Charles August, Crown Prince of Sweden

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Charles August
Charlotte of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
ReligionChurch of Denmark

Charles August or Carl August (9 July 1768 – 28 May 1810) was a

Charles XIII, before his sudden death from a stroke. Earlier, he had been a general in the Royal Danish Army as well as the Governor-general of Norway. His name before assuming the Swedish title in 1810 was Christian August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, or Christian August of Augustenburg for short.[2]

Family

He was born at

Christian August, Duke of Augustenborg. He did not marry.[3]

Career in Denmark and Norway

Christian August studied in

Denmark-Norway in 1785. He was appointed lieutenant colonel, and was promoted to colonel in 1787 and major general in 1790. From 1797 he was stationed in Austria, joining the fight against Napoleon. He left Austria when the Treaty of Lunéville ended the War of the Second Coalition in 1801. In 1803 Christian August was named commander of Fredriksten Fortress in Norway, assuming the position in 1804.[3]

In 1807 he once again became involved in the Napoleonic Wars, this time on the side of Napoleon as Napoleon's enemy Great Britain assaulted Denmark. The Danish-Norwegian part of the Napoleonic Wars is called the Gunboat War. Sweden joined forces against Denmark-Norway in 1808. Christian August was a central figure in the war, and led forces to victories in the Battle of Prestebakke and the Battle of Toverud, ousting Swedish forces from Norway. In 1808 Christian August was promoted to Field Marshal, and in 1809 he became Governor-general of Norway.[3]

Sweden

On 6 June 1809 the Duke-regent of Sweden was proclaimed King, after

Constitution, which was ratified by the Riksdag of the Estates the same day.[citation needed] The new king was in no way likely to interfere with the liberal revolution which had placed him on the throne.[citation needed] Peace was what the exhausted nation now required.[4]

Charles XIII was childless, so in order to secure the succession to the throne, someone had to be adopted as his heir.

Peasants. However, the Nobility was more reluctant due to the influence of so-called Gustavians (Gustavianerna), supporting the deposed King Gustav IV Adolf and his then-underage son. The decision to adopt Charles August became definitive on 15 July 1809.[3] His great popularity in Norway was considered an advantage to the Swedish plans for the acquisition of that country. In addition, he had demonstrated his interest in a rapprochement between the two countries by refraining from invading Sweden during the Finnish War with Russia.[5]

Death monument at Kvidinge

After the

Axel von Fersen was openly accused of having killed Charles August, and was lynched on 20 June 1810 during the funeral procession of Charles August. Charles August was buried in Riddarholmen Church, the burial church of Swedish monarchs.[3]

Legacy and aftermath

A monument to Charles August was commissioned by Prince Frederik of Hesse and erected in 1810 in the royal park at Bygdøy near Oslo. Before his departure from Oslo, a grand farewell party was held in his honour, and a group of wealthy citizens formed the charitable foundation Prinds Christian Augusts Minde. It acquired a large town house which still bears his name. A street in Oslo, Kristian Augusts gate, was named after him in 1852.[3]

Charles August's successor as adopted Crown Prince, who was accepted by the Riksdag of the Estates in August, was

Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte
.

See also

Ancestry

References

  1. ISBN 0-85011-023-8
    p. 278
  2. ^ Christian August, Prins af Slesvig-Holsten-Sønderborg-Augustenborg (Dansk biografisk Lexikon)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Mykland, Knut. "Christian August". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  4. ^ Karl 2 – utdypning (Store norske leksikon)
  5. ^ The Union's Last War: The Russian-Swedish War of 1808-09 (The Napoleon Series)
  6. ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 74.

Other sources

  • Blomberg, Wenche (2006) Prinds Christian Augusts Minde - historie og visjoner om de fattiges kvartal Norwegian
  • Sandström, Allan (1994) Sveriges sista krig - de dramatiska åren 1808-1809 (Bokförlaget Libris, Örebro) Swedish

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles August, Crown Prince of Sweden.
Charles August, Crown Prince of Sweden
House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
Born: 9 July 1768 Died: 28 May 1810
Swedish royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Crown Prince Gustav 		Heir to the Swedish throne
1810 		Vacant
Title next held by
Carl Johan Bernadotte
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