Carl Gustaf Nordin (born 2 January 1749 in

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 ...

, died 14 March 1812 in

Härnösand Härnösand () is a locality and the seat of Härnösand Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 17,556 inhabitants in 2010. It is called "the gate to the High Coast" because of the world heritage landscape just a few miles north of H� ...

) was a Swedish statesman, historian and ecclesiastic.

Early life

In 1774, he was made

docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...

of Gothic antiquities at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

in consequence of his treatise, "Monumenta svia-gothica vetustioris aevi falso meritoque suspecta". When he was summoned to Stockholm in 1782 by

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

to edit a Swedish , half an hour's private conversation with the young priest convinced Gustav that Nordin's proper place was in the political arena. But he employed Nordin quite differently from his episcopal colleague Olof Wallqvist. While the bishop publicly defended the royal measures, Nordin became the king's private adviser. In politics Nordin was a royalist. To him, a parliament seemed little better than a mob. He was one of the king's secret managers during the troublesome and dangerous

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

of 1789, but advised caution and compared the estate of clergy, which at one time held the balance between the jarring orders, to ice which might be walked upon but could not be driven over. Nordin was appointed a member of an ecclesiastical commission for reforming the church in 1787, in which capacity he was virtually minister of public worship. Between 1791 and 1792 he became a leading member of the financial and general committees of the Riksdag.

Bishop

After the king's death Nordin shared in the general disgrace of the Gustavians and lived in retirement at the little town of

, where he held the post of ''lector'' at the gymnasium. But he reappeared prominently on the political scene during the

of 1800, and in 1805 was consecrated

bishop of Härnösand A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Scholar

Though he lacked the brilliant qualities of his rival Wallqvist, Nordin had the same alertness and penetration, and was more stable and disinterested. One of the most learned men of his day, he devoted his spare time to history, and discovered that many of the oldest and most cherished Scandinavian manuscripts were clever forgeries. Like

Jean Hardouin Jean Hardouin ( en, John Hardwin; la, Johannes Harduinus; 1646 – 3 September 1729), was a French classical scholar. He is most known for his theory that most texts from Antiquity were forgeries. Biography He was born at Quimper in Brittany. ...

he got to believe that a great deal of what is called classical literature was compiled by anonymous authors at a much later date, and he used frequently to startle his colleagues, the Gustavian academicians, by his audacious paradoxes. Nordin left behind him a colossal collection of manuscripts, the so-called Nordinska Samlingarna, which were purchased and presented to

Upsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

Charles XIV of Sweden sv, Karl Johan Baptist Julius , spouse = , issue = Oscar I of Sweden , house = Bernadotte , father = Henri Bernadotte , mother = Jeanne de Saint-Jean , birth_date = , birth_place = Pau, ...

and form the groundwork of the ''Scriptores rerum Suecicarum medii aevi.'' Nordin published during his lifetime ''Handlingar till uplysning af svenska krigs-historien'' (Stockholm, 1787–1788). His academical addresses came out at Stockholm in 1818 under the title ''Minnen öfver namnkunniga svenska män.'' His ''Dagbok'' or Diary did not appear until 1868. Nordin was one of the original members of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III of Sweden, Gustav III, is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish lang ...

References

External links

The Nordin manuscript collection at Uppsala University Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordin, Carl Gustaf 1749 births 1812 deaths Politicians from Stockholm Members of the Swedish Academy Uppsala University alumni 19th-century Swedish politicians Bishops of Härnösand Court of Gustav III