A French Soldier Becomes King Of Sweden And Norway


The career of Napoleon, which passed over Europe like a tornado, made

itself felt in the Scandinavian peninsula, where it gave rise to radical

changes. In the preceding tale its effect upon Denmark was shown. While

the wars which desolated Europe did not reach the soil of Sweden and

Norway, yet these countries were deeply affected and their relations

decidedly changed.



The work began in 1808 in the obstin
te folly of Gustavus IV., who

defiantly kept up an active trade with England when Russia and Prussia

had closed their ports against British ships. As a result Russia declared

war against Sweden, sent an immense army into Finland, and after a

desperate struggle compelled the Swedes to evacuate that region. In this

way Sweden lost a great province which it had held for six hundred years.



This was one result of a weak king's setting himself against the great

powers of Europe. By his lack of political good sense and his obstinacy

Sweden lost nearly half its territory and Gustavus lost his throne, for

the bitter indignation of the Swedes against him was such that he was

taken prisoner by conspirators and forced to sign a deed in which he

renounced the throne of Sweden for himself and his descendants. Not a

hand was raised to help him and he spent the remainder of his life as a

wandering exile.



It was this series of events that in time brought a soldier of the French

army to the Swedish throne. How this came about is well worth the

telling. After the abdication of Gustavus, Duke Charles of Sodermanland

was elected king as Charles XIII., and as he had no children, a Danish

prince was chosen to succeed him.



But this heir to the throne, Charles Augustus by name, died suddenly the

next year. The people believed he had been poisoned, and on the day of

the funeral, suspecting the haughty old Count Fersen of his death, they

seized him and in their fury literally tore him to pieces.



It was now proposed to take the brother of the deceased prince as heir to

the throne, but little could be done in those days without the Corsican

emperor being consulted about it, and the young Baron Moerner was sent to

Paris to inform Napoleon of what was proposed. The youthful envoy was an

admirer of the conqueror, and thinking to please him he suggested that

one of the French generals should be chosen to rule over Sweden.



Napoleon was highly gratified with the suggestion, but when the baron

named Marshal Jean Bernadotte as his choice the emperor was much less

pleased. He would much rather have chosen some one else, Bernadotte being

too independent in character to please him. Difficulties were thrown in

the way, but Moerner obtained Bernadotte's consent, and by his argument

that Sweden needed an able and experienced soldier to regain its old

power the Swedish Ricksdag was brought over to his side.



In the end Napoleon gave his consent, and the marshal was elected Crown

Prince of Sweden. But the French emperor evidently doubted him still, for

on parting with him he used these significant farewell words: "Go, then,

and let us fulfil our several destinies." He had reason for his distrust,

as the events of later years showed.



This selection ranks with the remarkable instances of the mutations of

fortune. The new crown prince had begun life as the son of a poor French

lawyer and in 1780, at the age of sixteen, entered the army as a common

soldier. When the wars of the Revolution began he had risen to the rank

of a sergeant, which was as high as a man of common birth could rise in

the old army of France.



But he made rapid progress in the army of the Revolution, being a man of

great courage and unusual military genius. Under Napoleon, whose

discerning eye no soldier of ability escaped, Bernadotte became one of

the most successful of the French generals, was made governor of a

province, ambassador, and minister of war, and had much to do with

winning the great victories of Austerlitz, Jena, and Wagram. Finally he

was made a marshal of France and prince of Ponte Corvo in Italy.



But Napoleon had doubts of him. He was too independent. He opposed the

emperor's ambitious plans and defended the liberties of the people, and

was distrusted by the conqueror for other causes. The astute Corsican

feared that he would not be the man to reduce Sweden to a province of

France, and the event proved that Napoleon was right.



It was in 1810 that Crown Prince Bernadotte, who adopted the name of

Charles John as the title of his new rank, arrived in Sweden with his son

Oscar. The people were delighted with his appearance. A handsome and

imposing man, with black wavy hair, an eagle nose, keen, penetrating eyes

and the manner of one accustomed to command, also a clear and eloquent

speaker, polished in address and courteous in his dealings with all, they

felt that in him they had a true king; while his reputation as one of the

leading soldiers in Napoleon's great army gave them assurance that, if

war should arise, their armies would be ably led.



Sweden, when Bernadotte set foot on its soil, was in a helpless state of

decadence, having become little better than a dependency of France. If

ever it needed a strong ruler then was the time, but Charles XIII. was

incapable as a monarch, and from the time of his landing the new crown

prince ruled the country as though there were no king on the throne.



He at once renounced Catholicism and was admitted into the Lutheran

church, the state religion of Sweden. Proposing to consult the best

interests of his new country and not to rule as a vassal of Napoleon, he

was indignant when the emperor ordered that Sweden should declare war

against England. In the existing condition of the country he felt

compelled to submit, but he secretly advised the British government that

the declaration of war was a mere formality and not a gun was fired on

either side.



He also made a secret alliance with Alexander of Russia. None of these

movements could be made public, for the Swedes were then fervent admirers

of Napoleon and hoped by his aid to gain the lost province of Finland and

win revenge upon Russia, their old enemy. Bernadotte saw farther than

they, feeling that the inordinate ambition of Napoleon must lead to his

downfall and that it was best for Sweden to have an anchor out to

leeward. But all these political deals had to be kept from the knowledge

of the Swedes.



