Napoleon and Carl Johan were the greatest of frenemies. They both recognized each other's talents, and each other as an obstacle to be won over... or conquered.
@@imbored7143 Yeah this is true. Allies who are only your allies because you are occupying their country, and made your bother their king, tend to not be very reliable. Conversely, the Saxon Army in 1813 defected to Bernadotte in a number of battles, despite their king's orders, that fall because they loved Bernadotte for his humane treatment of them during his command of the Saxon Army in 1809. He had also commanded the Bavarian Army during the Ulm/Austerlitz Campaign in 1805 and Bernadotte played a large role in convincing the Bavarian King to break the French alliance following Bernadotte's victory at Dennewitz in early September 1813. The Bavarian defection was a bitter blow to Napoleon. All this demonstrates that it is better to treat people very nicely like Bernadotte, than try to dominate them by force, like Napoleon! I know, that is simplistic, but on some level it is true. Talleyrand himself once observed the difference between Bernadotte and Bonaparte as the two foremost political generals of France in their methods: "Bonaparte dominates men, Bernadotte charms them."
Throughout his reign Bernadotte never let anyone see his bare back, not even his private doctor (Who allegedly saw everything else). According to legend, when he died and the undertakers took his shirt off, they found a tattoo on his back, which read "Death to Kings". Apparently from his days in the French revolution.
@@ernstschmidt4725 There has been some historians trying to debunk it, but not being able to. So idk, I still feel like it should have been mentioned in the video though; with the disclaimer that we can't really know if it's true or not.
@@sofiaormbustad7467 i'm surprised they couldn't just open the royal cript and see the king's body. but i guess the royal family isn't curious about that.
@@sofiaormbustad7467 You can't prove non-existence, it's am argument of ignorance. And since we have no proof of it being true, we really don't have much to on.
An interesting story is that when he and his wife arrived in Scania (southern most region of sweden) they were met by people shouting "Vive la reine" and were amazed by the Swedes speaking french. However, they were actually saying "Vi vill ha regn" (We want rain), and this specific sentence in a heavy Scanian dialect sound a lot like "Vive la reine". The peasants in these times often thought that royalty had magical powers because they were ordained by God to rule
When Bernadotte started living in Sweden, he didn't like the local food, so he ordered to have in every meal, a boiled egg, so he could have some of it in between the main food, to avoid the flavors he disliked. Then it became a tradition for the swedish king to have a boiled egg in every meal, till the present days.
@@genericineverything7619 It is ironic that when in the palace Napoleon and Bernadotte, as Southern boys, both often stayed warm in bed, and dictated to various secretaries. Ruling their nations from bed.
This is a great video. But it actually really sells Bernadotte short. He didn't need Napoleon's help in the years before Napoleon's coup. He was already an immensely popular Minister of War in 1799 and the one man who could have crushed 18 Brumaire. He was an immensely able politician, better than Napoleon in that realm, and an ace administrator. It is not a stretch to say he saved Sweden from oblivion. He literally paid the nation's debts out of his own pocket.
@@robertcapet9132 One reason why Napoleon shipped him off to Sweden is that he didn't get along well with other Marshalls. Unfortunately for Napoleon, he took his responsibility seriously and did what was the best for his new realm rather than his old one.
@@dyingearth Good point about duties. But actually, Bernadotte was popular with most of his peers. He, Murat and Lannes were personal friends and kept together as Gascons. Ney and Bernadotte were very close friends, Bernadotte was even his mentor and took in his sons after he was executed, he made the oldest son ADC to Prince Oscar. Bernadotte got along with most of the others, even Berthier at times. Berthier's brother was Bernadotte's Chief of Staff. The only marshal he was mortal enemies with was Davout, and on occasion Berthier. But it wasn't just the Auerstadt thing (Davout blames him for not coming to him, and Bernadotte blames him for lying about Napoleon's orders that day taking him away from Davout). That made them enemies, Davout was the most unpopular marshal with his peers. He was not a friendly guy and he was reading all the other marshal's mail as chief of military police.
