BERNADOTTE

Jean-Baptiste- Jules, a French general, aften^'ards raised to the Swedish throne, was the son of an advocate of Pau, in the province of Beam, and bom there on 26th January, 1764. His father's profe ion having few attractions for him, he enlisted at the age of seventeen, in a regiment of marines, and accompanied it to Corsica. His progre was at first slow, he having only attained the rank of a sextant-major in 1789, but after 1790, when he was made a subaltern, his promotion was rapid. In 1794 he was appoint^ a general of division, and distinguished himself greatly in the campaign in Germany, and on the Rhine. After the battle of Neuwied he was introduced for the first time to Bonaparte, who conceived the highest opinion of his abilities, though a constant suspidon of Napoleon and his projects seems always to have been present in the mind of Bemadotte. In 1798 he married Mademoiselle Clary, daughter of a Marseilles merchant, and sister-in-law of Joseph Bonaparte. The following year he became minister of war, but from a strong opposition against him, was shortly obliged to resign office. On the establishment of the empire, Bemadotte was raised to the dignity of marshal of France, and the title of Prince of Ponte-Corvo. Being now placed at the head of an army of observation stationed in the v. of Germany, he fixed his head-quarters at Hamburg. At this time Gustavus IV. had been driven from the throne of Sweden. The Duke of Sudermania a umed the reins of government under the name of Charles XIII.; and as he was far advanced in years, the diet had nominated, as his succe or, the Prince of Holstein-Augustenbui^, when the latter died in a mysterious manner. The heir-apparency to the Swedish crown was then offered to the Prince of Ponte-Corvo. This offer was accepted by Bemadotte, with the consent of the emperor; and in October, 1810, he arrived in Sweden, where, having previously abjured the Roman Catholic religion, he was proclaimed heir-apparent to the throne, under the title of Prince Charles John. He had not long been established in this dignity before serious dis i^reements took place between him and Bonaparte, whose blockade of the continental ports was very detrimental to the commercial interests of Sweden. The result was a complete rupture, and the aoceasion of Sweden in 1812 to the coalition of sovereigns formed against Napoleon. At the battle of Leipzig the abilities of Prince Charles John, with his of Swedes, contributed effectually to the victory the allies. On the general re-establishment of pean dynasties at the termination of the war, strenuous attempts were made by the Emperor of Austria and other sovereigns to restore the family of tav us IV. to the crown, but all proved ineffectual and Bcmadotte, retaining his position as prince, became King of Sweden on the death Charles XIII. in 1818, under the title of Charles XIY. During his reign agriculture and commerce made great advances, and many important works were completed; among others, the great acro the mountains to Norway, and the Canal, uniting the Baltic with the North Sea. died of apoplexy on Sth March, 184i, and was ceeded by his son Oscar. 173