The 1789 Conspiracy was a plot in Sweden in 1789, with the purpose of deposing Gustav III of Sweden, and place his brother

Charles XIII of Sweden Charles XIII, or Carl XIII ( sv, Karl XIII, 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818), was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King Gustav III) of King Adolf Frederick of S ...

on the throne. The plot was instigated by a group of conspirators at the royal court, consisting of among others the king's sister-in-law, Charles' spouse

Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp ( sv, Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta; 22 March 1759 – 20 June 1818) was Queen of Sweden and Norway as the consort of King Charles XIII and II. She was also a famed diarist, memoirist and wit. She is ...

, the king's youngest brother

Prince Frederick Adolf, Duke of Östergötland Prince Frederick Adolf, Duke of Östergötland ( sv, Fredrik Adolf; 18 July 1750 – 12 December 1803) was a Swedish Prince, youngest son of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, a sister of Frederick the Great, King of Pr ...

, and Charles' favorite

Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm Baron Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm (7 July 1756 in Sjundeå, Nyland, Sweden (now Finland) – 27 December 1813 in Schleswig), was a Swedish statesman. He acted as the de facto regent of Sweden during the minor regency of Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden be ...

. The plot was influenced by the opposition of the nobility against Gustav III because of the

Union and Security Act The Union and Security Act ( sv, Förenings- och säkerhetsakten, fi, Yhdistys- ja vakuuskirja), alternatively Act of Union and Security, was proposed by king Gustav III of Sweden to the assembled Estates of the Realm during the Riksdag of 1789. I ...

during the

Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790) The Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790 was fought between Sweden and Russia from June 1788 to August 1790. The war was ended by the Treaty of Värälä on 14 August 1790 and took place concomitantly with both the Austro-Turkish War (1788–1791 ...

, and the plan was to convince Charles to act as the central figure and symbol of this opposition. The plot was discontinued because Charles, when informed, refused to participate in it.My Hellsing (2013). Hovpolitik. Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte som politisk aktör vid det gustavianska hovet. Örebro: Örebro universitet. The plot was never officially exposed and did not result in any legal action.

References

{{Expand Swedish, topic=hist, 1789 års sammansvärjning, date=July 2020 1789 in Europe Rebellions in Sweden 1789 in Sweden Sweden during the Gustavian era 18th-century coups d'état and coup attempts Conspiracies Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)

See also

References