Adolf Frederick of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Adolf Frederick or Adolph Frederick ' onMouseout='HidePop("8969")' href="/topics/Gottorp">Gottorp
, 14 May 1710 – Stockholm
, 12 February 1771) was King of Sweden
from 1751 until his death. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin
and Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach
.
The first King from the House of Holstein-Gottorp, Adolph Frederick was a weak monarch, instated as first in line of the throne following the parliamentary government's failure to reconquer the Baltic provinces in 1741-43. Asides from a few attempts to, supported with pro-absolutist factions among the nobility reclaim the absolute monarchy
held by former predecessors he remained a mere constitutional figurehead until his death, by popular belief attributed to a heavy consumption of semla
s. His reign saw an extended period of internal peace, although the finances stagnated following failed mercantilist doctrines pursued by the Hat
administration ended only in the 1765-66 parliament, where the Cap
opposition overtook the government and enacted reforms towards greater economic liberalism
as well as a Freedom of Press Act almost unique at the time for its curtailing of all censorship, retaining punitive measures only for libeling the monarch or the Lutheran state church.
Following his death, his son Gustav III seized power through violent means in a 1772 coup d'etat
, reinstating absolute rule. The rule of the Riksdag was not to prevail again until after World War I
, when universal and equal suffrage was also instated (although under Adolf Frederick a minor number of women have had the vote).
(1673—1726) duke and a younger prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, prince-bishop of Lubeck, and administrator, during the Great Northern War
, of the duchies of Holstein-Gottorp for his relative Charles Frederick
. His mother was Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach
.
On his mother's side, Adolf Frederick descended from king Gustav I of Sweden
and from Christina Magdalena, a sister of Charles X of Sweden. From both his parents he was descended from Holstein-Gottorp, a house with a number of medieval Scandinavian royal dynasties among its ancestors. Adolf Frederick was also a 13th-generation descendant of Erik V of Denmark; a 13th-generation descendant of Sophia of Denmark
and Valdemar I of Sweden; and an 11th-generation descendant of Euphemia of Sweden
, Duchess of Mecklenburg
and her husband the duke Albrecht.
(which meant the rulership of a fief around and including Eutin
), and administrator of Holstein-Kiel
during the minority of his nephew, Duke Charles Peter Ulrich, afterwards Peter III of Russia
. In 1743 he was elected heir to the throne of Sweden by the Hat faction
in order that they might obtain better conditions at the Peace of Turku
from Empress Elizabeth of Russia, who had adopted his nephew as her heir
. He succeeded as Adolf Fredrik on 25 March 1751.
During his twenty-year reign Adolf Frederick was little more than a figurehead, the real power being lodged in the hands of the Parliament of Sweden
, often distracted by party strife. Twice he endeavoured to free himself from the tutelage of the estates. The first occasion was in 1755 when, stimulated by his imperious consort Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
(sister of Frederick the Great), he tried to regain a portion of the attenuated prerogative, and nearly lost his throne in consequence. On the second occasion, under the guidance of his eldest son, the crown prince Gustavus, afterwards Gustav III of Sweden
, he succeeded in overthrowing the "Cap" senate, but was unable to make any use of his victory.
His mother died a widow in Hamburg
on 22 December 1755. She was a descendant of earlier royal dynasties of Sweden, granddaughter of Christina Magdalena of Palatinate, Charles X's sister.
, caviar
, sauerkraut
, kippers
and champagne, which was topped off with 14 servings of his favourite dessert: semla
served in a bowl of hot milk. He is thus remembered by Swedish school children as "the king who ate himself to death."
He was regarded, both during his time and in later times, as dependent on others, a weak ruler and lacking of any talents. But he was allegedly also a good husband, a caring father and a gentle master to his servants. His favourite pastime was to make snuff
boxes, which he allegedly spent a great deal of time doing. His personal hospitality and friendliness were witnessed by many who deeply mourned him at his death.
His portrait is included with the 16-sheet series of Princely Persons on Horseback by Johann Elias Ridinger.
(which took place on 18 August/29 August 1744 in Drottningholm
), he had the following children:
Gottorp
Gottorf Castle is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the ancestral home of the Holstein-Gottorp branch of the House of Oldenburg...
