Gustav VI. Adolf (Sweden)
Gustav VI. Adolf (full name in Swedish Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf Bernadotte ; born November 11, 1882 in Stockholm , † September 15, 1973 in Helsingborg ) was King of Sweden from 1950 to 1973 . During his reign, a new constitution was drawn up that structured the state into a democratic monarchy, which prevented it from becoming a republic. Gustav was a respected scholar and archaeologist, as well as an authority on Chinese art.
Life
Gustav VI. Adolf was the eldest son of King Gustav V of Sweden and his wife Princess Viktoria of Baden , the only daughter of Grand Duke Friedrich I and Princess Luise Marie Elisabeth of Prussia .
Gustav VI. In his reign, 1950–1973, Adolf strictly followed the rules that had matured for the constitutional monarchy. His personal characteristics rounded off the development and probably contributed more than any other of today's monarchs to creating a new type of kingdom - the democratic one. During almost the entire reign of Gustav VI. Adolfs was working on a new constitution that replaced the form of government of 1809 in 1975. Nobody could have meant more for the maintenance of the monarchy in Sweden than Gustav VI at the time this work was carried out. Adolf.
Several factors contributed to the fact that he was able to win public opinion practically unanimously for the preservation of the monarchy - despite initially strong demands for a republic. The most important among them were his own personal characteristics. Another factor that undoubtedly played a major role in this context was Gustav VI's extensive knowledge. Adolfs and his interest in areas far outside his actual "profession". As an archaeologist, he was well respected. Another factor that contributed to its popularity was its simple, natural demeanor. For his own person he consciously avoided ceremonies and display of splendor.
Gustav VI. Adolf's great importance in the history of Sweden was that he succeeded in reshaping the kingship in the rhythm and style of today's Swedish society, thereby creating the conditions for Sweden to remain a monarchy with the Bernadotte family on the throne.
Gustav VI. held the post of Grand Master in Swedish Freemasonry from 1950 to 1973 . The Swedish teaching system , which is mainly practiced in the Scandinavian countries, is also worked on in Germany by the Great State Lodge of the Freemasons of Germany .
Marriage and offspring
On June 15, 1905, Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden married Princess Margaret of Connaught (1882–1920), eldest daughter of Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Princess Luise Margaret of Prussia, in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle . He met his first wife during his trip to Egypt in Cairo ; it is said to have been love at first sight. Five children emerged from the mutual connection:
- Gustav Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund (1906–1947), Hereditary Prince and Duke of Västerbotten
- ⚭ 1932 Sibylla Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1908–1972)
- Sigvard Oscar Fredrik (1907-2002), Count of Wisborg
- ⚭ 1934 (divorced 1943) Erika Patzek (1911–2007)
- ⚭ 1943 (divorced 1961) Sonja Robert (1909–2004)
- ⚭ 1961 Marianne Lindberg (* 1924)
- Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louise Margareta (1910-2000)
- ⚭ 1935 King Frederik IX. of Denmark (1899–1972)
- Bertil Gustav Oskar Carl Eugén (1912–1997), Duke of Halland
- ⚭ 1976 Lillian May Davies (1915-2013)
- Carl Johan Arthur (1916–2012), Count of Wisborg
- ⚭ 1946 Elin Kerstin Margaretha Wijkmark (1910–1987)
Crown Princess Margaret died on May 1, 1920 of the effects of blood poisoning , which she contracted after an operation for an otitis media (mastoiditis) that had been delayed . The only 38-year-old was eight months pregnant at the time and was buried in the Haga Royal Cemetery . She had previously ordered in her will that she did not want to be buried in any church.
On November 3, 1923, the widowed Crown Prince Gustav Adolf married the 34-year-old Lady Louise Mountbatten (1889-1965), the second daughter of Ludwig Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven and Princess Victoria of Hesse, in the chapel of St James's Palace in London -Darmstadt . At times it was disputed whether Louise was befitting under the Swedish rules of succession , since her father had given up his German prince title. However, the British government made it clear that it was a member of the British royal family. This enabled the Crown Prince to marry Louise without losing his claim to the throne. After a stillbirth in 1925, the marriage remained childless.
In January 1947 Gustav VI. to cope with another stroke of fate when his son, the Hereditary Prince Gustav Adolf , was killed in the Kastrup plane crash.
His wife Queen Louise died on March 7, 1965 after an emergency operation in St. Göran's Hospital in Stockholm and was buried in the Haga cemetery.
King Gustav VI. Adolf was also buried in the Haga cemetery. He is the first king of Sweden since the 17th century who does not rest in Riddarholmskyrka .
ancestors
| Pedigree of Gustav VI. Adolf, King of Sweden (1950–1973) | ||||||||
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| Great-great-grandparents |
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Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg |
Prince |
Duke |
Grand Duke |
King |
King Friedrich Wilhelm III. of Prussia |
Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
| Great grandparents |
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Duke |
Grand Duke |
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| Grandparents |
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Grand Duke |
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| parents |
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Web links
- Newspaper article about Gustav VI. Adolf in the press kit of the 20th century of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
Individual evidence
- ^ Ludwig Schubert and Rolf Seelmann-Eggebert: Europe's royal houses , Cologne publishing company (1991)
- ^ Ina Leistner-Winkler: The great dynasties , Karl Müller Verlag (1996) ISBN 3-86070-561-X
- ↑ Louise, Drottning , in: Svenskt biografiskt lexikon , Riksarkivet, accessed on December 16, 2018.
- ^ Herman Lindqvist: Bernadotte - För Sverige hela tiden. Albert Bonniers Förlag, 2018, pp. 317-318.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Gustav V. |
King of Sweden 1950–1973 |
Carl XVI. Gustaf |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gustav VI. Adolf |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | King of Sweden |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 11, 1882 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stockholm |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th September 1973 |
| Place of death | Helsingborg |