Oscar I of Sweden
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Oscar I, born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte (July 4, 1799, Paris–July 8, 1859, Stockholm), was King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to his death. He was the only son of Charles XIV John of Sweden and his wife, Queen Desideria. When, in August 1810, Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, Oscar and his mother moved from Paris to Stockholm (June 1811).
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[edit] Upbringing
From Charles XIII of Sweden Oscar received the title of Duke of Sudermannia. He quickly acquired the Swedish language. By the time he reached the age of majority he had become a general favourite. His very considerable native talents were developed by an excellent education, and he soon came to be regarded as an authority on all socio-political questions. In 1839 he wrote a series of articles on popular education, and (in 1841) an anonymous work, "Om Straff och straffanstalter", advocating prison reforms. Twice during his father's lifetime he was viceroy of Norway. On June 19, 1823 he married the princess Josephine, daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg, and granddaughter of the Empress Josephine.
[edit] Planned marriage
Oscar's father had selected four princesses as candidates for marriage, in order of his priority:
- Vilhelmina of Denmark (born 18 January 1808), daughter of Frederick VI of Denmark and Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel (ultimately she married firstly Frederik of Denmark, future king, and secondly Charles of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg)
- Josefina of Leuchtenberg (born 14 March 1807), daughter of Eugene, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and Augusta of Bavaria
- Marie of Hesse (born 6 September 1804), daughter of William II of Hesse and Augusta of Prussia (ultimately she married Bernard II of Saxe-Meiningen)
- Marie of Saxe-Weimar (born 3 February 1808), daughter of Charles Frederick of Saxe-Weimar and Maria Pavlovna of Russia (ultimately she married Charles of Prussia)
source: Hjalmar Lagerqvist, Sveriges drottningar
[edit] Politics
In 1824 and 1833, the Crown Prince was briefly Viceroy of Norway. In 1838 the king began to suspect his heir of plotting with the Liberal party to bring about a change of ministry, or even his own abdication. If Oscar did not actively assist the Opposition on this occasion, his disapprobation of his father's despotic behaviour was notorious, though he avoided an actual rupture. Yet his liberalism was of the most cautious and moderate character, as the Opposition, shortly after his accession (March 8, 1844), discovered to their great chagrin. He would not hear of any radical reform of the cumbrous and obsolete Constitution of 1809. But one of his earliest measures was to establish freedom of the press.
He formally established equality between his two kingdoms by introducing new flags with a common union badge and a new coat of arms for the union. Most of the legislation during Oscar I's reign aimed at improving the economic position of Sweden, and the Riksdag of the Estates, in its address to him in 1857, declared that he had promoted the material prosperity of the kingdom more than any of his predecessors.
In foreign affairs Oscar I was a friend of the principle of nationality. In 1848 he supported Denmark against the Kingdom of Prussia in the First War of Schleswig; placed Swedish and Norwegian troops in cantonments in Funen and North Schleswig (1849-1850); and mediated the Truce of Malmö (August 26, 1848). He was also one of the guarantors of the integrity of Denmark (the London protocol, May 8, 1852).
As early as 1850 Oscar I had conceived the plan of a dynastic union of the three Scandinavian kingdoms, but such difficulties presented themselves that the scheme had to be abandoned. He succeeded, however, in reversing his father's obsequious policy towards Imperial Russia. His fear lest Russia should demand a stretch of coast along the Varanger Fjord induced him to remain neutral during the Crimean War, and, subsequently, to conclude an alliance with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Second French Empire (November 25, 1855) for preserving the territorial integrity of Scandinavia.
[edit] Children
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King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway |
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Oscar I left four legitimate sons, of whom two, Carl and Oscar, succeeded him to the throne.
- King Charles XV (Charles IV in Norway) (1826-1872)
- Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uplandia (1827-1852)
- King Oscar II (1829-1907)
- Princess Eugenie (1830-1889)
- Prince August, Duke of Dalecarlia (1831-1873)
Oscar also had two children with his mistress, the actress Emilie Högquist:
- Hjalmar Högquist, born June 18, 1839 in Hamburg.
- Max Högquist, born August 12, 1840 in Stockholm.
They were often more or less parodically referred to as The Princes of Laponia.
With another mistress, Jaquette Löwenhielm (née Gyldenstolpe), Oscar had a daughter
- Oscaria
[edit] Trivia
Oscar's mother was Désirée Clary, Napoleon Bonaparte's first fiancée. Her sister, Julie Clary, was married to Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte. Désirée chose Napoleon to be Oscar's godfather.
| Preceded by Charles XIV John |
King of Sweden 1844–1859 |
Succeeded by Charles XV |
| King of Norway 1844–1859 |
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| Preceded by ? |
Duke of Södermanland | Succeeded by Prince Carl Oscar, Duke of Södermanland |
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
Categories: Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica | 1799 births | 1859 deaths | People from Paris | House of Bernadotte | Swedish monarchs | Norwegian monarchs | Dukes of Swedish Provinces | Swedish Lutherans | Royal Fellows of the Royal Society | Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni | Knights of the Golden Fleece
