Baron Didrik Anders Gillis Bildt (16 October 1820 – 22 October 1894) was a Swedish parliamentarian,

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

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 ...

and

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

1888–1889.

Family

Gillis Bildt was born in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

in 1820, son of

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 colonel. ...

Daniel Fredrik Bildt and Christina Elisabeth Fröding. His father died 7 years later in 1827. His mother died in 1858. In 1848 Gillis married Lucile Rosalie Dufva. They had three children: Adéle Elisabeth Bildt (1849–1914), Carl Nils Daniel Bildt (1850–1931),

Knut Gillis Bildt General Knut Gillis Bildt (13 July 1854 – 13 October 1927) was a Swedish Army officer and politician. His senior commands include the post of Quartermaster-General of the Swedish Army (1904–1905) and Chief of the General Staff (1905–1919) ...

(1854–1927). His great-great-grandson

Carl Bildt Nils Daniel Carl Bildt (born 15 July 1949) is a Swedish politician and diplomat who was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994. He was the leader of the Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999. Bildt served as Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs ...

(b. 1949) also became

Prime Minister of Sweden The prime minister ( sv, statsminister ; literally translating to "Minister of State") is the head of government of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are subj ...

(1991), later

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were created in 1995 immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement which ended the 1992–1995 Bos ...

(1995). Carl Bildt is descended from Gillis Bildt via younger son Knut Gillis Bildt (1854–1927).

Career

Military officer

Gillis Bildt made a career in the military as an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

officer, rising eventually to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. He passed out from the Royal War Academy in Stockholm in 1837 and joined the Göta artillery regiment. He completed his higher education in 1842 in Marieberg, where he had come to the attention of

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 ...

Oscar (later

King Oscar I Oscar I (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; 4 July 1799 – 8 July 1859) was King of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. The only child of King Charles XIV John, Oscar ...

) for his diligence and competence. After

graduation Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...

he worked as a mathematics tutor for several years, as well as continuing his military career and entering the ''

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 ...

'' in 1847.

"Bildt was not a member of the wealthy or the upper
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
”, chronicles the writer Harald Wieselgren. "His personality alone gave him a lever up in the world. The competent artillery officer, the charming cavalier, the exemplary young man were combined in the persona of Bildt".

While a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

he was appointed as an

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

(or aide) to

in 1851. He advanced to

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 ...

(1854),

(1856),

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

(1858). In 1859 he became

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and was chosen by King Karl XV to be his first aide-de-camp. Finally in 1875 he was promoted to

Governor

Bildt's early political titles included Governor of Gotland 1858–1862 and Over Governor of Stockholm 1862–1874. A major issue for Bildt was campaigning in defence of the

railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, particularly routes he considered of military and commercial value to

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 ...

. He garnered support throughout the city – in the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

and among the citizens. He was also a

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal own ...

and

board member A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

in the company seeking to operate a railway between Stockholm and the Vestmanland mines.

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

was another subject close to his heart. In 1850 he had called it "our country's mightiest interest". More diplomatic was his statement in 1869:

"I believe that much can be done to benefit our agriculture, but not by means of more or less public money. For who should give up their allocation, if not the non-farm sector; alas they are not in a position to do without".

In 1864 Bildt was made a ''Friherre'' (

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 ...

Parliamentarian

Bildt was a Member of the ''

'' (Sweden's

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

) in 1847–1874 and 1887–1894. From 1867, when the ''Riksdag'' became

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

, Bildt sat in the

Upper House An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

(''Första kammaren''). As a representative in the House of Nobility, which was the most

august August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

''Riksdag'' Estate until 1866, Bildt was aligned with ''Junkerpartiet''. ''Junkerpartiet'' was a group of conservative free-market nobles (''related term'':

Prussian Junkers The Junkers ( ; ) were members of the landed nobility in Prussia. They owned great estates that were maintained and worked by peasants with few rights. These estates often lay in the countryside outside of major cities or towns. They were an impor ...

). Bildt spoke out on social policy issues. One was the development of

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

services. Another concerned the inadequate schooling for women. "It is an established fact", he declared in a speech in 1859, "that the development of our nation depends on the education of women". During 1848–1860 he was a reporter to the ''Statsutskottet'' (Procedure Committee). He was a strong supporter of Louis De Geer's 1863 electoral reform bill and the introduction of popular suffrage. Bildt was a skillful debater who recognized the legitimate arguments against the reform. He sought to build a consensus rather than engage in the politics of division. Finally, with two of the four estates on side and with a large public backing, he set about overcoming the House of Nobility's inevitable opposition to its own dissolution. Given the popular support for the reform, Governor Bildt had troops ready to maintain order in the capital, in the event of the

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

being blocked. But the nervousness turned to rejoicing as the bill was accepted, finally receiving

Royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

on 22 January 1866 by King Karl XV. The unicameral legislature, representing the four estates, was replaced with a bicameral parliament, consisting of an

of appointed members (''Första kammaren'') and a numerically superior and popularly elected