A change in public opinion came when Napoleon, suspecting the loyalty to

him of his former marshal, heaped insults upon Sweden, and finally, in

the beginning of 1812, invaded Swedish Pomerania, intending by this act

to frighten the Swedes into submission. Instead, he exasperated them and

lost their friendship, thus giving Bernadotte the opportunity he had

awaited.



"Napoleon has himself thrown down the gauntlet, and I will take it up,"

he said, and at once began to prepare for the struggle which he foresaw.



With the incitement of the invasion of Pomerania the Crown Prince Charles

John--Prince Karl Johan, as the Swedes called him--began active

preparations for war. The army was largely increased, new levies being

raised and arms and equipment purchased, while alliances were made with

foreign powers. It came as a surprise to the Swedes when the fact leaked

out that it was not against Russia, but against France, that these

warlike movements were being made.



Napoleon now, seeing the state of affairs his injudicious act had brought

about, sought to gain the friendship of Sweden, making alluring offers to

his late marshal. His change of front came too late. Bernadotte had no

confidence in him and came into closer relations with his enemies,

encouraging the perplexed Alexander to a firm resistance against the

French emperor in the great invasion threatened.



Everyone knows the disastrous end of this invasion. When Napoleon was

marching on Moscow Alexander and Charles John met at Abo and a treaty was

formed in which Sweden was promised recompense for the loss of Finland in

the acquisition of Norway, while a friendship sprang up between the two

which lasted till the end of their lives.



Events now moved rapidly. The Corsican conqueror entered Moscow. It was

burned and he was forced to retreat. A terrible winter and hostile forces

destroyed the Grand Army, only a handful of which escaped. Then came the

death struggle in Germany of the greatest soldier in modern history. On

every side his enemies rose against him and in the spring of 1813

Bernadotte joined them with an army of thirty thousand Swedes.



This army took part in the several battles that followed, and made its

mark especially at Dennewitz, where Marshal Ney commanded the French.

Bernadotte thought that the Prussians should bear the brunt of this

battle, since Berlin was threatened, and for this reason he held the

Swedes in reserve. But when the right wing of the Prussians was broken,

Ney cheering his soldiers by shouting, "My children, the victory is

ours!" he deemed it time to take a hand, and ordered General Cardell, his

artillery chief, to support the Prussians.



Cardell won the day by a brilliant stratagem. He ordered the caissons

into line with the guns and deployed his regiments so that they bore the

appearance of a division of cavalry, the mounted artillerists bearing

down upon the French at a gallop, with drawn swords.



Failing to see the guns, and thinking that they had only cavalry to deal

with, the French closed their lines and with fixed bayonets awaited the

Swedes. Suddenly the line halted, the guns were rushed forward and

reversed, the men sprang to their pieces, and from a long line of

frowning cannon poured a fiery hail of grape and canister that tore

remorselessly through the solid ranks of the French. The results were

awful: dead and dying strewed the ground; the survivors fled in

confusion; that deadly volley turned the day in favor of the French, and

Ney and his braves were forced to make a hasty retreat.



In the great battle of Leipsic no section of the Swedish army but the

artillery took part. When the English agent, Sir C. Stewart, sought by

threats to drive Bernadotte into action, he haughtily replied:



"Do you forget that I am Prince of Sweden and one of the greatest

generals of the age?"



Bernadotte was considering the uplifting of his new kingdom rather than

the overthrow of his old master. He was saving his army for the campaign

he proposed against Denmark. Of this campaign we need only say that it

ended in the acquisition of Norway. The Danes were beaten and their king

disheartened, and in the peace of 1814 he ceded Norway to Sweden,

receiving Swedish Pomerania in exchange.



For centuries Sweden had sought to absorb Norway, and now, by the action

of this crown prince from a foreign land, the result seemed achieved. But

the brave Norwegians themselves remained to be dealt with. They did not

propose, if they could avoid it, to be forced into vassalage to the

Swedes. A party arose in favor of the independence of Norway, a

government was formed, and their Danish governor, Prince Christian

Frederick, was elected king of Norway.



It was a hasty act, which could not be sustained against the trained army

of Sweden. Norway was poor, her population small, her defences out of

order, her army made up of raw recruits under untried officers, yet the

old viking blood flowed in the veins of the people and they were bent on

striking for their freedom.



Bernadotte returned to Sweden in the summer of 1814 and at once led his

army into Norway. Little fighting took place, the Swedish crown prince

showing himself favorably disposed, and peace and union finally came,

Charles XIII. of Sweden being elected king of Norway. Yet it was not as a

subject nation, but as an independent and equal kingdom that Norway

entered this union. All her old rights and privileges were retained and

the government remained free from any interference on the part of Sweden.



It was to the wisdom of Bernadotte that this result was due. An enforced

union, he knew, would yield only hatred and bitterness, and to drive a

brave people to the verge of despair was not the way to bring them into

the position of satisfied subjects. Norway remained as free as ever in

her history, dwelling side by side with Sweden, with one king over both

countries.



In 1818 the weak Charles XIII. died and the strong Bernadotte, or Charles

John, ascended the throne as Charles XIV. The remainder of his reign was

one of peace and growing prosperity, and when he died in 1844, leaving

the throne to his son Oscar, the grateful people of Sweden felt that they

owed much to their soldier king.



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