, 14 May 1710 – Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, 12 February 1771) was King of Sweden
Monarch of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Sweden. The present monarch, Carl XVI Gustaf, has reigned since 15 September 1973. He and his immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
from 1751 until his death. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin
Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin
Prince Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp was Duke of Slesvig-Holstein, prince regent of Eutin, prince-bishop of Lübeck and regent of the duchy of Holstein-Gottorp....
and Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach
Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach
Margravine Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach was a German princess. She was the daughter of Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach and his wife Duchess Augusta Marie of Holstein-Gottorp. She married Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin.- Biography :In 1726, her husband died,...
.
The first King from the House of Holstein-Gottorp, Adolph Frederick was a weak monarch, instated as first in line of the throne following the parliamentary government's failure to reconquer the Baltic provinces in 1741-43. Asides from a few attempts to, supported with pro-absolutist factions among the nobility reclaim the absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
held by former predecessors he remained a mere constitutional figurehead until his death, by popular belief attributed to a heavy consumption of semla
Semla
A semla or fastlagsbulle , laskiaispulla or fastelavnsbolle is a traditional pastry made in various forms in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Norway associated with Lent and especially Shrove Monday or Shrove Tuesday.The name semla is a loan word from German Semmel,...
s. His reign saw an extended period of internal peace, although the finances stagnated following failed mercantilist doctrines pursued by the Hat
Hats (party)
The Hats were a Swedish political faction active during the Age of Liberty . Their name derives from the tricorne hat worn by officers and gentlemen. They vied for power with the Caps. The Hats, who ruled Sweden from 1738 to 1765, advocated an alliance with France and an assertive foreign policy,...
administration ended only in the 1765-66 parliament, where the Cap
Caps (party)
The Caps were a political faction during the Age of Liberty in Sweden. The primary rivals of the Caps were known as the Hats. The Hats are actually responsible for the Caps' name, as it comes from a contraction of Night-cap, a name used to suggest that the Caps were the soft and timid party...
opposition overtook the government and enacted reforms towards greater economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
as well as a Freedom of Press Act almost unique at the time for its curtailing of all censorship, retaining punitive measures only for libeling the monarch or the Lutheran state church.
Following his death, his son Gustav III seized power through violent means in a 1772 coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, reinstating absolute rule. The rule of the Riksdag was not to prevail again until after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when universal and equal suffrage was also instated (although under Adolf Frederick a minor number of women have had the vote).
Ancestry
His father was Christian AugustusChristian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin
Prince Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp was Duke of Slesvig-Holstein, prince regent of Eutin, prince-bishop of Lübeck and regent of the duchy of Holstein-Gottorp....
(1673—1726) duke and a younger prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, prince-bishop of Lubeck, and administrator, during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, of the duchies of Holstein-Gottorp for his relative Charles Frederick
Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Duke Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp was the son of Frederick IV of Holstein-Gottorp and his wife, Hedvig Sophia, daughter of King Charles XI of Sweden...
. His mother was Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach
Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach
Margravine Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach was a German princess. She was the daughter of Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach and his wife Duchess Augusta Marie of Holstein-Gottorp. She married Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin.- Biography :In 1726, her husband died,...
.
On his mother's side, Adolf Frederick descended from king Gustav I of Sweden
Gustav I of Sweden
Gustav I of Sweden, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known simply as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death....
and from Christina Magdalena, a sister of Charles X of Sweden. From both his parents he was descended from Holstein-Gottorp, a house with a number of medieval Scandinavian royal dynasties among its ancestors. Adolf Frederick was also a 13th-generation descendant of Erik V of Denmark; a 13th-generation descendant of Sophia of Denmark
Sofia of Denmark
Sophia of Denmark was Queen consort of Sweden as the spouse of King Valdemar of Sweden.-Life:Sophia was the eldest daughter of Eric IV of Denmark and Jutta of Saxony. Her father was murdered in 1250 when she and her younger sisters, Agnes and Jutta of Denmark were young...
and Valdemar I of Sweden; and an 11th-generation descendant of Euphemia of Sweden
Euphemia of Sweden
Eufemia Ericsdotter of Sweden was a Swedish princess, spouse of Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg, Duchess Consort of Mecklenburg, heiress of Sweden and of Norway, mother of king Albert of Sweden.- Biography :Her father was Eric of Sweden Eufemia Ericsdotter of Sweden (1317–1370) was a Swedish...
, Duchess of Mecklenburg
House of Mecklenburg
The House of Mecklenburg is a North German dynasty of West Slavic origin that ruled until 1918.- Origins :Niklot was a lord of the Wendish tribe of Obotrites. When the Holy Roman Empire expanded eastwards, notably to the coast of Baltic in 13th century, a portion of Obotrite lords allied with...
and her husband the duke Albrecht.
