The Washington herald., 1907-12-09
SKETCH OF KINGS LIFE.
Swedish Ruler Monarch OF Peace
fuI Nation for Thirty.fVe Years,

sWedlsh ruler NOnarch OF Peace
fuI Nation for Thirty-fiVe Years,
oscar ii, King OF Sweden and. until
the recent separation of the two eoun-
tries. King of Norway, was born on jan
uary q, 1929. He was the son of Oscar /
and grandson of Charles XIV OF Sweden.
the famous Marshal Bernadotte. Oscar
II succeeded to the throne of Sweden
and Norway on the death OF an elder
brother, Charles XIV, in 1872.
For thirty-five years a monarch. Os-
car ii enjoyed a reign of unbroken peace
as TO foreign relations, but saw the dis
solution of the union existing between
the two kingdoms of Sweden and Nor
way, which his most patient efforts re-
tarded but could not prevent. The rela-
tions Of the two kingdoms formed the
main political concern OF King Oscars
life, and remain as the most significant
event of his reign.
Oscar, many years before ascending the
throne. in 1857 married Sophia of Nassau,
daughter OF the late Wilhelm, Duke of
Nassau. He had by her four sons. the
Princes Gustafs Oscar. Carl, and Eugen.
Gustaf. Duke of Wermland, the eldest, is
the successor TO the throne. He married
Victoria of Baden in 1881 and has several
children.
There are few mOnarchs who have been
more admired or loved than Oscar by the
people of Sweden, and probably no mon
arch was better liked outside his realm
Oscar had been pre-eminentIy the man
OF talent among his brothers Of the Eu-
rOpean thrones. He wrote extensively in
verse and in prose. in Swedish and in
French. He was the close friend of such
men as Lord Salisbury. and he made
friends of even his enemies. as witness
the case of the writer Bjcrnson, who
once challenged his monarch to a duel.
Physically. King Oscar was as remark
able as in his other traits. He was COM
mandingly tall. powerfully built. and. un-
Ill recent years in continuous good health
and maintained vigOr. That he possessed
both address and courage was witnessed
by a medal which he wore II was a
medal for bravery. awarded by the
French government in 1861 for two sep
arate rescues from death. which Oscar
effected on visit 10 Nice
Ancestry gave this extraordinary mon
arch fair title 10 most of his brilliant
qualities. On his fathers side he was
French. a descendant of two remarkab BILE
figures Of the time OF the Napoleonic en-
pire. BernadOtte, one of the marshals
of Napoleon, married Desiree Clary.
daughter of a stock broker of Marseilles
'BernadOtte was peasant bred and had
made his own way. His wife II Is said
had at one time been affianced TO the
Goung Gen. Bonaparte. who rejected her
for Josephine Desiree married Berna-
dOtte because she never forgot the af-
front.
She thought that she saw in the raw
marshal the only man who promised to
make head against the Emperor She
guessed well. Bernadotte. made King of
Sweden by his master. helped to over
throw Napoleon, and was affirmed on his
throne by the European powers after the
Restoration. II was a striking coinci-
dence that the son of Bernadotte and
Desiree Clary fell in love with and sue
ceeded in marry the granddaughter
of the woman who became the Empress
Josephine. The mother of Oscar II was
Josephine de Leuchtenburg, daughter Of
Eugene Beauharnais In this way did
the Swedish monarch descend from a
group of the most brilliant persons OF
their time in Europe
The throne that fell 10 Oscars share on
his accession in 1872 was not a situation
unfortunately that gave much scope to
his powers. The united Kingdoms were
at the time prosperous and internationally
secure; they were under constitutional
governments which carried the greater
share OF the burden of government King
Oscars duties were light. and he was fair
ly forced to find occupation for his urgent
energies in dilettantism.
His Swedish subjects idOlized him as a
monarch of such personal gifts had but
the right 10 expect. 1t was certainly the
great tragedy Of his life that his Nor
wegian subjects over the mountains re-
fused him their affection