@@dyingearth Unlike Murat or Joseph, Napoleon had nothing to do with Bernadotte's election as Crown Prince. It was a very odd process. Indeed, Napoleon preferred another one of his marshals or his step-son. But the Swedes preferred him due to his prominence in Northern Europe having been the effective and popular governor of Hannover and the Hansa Cities, and his personal reputation with the soldiers he captured at Lubeck in 1806. He was elected on his own merits after a lengthy debate.
While Bernadotte was crown prince he shut down a new newspaper that was rather critical of the monarchy. I don't recall the newspaper's name but its one still around today. Anyways the owner than opened a new newspaper (Same name) 2, than 3, 4, 5 and it went all the way up to around twenty or so until bernadotte just gave up and let him publish it no matter how critical it was of the crown.
As far as I’m aware Sweden didn’t REclaim Norway merely claim it since no previous claim existed, but since Denmark (who had Norway in personal union) was on the losing side of the conflict (napoleon) Sweden were allowed to press the claim by the great powers and invaded (danish) Norway successfully, thus establishing a new “overlord” of Norway via a Swedish union, but please correct me if I’m wrong, entertaining none the less!
Norway had previously been in a union with Sweden on two occasions: in the 1300s under Magnus IV and very briefly in the 1400s under Charles VIII. Of course, you're right that by the time Bernadotte came around, these were but distant memories to the Swedes.
The Swedes actually wanted to reclaim Finland that had been lost to Russia. But Bernadotte who didn't have an emotional attachment to Finland saw Norway as a better option. As a replacement for the loss of Finland. It would mean they wouldn't have to fight Russia, and they would have to fight the Danish either way because they were allied to Napoleon and France was losing at this point. Norway was also more similar to Sweden culturally and would be easier to defend geographically than Finland. So, the union with / invasion of Norway was more based on an outsiders practical views on the situation than claims of old.
This is actually far from a Cinderella story, since Bernadotte didn’t just go from peasant to king in a single day, but had to actually work hard to climb the ranks and eventually end up that high.
From past cliched stories I am assuming only some one of nobility could marry into a royal bloodline. With Bernadotte being a "commoner" he should have had no shot of ever being a king/prince anywhere in Europe. But I guess brown nosing Napoleon and Russia had its perks......
Cinderella didn’t, either. The difference between the stories is mostly that Cinderella focuses on surviving in an abusive household & escaping, while this guy is just a military leader.
I just found your channel and I love it! It's always interesting to see how each person will explain historical events. Seeing how more people talk about my country these days feels a bit surreal. Because around like 12 years ago or so, I swear I saw a lot of people on the internet asking about whatever Sweden was. I loved to look through my now outdated atlas to see where each country was, and also look at all flags on the last few pages along with basic information of each country. I'm autistic, so I did a few things far more often than the average kid. So to see many people asking about where certain countries are located felt so bizarre to me. I didn't expect people to know where every country or what they are called since I have a hard time with some countries too. It just felt so bizarre to me back then!
@@zorentradico5659 the Spanish dictator just selected the previous king's grandson as king. The Spanish Bourbon itself has started since War of Spanish succession.
Feel like you missed some crucial aspects, such as why Sweden was actually looking for a new king, which is partly due to the unpopularity of the previous king Gustav IV Adolf, but he was dethroned in favor of Karl XIII 1809. But Karl XII was old, had no heirs and next in Line for the throne was a family member of the previously deposed dynasty which is why Sweden actually needed a new crown prince and looked elsewhere, and that's when Otto sought Bernadotte because he believed only a french military leader would suit sweden. And also Napoleon and Bernadotte ended up despising each other, a reason as why he was granted leave to go to sweden and why he chose to become king in a country which he didn't actually like that much, he complained much about the cold weather and never learnt swedish.
