Bernadotte 200 years

This year marks the 200 year celebration of the Swedish Bernadotte dynasty. A trail of rulers firmly holding the peace while loosing political power.

On the 21st of August 1810, Jean Baptiste Bernadotte entered the throne in Örebro as the new king of Sweden – as the more Swedish-sounding Karl XIV Johan. He was probably one of the first (and most certainly the last) royal regent in Sweden to be chosen for merit rather than heritage. But the head hunting proved to be quite a successful one. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was an experienced military leader, and he was very firm about keeping Sweden out of armed conflicts – a unique situation that has more or less remained until this day. However, over time he became increasingly conservative. Jean Baptiste often gave orders from his bed (he was notoriously sleepy in the mornings) and since his late initiatives involved a secret police force and a strong censorship, he isn’t known as the most democratic ruler in history.
– What’s fascinating about Jean Baptiste is that he was unusually competent for the job, says Dick Harrison, one of Sweden’s leading historians and royal experts.
– He was a foreigner who didn’t speak a word Swedish, and still he managed to rule Sweden successfully over a long period of time. Despite his military background, he lay the foundation to the longest peace period any country has ever had in history.

How would Sweden have developed without him?
– It’s impossible to say. The democratic progress would probably have evolved similarly anyway, but it is possible that we would have had regents with completely different political agendas, resulting in more wars.

During the Bernadotte reign, the royal influence on political power has more or less completely vanished. Is that due to weak rulers or a strong state?
– Neither. It’s because of the general development in society: industrialisation, modernisation, and urbanisation. When people’s lives started to improve and technology evolved faster, the foundation for the personal kingdom became increasingly weak – the same thing happened throughout the entire western world. Democracy prevailed, regardless if the kings were good or bad.

Guided Bernadotte tours in Stockholm
Starting on the Swedish national day, the Stockholm City Museum will offer guided tours in the footsteps of the Bernadotte family, from Jean Baptiste to Princess Victoria and her wedding this summer. Historian Nina Sandberg has researched and written the script for the tour.
– We are focusing on ten members of the Bernadotte family and their way of creating a royal family, she says. I wanted to take these historical icons and make them into real people.

Nina Sandberg doesn’t claim to have a Bernadotte favourite, but if she has to choose, her pick is our present king Carl XVI Gustaf’s brittish grandmother Margaret, married to Gustaf VI Adolf.
– She died tragically at the age of 37, when she was pregnant for the sixth time. Her body was weak, and she died from blood-poisoning. Also, Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla and their relations to national-socialist forces in Germany are quite interesting to talk about. I think it is good to be open about things like these. You have to try and understand the times they lived in. That is what’s interesting with studying history.

// Facts //

* The Stockholm City Museum offers the guided tours in june, august and september. See www.stadsmuseum.stockholm.se for more information.

* The National Museum runs an exhibition called Bernadotte in black and white, displaying photographs from photographers like Hans Gedda, Denise Grünstein, Bruno Ehrs and Mikael Jansson. From 16th of June 2010 to 23rd of January 2011. Free entrance. www.nationalmusem.se

* The Royal Castle runs an exhibition celebrating Bernadotte, including paintings, symbolic artefacts, the Bernadotte library and woven wallpapers. Open in fall of 2010.

* For other events and historical places to visit in Stockholm during the year of the celebration, please see www.stockholmtown.com


The Bernadotte dynasty
Karl XIV Johan, 1818-1844
Oscar I, 1844-1859
Karl XV, 1859-1872
Oscar II, 1872-1907
Gustaf V, 1907-1950
Gustaf VI Adolf, 1950-1973
Carl XVI Gustaf, 1973-

The article is previously published in the magazine Swedish Bulletin.