Count Johan August Sandels (31 August 1764 – 22 January 1831) 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 ...

soldier and politician, being appointed Governor-general of Norway (''Riksståthållare'' in Swedish, ''Rigsstatholder'' in

Dano-Norwegian Dano-Norwegian (Danish and no, dansk-norsk) was a koiné/mixed language that evolved among the urban elite in Norwegian cities during the later years of the union between the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway (1536/1537–1814). It is from this ...

) 1818 and

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

in 1824. He also served as acting

Governor of Stockholm The Governor of Stockholm ( sv, överståthållaren) was the head of the Office of the Governor of Stockholm ( sv, Överståthållarämbetet, ÖÄ), and as such he was the highest Swedish State official overseeing the affairs in the City of Stoc ...

in 1815.

Biography

Sandels was born 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 ...

. In the

Finnish War The Finnish War ( sv, Finska kriget, russian: Финляндская война, fi, Suomen sota) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic ...

(1808–1809) on 27 October 1808, he led the Swedish troops to victory against the

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

forces, at the

Battle of Koljonvirta The Battle of Koljonvirta ( fi, Koljonvirran taistelu) ( sv, Slaget vid Virta bro) i.e. the Battle of the Virta Bridge was fought between Swedish and Russian troops on October 27, 1808. The Swedish force consisted of troops from Savolax and Öst ...

. His subordinate officers were Colonel Fahlander, Major Malm and Major

Joachim Zachris Duncker Joachim Zachris Duncker (12 November 1774 – 6 July 1809) was a Swedish soldier born in Ristiina in Savonia. In 1789 Duncker obtained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the Savonia ranger regiment. He fought in the 1790 war against Russia and proved ...

. These events and others in the Finnish War were later retold in a series of epic poems by

Johan Ludvig Runeberg Johan Ludvig Runeberg (; 5 February 1804 – 6 May 1877) was a Finnish priest, lyric and epic poet. He wrote exclusively in Swedish. He is considered a national poet of Finland. He is the author of the lyrics to (''Our Land'', ''Maamme'' in Fin ...

. Runeberg's poem tells a story of Sandels having a feast while the enemy mounts a premature attack. Sandels continues his meal and is accused of cowardice, after which he raises and rides to the battle, drives back the enemy and is praised by his men. Sandels also fought in the Swedish ranks against

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 ...

during the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

in 1813 and 1814. He received some award for his services in form of a donation lands in the then

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania ( sv, Svenska Pommern; german: Schwedisch-Pommern) was a dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held ...

. His granddaughter, Augusta Sandels, married Philip, Prince of Eulenburg and Hertefeld, bringing some Pomeranian inheritance to the Eulenburg family and her descendants. The couple were granted the Prussian title of Count Sandels, in addition to their other titles.

Named after Sandels

'' Sandels'' is a beer brewed by

Olvi Olvi plc ( fi, Olvi Oyj, ) is a Finnish brewery and soft drinks company founded in 1878. It currently holds 18.7% of Finland's market share in beverages, making it the largest Finnish-owned business in its sector. Among its subsidiaries, A. Le C ...

since 1971. Humorous stories about Colonel Sandels (and his love of beer and food) are printed on the back label. ''Sandels'' was named the top rated beer brand in Finland in a 2015 study.

References

External links

Biography of Johan August Sandels
* 1764 births 1831 deaths Military personnel from Stockholm Swedish nobility Field marshals of Sweden Swedish military personnel of the Finnish War 19th-century Swedish people Swedish military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Governors-general of Norway {{Sweden-mil-bio-stub Johan August

Biography

Named after Sandels

See also

References

External links