Baron Carl Otto Mörner (22 May 1781 – 17 August 1868) 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 ...

courtier, and member of the

Diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

. He is chiefly remembered for his role in advocating for Frenchman

Jean Baptiste Bernadotte 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, ...

's succession to the Swedish crown in 1810.

Role in the succession to Charles XIII of Sweden

In 1810 King

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 Sw ...

was childless and the crown prince

Charles August Charles J. August (January 28, 1919 – November 3, 2009) was an American businessman who founded Monro Muffler Brake. Biography August's career in automotive maintenance and repair began as a Midas Muffler franchisee in 1957 in Rochester, Ne ...

had died of a stroke. Baron Mörner was then a lieutenant in the Uppland Regiment. Entirely on his own initiative, Mörner offered the succession to the Swedish crown to Bernadotte. Although the

Swedish government The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden ( sv, Konungariket Sveriges regering) is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Ministerappointed and dismissed by the Speaker of the R ...

, amazed at Mörner's effrontery, placed him under arrest, the candidature of Bernadotte gradually gained favor. On 21 August 1810 in

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...

, Bernadotte was elected by the

Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates ( sv, Riksens ständer; informally sv, Ståndsriksdagen) was the name used for the Estates of Sweden when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to t ...

to be the new

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

, and was subsequently made

Generalissimus ''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used. Usage The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus m ...

of the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internati ...

by the King, Charles XIII. ''Ancienneté och Rang-Rulla öfver Krigsmagten år 1813'' Bernadotte was crowned Charles XIV of Sweden on 5 February 1818.

Later life

Shortly after the succession to the throne, Mörner married Sofia Emerentia af Wetterstedt. In 1811, Mörner became a captain, and the same year he became adjutant to the newly adopted Crown Prince. After that, Mörner advanced in the army until he was promoted to colonel in 1818. He resigned the following year. He was deputy governor of Jämtland from 1824, until he was appointed customs inspector at Blockhusudden in 1829, remaining in that office until he retired in 1841. He is buried in Linköping's old cemetery.

In film

Baron Mörner is a character in Désirée, a 1954 historical film biography. The film tells a fictionalized story of

Désirée Clary Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary ( sv, Eugenia Bernhardina Desideria; 8 November 1777 – 17 December 1860) was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 5 February 1818 to 8 March 1844 as the wife of King Charles XIV John. Charles John was a former Fre ...

, spouse of

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 her relationship with

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

References

1781 births 1869 deaths Swedish nobility 19th-century Swedish people Swedish courtiers {{Sweden-noble-stub