Everything about Charles Xiii Of Sweden totally explained
Charles XIII (
7 October,
1748 -
5 February,
1818), was
King of Sweden from
1809 and
King of Norway (where he was known as
Karl II) from
1814 until his death. He was the second son of King
Adolf Frederick of Sweden and
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, sister of
Frederick the Great.
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 wasn't very close to his mother; the Queen preferred her youngest children,
Sophie Albertine and
Frederick Adolf, 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 Sweden and was as a sign of recognition appointed Duke of Södermanland.
He was described as dependent of others, easily influented, weak and pleasure loving, made scandals with his love affairs and was an easy prey to oposition and mysticism.
He was interested in politics, or rather, he was interested in power; when he finally became regent, he didn't 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 accused of anything.
He was very interested in the supernatural, secret societys and mysticism. It is said that he was one of the best clients of the celebrated occultist
Ulrica Arfvidsson and even asked her for political advice during the 1780s, and he was also very interested in the activities of the male medium
Henrik Gustaf Ulfvenklou, who made a great success as a medium in the citys 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
Hogland (June 7, 1788) and
Öland (July 26, 1789). On the latter occasion he'd 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
regent of Sweden till 1796; but the real ruler of the country was the narrow-minded and vindictive
Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm, 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
despotism.
On the coming of age of
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (November 1796), the duke became a mere cipher in politics until
March 13,
1809, when those who had dethroned Gustav IV Adolf appointed him regent, and he was finally elected king by the
Riksdag of the Estates. But by this time he was prematurely decrepit, and
Crown Prince Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte took over the government as soon as he landed in Sweden in
1810. By the
Union of Sweden and Norway in
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
February 5,
1818, and Bernadotte succeeded him as King
Charles XIV John.
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 Fersen and singers and actors such as
Charlotte Eckerman. One of his best known mistresses was
Charlotte Slottsberg, who also had influence over him. As a king, his mistress was the noblewoman
Mariana Koskull.
Ancestors
Children and family
He married his cousin Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp (1759–1818), on July 7, 1774, but both of their children died in infancy.
- Louisa Hedvig (1797)
- Carl Adolf, Duke of Värmland (1798)
With his mistress, Augusta von Fersen, he'd a son:
Carl Löwenhielm 1772–1861Further Information
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