Baron Carl Otto Mörner (22 May 1781 – 17 August 1868) was a Swedish 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 Charles XIV John (; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844 and the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty. In Norway, he is known as Charles III John () and before he became royalty in ...

'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 (; 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 Sweden and Louisa ...

was childless and the crown prince Charles August 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 () is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and their cabinet ministers (). The Government is responsible for its actions ...

, 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 seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

, Bernadotte was elected by the

Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates (; informally ) 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 the King. It was a Diet made up of the Fou ...

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, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

, and was subsequently made

Generalissimus ''Generalissimo'' ( ), also generalissimus, 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 ...

of the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces (, literally ''Defence Force'') are the Military, armed forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. It consists of four separate military branches, the Swedish Army, the Swedish Navy, the Swedish Air Force and the Home Guard (Swed ...

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 (; 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 French general and founder of the House o ...

, spouse of Charles XIV of Sweden, and her relationship with

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

References

1781 births 1868 deaths 19th-century Swedish nobility 19th-century Swedish people Swedish courtiers Swedish Army colonels Military personnel from Uppsala {{Sweden-noble-stub