Charles XIV John (Swedish: Carl XIV Johan), born Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (January 26, 1763 – March 8, 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway (where he was known as Karl III Johan) from 1818 until his death.
French by birth, Bernadotte served a long career in the French
Army. He was created a Marshal of France by Napoleon I, though the two had a turbulent relationship. His service to France ended in 1810, when
he was elected heir to the Swedish throne.
Early life
He was born in Pau, France, as the son of
Jean Henri Bernadotte (1711-1780), procurator at Pau, and Jeanne de Saint Vincent (1728-1809). His Christian names were
Jean-Baptiste (he added Jules later, from Julius Caesar, in the classicizing
spirit of the French Revolution). The family name was originally de Pouey, but
was changed to Bernadotte at the beginning of the 17th century.
Military career
Bernadotte joined the army as a private in the Régiment de Royal-Marine on September 3,
1780, and first served in the newly-conquered territory of Corsica. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution, his eminent
military qualities brought him speedy promotion. He was promoted to colonel in 1792 and by 1794 was a brigadier attached to the
army of the Sambre et Meuse. After Jourdan's victory at Fleurus (26 June 1794) he became
a general of division. At the Battle of Theiningen (1796), Bernadotte contributed, more than
anyone else, to the successful retreat of the French army over the Rhine after its defeat by the
Archduke Charles of Austria. In 1797 he brought reinforcements from
the Rhine to Bonaparte's army in Italy,
distinguishing himself greatly at the passage of the Tagliamento, and in 1798 served as
ambassador to Vienna, but had to quit his post owing to the disturbances caused by his hoisting
the tricolour over the embassy.
On August 16 1798 he married Désirée Clary (1777–1860), the daughter of a Marseille silk merchant,
and sister of Joseph Bonaparte's wife Julie Clary.
From July 2 to September 14 he was Minister of War, in which capacity he displayed great ability. He declined to help Napoleon
Bonaparte stage his coup d'état of November 1799, but nevertheless accepted
employment from the Consulate, and from April 1800 to August 18, 1801 commanded the army in the Vendée.
On the introduction of the French Empire, Bernadotte became one of the eighteen
Marshals of France and, from June 1804 to September 1805, served as governor of
Hanover. During the campaign of 1805, Bernadotte with an army corps from Hanover co-operated in
the great movement which resulted in the shutting up of Mack in Ulm. As a reward for his services at Austerlitz (December 2, 1805) he became Prince of Ponte
Corvo (June 5, 1806), but during the campaign against
Prussia, in the same year, was severely reproached by Napoleon for not participating with
his army corps in the battles of Jena and Auerstädt, though close at hand. In 1808, as governor of the Hanseatic towns, he was to have directed the expedition against Sweden,
via the Danish islands, but the plan came to nought because of the want of transports and the
defection of the Spanish contingent. In the war against Austria,
Bernadotte led the Saxon contingent at the Battle of
Wagram (6 July 1809), on which occasion, on his own
initiative, he issued an Order of the Day attributing the victory principally to
the valour of his Saxons, which order Napoleon at once disavowed. It was during the
middle of that battle that Marshal Bernadotte was stripped of his command after retreating against Napoleon's orders.
Offer of the Swedish throne
Bernadotte, considerably piqued, thereupon returned to Paris, where the council
of ministers entrusted him with the defence of the Netherlands against the British expedition in Walcheren. In 1810 he was about to
enter upon his new post of governor of Rome when he was, unexpectedly, elected heir to King
Charles XIII of Sweden, partly because a large
part of the Swedish Army, in view of future complications with Russia, were in favour of electing a soldier, and partly because Bernadotte was very popular in Sweden, owing to
the kindness he had shown to the Swedish prisoners during the late war with Denmark. The matter was decided by one of the Swedish
courtiers, Baron Karl Otto Mörner, who, entirely on his own initiative, offered the
succession to the Swedish crown to Bernadotte. Bernadotte communicated Mörner's offer to Napoleon, who treated the whole affair as an absurdity. Bernadotte thereupon informed Mörner that
he would not refuse the honour if he were duly elected. Although the Swedish
government, amazed at Mörner's effrontery, at once placed him under arrest on his return to Sweden, the candidature of
Bernadotte gradually gained favour there, and, on August 21, 1810, he was elected Crown Prince and made Generalissimus of the Swedish Armed Forces.[1]
Crown Prince and Regent
Coronation of Karl III Johan as King of Norway
On November 2 Bernadotte made his solemn entry into Stockholm, and on November 5 he received the homage of the
estates and was adopted by Charles
XIII under the name of "Charles John" (Karl Johan). The new crown prince was very soon the most popular and the most
powerful man in Sweden. The infirmity of the old king and the dissensions in the Privy
Council placed the government, and especially the control of foreign
affairs, entirely in his hands. The keynote of his whole policy was the acquisition of Norway and Bernadotte proved anything but a puppet of France. In 1813 he allied Sweden with Napoleon's enemies Britain and Prussia of the Sixth Coalition, in order to secure this.
