first monarch of the House of Vasa, an influential noble family which came to be the royal house of Sweden for much of the 16th and 17th centuries...
and from Christina Magdalena, a sister of Charles X of Sweden. From both his parents he was descended from Holstein-Gottorp, a house with a number of medieval Scandinavian royal dynasties among its ancestors. Adolf Frederick was also a 13th-generation descendant of Erik V of Denmark; a 13th-generation descendant of
Sophia of DenmarkPrincess Sofia Eriksdotter of Denmark, , was a Queen consort of Sweden, spouse of King Valdemar I of Sweden.Sofia was the eldest daughter of Eric IV of Denmark and Jutta of Saxony. Her father was murdered in 1250 when she and her younger sisters, Agnes and Jutta of Denmark were young...
and Valdemar I of Sweden; and an 11th-generation descendant of
Euphemia of SwedenEufemia Ericsdotter of Sweden , was a Swedish princess, spouse of Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg, Duchess Consort of Mecklenburg, heiress of Sweden and of Norway, mother of king Albert of Sweden.- Biography :Her father was Eric of Sweden Eufemia Ericsdotter of Sweden (1317-1370), was a Swedish...
, Duchess of
MecklenburgThe Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg is a North German dynasty of West Slavic origin that ruled until 1918.- Origins :Niklot was a lord of the Wendish tribe of Obotrites. When the Holy Roman Empire expanded eastwards, notably to the coast of Baltic in 13th century, a portion of Obotrite lords...
and her husband the duke Albrecht.
Reign
From 1727 to 1750 prince Adolf Frederick was prince-bishop of
LübeckThe Bishopric of Lübeck was a Roman-Catholic and, later, Protestant diocese, as well as a state of the Holy Roman Empire.-History:The original diocese was founded about 970 by Emperor Otto I in the Billung March at Oldenburg in Holstein , the former capital of the pagan Wagri tribe...
(which meant the rulership of a fief around and including
EutinEutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
), and administrator of Holstein-
KielKiel is the capital and most populous city of the northern German state Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of over 236,000 .Kiel is approximately to the north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore...
during the minority of his nephew, Duke Charles Peter Ulrich, afterwards
Peter III of RussiaPeter III was Emperor of Russia for six months in 1762. According to most historians, he was mentally immature and very pro-Prussian, which made him an unpopular leader. He was supposedly assassinated as a result of a conspiracy led by his wife, who succeeded him to the throne as Catherine...
. In 1743 he was elected heir to the throne of Sweden by the
Hat factionThe Hats were a political faction during the Age of Liberty in Sweden. Their name derives from the three-cornered hat worn by officers and gentlemen. The primary rivals of the Hats were known as the Caps.
The Hats are most famously recognized for the disastrous Hats' Russian War, which was...
in order that they might obtain better conditions of
Peace of TurkuThe Treaty of Åbo or the Treaty of Turku was a peace treaty signed between the Russian Empire and Sweden in Turku on 7 August, 1743 in the wake of the Russo-Swedish War of 1741-1743....
from Empress
Elizabeth of RussiaElizaveta Petrovna , also known as Yelisavet and Elizabeth, was the Empress of Russia who took the country into the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War...
, who had adopted his nephew as her
heirAn heir presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honor, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the throne...
. He succeeded as Adolf I Fredrik on 26 March 1751.
During his whole reign (1751-1771), Adolf Frederick was little more than a state decoration, the real power being lodged in the hands of an omnipotent
riksdagThe Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
, distracted by fierce party strife. Twice he endeavoured to free himself from the intolerable tutelage of the estates. The first occasion was in 1755 when, stimulated by his imperious consort
Louisa Ulrika of PrussiaLouisa Ulrika of Prussia was a Swedish Queen, Queen consort of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as wife of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother of King Gustav III of Sweden and King Charles XIII of Sweden.-Background:Louisa Ulrika was the daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and his...
(1720-82), sister of Frederick the Great, he tried to regain a portion of the attenuated prerogative, and nearly lost his throne in consequence. On the second occasion, under the guidance of his eldest son, the crown prince Gustavus, afterwards
Gustav III of SwedenGustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, sister of Frederick the Great....
, he succeeded in overthrowing the tyrannous "Cap" senate, but was unable to make any use of his victory.
His mother, a widow princess, died in
HamburgHamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and the sixth-largest city in the European Union...
on 22 December 1755. She was a descendant of earlier royal dynasties of Sweden, granddaughter of Christina Magdalena of Palatinate, Charles X's sister.
Death
The king died on 12 February 1771 after having consumed a meal consisting of
lobsterClawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets US$31.8 billion in trade annually....
,
caviarCaviar is the processed, salted roe of certain species of fish, most notably the sturgeon and the salmon...
,
sauerkrautSauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in...
,
kippersKIPPERS is a term to describe individuals in their late twenties or early thirties that are living in their parent's homes. They may or may not be earning an income. Similar terms include Parasite single and Boomerang Generation. The term has been used by a variety of news groups such as BBC News...
and champagne, which was topped off with 14 servings of his favourite dessert:
semlaA semla is a traditional pastry in Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Norway, Denmark and Estonia, associated with Lent and especially Shrove Tuesday.The name derives from the Latin semilia, which was the name used for the finest quality wheat flour or semolina...
served in a bowl of hot milk. He is thus remembered by Swedish school children as "the king who ate himself to death."
He was regarded, both during his time and in later times, as dependent on others, a weak ruler and lacking of any talents. But he was allegedly also a good husband, a caring father and a gentle master to his servants. His favourite pastime was to make
snuffSnuff is ground or pulverized tobacco, which is generally inhaled or "snuffed" through the nose. It is a type of smokeless tobacco. There are several types, but traditionally it means Dry/European nasal snuff...
boxes, which he allegedly spent a great deal of time doing. His personal hospitality and friendliness were witnessed by many who deeply mourned him at his death.
His portrait is included with the 16-sheet series of
Princely Persons on Horseback by Johann Elias Ridinger.
Children
By his marriage to Princess
Louisa Ulrika of PrussiaLouisa Ulrika of Prussia was a Swedish Queen, Queen consort of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as wife of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother of King Gustav III of Sweden and King Charles XIII of Sweden.-Background:Louisa Ulrika was the daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and his...
(which took place on 18 August/29 August 1744 in
DrottningholmDrottningholm, literally "Queen's Islet", is a locality situated in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden, with 410 inhabitants in 2005....
), he had the following children:
- (Stillborn) (Stockholm
' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
, 18 February 1745 - Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
, 18 February 1745)
- Gustav III
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, sister of Frederick the Great....
(1746-1792)
- Charles XIII
Charles XIII & II , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
(1748-1818)
- Frederick Adolf
Prince Fredrick Adolf , was a Swedish Prince, youngest son of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, a sister Frederick the Great, King of Prussia...
(1750-1803)
- Sofia Albertina (1753-1829)
Ancestors
External links