He was from Pau, and very much a Gascon, I don't blame him for not like the cold weather! He spent much of the day in bed to stay warm! And, Napoleon ruled that way as well! Remarkable men running nations from bed. Desiree, also hated the cold weather. But, as the official historian for the palace said in his video: "He hated the weather. He complained about the food and how everything was better in France. But, despite that, he did his job, and he did it well." Other quirks are that he hate tobacco smoke and was liable to spray someone down in perfume if they smelled of it. He disliked dogs after having been bitten by one as a child. He forbade them from being in the palace, but Prince Oscar snuck one in. He was very much a family man. He would often end cabinet meetings when his grandchildren burst into the room and crawl along the floor with them, letting them ride him as a horse. He loved his daughter-in-law and used to have someone distract her and would then shove sweets into her pockets. He was very loyal. He took in Marshal Ney's son after Ney was executed. He made him Aide-de-Camp to Prince Oscar. He was very studious about not bringing Frenchmen in to hold positions as it would look like nepotism. He refused to bring his own brother from France, and instead had Napoleon ennoble him. One of his exceptions was Cramps, his foster-brother, whom he had known since childhood. He made him his aide and a general. They were inseparable. He had very close relationships with his young aides-de-camp, and personally taught them fencing, as he was saber instructor in his time as sergeant, and would often pull pranks on them. During his campaigns as a French Marshal, he was noted as having the worst table fare by his fellow Marshals because he spent most of his food money on his troops. Finally, to quote some conspiracy theories, some think Marshal Ney survived his execution and faked his death. And that Wellington helped this occur, and that Bernadotte set him up in America and facilitated his communication with his family, as well as funds. It is also said that he thought of rescuing Napoleon from St. Helena as he bitterly hated the Bourbons who treated him as a parvenu, despite their earlier requests for aid in 1813, and very much mistrusted Metternich.
Whoa, that's really cool! Thank you for the info on his life - sounds like he was actually a pretty good guy. I mean, it's impossible to be perfect but working in positions of power like that really warp people so it sounds like he did as well as you could expect
He did take his new job rather seriously. When he was handed control of the country, the first thing he did was to do an evaluation of the state of the kingdom, and determined that French Empire was its biggest problem, and acted accordingly.
Can't believe I've only just discovered this channel and can't believe it doesn't have more subs, views, and likes. Love this so much and the jokes are en pointe!!! 🤩 and the content and the narration and the style and the animation. Absolutely love it!!
I guess that Bernadotte was an example of Churchill said about diplomacy being the art of telling someone to go to hell but in such they'll ask for directions. Incidentally when it came to officers during the French Revolution many started out in the ranks of the National Guard and got where they were from their abilities rather than their social connections and a few became marshals under Napoleon. There was even a quip that every drummer boy carried a marshal's baton in their haversacks just in case. I heard this on a show once and they stated at least one of Napoleon's marshals did start out as a drummer.
There is a good book about Bernadotte's diplomatic war during the 6th Coalition in 1813. He was locking horns with Metternich and Hardenberg of Denmark. Austria was really looking to screw over Sweden and Bernadotte saw it. In the end the Gascon outwitted them both.
@@robertcapet9132 That would be "Bernadotte and the Fall of Napoleon." Good book on coalition wrangles. So many kings agree on nothing they say. Austrians wanted Napoleon to throne stay on, scared of Prussia and Russia. Austria also want to use Bernadotte and ditch him for Danes. They never forgive him being Revolutionary general.
The marshal who started as a drummer i forgot his name but i'm pretty sure he was promoted to illustrate the upper ranks being open to commoners but i'm also quasi sure that there a problem with him like he never learned how to read or he was super bad or smth
Bernadotte commanded the Bavarian Army (and his I Corps) in 1805 and liberated Bavaria from the Austrians. He commanded 65,000 troops during the Austerlitz Campaign in the lead up to Ulm. He had a talent for independent command and diplomacy with foreign monarchs, and peoples, that few of the other Marshals did. It was apparent from the time he was Minister of War in 1799 that he was destined to rule somewhere. He wanted Ansbach, but he got a much bigger prize.
I love the content bc it’s stuff I always wondered about … sidequest is such a good way to put it. But the personality behind the scripting is so witty & genuinely hilarious. My new favorite channel.
Except it was actually the fact that he was a strong military man and friendly with Napoleon which could secure peace between Sweden and Russia. Those were the main reasons along with the fact that the previous chosen crown prince: the Danish Christian August, who took the name Charles August, died.
