Frederick I of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Frederick I, , was a prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and a King of Sweden
from 1720 until his death and (as Frederick I) also Landgrave
of Hesse-Kassel
from 1730. He ascended to the throne following the death of his brother-in-law, absolutist
Charles XII in the Great Northern War
, as his sister and heir Ulrika Eleonora preferred to abdicate from her position as queen regnant after relinquishing most powers to the Riksdag of Sweden
. His powerless reign saw his family's elimination from the line of succession after the parliamentary government dominated by pro-revanschist Hat Party politicians ventured into a war with Russia, which ended in defeat and the Russian Czaress demanded Adolph Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp
instated following the death of the king.
, and Princess Maria Amalia of Courland
.
In 1692 the young prince made his Grand Tour
to the Dutch Republic
, in 1695 to the Italian Peninsula
and later he studied in Geneva
. After this he had a military career, leading the Hessian troops as Lieutenant General in the War of Spanish Succession on the side of the Dutch.
He was defeated in 1703 in the Battle of Speyerbach
, but participated the next year in the great victory in the Battle of Blenheim
.
In 1706 he was again defeated by the French in the Battle of Castiglione
.
Both in 1716 and 1718 he joined the campaign of Charles XII of Sweden
against Norway, and was appointed Swedish Generalissimus.
in 1715. He then also became Prince Frederick of Sweden
, with the title of "Royal Highness" granted to him by the estates, and was prince consort
there during Ulrika Eleonora's rule as Queen regnant
from 1718 until her abdication in 1720. Frederick then succeeded her on the throne, elected by the Swedish Estates. He was the only Swedish prince consort there had been to date, and thus the only king of Sweden also to have been prince consort.
Frederick I had much influence during the reign of his spouse, and was a very active and dynamic king at the beginning of his 31-year reign. But after the aristocracy had regained power during the wars with Russia, he became not so much powerless as uninterested in affairs of state. In 1723, he tried to strengthen royal authority, but after he failed, he never had much to do with politics. He did not even sign official documents; instead a stamp of his signature was used. He devoted most of his time to hunting and love affairs. His marriage to Queen Ulrika Eleonora was childless, but he had several children by his mistress Hedvig Taube
.
Some historians have suggested that the stray bullet which killed his brother-in-law Charles XII of Sweden
in 1718 was actually fired by Frederick's aide. Charles had been an authoritarian and demanding ruler; one reason the Swedish Estates elected Frederick was because he was taken to be fairly weak, which indeed he turned out to be.
The defeats suffered by Charles XII in the Great Northern War
ended Sweden's position as a first-rank European power
. Under Frederick, this had to be accepted. Sweden also had to cede Estonia
, Ingria
and Livonia
to Russia
in the Treaty of Nystad
, in 1721.
In 1723 Frederick rewarded the military inventor Sven Åderman
with the estate of Halltorp
s on the island of Öland
, for improving the rate of fire of the musket
.
As a king, he was not very respected. When he was crowned, it was said; "King Charles we recently buried, King Frederick we crown - suddenly the clock has now passed from twelve to one". It is said about him, that although a lot of great achievements in the country's development happened during his reign, he never had anything to do with them himself. When he died, Carl Gustaf Tessin
said about him:
Neither did he have anything to do with the founding of the first Swedish speaking theater at Bollhuset
during his reign. One of his few important policies was the banning of duel
s.
On 23 February 1748 Frederick I instituted the three Swedish royal orders of the Seraphim
, of the Sword
and of the North Star, the three principal Swedish orders of chivalry.
