Swedish Academy of Sciences
What organization or association or team did Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna join in 1804?
Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna Count Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna ( 19 July 1750 – 29 July 1818 ) is considered one of the foremost Swedish poets of the Gustavian period . A prominent courtier during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden , he was also a politician , diplomat and member of the Swedish Academy , holding seat number 8 . On several occasions he was a member of the Swedish Government and Parliament . Amongst other things , Oxenstierna is also known for his translation into Swedish of John Miltons epic blank verse poem Paradise Lost . Early life . Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna was born at the Skenäs estate , by lake Kolsnaren ( now in Vingåker Municipality ) , in the province of Södermanland . He lived here during his youth with his parents , major general count Göran Oxenstierna , a member of the Korsholm och Wasa branch of the Oxenstierna family , and countess Sara Gyllenborg , and with his grandparents , Margareta Gyllenborg ( née von Beijer ) and Jan Gyllenborg . The grandparents took active part in the upbringing of young Johan Gabriel - the grandfather until he died in 1752 - as the parents at times resided at Carlsten , due to the fathers military career . He was the oldest of four brothers . His childhood at Skenäs came to play a leading role in his later authorship in many ways . The beauty of the nature of Södermanland , and the memories of his upbringing there , came to inspire the themes of his pre-romantic publications . His maternal uncle , poet Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg , in whose house he spent a lot of time , and his tutor , poet Olof Bergklint , came to inspire his career choice as a poet , as well as his poetry in itself . A person , whose writings he read and admired during this time , and who came to inspire him , was poet Gustaf Philip Creutz . In 1762 he was enrolled as a student at Uppsala University , from which he graduated in 1767 with an administrative degree ( kansliexamen ) . Bergklint served as a tutor for his university studies , starting in 1764 . During his studies he lived , at times , in Uppsala . Although Oxenstiernas writings were not published until after he moved from Skenäs and started working , he did write a Diary between 1766 and 1768 , which was published in 1965 by Bokgillet publishers in Uppsala under the title Ljuva ungdomstid : Dagbok 1766–1768 ( Sweet Time of Youth : Diary 1766–1768 ) . In it he makes everyday observations of his life at Skenäs , and later in Uppsala and Stockholm . The diary , which was written in French , reveals a melancholic and emotional character and a deep interest in nature and poetry , rather than the rational philosophy of that time . Public career . Like his father and three brothers , Oxenstierna embarked upon a career in the public sector . After graduating from Uppsala , and after a successful disputation , in front of the royal court , he was employed at the Royal Chancellery , in the department for foreign correspondence . During this time he resided with his uncle , Gustaf Gyllenborg . He was appointed acting Commission Secretary in Vienna in 1770 , and made the regular Commission Secretary in that city in 1772 ; the year of king Gustav IIIs coup detat and the establishment of absolute monarchy in Sweden . He seems to have been rather uninterested in his diplomatic work in Vienna , and more interested in his poetry and in a letter exchange with an Austrian lady , which showed clear Rousseauan influence . In 1774 he was recalled to Stockholm by the king and made a Chamberlain . He had hoped for a position at the Swedish legation in Paris , but instead received the titular office of second secretary of the Presidential office ( i.e . the Department for foreign affairs ) . As a chamberlain his poetic talents came to use , and brought him closer to the king , who was particularly enthused by his ability to write and speak in French . As a result of the kings trust in him , he was sent on diplomatic missions to several German states in 1778 . He was made a senior Chamberlain in 1783 and a Member of the College of the Chancellery in 1785 , with a special assignment to work with matters relating to Pomerania and Wismar . In 1786 , the king made him a member of the Privy Council of Sweden and President of the College of the Chancellery , together with Emanuel De Geer . As President of the Chancellery Oxenstierna was the head of the Privy Council and responsible for relating matters of foreign policy to the king . When the Privy Council was dissolved and the office of College of the Chancellery abolished in 1789 , he was made Head Steward for the queen , and in the absence of the king during the Russo-Swedish War ( 1788–1790 ) , he was a member of the Cabinet . During this time , believing the king was about to abdicate , he worked to form an alliance with other nobles and Duke Charles to force the king to make peace with Russia and go into a defensive alliance with Denmark and Russia . The king , however , remained on the throne until his assassination in 1792 , shortly before which Oxenstierna was made a Riksmarskalk ( Marshal of the Kingdom ) . After the kings death , he left all public offices , but remained as a Marshal at the court . After king Gustavs death he temporarily fell from grace with the new rulers . He made a short comeback as a cabinet member in 1798 and 1799 , while king Gustav IV Adolf travelled through Europe . In 1801 he stepped down as Riksmarskalk and was without any political influence until after the revolution of 1809 , which deposed king Gustav IV Adolf and introduced the Constitution of 1809 . Oxenstierna disliked the revolution , but accepted being chairman of a committee during the Parliament of 1809 , and again in 1815 . However , he was not in any way an influential politician . Oxenstierna was never a formidable politician or diplomat . As mentioned before , he showed a distinct lack of interest already during his first diplomatic mission in Vienna . The king often kept him uninformed and took care of business himself . Gustav III simply liked having an Oxenstierna by his side , because of the familys notability in matters of state since the days of Axel Oxenstierna . Oxenstierna often got distracted from his work , his mind wandering to more interesting matters , to the extent that he sometimes wrote public documents in verse . His contemporaries described him as unsuitable for management and as a Riksmarskalk he managed to misorganize both the funeral of king Gustav III and the coronation of the new king Charles XIII , drawing many complaints , even from the new king himself . He was not blind to this lack of administrative ability , and when he was suggested as President of the Chancellery he wrote to a friend : This is insane and can never be , as I am not competent for this post . He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1804 . External links . - Johan Gabriel Oxenstiernas page on the Oxenstierna family home page - A biography on the Oxenstierna family home page - Encyclopædia Britannica article on Swedish Literature during the 18th century