Reign
From 1727 to 1750 prince Adolf Frederick was prince-bishop of LübeckBishopric of Lübeck
The Bishopric of Lübeck was a Roman-Catholic and, later, Protestant diocese, as well as a state of the Holy Roman Empire.-History: The original diocese was founded about 970 by Emperor Otto I in the Billung March at Oldenburg in Holstein , the former capital of the pagan Wagri tribe...
(which meant the rulership of a fief around and including Eutin
Eutin
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
), and administrator of Holstein-Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
during the minority of his nephew, Duke Charles Peter Ulrich, afterwards Peter III of Russia
Peter III of Russia
Peter III was Emperor of Russia for six months in 1762. He was very pro-Prussian, which made him an unpopular leader. He was supposedly assassinated as a result of a conspiracy led by his wife, who succeeded him to the throne as Catherine II.-Early life and character:Peter was born in Kiel, in...
. In 1743 he was elected heir to the throne of Sweden by the Hat faction
Hats (party)
The Hats were a Swedish political faction active during the Age of Liberty . Their name derives from the tricorne hat worn by officers and gentlemen. They vied for power with the Caps. The Hats, who ruled Sweden from 1738 to 1765, advocated an alliance with France and an assertive foreign policy,...
in order that they might obtain better conditions at the Peace of Turku
Treaty of Åbo
The Treaty of Åbo or the Treaty of Turku was a peace treaty signed between the Russian Empire and Sweden in Turku on 7. Augustjul./ 18. Augustgreg...
from Empress Elizabeth of Russia, who had adopted his nephew as her heir
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
. He succeeded as Adolf Fredrik on 25 March 1751.
During his twenty-year reign Adolf Frederick was little more than a figurehead, the real power being lodged in the hands of the Parliament of Sweden
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
, often distracted by party strife. Twice he endeavoured to free himself from the tutelage of the estates. The first occasion was in 1755 when, stimulated by his imperious consort Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:...
(sister of Frederick the Great), he tried to regain a portion of the attenuated prerogative, and nearly lost his throne in consequence. On the second occasion, under the guidance of his eldest son, the crown prince Gustavus, afterwards Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
, he succeeded in overthrowing the "Cap" senate, but was unable to make any use of his victory.
His mother died a widow in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
on 22 December 1755. She was a descendant of earlier royal dynasties of Sweden, granddaughter of Christina Magdalena of Palatinate, Charles X's sister.
Death
The king died on 12 February 1771 after having consumed a meal consisting of lobsterLobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
, caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
, sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
, kippers
KIPPERS
KIPPERS is a term to describe individuals in their late twenties or early thirties that are living in their parent's homes. They may or may not be earning an income. Similar terms include Parasite single and Boomerang Generation.The term has been used by a variety of news groups such as BBC News...
and champagne, which was topped off with 14 servings of his favourite dessert: semla
Semla
A semla or fastlagsbulle , laskiaispulla or fastelavnsbolle is a traditional pastry made in various forms in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Norway associated with Lent and especially Shrove Monday or Shrove Tuesday.The name semla is a loan word from German Semmel,...
served in a bowl of hot milk. He is thus remembered by Swedish school children as "the king who ate himself to death."
He was regarded, both during his time and in later times, as dependent on others, a weak ruler and lacking of any talents. But he was allegedly also a good husband, a caring father and a gentle master to his servants. His favourite pastime was to make snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
boxes, which he allegedly spent a great deal of time doing. His personal hospitality and friendliness were witnessed by many who deeply mourned him at his death.
His portrait is included with the 16-sheet series of Princely Persons on Horseback by Johann Elias Ridinger.
Children
By his marriage to Princess Louisa Ulrika of PrussiaLouisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:...
(which took place on 18 August/29 August 1744 in Drottningholm
Drottningholm
Drottningholm, literally "Queen's Islet", is a locality situated in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden, with 410 inhabitants in 2005....
), he had the following children:
- (Stillborn) (StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, 18 February 1745 - StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, 18 February 1745) - Gustav IIIGustav III of SwedenGustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
(1746–1792) - Charles XIIICharles XIII of SwedenCharles XIII & II also Carl, , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
(1748–1818) - Frederick AdolfPrince Frederick Adolf of SwedenPrince Fredrick Adolf of Sweden , was a Swedish Prince, youngest son of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, a sister Frederick the Great, King of Prussia...
(1750–1803) - Sofia Albertina (1753–1829)