3:46 Not given Carl 12 enough credit, he died at the age of 36, theorised to be an assassination, and is probably one of the greatest generals the world has had
I feel like it must've been a typo in the video and it was actually supposed to be Charles XIII. The graphics and story makes no sense for Charles XII.
Great video, but I'm a bit confused about the kings you referenced. Charles XII died in a battle when he was only 36 and Gustav Vasa lead an indepence movement and became king at 27, which isn't thaaat young
I know this comment is a year old, but Gustav Vasa in this case was Gustav IV Adolf's son. It was contemplated to make Gustav king after the de-throning of his father, but it was opted against as he was too young. As I understand it, he later in his life took up the name Wasa as a reference to being the true heir to the Swedish throne.
There is an error in this video - I think they confused Charles XII (who died young and did not wet himself because he got too old) with Charles XIII. And Gustav Vasa was a grown man by the time his dynasty first came to power.
3:46 aren't these switched around accidentally? Charles XII was famously young when he became king, doing so before it was even really "his time" to become full on king, and Gustac Vasa became 64 years old, almost twice the age that Charles died at Please do correct me if I'm wrong tho Edit: Forgot "twice"
Nope you’re correct! I also found that odd. Charles XII became sovereign ruler before he was of age, and died rather young as he was out and waged war all the time. Gustav Vasa, our founder king, was rather young, but definatly of age when he became king, and ruled till he was old. Karl August (Charles Augustus) was never actually king of Sweden, but was crown prince for a very short while.
While it's possible, just because she was his fiance didn't mean they had sex. There were actual sexual standards back than, as much as the french revolution had been destructive to them
@@Kenfren I used the word buggered deliberately as napoleon never claimed to have had sex with her, he boasted that he had anally known her. Hilariously enough I first found out about it through a biography of his early life, so yeah.
Brilliant video, but my one gripe is that Charles XII came to the throne at 15 years old and died during the siege of fredriksten in his mid-30s (I believe). Far from too old I’d say
The cartoon should have had a bigger nose. That said, it is remarkable that France produced such talented men. Bonaparte, Bernadotte, and many of the other marshals were for the ages.
This channel NEEDS to be blessed by the algorithm, maybe make a video on a really popular history topic? I found this channel from the candle video haha
Bernadotte had a tattoo on his chest: "Death to all kings!" And he accepted his crown in a small town of Örebro in central Sweden, that was a capital of the country for one day (they still talk about it!)
Nice work! I'm not a huge fan of Bernadotte, but he was a clever opportunist much like Napoleon. This is probably why the 2 men never got along; they were too similar in nature. Plus, there is Desiree Clary whom they both loved.
The descendants of Carl XIV John still rule in Norway. The present King Harald V is a descendant and great great great grandson of Carl XIV John through his grandson King Carl XV.
Why did you get charles the XII and Gustav Vasa mixed up :( Charles XII never got old and was considered too young during his time though not by far one of Swedens youngest king. And although Gustav Vasa was not old when crowned, he still was a clearly grown man and rather ruled for too long by his eventually old age
On the sidenote, the bridge on swedens coat of arms is the bridge of pointecorvo. This is since it was on Bernadotes already existing coat of arms as the prince of pointecorvo.
And i noticed a little error. You claimed charles XII wet himself in his old age but i think you ment charles XIII then he was the old king the swedes wanted to replace and not the soldierking that died 100 years prior at the age of 36.
Guys is a 6 and half minute video not a 3 hour documentary on the guy, of course he can't mention in detail all his accomplishments and deeds. Really well done, I have never heard of someone being crown due to "kindness" beforehand.
The Swedish King Gustav IV Adolf was very stubbornly against napoleon so much so, even when russia had been forced into an allince with France he would back down, so russia in 1808 warned Sweden to join the anti brittish alince leader by France or get invaded by russia but Gustav IV Adolf refused so Russia invaded Sweden in 1808 and in the peace 1809 Finland was lost. Gustav IV Adolf also got forced to abdikate. After the peace the Swedish nodels decided to get the French general of Jean Baptiste Bernadotte as the heir. They thought he would invade russia and take back Finland but in 1814 he took Norway ftom denmark instead. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte is known as king Karl XIV Johan Bernadotte here in Sweden.
