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- "Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of the French Imperial Army, wasselected as Crown Pr of Sweden 21.8.1810, and was adopted by King CarlXIII; he succeeded as King CARL XIV JOHANN of Sweden and Norway(5.2.1818-1844)"
From Genealogy.Eu at http://genealogy.euweb.cz/bernad/bernad.html
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
French Marshal
King of Sweden
Prince de Ponte Corvo
1763-1844
(From http://www.napoleonguide.com/marshal_bernadotte.htm)
One of the most controversial of Napoleon Bonaparte's marshals,Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was a committed republican whose career, mainlya self-serving one, can be divided into three stages.
The first was his rise through the ranks of the French army from 1780 to1794 and saw him go from enlisted man to general of division.
Along the way he fought, mainly along the Rhine, and won a victory atLimburg in 1796. Two years later he was sacked for quitting his commanddue to dissatisfaction with how the war against the Second Coalition wasbeing fought, but had the good fortune to marry Desiree Clary.
The second period of Bernadotte's career started well, he performed wellat Austerlitz and earned his princedom, but his military star was on thewane and in 1807 he again faced dismissal.
The reason was his poor efforts at Jena and Auerstadt, where he did nothelp the much outnumbered Marshal Davout at Auerstadt, nor did he leadhis troops to Jena where Bonaparte was fighting. Two things probablysaved him.
The first being Davout pulling off one of the great military victoriesand the second being Bernadotte's wife, Desiree Clary, was a former loverof Bonaparte.
Smarting from the dressing down he got from Bonaparte, Bernadottesuccessfully chased General Blucher's Prussians and forced the fiercewarrior to surrender at Lubeck.
Seemingly with a renewed taste for action he won clashes at Mohrungen,Spanden and Linz but again failed when he erred at Wagram and was sackedby the emperor.
This led to his third and most successful time - as the newly electedCrown Prince of Sweden!
Adopted by the childless Charles XIII, Bernadotte took his new country toheart and put his talents to excellent use.
Initially amicable with Bonaparte, things became strained when Franceoccupied Swedish Pomerania in 1812.
By 1813, Bernadotte joined the Sixth Coalition against his former emperorand beat two former comrades in arms - marshals Oudinot and Ney at GrossBeeren and Dennewitz.
He then added his Swedish troops to the Allied mix at Leipzig earningpolitical points with Bonaparte's eventual conquerors.
In 1814 he incorporated Norway into Sweden.
In 1818, Bernadotte became King Charles XIV of Sweden and, while regardedas a traitor by the French, began a long new royal dynasty that is stillin existence today
Below fromhttp://www.utb.boras.se/uk/se/projekt/history/articles/liberal/liberal2.htm
Then the new French regime, in 1790, presented the law about the end ofclass distinction in the army, the gate was opened up for young,enthusiastic non-commissioned officers without the splendour of oldancestries. One of the persons who really made use of the new law wasJean Baptiste Bernadotte, born on the 26th of January, in 1763, in Peu,the south-west of France. He had a big brother, also named Jean, theirnames were separated throughout names from the Bible, of that the nameBaptiste. His father was a lawyer at the court in Peu.
At the age of seventeen he recruited as a soldier. He pretty soon reachedthe posts of non-commissioned officers which lay within reach for him,and in 1790 he became adjutant. Then it all went up to a higher level. Hebecame lieutenant, and already in 1792 he was promoted to general, almostfor his inserts in the battle of Fleurus in France. Bernadotte thenparticipated in several of the big battles. Sometimes he was accused forbeing slow in his decisions, and to have problems with making up hismind. But he was most known as a man with strict rules. Everything he didwas in best order and his authority impressed a lot. His temperament wasalso a factor of discipline as long as he didn't completely lost hismind.
It was the revolution which helped Bernadotte to reach as far as he did,although his relationship with Napoleon Bonaparte wasn't that good.Bernadotte lived in the shadow of Napoleon and he sometimes had a lot oftime free, doing nothing. This made him depressed and he lived more orless in involuntary passivity. His promotion to marshal in 1804 andPrince of Ponte Corvo south-west of Italy in 1806 was the highlights ofthat period.
The 20th of June in the year of 1810, the Swedish lieutenant Carl OttoMörner arrived to Paris to try to get a French marshal who was going tobe the new successor of the throne. And through the conveyance by theSwedish general-consul in Paris, Elof Signeul, he got precedence withJean Baptiste Bernadotte, who accepted the offer without a hint ofhesitation. Napoleon gave his approval and in the 27th of SeptemberBernadotte left Paris for Sweden.
He later changed his name to Charles XIV John.
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1763 - 1844 (81 years)