Carl Fredrik Ehrensvärd (January 7, 1767 – 1815) was a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
, soldier, farmer and political writer who was convicted of involvement in the murder of
Gustav III in 1792 and sentenced to death. The sentence was later changed by the
supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
and his life was spared on the condition that he left the country for good. He was stripped of his status as baron and his civil rights were revoked. Following his forced departure from Sweden, he eventually settled in
Denmark where he met the author and mother of
Johan Ludvig Heiberg,
Thomasine Christine Gyllembourg-Ehrensvärd
Baroness Thomasine Christine Gyllembourg-Ehrensvärd (9 November 17732 July 1856) was a Denmark, Danish author, born in Copenhagen. Her maiden name was Buntzen.
Life and writing
She married the famous writer Peter Andreas Heiberg when she was 16 ...
whom he married.
Early life
Ehrensvärd joined the military at an early age. He received his first military training in the royal guard, working as a
page for
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia ( sv, Lovisa Ulrika; german: Luise Ulrike) (24 July 1720 – 16 July 1782) was Queen of Sweden from 1751 to 1771 as the wife of King Adolf Frederick. She was queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III.
Backgr ...
and eventually rose to the rank of first
lieutenant in the
artillery. This branch of the army contained some of the most dedicated opponents of Gustav III and his dissatisfaction with the king, which had started when he was employed as a page, increased.
Murder of Gustav III and time in Germany
In 1792 he had become involved in a plot to murder the king. His role in the plot, which was successful, first resulted in a death sentence but was later deemed too minor to justify a death sentence and was changed by the supreme court. Instead, his civil rights were revoked, effectively making him an outlaw, his title was revoked and he was expelled from Sweden for good.
Following his expulsion from Sweden he initially went to Germany, where he planned to seek employment with the French army but
the revolution
A revolution is a drastic political change that usually occurs relatively quickly. For revolutions which affect society, culture, and technology more than political systems, see social revolution.
Revolution may also refer to:
Aviation
*Warner ...
made this impossible and after a short time as a farmer in
Holstein he decided to move to Denmark.
Life in Denmark
When Ehrensvärd decided to settle in Denmark he became friends with several authors who shared his liberal political views. Among these were
Peter Andreas Heiberg, husband of Thomasine Christine Heiberg, born Buntzen. He also assumed his mother's maiden name ''Gyllembourg''. In 1801 Buntzen divorced Heiberg and married Ehrensvärd, thus changing her last name to Gyllembourg-Ehrensvärd. The couple eventually settled in
Copenhagen and Ehrensvärd continued to pursue his interest in politics and agriculture by writing books and papers. Among these were a paper consisting of remarks and suggestions for a
Norwegian constitution. Norway had entered into a union with Sweden in 1814 and his paper was anonymously incorporated into the proceedings of the Norwegian rigsforsamling.
[Dansk biografisk leksikon, Volume VI, page 400, 1887–1905]
Selected writings
*''Den huslige lyksalighed, grund til den borgerlige'' (1798)
*''Forsøg til landbrugs-bogholderi'' (1808)
*''Bemerkninger og forslag med hensyn til en constitution for Norge'' (1814)
*''Nogle forsøg med cerealier'' (1815)
See also
*
Jacob Johan Anckarström
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrensvard, Carl Fredrik
Swedish people convicted of murder
People convicted of murder by Sweden
1767 births
1815 deaths
Swedish regicides