It's pretty intriguing how bernadette sending back to Paris because he retreat from battle without order from napoleon and at that time the ambassador also seek him, fate really have good way playing drama on matchmaking
6:00 You state that his Bernadotte's descendants still rule Sweden today. Also included among his descendants are the Monarchs of Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Started good, but complete fail regarding the role Bernadotte played in defeating Napoleon and bringing peace and renewed prosperity to Sweden. I guess it’s more entertaining to paint him as a Russian lackey.
Or his accomplishments as a general and Minister of War. It makes it appear that he was only in a high position by marrying Desiree. The truth is that he was made Minister of War on his own merits and outranked Napoleon in 1799. He was Napoleon's greatest military rival and could have stopped his coup.
@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 There is an alternate universe in which Bernadotte became King of France. I tend to think that had Napoleon not overthrown the Directory that Bernadotte would have eventually. Bernadotte also almost became the ruler of the French Empire in America. After 1803 he would have been left to his own devices.
@@metaxu3305 Kleber was dead. Moreau disgraced and Carnot not suited for rule. Bernadotte was a far more talented politician than either Kleber and Moreau. People overlook his ability to charm and inspire masses of people. And his intelligence. Kleber and Moreau were talented military men, but they lacked political skills and the touch necessary to win over civilians. Moreau's military reputation is also inflated in my opinion. His advice to the Tsar in the 1813 Campaign, before his untimely demise, was indicative of a military mind that still had not grasped the changes Napoleon brought. Indeed, in his return to Europe, he disagreed with Bernadotte's overall strategy that later formed the basis for the Trachenberg Plan and counseled an immediate abandonment of Berlin along with other sentiments that led some to believe he had been out of the game too long. As for Carnot. He was an able minister and great administrator. He was a talented legislator. But in no way would he ever be someone who could rule a country. He lacked a certain greatness and ability with the masses that Bonaparte and Bernadotte had. Carnot was a more charming version of Berthier. Moreover, many felt Carnot received too much credit for what he did, and presented the work of others' as his own. This was also Napoleon's assessment.
@@metaxu3305 Moreover, I have to completely disagree that Bernadotte was not at the same caliber as an administrator as Carnot. His record in Hannover, Ansbach and the Hansa Cities speak for themselves. As does his record as King of Sweden and Norway. His rule in all those locales were not remote, or that of a cipher. Bernadotte got involved in the deep details. He was a reformer and an innovator. His rule of Hannover was so well done, so mild, so just, that it was extremely prosperous despite an occupation and the restrictions attendant to a wartime economy. He was so popular that the people genuinely rued his departure. The same can be said for the Hansa Cities which achieved economic prosperity at a level that should not have occurred under the austerity of the Continental System. And again, Bernadotte completely revitalized Sweden and rebuilt its institutions and economy from the ground up. Indeed, Bernadotte found Sweden in a far more dire strait than Napoleon when he became Consul. Carnot was a only minister and then legislator. Bernadotte a King of two realms. His reign laid the foundation of modern Sweden. It is absolutely not hyperbole to say that Bernadotte absolutely can be considered in the same tier as Napoleon. Of all the rulers of that period, they are the only two he personal commanded their armies and oversaw the administrations of their realms to the lowest level.
"I cannot call Bernadotte a traitor, for I was never sure that he was my ally in the first place" -Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon and Carl Johan were the greatest of frenemies. They both recognized each other's talents, and each other as an obstacle to be won over... or conquered.
Is Carl Johan related to Sébastien Johan?
Napoleons only real Allies were his skills
@@imbored7143 Yeah this is true. Allies who are only your allies because you are occupying their country, and made your bother their king, tend to not be very reliable. Conversely, the Saxon Army in 1813 defected to Bernadotte in a number of battles, despite their king's orders, that fall because they loved Bernadotte for his humane treatment of them during his command of the Saxon Army in 1809. He had also commanded the Bavarian Army during the Ulm/Austerlitz Campaign in 1805 and Bernadotte played a large role in convincing the Bavarian King to break the French alliance following Bernadotte's victory at Dennewitz in early September 1813.
