Bernadotte
The
House of Bernadotte, the current
Royal House of the
Kingdom of Sweden, has reigned since
1818. Between
1818 and
1905 it was also the Royal House of
Norway.
Following the
Finnish War in
1809, Sweden suffered the traumatic loss of
Finland, which had constituted the eastern half of the Swedish
realm. The agony and resentment towards
King Gustav IV Adolf precipitated a
coup d'état, and Gustav Adolf's uncle, the childless
Charles XIII, replaced him. This was merely a temporary solution, and in
1810 the Swedish
Riksdag of the Estates elected the Danish Prince
Christian August as heir to the throne. As Swedish crown prince he took the name Charles August (Karl August); however, he died later that same year.
As
Napoleon I of France was
Emperor of the French, and ruled, directly or indirectly, over much of
Continental Europe through a network of
client kingdoms headed by his brothers (see
Napoleonic Empire; i.e.,
Jerome Bonaparte, King of
Westphalia;
Joseph Bonaparte, King of
Spain;
Louis Bonaparte, King of
Holland), the Swedish parliament saw it practical to elect a king whom Napoleon could accept. On
August 21, 1810, the Riksdag elected
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte,
Marshal of France, as
heir apparent to the Swedish
throne.
Bernadotte, born in the town of
Pau, in the province of
Béarn,
France, rose to the rank of general during the tumultuous years of the
French Revolution. In
1798 he married
Désirée Clary, thereby becoming the
brother-in-law of
Joseph, Napoleon's elder brother. In
1804 Napoleon promoted him to a Marshal of France, and later granted him the title 'Prince of
Ponte Corvo', a town in southern
Italy.
As the
Crown Prince of Sweden he assumed the name Charles John (
Karl Johan), acted officially as
regent for the remainder of Charles XIII's reign and secured a forced
personal union between Sweden and Norway in the
1814 Campaign against Norway. Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte reigned as King
Charles XIV of Sweden and
Carl III Johan of Norway from
February 5,
1818 until his death on
March 8,
1844.
The House of Bernadotte reigned in both countries until the
separation of Norway from Sweden in 1905. A descendant of the House of Bernadotte,
Prince Carl of Denmark, was then elected as Norway's new king.
The
coat of arms of the House of Bernadotte combines the coat of arms of the
House of Vasa (
heraldic right) and the coat of arms of Bernadotte as the Prince of
Ponte Corvo (
heraldic left). It is visible as an
inescutcheon in the
Greater Coat of Arms of the Realm.
| King Charles XIV John, father of the dynasty. |
|
*
1818-
1844 :
Charles XIV John Karl XIV Johan
*
1844-
1859 :
Oscar I*
1859-
1872 :
Charles XV Karl XV
*
1872-
1907 :
Oscar II*
1907-
1950 :
Gustaf V*
1950-
1973 :
Gustaf VI Adolf* Since
1973 :
Carl XVI Gustaf*
1818-
1844 :
Charles III*
1844-
1859 :
Oscar I*
1859-
1872 :
Charles IV*
1872-
1905 :
Oscar II*
King Charles XIV John of Sweden, Charles III John of Norway (
1763-
1844)
**
King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway (
1799-
1859)
***
King Charles XV of Sweden, Charles IV of Norway (
1826-
1872)
****
Queen Louise of Denmark (
1851-
1926)
**** Prince Carl Oscar, Duke of
Södermanland (
1852-
1854)
***
Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland (
1827-
1852) (no issue)
***
King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway (
1829-
1907)
****
King Gustaf V of Sweden (
1858-
1950)
*****
King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (
1882-
1973)
******
Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (
1906-
1947)
*******
Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler (
1934-)
*******
Princess Birgitta of Sweden (
1937-)
*******
Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld (
1938-)
*******
Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnusson (
1943-)
*******
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (
1946-)
********
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden (
1977-)
********
Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (
1979-)
********
Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland (
1982-)
******
Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland (
1907-
2002) (lost his succession rights in
1934)
******
Queen Ingrid of Denmark (
1910-
2000)
******
Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland (
1912-
1997) (no issue)
******
Prince Carl Johan Duke of Dalarna (
1916-) (lost his succession rights in
1946)
*****
Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland (
1884-
1965)
******
Prince Lennart, Duke of Småland (
1909-
2004) (lost his succession rights in
1932)
*****
Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (
1889-
1918) (no issue)
****
Prince Oscar, Duke of Gotland (
1859-
1953) (lost his succession rights in
1888)
****
Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland (
1861-
1951)
*****
Princess Margaretha of Sweden (
1899-
1977)
*****
Crown Princess Märtha of Norway (
1901-
1954)
*****
Queen Astrid of the Belgians (
1905-
1935)
*****
Prince Carl, Duke of Östergötland (
1911-
2003) (lost his succession rights in
1937)
****
Prince Eugén, Duke of Närke (
1865-
1947) (no issue)
***
Princess Eugenie of Sweden (
1830-
1889)
***
Prince August, Duke of Dalarna (
1831-
1873) (no issue)
*
Guadeloupe Fund*
Bernadotte af Wisborg**
Folke Bernadotte*
Swedish Act of Succession*
Line of succession to the Swedish Throne
