Curt Bogislaus Ludvig Kristoffer von Stedingk (26 October 1746 – 7 January 1837) was a

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

of the von Stedingk family, and a successful

Swedish army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav ...

officer and diplomat who played a prominent role in

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 ...

foreign policy for several decades.

Biography

Early life

Von Stedingk was born in

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 ...

on 26 October 1746. His father was Major Kristoffer Adam Stedingk and his mother was Countess Kristina Charlotta von Schwerin, daughter of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

's famous Field Marshal

Kurt Christoph von Schwerin Kurt Christoph, Graf von Schwerin (26 October 1684 – 6 May 1757) was a Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'', one of the leading commanders under Frederick the Great. Biography He was born in Löwitz, Pomerania, and at an early age entered the ...

. He married Ulrika Fredrika Ekström and became the father of one son and five daughters, who married into the noble families af Ugglas, Biörnstierna, von Platen, d'Otrante and Rosenblad; he was the father of the composer

Maria Fredrica von Stedingk Maria "Marie" Frederica von Stedingk (31 October 1799 – 15 June 1868) was a Swedish composer and courtier. Stedingk was born in Saint Petersburg to the Swedish Field Marshal Count Kurt von Stedingk and his Swedish housekeeper Ulrika Fredrika ...

. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

, while Sweden was at war with

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

, the 13-year-old Curt was an ensign in the personal regiment of the Crown Prince of Sweden. After the war ended, he went to Sweden to claim compensation for damage done to his family's estate in Pomerania. This goal was not achieved, but von Stedingk was introduced to the court and became friends with the crown prince and his brothers. In Canada, the lineage continues with Baron Vicko von Stedingk and his wife Baroness Paula von Stedingk.

Career

Military career

In 1763, after von Stedingk completed his studies 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 began his military career, and rose quickly through the ranks in the ''

Royal Suédois The Régiment de Royal Suédois ( en, Royal Swedish Regiment) was a foreign infantry regiment in the Royal French Army during the Ancien Régime. It was created in 1690 from Swedish prisoners taken during the Battle of Fleurus (1690), Battle of Fle ...

'' regiment in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, which was owned by his friend count Axel von Fersen. Both von Stedingk and Axel von Fersen were both close friends of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

and

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

and spent much time in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

. By 1788, he had become ''colonel en chef'', and by 1783, he was in charge of a larger army unit in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

, then an internal part of Sweden. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, when France sent troops under the command of

Marquis de LaFayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

in support of the American colonies, von Stedingk went overseas to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1779. At

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

in October 1779, he commanded the left column of the attacking force, and planted the

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...

on the last line of enemy trenches, but was wounded by enemy crossfire, and forced to retreat, with 20 men, all wounded like he was. For this, he was decorated by the French and received a lifetime pension. He was also recognized as a hero for his acts during the naval

Battle of Grenada The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. The British fleet of Admiral John Byron (the grandfath ...

fought against Vice Admiral

John Byron Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sa ...

on 6 July 1779. For his feats in battle, von Stedingk was made a member of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

in 1783. During the

Russo-Swedish War Wars between Russia and Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> ...

started by King

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 1788, von Stedingk commanded the defence of Savolax. His forces repeatedly defeated Russian forces that greatly outnumbered the Swedes, and von Stedingk was promoted to

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 ...

. He was Ambassador to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in two turns – all in all almost 20 years. In the Russo-Swedish War 1808–1809 he was commander-in-chief in

, which still belonged to Sweden. Thanks to his very good standing with the

Russian Imperial Family The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to t ...

he later managed to alleviate the harsh terms of the peace negotiations when Finland was lost to Russia. In the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...

he successfully commanded the Swedish troops 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 wh ...

. He was promoted to field marshal.''People from the past: Curt von Stedingk, ambassador and Sweden’s last field marshal'' (Trond Norén Isaksen)
/ref>

Death and afterward

Von Stedingk died at age 90 in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

, and is said to have been mourned by both the King of Sweden, at that time,

Charles XIV John Charles XIV John ( sv, Karl XIV Johan; born Jean Bernadotte; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844. Before his reign he was a Marshal of France during the Napoleonic Wars and participat ...

, and the armed forces.

References

Other sources

* Hofberg et al., ''Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon'' 1906, Albert Bonnier publishing company. Available a
Project Runeberg
*von Platen, Carl Henrik (1995) ''Stedingk: Curt von Stedingk (1746–1837) : kosmopolit, krigare och diplomat hos Ludvig XVI, Gustav III och Katarina den stora'' (Atlantis) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stedingk, Kurt von 1746 births 1837 deaths Field marshals of Sweden Swedish nobility Swedish people of German descent Military personnel of the American Revolutionary War Uppsala University alumni Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Recipients of the Order of St. Anna Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword 18th-century diplomats 18th-century Swedish military personnel 18th-century Swedish people Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (France) Swedish military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Ambassadors of Sweden to the Russian Empire Gustavian era people People from Swedish Pomerania