The Bavarian defection was a bitter blow to Napoleon. All this demonstrates that it is better to treat people very nicely like Bernadotte, than try to dominate them by force, like Napoleon! I know, that is simplistic, but on some level it is true. Talleyrand himself once observed the difference between Bernadotte and Bonaparte as the two foremost political generals of France in their methods: "Bonaparte dominates men, Bernadotte charms them."
@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 didn't Napoleon keep Bavaria from getting swallowed up by the Austrians?
"After Napoleon reorganized the Republic into the first Galactic Empire"
*Napoleon: I love democracy*
Guess you could say that Napoleon Is the Senate
And Talleyrand is Vader.
@@TomboyTommy *Napoleon screeches against the European leaders*
*Empire theme start playing*
To be completely fair Robsbeirre had already destroyed any semblance of democracy
Throughout his reign Bernadotte never let anyone see his bare back, not even his private doctor (Who allegedly saw everything else).
According to legend, when he died and the undertakers took his shirt off, they found a tattoo on his back, which read "Death to Kings". Apparently from his days in the French revolution.
that's a tale but from back then when the king was alive.
@@ernstschmidt4725 There has been some historians trying to debunk it, but not being able to. So idk, I still feel like it should have been mentioned in the video though; with the disclaimer that we can't really know if it's true or not.
@@sofiaormbustad7467 i'm surprised they couldn't just open the royal cript and see the king's body. but i guess the royal family isn't curious about that.
@@sofiaormbustad7467 You can't prove non-existence, it's am argument of ignorance. And since we have no proof of it being true, we really don't have much to on.
@@ernstschmidt4725 I bet his skin is rotten away about now, so I doubt it would help that much.
Bernadotte Fanboy: "Fine. I'll do it myself..."
Hello good sir, I'm here cause of you.
Thanks, this was nice suggestion
Same here
Thank you for this recommending this video and channel
I used the French to combat the French!😆😆😆😆
Ney
An interesting story is that when he and his wife arrived in Scania (southern most region of sweden) they were met by people shouting "Vive la reine" and were amazed by the Swedes speaking french.
However, they were actually saying "Vi vill ha regn" (We want rain), and this specific sentence in a heavy Scanian dialect sound a lot like "Vive la reine". The peasants in these times often thought that royalty had magical powers because they were ordained by God to rule
10/10 skröna
I just love the story ahah
@@tedvendlegard9776 It's real. There are letters from the queen to a friend of hers detailing the events
@@debrickashaw9387 Shit, ännu bättre
When Bernadotte started living in Sweden, he didn't like the local food, so he ordered to have in every meal, a boiled egg, so he could have some of it in between the main food, to avoid the flavors he disliked. Then it became a tradition for the swedish king to have a boiled egg in every meal, till the present days.
He also had a hard time dealing with the cold temperatures
King Charles of Britain also has an egg at every meal.
@@genericineverything7619 It is ironic that when in the palace Napoleon and Bernadotte, as Southern boys, both often stayed warm in bed, and dictated to various secretaries. Ruling their nations from bed.
Ah, to go from French cuisine to lutefisk.... the horror! the horror!
This is a great video. But it actually really sells Bernadotte short. He didn't need Napoleon's help in the years before Napoleon's coup. He was already an immensely popular Minister of War in 1799 and the one man who could have crushed 18 Brumaire. He was an immensely able politician, better than Napoleon in that realm, and an ace administrator. It is not a stretch to say he saved Sweden from oblivion. He literally paid the nation's debts out of his own pocket.
He was also honest and not a thief like most of the other marshals.
Some men are destined to rule. He was one of them.
@@robertcapet9132 One reason why Napoleon shipped him off to Sweden is that he didn't get along well with other Marshalls. Unfortunately for Napoleon, he took his responsibility seriously and did what was the best for his new realm rather than his old one.
