The Bernadotte Dynasty of Sweden

From King Carl XIV Johan to King Carl XVI Gustav

Nov 12, 2009

When King Carl XIV Johan, formerly Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, became the first Bernadotte king of Sweden, he began a royal dynasty that is still in power today.

The Bernadotte dynasty began in Sweden in 1818, when the French Marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a Napoleonic war hero, succeeded the last Holstein-Gottorp king, King Carl XIII. From King Carl XIV Johan to the present King Carl XVI Gustav, the Bernadotte kings have been popular and concerned with reforms of the government for the Swedish people.

King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden (b. 1763, reigned 1818–1844)

During his regency for King Carl XIII and his early kingship, King Carl XIV Johan, the royal name of Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, oversaw the formation of the Swedish Norwegian Union. This union was begun in 1815, when Denmark was forced to relinquish Norway to Sweden, and he was careful to give some concessions to Norway. King Carl XIV Johan was also an enlightened king who gave control of the country’s revenues to parliament and encouraged education.

King Oscar I of Sweden (b. 1799, reigned 1844–1859)

When King Oscar I succeeded his father, he continued implementing liberal reforms as his father had. He also oversaw the November Treaty with the western powers during the Crimean War. King Oscar I married Napoleon’s step-granddaughter, reinforcing Sweden’s ties with France and the Bonaparte family.

King Carl XV of Sweden (b. 1826, reigned 1859–1872)

King Carl XV implemented reforms in criminal and ecclesiastical law, and oversaw the reform of the Riksdag. Unfortunately, his son died in infancy so his brother succeeded him. Nevertheless, his daughter Princess Louise married the future King Frederick VIII of Denmark, and their second son Prince Carl, named for his grandfather, was later elected King Haakon VII of Norway. Therefore, the Danish and Norwegian royal families are now descended from King Carl XV of Sweden.

King Oscar II of Sweden (b. 1829, reigned 1872–1907)

King Oscar II was an intellectual who enjoyed writing poetry and history. He was also firmly pro-royal, and his actions were sometimes resented by parliament. In 1905, Norway declared the political union with Sweden finished, and when King Oscar II eventually recognized the dissolution he officially backed the election of his great-nephew as King Haakon VII of Norway.

King Gustav V (b. 1858, reigned 1907–1950)

King Gustav V was a serious king who disliked pomp and circumstance. He encountered problems during the Farmers’ Rally of 1914, in which he publicly supported their position without checking with the government first. Many Swedes thought the king had overstepped his role and become too political, and many called for a republic. But King Gustav V weathered the crisis and re-stabilized the throne.

King Gustav VI Adolf (b. 1882, reigned 1950–1973)

His family often joked that King Gustav VI Adolf was a professor, not a king. Although he was a very good and popular king, he was far more interested in intellectual pursuits, and knew a great deal about history, art, archaeology, and music. He was a democrat, and reigned as a good constitutional monarch who didn’t interfere in the government although he liked to be kept informed of everything.

Unfortunately, he did suffer some family tragedies, particularly the early death of his eldest son and heir Crown Prince Gustav Adolf. Gustav Adolf left behind a wife and five children, including the nine-month-old Prince Carl Gustav, who was now heir to the throne. King Gustav VI Adolf then became more of a father than a grandfather to his young heir, and he lived long enough to ensure that the new King Carl XVI Gustav wouldn’t need a regent.

King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden (b. 1946, reign from 1973)

King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden has proved to be a very popular monarch. He was the first Swedish king to marry a commoner, the equally popular Queen Silvia. In 1980, Sweden passed a law that the monarch’s eldest child, regardless of gender, would succeed, making his eldest child, Victoria, heir over her younger brother Carl Philip.

Source:

Kiste, John van der. Northern Crowns: The Kings of Modern Scandinavia. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 1996.

The copyright of the article The Bernadotte Dynasty of Sweden in Scandinavian History is owned by Emily Chauviere. Permission to republish The Bernadotte Dynasty of Sweden in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.