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Frederick I of Sweden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Frederick I | |
|---|---|
| King of Sweden, the Goths and the Wends | |
| Frederick I | |
| Reign | 24 March 1720 – 25 March 1751 |
| Coronation | 3 May 1720 |
| Titles | Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (1730–1751) |
| Born | 23 April 1676 |
| Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel | |
| Died | 25 March 1751 (aged 74) |
| Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Buried | Riddarholmen Church, Stockholm |
| Predecessor | Ulrika Eleonora |
| Successor | Adolf Frederick |
| Consort | Ulrika Eleonora |
| Issue | No legitimate children |
| Royal House | Hesse-Kassel |
| Royal motto | I Gud mitt hopp ("In God my hope") |
| Father | Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
| Mother | Maria Amalia of Courland |
Frederick I (Swedish: Fredrik I) (23 April 1676 – 25 March 1751) was King of Sweden from 1720 and Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730 until his death.
He was the son of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and Princess Maria Amalia of Courland. He married his second wife, Princess Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, in 1715 and served as prince consort of Sweden during Ulrika Eleonora's rule as Queen regnant from 1718 until her abdication in 1720, when he succeeded her on the throne.
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Although a very active and dynamic king during the beginning of his 31-year reign, Frederick I became not so much powerless as uninterested in the affairs of the state after the aristocracy had again taken over the power during the wars with Russia; he had much influence during the reign of his wife, and in 1723, he tried to strengthen the power of the king, but after he failed, he never had much to do with politics; when a signature was needed, the government made a stamp of his signature and used that. During that time, he devoted most of his time to hunting and love affairs. He had several children by his mistress Hedvig Taube, his marriage to Queen Ulrika Eleonora being childless. [1]
Some historians have suggested that Frederick's aide fired the shot generally claimed to have been a stray bullet, that caused the death of his brother-in-law Charles XII of Sweden in 1718. After his authoritarian brother-in-law, one of the reason the Swedish Estates elected Frederick was because he was taken to be fairly weak, which indeed he turned out to be. He also had to oversee the loss of Sweden's position as a European power as a result of the wars Charles XII had suffered; in the Treaty of Nystad, he was forced to formally cede Estonia, Ingria and Livonia to Russia, in 1721. In the year 1723 he rewarded the military inventor Sven Åderman with a gift of the estate of Halltorps on the island of Öland, for advancing the firing frequency 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 to with them himself; when he died, Carl Gustaf Tessin said about him; "Under the reign of King Frederick, the 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 castle has been built - he has never been curious enough to look at it." , and neither did he have anything to do with the fact that the first Swedish speaking theater was founded at Bollhuset during his reign. One important thing was made by him; he forbade duels.
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 the negotiated, compromise-like ascension to the Stockholm throne, he and the court had a very low appanage. The money for the very expensive court, then, came since the 1730s from wealthy Hesse, and this means that Frederick essentially behaved like an absentee landlord. 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 Huguenots. 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.
He married his first wife, Luise Dorothee Sophie of Prussia (1680–1705), on May 31, 1700. His first marriage was childless.
His second wife, whom he married in 1715, was Princess Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden (1688–1741), daughter of Charles XI of Sweden (1655–1697) and of Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark (1656–1693). Also this marriage was childless.
Frederick I had three illegitimate children with his mistress Hedvig Taube:
- Frederick William von Hessenstein (1735–1808).
- Charles Edward von Hessenstein (1737–1769).
- Hedwig Amalia (1743–1752).
Thus, the Hessian line in Sweden ended with him and was followed by that of Holstein-Gottorp. In Hesse-Cassel, he was succeeded by his younger brother William VIII, a famous general.
- Spencer, Charles. Blenheim: Battle for Europe. Phoenix, 2005. ISBN 0-304-36704-4
- Herman Lindqvist, "Historien om Sverige", (In Swedish)
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Frederick I
Cadet branch of the House of Hesse
Born: 23 April 1676 Died: 25 March 1751 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ulrika Eleonora the Elder |
Royal consort of Sweden (Prince consort) 1718–1720 |
Succeeded by Ulrika Eleonora the Younger |
| Preceded by Ulrika Eleonora the Younger as Queen regnant of Sweden |
King of Sweden 1720–1751 |
Succeeded by Adolf Frederick |
| Preceded by Charles |
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel 1730–1751 |
Succeeded by William VIII |