@@dyingearth Good point about duties. But actually, Bernadotte was popular with most of his peers. He, Murat and Lannes were personal friends and kept together as Gascons. Ney and Bernadotte were very close friends, Bernadotte was even his mentor and took in his sons after he was executed, he made the oldest son ADC to Prince Oscar. Bernadotte got along with most of the others, even Berthier at times. Berthier's brother was Bernadotte's Chief of Staff. The only marshal he was mortal enemies with was Davout, and on occasion Berthier. But it wasn't just the Auerstadt thing (Davout blames him for not coming to him, and Bernadotte blames him for lying about Napoleon's orders that day taking him away from Davout). That made them enemies, Davout was the most unpopular marshal with his peers. He was not a friendly guy and he was reading all the other marshal's mail as chief of military police.
@@dyingearth Unlike Murat or Joseph, Napoleon had nothing to do with Bernadotte's election as Crown Prince. It was a very odd process. Indeed, Napoleon preferred another one of his marshals or his step-son. But the Swedes preferred him due to his prominence in Northern Europe having been the effective and popular governor of Hannover and the Hansa Cities, and his personal reputation with the soldiers he captured at Lubeck in 1806. He was elected on his own merits after a lengthy debate.
I was very happy to see that you guys made a new video after so long. They're always very enjoyable and insightful let's try to keep them coming
While Bernadotte was crown prince he shut down a new newspaper that was rather critical of the monarchy. I don't recall the newspaper's name but its one still around today. Anyways the owner than opened a new newspaper (Same name) 2, than 3, 4, 5 and it went all the way up to around twenty or so until bernadotte just gave up and let him publish it no matter how critical it was of the crown.
Aftonbladet
@@JohnDoe-zb5mt That's the one! thank you
They didn’t just add numbers they also just gave it completely different names but they started getting tired
I'm honestly surprised these videos dont get much attention. I genuinely love these
I KNOW. He does such a nice job and make History interesting.
@@roseblite6449 exactly. It's actually good
"Fine. I'll do it myself."
@@MonsieurDean omg hiiiiiii
@@DebsStuffs Howdy!
As far as I’m aware Sweden didn’t REclaim Norway merely claim it since no previous claim existed, but since Denmark (who had Norway in personal union) was on the losing side of the conflict (napoleon) Sweden were allowed to press the claim by the great powers and invaded (danish) Norway successfully, thus establishing a new “overlord” of Norway via a Swedish union, but please correct me if I’m wrong, entertaining none the less!
Norway had previously been in a union with Sweden on two occasions: in the 1300s under Magnus IV and very briefly in the 1400s under Charles VIII. Of course, you're right that by the time Bernadotte came around, these were but distant memories to the Swedes.
@@SideQuestYT very cool, I had no idea!
It was mostly a hissyfit I've heard, but reclamation could be claimed since earlier dominion did exist.
@@MrFrostglow
Swedes had always dreamed of taking Norway and had attempted it as recently as the Great Northern War at the start of the 18th century.
The Swedes actually wanted to reclaim Finland that had been lost to Russia. But Bernadotte who didn't have an emotional attachment to Finland saw Norway as a better option. As a replacement for the loss of Finland. It would mean they wouldn't have to fight Russia, and they would have to fight the Danish either way because they were allied to Napoleon and France was losing at this point.
Norway was also more similar to Sweden culturally and would be easier to defend geographically than Finland.
So, the union with / invasion of Norway was more based on an outsiders practical views on the situation than claims of old.
This is actually far from a Cinderella story, since Bernadotte didn’t just go from peasant to king in a single day, but had to actually work hard to climb the ranks and eventually end up that high.
From past cliched stories I am assuming only some one of nobility could marry into a royal bloodline.
With Bernadotte being a "commoner" he should have had no shot of ever being a king/prince anywhere in Europe.
But I guess brown nosing Napoleon and Russia had its perks......
Probably did it for the clicks. I sure did click it because of that. However, I'm glad it turned out differently
Yeah more like a Shonen manga character
True
Cinderella didn’t, either. The difference between the stories is mostly that Cinderella focuses on surviving in an abusive household & escaping, while this guy is just a military leader.
I'm sure Napoleon would have loved for it to be a galactic empire.
Why would he content himself with galactic?
"why not the WORLD except the British isles they suck"
Napoleon Bonaparte
I can't believe this channel hasn't exploded by now!
Love you man.
