Charles XIII & II (
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...
, 7 October 1748 –
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...
, 5 February 1818), 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...
(as
Charles XIII) from 1809 and King of Norway (as
Charles II) from 1814 until his death. He was the second son of King
Adolf Frederick of SwedenAdolf Frederick or Adolph Frederick was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death...
and
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...
, sister of Frederick the Great.
Though known as Charles XIII, he was actually the seventh Swedish king of that name, as
Erik XIVEric XIV was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the son of Gustav I of Sweden and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg . He was also ruler of Estonia, after its conquest by Sweden in 1561...
(reigned 1560–1568) and
Charles IXCharles IX , was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
(reigned 1604–1611) took their numbers after studying a highly fictitious History of Sweden.
Prince Charles was appointed great admiral a few days old.
Charles XIII & II (
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...
, 7 October 1748 –
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...
, 5 February 1818), 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...
(as
Charles XIII) from 1809 and King of Norway (as
Charles II) from 1814 until his death. He was the second son of King
Adolf Frederick of SwedenAdolf Frederick or Adolph Frederick was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death...
and
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...
, sister of Frederick the Great.
Though known as Charles XIII, he was actually the seventh Swedish king of that name, as
Erik XIVEric XIV was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the son of Gustav I of Sweden and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg . He was also ruler of Estonia, after its conquest by Sweden in 1561...
(reigned 1560–1568) and
Charles IXCharles IX , was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
(reigned 1604–1611) took their numbers after studying a highly fictitious History of Sweden.
Life and politics
Prince Charles was appointed great admiral a few days old. He was a good dancer at the amateur theatre of the royal court, but was not very close to his mother; the Queen preferred her youngest children, Sophie Albertine and
Frederick AdolfPrince 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...
, but he and his oldest Gustav was described as close. In 1772 he cooperated in the revolutionary plans of his elder brother, King
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....
and was as a sign of recognition appointed Duke of Södermanland.
He was described as dependent of others, easily influenced, weak and pleasure loving, created scandals with his love affairs and was an easy prey to opposition and mysticism. He was interested in politics, or rather, he was interested in power; when he finally became regent, he did not use his power, but left it in the hands of others. He was suspected of a lot of intrigues against his brother King Gustav, but never openly accused of anything.
He was very interested in the
supernaturalThe term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others...
, secret societies and
mysticismMysticism is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. Mysticism usually centers on a practice or practices intended to nurture those experiences or...
. It is said that he was one of the best clients of the celebrated occultist
Ulrica ArfvidssonAnna Ulrica Arfvidsson , was a Swedish fortune-teller during the reign of Gustav III of Sweden. She was commonly known as "Mamsell Arfvidsson" .-Biography:...
and even asked her for political advice during the 1780s, and he was also very interested in the activities of the male
mediumMediumship is supposedly a form of communication with spirits.It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Louisiana Voodoo, Shambala and Umbanda...
Henrik Gustaf UlfvenklouHenrik Gustaf Ulfvenklou, , was a Swedish mystic and medium who gained a great influence in the circles of Duke Charles by claiming to communicate with the spirits of the dead....
, who made a great success as a medium in the city's aristocracy during the season 1783–1784 and had great influence over the duke. He was also a member of the Freemasons.
On the outbreak of the Russo-Swedish War of 1788 he served with distinction as admiral of the fleet, especially at the battles of
HoglandThe naval Battle of Hogland took place on 17 July 1788 during the Russo-Swedish War .-Origins:On the outbreak of war with Russia in 1788, Sweden planned to attack the Russian capital St. Petersburg...
( 7 June 1788) and
ÖlandThe naval Battle of Öland took place on 26 July 1789 during the Russo-Swedish War . There was another naval battle in 1676 called the Battle of Öland.-Origins:...
( 26 July 1789). On the latter occasion he would have won a signal victory but for the unaccountable remissness of his second-in-command, Admiral Liljehorn.
On the death of Gustav III in 1792, Charles acted as
regentA regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Thus, the common use is for an acting deputy governor....
of Sweden till 1796; but the real ruler of the country was the narrow-minded and vindictive
Gustaf Adolf ReuterholmBaron Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm , was a Swedish statesman. After a brief military career he was appointed Kammarherre to Sophia Magdalena, queen consort of Gustav III of Sweden and subsequently became intimately connected with the king's brother, Charles, then duke of Södermanland...
