Gustav Badin
| Gustav Badin | |
|---|---|
Badin by Gustaf Lundberg
|
|
| Born |
Couchi 1747 or 1750 Africa or Saint Croix |
| Died | 1822 (aged c. 75 or c. 72) Sweden |
| Other names | Adolf Ludvig Gustav Fredrik Albert Badin or Badin |
| Occupation | Butler: to Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia; then Princess Sophia Albertine of Sweden |
| Known for | Court Secretary |
| Spouse(s) | Elisabeth Svart, Magdalena Eleonora Norell. |
Adolf Ludvig Gustav Fredrik Albert Badin, né Couchi, known as Badin, (1747 or 1750 – 1822), was a Swedish court-servant and diarist, originally a slave, butler of first Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden and then Princess Sophia Albertine of Sweden. His original name was Couchi, but he was commonly known as Badin, which means mischief-maker or trickster.
Badin was born either in Africa or in the Danish island Saint Croix; he himself said that the only thing he remembered about his past was his parents' hut burning, but it is not known whether this happened in Africa or in Saint Croix. He was taken to Europe, probably on a Danish East Indies ship, from where he was bought by a Danish captain, who gave him to statesman Anders von Resier, who, in turn, gave him as a present to the Queen of Sweden, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, in 1757. The date of his birth is not really known; 1747 is a traditional year, but within the court and the order of the Timmerman, the year was reported as 1750, and this is considered more correct by modern historians.
The queen decided to make him an experiment in upbringing; she was interested in science and had founded a science academy, where, among other topics, the origin of man and civilisation was discussed, such as the nature of "savages", the noble savage and the natural human, and in Badin, she saw an opportunity to test the theories of Rousseau and Linné. She instructed him in Christianity and taught him to read and write, but after this, he was allowed to live entirely according to his own will and judgement. He grew up as a playmate of the children in the royal family, who were brought up in a much more restricted way than he was, and was allowed to speak to them in a natural way and even fight and tease them, which was considered scandalous. He knew all the secret passages within the royal castles and, as it was said, all the secrets within its walls. Contemporary diaries describe how he climbed on the chairs of the king and queen, called everyone "you" instead of using their titles, talked rudely to the nobility and ridiculed religion when interrogated about the bible by Countess Brahe, which made everyone laugh; he was very witty and verbal.
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