_Marshal Bernadotte_
The election of a new successor to the Swedish throne was no easy
problem. Under the conditions prevailing in Europe it was thought
necessary to make a choice that would be approved by Napoleon, and it
had even been suggested that it might be necessary to elect one of
Napoleon's marshals. Among the different candidates considered, the
most popular one was the Duke of Augustenborg, an elder brother of
Prince Christian August. His election was opposed by King Frederick VI.
of Denmark, who hoped to be chosen himself, and held out as inducement
a promise to give each of the three countries a constitution. King
Frederick at first had the support of quite a party in the Swedish
Diet; but his opponents strongly argued that to make the Danish king
successor to the Swedish throne would eventually result in Sweden
becoming a province of Denmark, and the Duke of Augustenborg, who was
supported by King Charles XIII., was the choice of a majority in the
Swedish Diet. A messenger, Baron Mörner, was sent to Paris to ascertain
whether such an election would have the approval of Napoleon; but upon
arriving in Paris he was told that, according to the latest reports,
the election of the Danish king was being seriously considered, and
believing that this would be a great misfortune, the baron took upon
himself to open negotiations with one of Napoleon's marshals, Jean
Baptiste Bernadotte, Prince of Pontecorvo, and requested him to
become a candidate for the Swedish succession. After a conference
with Napoleon and a consultation with the Swedish minister in Paris,
Bernadotte declared himself willing to accept the election, if it were
offered to him.
When Baron Mörner returned to Sweden and reported the result of his
unauthorized step, he caused great surprise, and the king ordered
his arrest; but, on second thought, the plan to elect Bernadotte was
generally favorably considered by leading men in Sweden. Count Platen
had a consultation with his Norwegian friend, Count Wedel, and the
latter, who had made the personal acquaintance of Bernadotte, advised
the Swedes to elect him in preference to the Duke of Augustenborg.
The result was that in August, 1810, the Swedish Diet, with practical
unanimity, elected Bernadotte Crown Prince of Sweden, and King Charles
XIII. adopted him as his son, under the name of Charles John (Carl
Johan). When, in September, 1810, Bernadotte was about to leave Paris
for Sweden, and Napoleon asked him to promise never to wage war on
France, he declined to bind himself by such a promise, but assured the
emperor of his sincere friendship. "Go, then," said Napoleon, "and let
us fulfil our several destinies."
Crown Prince Charles John, on his arrival in Sweden, immediately
assumed the chief control of the government, and set about the very
difficult task of raising the country from the wretched and defenceless
condition into which it had fallen. Sweden was at the time practically
at the mercy of the great Powers. Napoleon forced Sweden to declare
war on England, and when, a year later, he found that this war was
not carried on with satisfactory vigor, he sent an army into Swedish
Pomerania, which he occupied, while two Swedish regiments were sent as
prisoners to France (January, 1812). This caused Charles John to look
around for other alliances, which would be of greater benefit to his
adopted country. He once more offered Napoleon the faithful services of
Sweden, on condition that Sweden was to receive Norway in compensation;
but Napoleon would not listen to any proposition to take anything from
his faithful ally, Denmark.
Charles John immediately opened negotiations with Russia, and the
result was a secret treaty, concluded at St. Petersburg, April 18,
1812, by which Russia promised to help Sweden, by negotiations or force
of arms, to acquire Norway, and Russia was guaranteed the possession of
Finland, while Charles John was to take an active part in the military
operations in Germany against Napoleon. This agreement was confirmed
at a personal meeting between the Russian emperor Alexander and Crown
Prince Charles John at Åbo, Finland, August 27, 1812. The stipulation
that Norway was to be united with Sweden was afterward also agreed to
by the other Powers at war with France. Charles John took an active
part in the great campaign against Napoleon in Germany. After the
complete defeat of Napoleon's army at Leipsic, October 16-19, 1813,
Charles John marched with an army of 40,000 men into Holstein in order
to compel Denmark to cede Norway. The Danish-Norwegian army in Holstein
and Schleswig made a brave defence; but the resistance against the
overwhelming force of the enemy could not last long, and Frederick VI.
was compelled to conclude peace at Kiel, January 14, 1814, where Norway
was ceded to Sweden. The Norwegian dependencies, Iceland, the Faroe
Islands, and Greenland, were not included in the cession. Four days
later King Frederick VI., for himself and his successors, relinquished
all his rights to the kingdom of Norway to the Swedish king, Charles
XIII., and his successors. In his proclamation to the Norwegians, King
Frederick released them from their oath of allegiance, and requested
them to peaceably and quietly transfer their allegiance to the Swedish
king.
Thus ended the union between Denmark and Norway, which had lasted for
more than four hundred years.