''Friherre'' General Axel Emil Rappe (2October 1838 – 18December 1918) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

officer and Minister of War from 1892 and 1899.

Early life

Rappe was born on 2 October 1838 in Christinelund manor in Arby, Kalmar County, the son of county governor, Baron A.L. Rappe and his wife Lisette Björnstjerna. He passed '' studentexamen'' in 1857 and then ''kansliexamen'' in 1860, both in the city of Uppsala.

Career

Rappe was commissioned as an officer in 1859 and was appointed '' underlöjtnant'' and was assigned to Uppland Regiment (I 8) the same year. He became a general staff officer in 1865. Rappe served in the French Army during the Franco-Prussian War from 1870 to 1871 and then in the French Army in Algeria from 1871 to 1872. Back in Sweden, Rappe became captain in the

in 1870 and of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

in 1873. He was promoted to major in 1874 and major of the General Staff in 1876 and served as Chief of Staff of the 4th Military District (''Fjärde militärdistriktet'') from 1878 to 1879. Rappe was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Bohuslän Regiment (I 17) in 1879 and was promoted to colonel in the army in 1881. He was appointed commanding officer of Bohuslän Regiment in 1882 and Acting Chief of the General Staff the same year. In 1885, Rappe was promoted to major general and was appointed Chief of the General Staff. He served as such until 1892 when he was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed Minister of War and head of the Ministry of Land Defence. In 1899 he resumed his duty as Chief of the General Staff and served as such until 1905. Rappe was promoted to general in 1903. He has been called the spiritual father of

Boden Fortress Boden Fortress ( sv, Bodens fästning) is a modern fortification, fortress consisting of several major and minor forts and fortifications surrounding the city of Boden, Sweden, Boden, Norrbotten, in northern Sweden. The fortress was originally int ...

Personal life

Rappe married on 2 May 1875 to Anna Sandahl (1855–1946), the daughter of Professor Oskar Theodor Sandahl and Jenny Magdalena Fredrika Huss. He was the father of opera singer

Signe Rappe-Welden Signe Rappe-Welden née Rappe (24 September 1879 – 21 May 1974) was a Swedish operatic soprano and voice teacher. She made her dëbut in 1906 in Mannheim, acclaimed for both her voice and acting ability. She performed in Vienna from 1908 to 19 ...

(1879–1974), Axel Rappe (1884–1945) who also became a military officer, and five more children. He was a member of the men's organization

Sällskapet Idun is a Swedish association for men, founded in 1862 in Stockholm. Founding Sällskapet Idun traces its founding back to 22 November 1862 at the Hotel Fenix in Stockholm, Sweden. Its founders consisted of Edward Bergh and Johan Fredrik Höckert ...

. Rappe died in 1918 and was buried in Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

Rappe's dates of rank: *13 July 1859 – '' Underlöjtnant'' *8 September 1863 – Lieutenant *29 December 1870 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*4 December 1874 –

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

*18 April 1879 –

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and 1st Major *6 May 1881 – Colonel *30 December 1885 – Major general *2 December 1892 – Lieutenant general *4 December 1903 – General

Awards and decorations

Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty the King * St_Olavs_Orden_kommandør_med_stjerne_stripe

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour * Order_of_Saint_Anna_ribbon_bar

Knight 1nd Class of the Order of Saint Anna

Honours

*Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1873) *Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1890)

References

External links

Article
at ''

Svenskt biografiskt lexikon ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' () is a Swedish biographical dictionary, started in 1917. The first volume, covering names ''Abelin'' to ''Anjou'', was published in 1918. As of 2017, names from A to S are covered. Volumes # ABELIN – ANJOU (1 ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Rappe, Axel 1838 births 1918 deaths Swedish Army generals Swedish Ministers for Defence Swedish Ministers for War Swedish nobility Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour People from Kalmar Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen