Charles XIV & III John | |||||
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Charles XIV John (King of Sweden and Norway). Painting by François Gérard
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King of Sweden and Norway | |||||
Reign | 5 February 1818 – 8 March 1844 | ||||
Predecessor | Charles XIII/II | ||||
Successor | Oscar I | ||||
Prince of Pontecorvo | |||||
Reign | 5 June 1806 – 21 August 1810 | ||||
Predecessor | Principality established | ||||
Successor | Lucien Murat | ||||
Born | Jean Bernadotte 26 January 1763 Pau, France |
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Died | 8 March 1844 , United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway |
(aged 81)||||
Burial | Riddarholmskyrkan, | ||||
Spouse | Désirée Clary (m. 1798) | ||||
Issue | Oscar I | ||||
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House | Bernadotte | ||||
Father | Henri Bernadotte | ||||
Mother | Jeanne de Saint-Jean | ||||
Religion |
Church of Sweden prev. Roman Catholicism |
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Signature |
Full name | |
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Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte |
Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte | |
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Marshal Bernadotte, Prince de Ponte-Corvo. Painted by Joseph Nicolas Jouy, after François-Joseph Kinson
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Allegiance |
Kingdom of France Kingdom of France French Republic French Empire |
Years of service | 1780–1810 |
Rank | Marshal of the Empire |
Commands held | Governor of Hanover |
Battles/wars |
French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
Awards |
Legion of Honour Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe Titled Prince of Ponte-Corvo |
Other work |
Minister of War Councillor of State |
Charles XIV & III John, also known as Carl John, (Swedish and Norwegian: Karl Johan; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden (as Charles XIV John) and King of Norway (as Charles III John) from 1818 until his death and served as de facto regent and head of state from 1810 to 1818. He was also the Sovereign Prince of Pontecorvo, in south-central Italy, from 1806 until 1810.
He was born Jean Bernadotte in France and served a long career in the French Army. He subsequently acquired the full name of Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (French: [ʒɑ̃ bapˈtist ʒyl bɛʁˈnadɔt]). He was appointed as a Marshal of France by Napoleon, though the two had a turbulent relationship. Napoleon made him Prince of Pontecorvo on 5 June 1806, but he stopped using that title in 1810 when his service to France ended and he was elected the heir-presumptive to the childless King Charles XIII of Sweden. His candidacy was advocated by Baron Carl Otto Mörner, a Swedish courtier and obscure member of the Riksdag of the Estates. Upon his Swedish adoption, he assumed the name Carl. He did not use the name "Bernadotte" in Sweden, but founded the royal dynasty there of that name.
Bernadotte was born in Pau, France, as the son of Jean Henri Bernadotte (Pau, Béarn, 14 October 1711 – Pau, 31 March 1780), prosecutor at Pau, and his wife (married at Boeil, 20 February 1754) Jeanne de Saint-Jean (Pau, 1 April 1728 – Pau, 8 January 1809), niece of the Lay Abbot of Sireix. The family name was originally du Poey (or de Pouey), but was changed to Bernadotte – a surname of an ancestress at the beginning of the 17th century. Soon after his birth 'Baptiste' was added to his name, to distinguish him from his elder brother Jean Évangeliste. Bernadotte himself added 'Jules' to his first names as a tribute to the French Empire under Napoleon I.