As Landgrave, Frederick is generally not seen as a success. Indeed, he did concentrate more on Sweden, and due to his negotiated, compromise-like ascension to the throne there, he and his court had a very low income. The money for that very expensive court, then, since the 1730s came from wealthy Hesse
, and this means that Frederick essentially behaved like an absentee landlord
and drained Hessian resources to finance life in Sweden. Also, Frederick's father, Charles I of Hesse-Kassel
, had been the state's most successful ruler, rebuilding the state over his decades-long rule by means of economic and infrastructure measures and state reform, as well as tolerance
, such as attracting, for economic purposes, the French Huguenot
s. His brother the governor, who would succeed Frederick as Landgrave William VIII of Hesse-Kassel, though by background a distinguished soldier, was likewise a great success locally. There are very few physical remainders of Frederick in Hesse today; one of them is his large Royal Swedish paraph
(FR) over the old door of the University of Marburg's former riding hall, now the Institute of Physical Education.
, Princess of Prussia
(1680–1705), daughter of Frederick I of Prussia
(1657–1713) and Elizabeth Henrietta of Hesse-Kassel (1661–1683). His first marriage was childless.
His second wife, whom he married in 1715, was Ulrika Eleonora, Princess of Sweden, (1688–1741), daughter of Charles XI of Sweden
(1655–1697) and of Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark
(1656–1693). This marriage was also childless.
Frederick I had three extramarital children with his mistress Hedvig Taube
:
After the death of Hedvig Taube, his official mistress was the noblewoman Catharina Ebba Horn
, whom he gave the title and recognition of German-Roman Countess (1745–1748).
Thus, the Hessian line in Sweden ended with him and was followed by that of Holstein-Gottorp. In Hesse-Kassel
, he was succeeded by his younger brother William VIII, a famous general.
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 1720 until his death and (as Frederick I) also Landgrave
Landgrave
Landgrave was a title used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor...
of Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
from 1730. He ascended to the throne following the death of his brother-in-law, absolutist
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...
Charles XII in 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...
, as his sister and heir Ulrika Eleonora preferred to abdicate from her position as queen regnant after relinquishing most powers to the Riksdag 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...
. His powerless reign saw his family's elimination from the line of succession after the parliamentary government dominated by pro-revanschist Hat Party politicians ventured into a war with Russia, which ended in defeat and the Russian Czaress demanded Adolph Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp
Holstein-Gottorp
Holstein-Gottorp or Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein that were ruled by the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. Other parts of the duchies were ruled by the kings of Denmark. The...
instated following the death of the king.
Youth
He was the son of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-KasselCharles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Karl I was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1670 till his death.Born at Kassel, he was the son of Wilhelm VI of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, daughter of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg. After the early death of his father, his mother ruled as regent until 1675...
, and Princess Maria Amalia of Courland
Maria Amalia of Courland
Maria Anna Amalia of Courland was a German noblewoman. A princess of Courland from the Ketteler family, she was also Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel via her marriage on 21 May 1673 to her first cousin Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel...
.
In 1692 the young prince made his Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
to the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, in 1695 to the Italian Peninsula
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
and later he studied in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. After this he had a military career, leading the Hessian troops as Lieutenant General in the War of Spanish Succession on the side of the Dutch.
He was defeated in 1703 in the Battle of Speyerbach
Battle of Speyerbach
The Battle of Speyerbach took place on 15 November 1703 in the War of the Spanish Succession. A French army besieging Landau surprised and defeated a German relief army near Speyer.- Prelude :...
, but participated the next year in the great victory in the Battle of Blenheim
Battle of Blenheim
The Battle of Blenheim , fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement...
.
In 1706 he was again defeated by the French in the Battle of Castiglione
Battle of Castiglione (1706)
The Battle of Castiglione took place on 8 September 1706 in the War of the Spanish Succession. A French army defeated a Hessian army besieging Castiglione delle Stiviere.-The battle:...
.
Both in 1716 and 1718 he joined the campaign of Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
against Norway, and was appointed Swedish Generalissimus.
Prince consort and King of Sweden
He married his second wife Princess Ulrika Eleonora of SwedenUlrika Eleonora of Sweden
Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor , also known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen regnant of Sweden from 5 December 1718 to 29 February 1720, and then Queen consort until her death....
in 1715. He then also became Prince Frederick of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, with the title of "Royal Highness" granted to him by the estates, and was prince consort
Prince consort
A prince consort is the husband of a queen regnant who is not himself a king in his own right.Current examples include the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , and Prince Henrik of Denmark .In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal...
there during Ulrika Eleonora's rule as Queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
from 1718 until her abdication in 1720. Frederick then succeeded her on the throne, elected by the Swedish Estates. He was the only Swedish prince consort there had been to date, and thus the only king of Sweden also to have been prince consort.
