Count Hans Henric von Essen (26 September 1755 – 28 June 1824) 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 ...

officer, courtier and statesman.

Biography

Hans Henric von Essen was born at Kavlås Castle in

Tidaholm Municipality Tidaholm Municipality (''Tidaholms kommun'') is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Tidaholm. The municipality is located on the banks of the river Tidan. In the early 1970s a nationw ...

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

, Sweden. He was a member of the Essen family. He was educated at

Uppsala 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 ...

. He entered the army, becoming a cornet at age 18. He accompanied

Gustav III 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 ...

in his travels and campaigns. He accompanied Gustav III at the 1792 masquerade ball at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...

in Stockholm on 16 March 1792, where the king was shot and mortally injured. Hans Henrik von Essen was credited with immediately ordering the doors to the ballroom to be locked, in order not to let the assassin getaway. In 1788, Hans Henric von Essen was the center of a scandal at the royal court. He had for about ten years been involved in a relationship with the famous lady-in-waiting

Augusta von Fersen Augusta may refer to: Places Australia * Augusta, Western Australia Brasil * Rua Augusta (São Paulo) Canada * Augusta, Ontario * North Augusta, Ontario * Augusta Street (Hamilton, Ontario) France * Augusta Suessionum ("Augusta of the Suessi ...

. In 1788, however, he proposed to Charlotta Eleonora De Geer (1771-1798) and was accepted. His proposal was met with great dislike within the royal court because of sympathy with the popular Augusta von Fersen, and he was challenged to a duel by captain count

Adolph Ribbing {{Infobox noble, type , name = Adolph Ribbing , title = Count , image = Adolph Ribbing.jpg , caption = Adolph Ludvig Ribbing , alt = , CoA = , more = n ...

. Ribbing had also proposed to De Geer but had been declined by her father, which he refused to accept as he believed he had reasons to think that De Geer preferred him and that Essen had proposed because of economic reasons, as De Geer was very wealthy, and as von Essen's proposal and marriage plans were commonly disliked within the court. The duel took place in the royal riding house in the presence of several officers and led to the defeat of von Essen, who was slightly injured. The duel was regarded as a scandal and a crime against the King. Hans Henrik von Essen was appointed Colonel in 1787, Major General in 1795, and Field Marshal in 1811. He served as the Over-Governor of Stockholm from 1795 to 1797 and as the Governor-General of

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

from 1800 to 1809. Upon the revolution of 1809, he received the title of count and a place in the Council of State. In 1810 he was sent as Ambassador to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Charles XIII 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 ...

, and his negotiations with Napoleon's ministers restored Pomerania to Sweden. In 1814, Hans Henrik von Essen served as the commander of the Swedish military forces at the border with Norway. By the

Treaty of Kiel The Treaty of Kiel ( da, Kieltraktaten) or Peace of Kiel ( Swedish and no, Kielfreden or ') was concluded between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Kingdom of Sweden on one side and the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway on t ...

, the King of Denmark had to cede Norway to the

King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument ...

, due to the alliance of Denmark-Norway with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

during the later phases of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. This treaty was however not accepted by the

Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...

. The Norwegian-Swedish War of 1814 was fought in the summer of 1814. Subsequently, the Convention of Moss was signed resulting in the

Union between Sweden and Norway Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway ( sv, Svensk-norska unionen; no, Den svensk-norske union(en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Swede ...

. Hans Henrik von Essen served as the Governor-general of Norway until he was succeeded by Count

Carl Carlsson Mörner Carl Carlsson Mörner (1 December 1755 in Jönköping – 24 June 1821 in Stockholm) was a Swedish nobleman, officer, and politician. After rising through the ranks after being accepted as a cadet in 1771, he was made field marshal in 181 ...

during 1816.

References

Essen, Hans Henrik von
in ''Nordisk familjebok'' .

in ''Personhistorisk tidskrift'' .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Essen, Hans Henric Von 1755 births Swedish duellists 1824 deaths People from Tidaholm Municipality Field marshals of Sweden Governors-General of Sweden Governors-general of Norway Swedish Pomerania Swedish counts 19th-century Swedish politicians Swedish people of German descent Gotland Swedish military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Marshals of the Realm 19th-century Swedish military personnel Swedish courtiers Essen family

Biography

See also

References

Notes