Lower House A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

(''Andra kammaren''). A

committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

was set up to define the procedures for the new ''Riksdag''. Bildt was elected onto this committee with more votes than any other candidate. Bildt was also active in the new ''Riksdag'' from 1867. In the Defence Committee as in the chamber he campaigned to maintain the necessary balance and preparedness of army units. Bildt also continued his work for

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

, speaking out in favour of extending

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

to non-members of the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

and giving married women legal competence over their own affairs. During the period 1874–1886 Bildt was Sweden's

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

in Berlin (''see below''). In 1886, he became ''Riksmarskalk'' ( Marshal of the Realm via www.royalcourt.se or

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the United Kingdom). He is the eig ...

). His (re-)appointment in 1887 to the

by the protectionist representatives on Stockholm City Council was against the wishes of King Oscar II. The King did not want a close friend of the

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

involved in party politics and opposing the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

pro free-trade government. Bildt promised the King not to represent a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

and remained an independent conservative. However Bildt did participate in meetings with the

protectionist Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

group in the House. Bildt himself was

moderate Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...

ly protectionist.

Ambassador

As Swedish ambassador in Germany 1874–1886, Bildt strengthened ties between Sweden and the new

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, negotiating

bilateral Bilateral may refer to any concept including two sides, in particular: * Bilateria, bilateral animals *Bilateralism, the political and cultural relations between two states *Bilateral, occurring on both sides of an organism ( Anatomical terms of ...

agreements on matters such as

post Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service **Iraqi Post, Ira ...

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

extradition Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...

and

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

s. During his time in Germany Bildt witnessed the introduction by

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

of the agrarian protectionist system. In Sweden during this period the Protectionist Party had been established, gaining ground in 1885–1886 due to downward price pressure on Swedish

crops A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponics ...

, especially

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

. Demands for duties on imported foodstuffs to benefit Swedish farmers were opposed by pro free-trade prime minister

Robert Themptander Oscar Robert Themptander (14 February 1844 – 30 January 1897) was a Swedish politician and public official who was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1884 to 1888 during the reign of King Oscar II, and Governor of Stockholm County from 1888 to 189 ...

. Events took an unexpected turn. The disqualification of Stockholm's 22 pro free-trade members of the democratically elected

on a

technicality The term legal technicality is a casual or colloquial phrase referring to a technical aspect of law. The phrase is not a term of art in the law; it has no exact meaning, nor does it have a legal definition. It implies that strict adherence to the ...

(one member's non-payment of 11.58 kr in taxes a few years previously) and the appointment, in their place, of 22 protectionist members tipped the balance of power and brought about Themptander's resignation, opening the door for a new leader.

Prime Minister

Gillis Bildt was appointed

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

by King Oscar II on 6 February 1888. With his first-hand experience of Germany's new agrarian protectionist system and his own protectionist sympathies he was considered an ideal successor. Archbishop

Anton Niklas Sundberg Anton Niklas Sundberg (27 May 1818, Uddevalla – 2 February 1900) was a Lutheran clergyman, and the Church of Sweden archbishop of Uppsala 1870–1900. Biography He acquired a doctor of philosophy and theology degree at Uppsala University ...

, former

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

in both houses, had supposedly been offered the premiership, but turned it down. With the Protectionists now having control of the

and numerical superiority in joint votes with the

, the political direction was clear. In the interest of

reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...

, the King set Bildt the task of leading a ''gradual'' shift from the

economically liberal Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalis ...

politics of Louis De Geer towards the more

system that was becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe. Bildt's

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

was a mix of ministers from the pro

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

and pro

camps. Subsequent cabinet changes shifted the balance further towards protectionism. While the new taxes meant citizens paying more for food and tools, the state's finances improved in Sweden, as elsewhere in Europe. In Sweden the money was used to reduce the budget deficit, build railways and improve the country's defences. (Events during the reign of King Oscar II 1872–1907) Bildt's achievements during his ''rise'' to the premiership stand out more than his time at the top. After his years abroad, the aging Bildt was considered out of touch with the political momentum of the time. Bildt resigned on 12 October 1889, after 20 months in office. The reasons for his resignation are said to be: * His protectionist system had been established. * He was finding it increasingly difficult to realize his goal, presented in his address at the opening of parliament, of "a society at ease with itself". Gillis Bildt died on 22 October 1894 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, aged 74. The title ''Friherre Bildt'' was inherited by the elder of his two sons, Carl Nils Daniel Bildt (1850–1931).

References

External links

* Daniel Braw
Tullstriden på 1880-talet
the struggle between protectionists and free-traders. * Governance of Sweden through the 1800s. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bildt, Gillis 1820 births 1894 deaths Prime Ministers of Sweden Governors of Gotland Swedish Army lieutenant generals Swedish nobility 19th-century Swedish politicians People from Gothenburg Ambassadors of Sweden to Germany Marshals of the Realm Gillis