Frederick I had much influence during the reign of his spouse, and was a very active and dynamic king at the beginning of his 31-year reign. But after the aristocracy had regained power during the wars with Russia, he became not so much powerless as uninterested in affairs of state. In 1723, he tried to strengthen royal authority, but after he failed, he never had much to do with politics. He did not even sign official documents; instead a stamp of his signature was used. He devoted most of his time to hunting and love affairs. His marriage to Queen Ulrika Eleonora was childless, but he had several children by his mistress Hedvig Taube
Hedvig Taube
Hedvig Ulrika Taube also Countess von Hessenstein was a Swedish noble and salonist, official royal mistress to King Frederick I of Sweden...
.
Some historians have suggested that the stray bullet which killed his brother-in-law Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
in 1718 was actually fired by Frederick's aide. Charles had been an authoritarian and demanding ruler; one reason the Swedish Estates elected Frederick was because he was taken to be fairly weak, which indeed he turned out to be.
The defeats suffered by Charles XII in 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...
ended Sweden's position as a first-rank European power
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
. Under Frederick, this had to be accepted. Sweden also had to cede Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Ingria
Ingria
Ingria is a historical region in the eastern Baltic, now part of Russia, comprising the southern bank of the river Neva, between the Gulf of Finland, the Narva River, Lake Peipus in the west, and Lake Ladoga and the western bank of the Volkhov river in the east...
and Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in the Treaty of Nystad
Treaty of Nystad
The Treaty of Nystad was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War. It was concluded between the Tsardom of Russia and Swedish Empire on 30 August / 10 September 1721 in the then Swedish town of Nystad , after Sweden had settled with the other parties in Stockholm and Frederiksborg.During...
, in 1721.
In 1723 Frederick rewarded the military inventor Sven Åderman
Sven Åderman
Sven Åderman was a Swedish inventor and officer who created a musket capable of firing more rapidly than conventional weaponry of the late 17th century. This new musket was first used in the wars of King Karl XII. For his efforts King Frederick I of Sweden bestowed upon him the estate of Halltorp...
with the estate of Halltorp
Halltorp
Halltorp is one of the earliest manor houses on the island of Öland, Sweden, dating from the 11th century AD. In early documents it is known as Hauldtorp, and it is cited as one of the early Viking settlements of Öland. In earlier times it has functioned as a royal farm associated with the...
s on the island of Öland
Öland
' is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of 1,342 km² and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. The island has 25,000 inhabitants, but during Swedish Midsummer it is visited by up to 500,000 people...
, for improving the rate of fire of the musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
.
As a king, he was not very respected. When he was crowned, it was said; "King Charles we recently buried, King Frederick we crown - suddenly the clock has now passed from twelve to one". It is said about him, that although a lot of great achievements in the country's development happened during his reign, he never had anything to do with them himself. When he died, Carl Gustaf Tessin
Carl Gustaf Tessin
Count Carl Gustaf Tessin was a Swedish politician and son of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and Hedvig Eleonora Stenbock.-Life:Carl Gustaf Tessin was born in Stockholm...
said about him:
Under the reign of King Frederick, science has developed - he never bothered to read a book. The merchant business has flourished - he has never encouraged it with a single coin. The Stockholm Palace has been built - he has never been curious enough to look at it.
Neither did he have anything to do with the founding of the first Swedish speaking theater at Bollhuset
Bollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...
during his reign. One of his few important policies was the banning of duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
s.
On 23 February 1748 Frederick I instituted the three Swedish royal orders of the Seraphim
Order of the Seraphim
The Royal Order of the Seraphim is a Swedish Royal order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Polar Star...
