Carl Olof Cronstedt
Carl Olof Cronstedt (born October 3, 1756 , † April 7, 1820 in Helsinki ) was a Finnish-Swedish naval officer.
Cronstedt grew up in Finland. During the Swedish-Russian War 1788–1790 under the Swedish King Gustav III. he was in command of the Swedish archipelago fleet . In this capacity he won the Battle of Svensksund in 1790, the greatest Swedish naval victory of all time. Under Gustav III. Successor Gustav IV Adolf Cronstedt fell out of favor and in 1801 was appointed commander of the Sveaborg archipelago fortress off Helsinki .
During the Russo-Swedish War from 1808 to 1809, Cronstedt played a key role. The archipelago fortress Sveaborg was supposed to keep its backs free to the Swedish army and bind Russian forces until reinforcements could come from Sweden. For reasons that have not yet been fully clarified, however, Cronstedt surrendered on May 3, 1808 and surrendered the Sveaborg fortress to the Russian army. The main reasons given for the surrender were the dissatisfaction of many Swedish officers with the king's warfare and widespread defeatism as well as the successful psychological warfare of the Russians. This surrender, which Cronstedt bitterly resented in Runeberg's Ensign Stahl , played its part in the Swedish defeat.
After the war, Cronstedt was tried with several other officers in Sweden. However, due to Russian pressure and a general amnesty, the proceedings were discontinued. However, Cronstedt never entered Russian service after the war.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cronstedt, Carl Olof |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finland-Swedish naval officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 3, 1756 |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 7, 1820 |
| Place of death | Helsinki |