Benjamin Danielsson Roth (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: Roht) was a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

blacksmith and farrier who emigrated to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

near the beginning of the 18th century. He is best known for his work on Charles XII's Stair at

Katarina Church Katarina kyrka (''Church of Catherine'') is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s. ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden.

Emigration to Sweden

Roth family legend had long speculated that Benjamin was either hired or conscripted to serve as a blacksmith for the army of

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...

when it marched north from

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

to invade the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

and that he returned to Sweden with other surviving members of the Swedish army after their defeat by

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

. This narrative conflicts with records of his marriage to a Swedish woman in 1704 and the fact that Saxony was not defeated and subsequently allied with Sweden until 1706. Also, records indicate that the few Swedish soldiers that were not either killed or captured in Russia fled south with Charles XII and did not return with him to Sweden until 1715. This means that either: A. Benjamin's emigration to Sweden happened sometime before 1704 and was unrelated to Saxony's alliance with Sweden or; B. The records that indicate a marriage date of 1704 are incorrect. Their first child was born in August 1707 so an actual marriage date of sometime in 1706 is possible.

Life in Sweden

Benjamin settled in the part of

called

Södermalm Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm. Overview The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wat ...

where he worked as a master

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjus ...

. He married Catharina Berg, the daughter of Swedish locksmith Lars Olsson Berg, in 1704. They had 7 children: Maria, Catharina, Carl, Benjamin, Christina Charlotta, and Margareta and one unnamed child who died either in birth or infancy. In addition to their home in Södermalm, an estate inventory in 1763 indicates that they owned two small stone houses between Baggensgatan and Västerlånggatan in Gamla Stan (Old Town), Stockholm. Benjamin was a member of the German parish and eventually became an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

in Stockholm's farriers

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

Roht vs. Roth

None of the sources relating to Benjamin Roth or his son Carl speak to or explain the alternate spelling of Roth found on Karl XII's stair. It may be due to that in the past names had different spellings in different languages. (I.E. Karl in Germany, Karl or Carl in Sweden, Charles in England, Char in France, Carolos in Latin, etc.) It may simply have been spelled Roht in Saxony and Roth in Sweden, and the family eventually formally adopted the Swedish spelling.

Benjamin's Admiration for
Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...

Karl XII:s Trappa Sometime between 1712 and 1715 Benjamin was commissioned to forge a railing for a staircase at

in Södermalm. The stair was dedicated to Charles XII of Sweden and his royal monogram appears above the dedication date. He is also mentioned in the poem that is engraved on the pillars on either side of the stair. This double staircase leads from the cemetery up to the southern entrance of the church. It was dedicated in 1715 and he was paid 300

riksdaler The svenska riksdaler () was the name of a Swedish coin first minted in 1604. Between 1777 and 1873, it was the currency of Sweden. The daler, like the dollar,''National Geographic''. June 2002. p. 1. ''Ask Us''. was named after the German Thaler. ...

for the work. The railing was renovated by Benjamin's son, Carl Roth, in 1776. File:Charles XII Stair, post 26.jpg File:Charles XII Stair, post 27.jpg File:Charles XII Stair, post 28.jpg Tradition of Carl Benjamin named his first son Carl in honor of the king of Sweden, Charles XII. This began a tradition in House Roth where some or all of the male children (usually at least the oldest) were named Carl and were commonly known by their middle names. This tradition has persisted within certain branches of House Roth for over 300 years to present day: The youngest being Carl Eben Roth, son of Carl Jan Christian and Stephanie Roth, born 2019.

References

Sources