, whose mischievous influence over him was supreme. These four years were perhaps the most miserable and degrading in Swedish history (an age of lead succeeding an age of gold, as it has well been called) and may be briefly described as alternations of fantastic jacobinism and ruthless
despotismDespotism is a form of government by a single authority, either an individual , or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute political power.-History:...
.
On the coming of age of
Gustav IV Adolf of SwedenGustav IV Adolf was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish ruler of Finland.-Early...
(November 1796), the duke became a mere cipher in politics until 13 March 1809, when those who had dethroned Gustav IV Adolf appointed him regent, and he was finally elected king by the
Riksdag of the EstatesThe Riksdag of the Estates, or Ståndsriksdagen, was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm, or Rikets ständer, when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866 the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the Swedish monarch...
. But by this time he was prematurely decrepit, and
Crown PrinceA Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Jean-Baptiste BernadotteCharles XIV & III John , born Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, later renamed Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
took over the government as soon as he landed in Sweden in 1810. By the Union of Sweden and Norway on 4 November 1814 Charles became king of Norway under the name
Carl II of Norway. After eight years as king only by title, Charles died without a natural heir on 5 February 1818, and Bernadotte succeeded him as King
Charles XIV JohnCharles XIV & III John , born Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, later renamed Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
.
In 1774, his brother arranged a marriage with his cousin, Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp. His marital relationship was very distant; although initially fond of his beautiful and lively bride, they lived most of their lives separated and both had extramarital affairs. During his old age, when he became king, he began to follow her around, irritating her by asking the same questions repeatedly. Charles was talked about as having a whole harem of mistresses, including noblewoman such as
Augusta von FersenAugusta von Fersen, as married Löwenhielm, , was a Swedish noblewoman and lady-in-waiting, a well known figure in the Gustavian court and a royal mistress to Charles XIII of Sweden....
and singers and actresses such as
Charlotte EckermanCharlotte Beata Eckerman, 1759-16 january in Stockholm 1790, was a Swedish opera singer and actress. She belonged to the first generation of the newly founded national stage...
. One of his best known mistresses was
Charlotte SlottsbergCharlotte Slottsberg , was a Swedish ballerina-dancer, one of the first native dancers in the Royal Swedish Ballet at the Royal Swedish Opera and one of the most successful ones...
, who also had influence over him. As a king, his mistress was the noblewoman
Mariana KoskullHenrietta Mariana Charlotta Koskull was a Swedish noble and lady-in-waiting, known as the royal mistress of King Charles XIII of Sweden and King Charles XIV John of Sweden....
.
He was the 872nd
KnightA knight was a "gentleman soldier" or member of the warrior class of the Middle Ages in Europe. In other Indo-European languages, cognates of cavalier or rider are more prevalent suggesting a connection to the knight's mode of transport...
of the
Order of the Golden FleeceNOT to be confused with the Golden Fleece Award.The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges in 1430 by Duke Philip III of Burgundy to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Isabel of Aviz.- Origin :...
in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
.
Children and family
He married his cousin Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp (1759–1818), on 7 July 1774 in
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...
, but both of their children died in infancy.
- Lovisa Hedvig (– 2 July 1797)
- Carl Adolf, Duke of Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Its Latin name is Wermelandia; its English derivative is Wermland or similar variation. The origin of the name is...
(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...
, 4 July 1798 – 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...
, 10 July 1798)
With his mistress,
Augusta von FersenAugusta von Fersen, as married Löwenhielm, , was a Swedish noblewoman and lady-in-waiting, a well known figure in the Gustavian court and a royal mistress to Charles XIII of Sweden....
, he had a son:
- Carl Löwenhielm
Count Carl Löwenhielm was a Swedish military officer, diplomat and politician; member of the Swedish cabinet 1822–1839. He was an illegitimate son of King Charles XIII of Sweden and Augusta von Fersen , and a half-brother of Gustaf Löwenhielm.He represented Sweden at the Congress of Vienna....
1772–1861
Ancestors
External links