, of the Sword
Order of the Sword
The Order of the Sword is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star.Awarded to officers, and originally intended as an award for bravery and particularly long or useful service, it...
and of the North Star, the three principal Swedish orders of chivalry.
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Frederick became Landgrave of Hesse only in 1730, ten years after becoming King of Sweden. He immediately appointed his younger brother William governor of Hesse.As Landgrave, Frederick is generally not seen as a success. Indeed, he did concentrate more on Sweden, and due to his negotiated, compromise-like ascension to the throne there, he and his court had a very low income. The money for that very expensive court, then, since the 1730s came from wealthy Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, and this means that Frederick essentially behaved like an absentee landlord
Absentee landlord
Absentee landlord is an economic term for a person who owns and rents out a profit-earning property, but does not live within the property's local economic region. This practice is problematic for that region because absentee landlords drain local wealth into their home country, particularly that...
and drained Hessian resources to finance life in Sweden. Also, Frederick's father, Charles I of Hesse-Kassel
Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Karl I was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1670 till his death.Born at Kassel, he was the son of Wilhelm VI of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, daughter of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg. After the early death of his father, his mother ruled as regent until 1675...
, had been the state's most successful ruler, rebuilding the state over his decades-long rule by means of economic and infrastructure measures and state reform, as well as tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
, such as attracting, for economic purposes, the French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s. His brother the governor, who would succeed Frederick as Landgrave William VIII of Hesse-Kassel, though by background a distinguished soldier, was likewise a great success locally. There are very few physical remainders of Frederick in Hesse today; one of them is his large Royal Swedish paraph
Paraph
Paraph can mean:* a flourish at the end of a signature* an alternative name for the pilcrow sign...
(FR) over the old door of the University of Marburg's former riding hall, now the Institute of Physical Education.
Ancestry
Family and issue
On 31 May 1700, he married his first wife, Louise DorotheaPrincess Louise Dorothea of Prussia
Luise Dorothea, Princess of Prussia was the daughter of Frederick I, First King in Prussia by his first wife Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel. She was the Hereditary Princess of Hesse-Kassel by marriage but died in childbirth.-Biography:On 31 May 1700, she married her first cousin Frederick of...
, Princess of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
(1680–1705), daughter of Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union . The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia . From 1707 he was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
(1657–1713) and Elizabeth Henrietta of Hesse-Kassel (1661–1683). His first marriage was childless.
His second wife, whom he married in 1715, was Ulrika Eleonora, Princess of Sweden, (1688–1741), daughter of Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire ....
(1655–1697) and of Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark
Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark
Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark was the Queen consort of Sweden as the spouse of King Charles XI of Sweden.The name Ulrike is a Danish version of the name; in Swedish she is called Ulrika Eleonora den äldre, which in English means Ulrica Eleanor the Elder), to distinguish her from her daughter, the...
(1656–1693). This marriage was also childless.
Frederick I had three extramarital children with his mistress Hedvig Taube
Hedvig Taube
Hedvig Ulrika Taube also Countess von Hessenstein was a Swedish noble and salonist, official royal mistress to King Frederick I of Sweden...
:
- Frederick William von HessensteinFrederick William von HessensteinFrederick William, Prince von Hessenstein , was a Swedish soldier and statesman. He was an extramarital son of King Frederick of Sweden and his mistress Hedvig Taube.-Biography:...
(1735–1808). - Charles Edward von Hessenstein (1737–1769).
- Hedwig Amalia (1743–1752).
After the death of Hedvig Taube, his official mistress was the noblewoman Catharina Ebba Horn
Catharina Ebba Horn
Catharina Ebba Horn af Åminne, , was a Swedish noble, a German Roman countess and the second official royal mistress of king Frederick I of Sweden. She was one of two official royal mistresses in Sweden....
, whom he gave the title and recognition of German-Roman Countess (1745–1748).
Thus, the Hessian line in Sweden ended with him and was followed by that of Holstein-Gottorp. In Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
, he was succeeded by his younger brother William VIII, a famous general.