After the defeats of Lützen (2 May
1813) and Bautzen (21
May 1813), it was the Swedish crown prince who put fresh heart into the allies; and at the
conference of Trachenberg he drew up the general plan for the campaign which began
after the expiration of the Truce of Plaswitz. Charles John, as commander-in-chief of the
northern army, successfully defended the approaches to Berlin against Oudinot in August and against Ney in September at the Battles of
Grossbeeren and Dennewitz; but after
Leipzig he went his own way, determined at all hazards to cripple Denmark and
secure Norway.
King of Sweden and Norway
Swedish Royalty
House of Bernadotte
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Charles XIV John |
| Children |
| Oscar I |
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Oscar I |
| Children |
| Charles XV |
| Gustaf, Duke of Upland |
| Oscar II |
| Princess Eugenie |
| August, Duke of Dalarna |
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Charles XV |
| Children |
| Lovisa, Queen of Denmark |
| Carl Oscar, Duke of Södermanland |
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Oscar II |
| Children |
| Gustaf V |
| Oscar, Duke of Gotland |
| Eugén, Duke of Närke |
| Carl, Duke of Västergötland |
| Grandchildren |
| Princess Margaretha |
| Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway |
| Astrid, Queen of Belgium |
| Carl, Duke of Östergötland |
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Gustaf V |
| Children |
| Gustaf VI Adolf |
| Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland |
| Erik, Duke of Västmanland |
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Gustaf VI Adolf |
| Children |
| Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten |
| Sigvard, Duke of Uppland |
| Ingrid, Queen of Denmark |
| Bertil, Duke of Halland |
| Carl Johan, Count af Wisborg |
| Grandchildren |
| Princess Margaretha |
| Princess Birgitta |
| Princess Désirée |
| Princess Christina |
| Carl XVI Gustaf |
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Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Children |
| Crown Princess Victoria |
| Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland |
| Madeleine, Duchess of
Hälsingland and Gästrikland |
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Equestrian in Stockholm depicting Charles XIV John
As unional king, Charles XIV John, who succeeded to that title in 1818 following the death of Charles XIII, was initially
popular in both countries. Upon his accession he converted from Roman Catholicism
to the Lutheranism of the Swedish court. He
would never learn to speak Swedish or Norwegian, though this did not pose a serious obstacle to his rule, as French was widely spoken by the aristocracy of the time.
Charles XIV John's reign witnessed the completion of the southern Göta Canal, begun 22
years earlier, to link Lake Vänern to the sea at Söderköping
180 miles to the east. Though his ultra-conservative views were unpopular, particularly
from 1823 onward, his dynasty never faced serious danger. Swedes and Norwegians alike were proud of a monarch with a European
reputation[citation needed]. Though the Riksdag of the Estates of 1840 meditated compelling him to abdicate, he survived this controversy
and his silver jubilee was celebrated with great enthusiasm in 1843.
Monarchical Styles of
King Charles XIV (Sweden), Karl III Johan (Norway)
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Charles XIV John died at Stockholm on March 8, 1844. His reign
was one of uninterrupted peace, during which his kingdoms experienced great material development. He was succeeded by his son,
Oscar I of Sweden and Norway.
The main street of Oslo, Karl Johans gate is named for him, while the Fortress of
Karlsborg (Karlsborgs fästning) located in Karlsborg Municipality
(Karlsborgs kommun) in Västra Götaland, was named by him after Charles
XIII, his adoptive father.
During the French Revolution, Bernadotte belonged for a time to the
Jacobin Club, a radical political organization. According to a popular myth, after his
death a tattoo was found on his body that read Mort aux rois! ("Death to kings!"), presumably a legacy of his Jacobin
days. However, no evidence has been found to confirm this.
Ancestry
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4. Jean Bernadotte |
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2. Jean Henri Bernadotte |
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5. Marie du Pucheu |
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1. Charles XIV John of
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6. Jean de Saint Vincent |
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3. Jeanne de Saint
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7. Marie d'Abbadie de
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Line of Descendants
Following only the lines of the thrones of Sweden, Charles is the male-line ancestor to the heirs of that nation.
See also
Literature
- Dunbar Plunket Barton: The amazing career of Bernadotte, 1930
- Alan Palmer: Bernadotte: Napoleon's marshal, Sweden's king, 1990
- Lord Russell of Liverpool: Bernadotte: Marshal of France & King of Sweden, 1981
External links
References
- ^ (Swedish) Ancienneté och Rang-Rulla öfver Krigsmagten år
1813
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