Oh, he's exploding now
Yayyy, a new video. Will watch later but already know it’s gonna be a great one
Like always, great quality and great new topic which I never knew. You deserve more recognition
I just found your channel and I love it!
It's always interesting to see how each person will explain historical events. Seeing how more people talk about my country these days feels a bit surreal. Because around like 12 years ago or so, I swear I saw a lot of people on the internet asking about whatever Sweden was.
I loved to look through my now outdated atlas to see where each country was, and also look at all flags on the last few pages along with basic information of each country. I'm autistic, so I did a few things far more often than the average kid. So to see many people asking about where certain countries are located felt so bizarre to me. I didn't expect people to know where every country or what they are called since I have a hard time with some countries too. It just felt so bizarre to me back then!
The fact that Spain and Sweden have dynasties of French origins on their throne is quite amazing as a French person lmao.
Germany: amateur!
Not that interesting in Spain, basically a dictator set current dynasty as heir's, end of story
Biden is from a French Huguenot Family and his third name is Robinette
And the English royals have been heavily German for a long time, since at least King George I. I guess political opportunity knows no borders.
@@zorentradico5659 the Spanish dictator just selected the previous king's grandson as king. The Spanish Bourbon itself has started since War of Spanish succession.
I have missed this channel so much, once again this is utterly brilliant, more please.
I really hope this show continues to grow! Cause it's totally awesome!🙂
Feel like you missed some crucial aspects, such as why Sweden was actually looking for a new king, which is partly due to the unpopularity of the previous king Gustav IV Adolf, but he was dethroned in favor of Karl XIII 1809. But Karl XII was old, had no heirs and next in Line for the throne was a family member of the previously deposed dynasty which is why Sweden actually needed a new crown prince and looked elsewhere, and that's when Otto sought Bernadotte because he believed only a french military leader would suit sweden.
And also Napoleon and Bernadotte ended up despising each other, a reason as why he was granted leave to go to sweden and why he chose to become king in a country which he didn't actually like that much, he complained much about the cold weather and never learnt swedish.
He was from Pau, and very much a Gascon, I don't blame him for not like the cold weather! He spent much of the day in bed to stay warm! And, Napoleon ruled that way as well! Remarkable men running nations from bed. Desiree, also hated the cold weather. But, as the official historian for the palace said in his video: "He hated the weather. He complained about the food and how everything was better in France. But, despite that, he did his job, and he did it well." Other quirks are that he hate tobacco smoke and was liable to spray someone down in perfume if they smelled of it. He disliked dogs after having been bitten by one as a child. He forbade them from being in the palace, but Prince Oscar snuck one in. He was very much a family man. He would often end cabinet meetings when his grandchildren burst into the room and crawl along the floor with them, letting them ride him as a horse. He loved his daughter-in-law and used to have someone distract her and would then shove sweets into her pockets. He was very loyal. He took in Marshal Ney's son after Ney was executed. He made him Aide-de-Camp to Prince Oscar. He was very studious about not bringing Frenchmen in to hold positions as it would look like nepotism. He refused to bring his own brother from France, and instead had Napoleon ennoble him. One of his exceptions was Cramps, his foster-brother, whom he had known since childhood. He made him his aide and a general. They were inseparable. He had very close relationships with his young aides-de-camp, and personally taught them fencing, as he was saber instructor in his time as sergeant, and would often pull pranks on them. During his campaigns as a French Marshal, he was noted as having the worst table fare by his fellow Marshals because he spent most of his food money on his troops. Finally, to quote some conspiracy theories, some think Marshal Ney survived his execution and faked his death. And that Wellington helped this occur, and that Bernadotte set him up in America and facilitated his communication with his family, as well as funds. It is also said that he thought of rescuing Napoleon from St. Helena as he bitterly hated the Bourbons who treated him as a parvenu, despite their earlier requests for aid in 1813, and very much mistrusted Metternich.
Whoa, that's really cool! Thank you for the info on his life - sounds like he was actually a pretty good guy. I mean, it's impossible to be perfect but working in positions of power like that really warp people so it sounds like he did as well as you could expect
He did take his new job rather seriously. When he was handed control of the country, the first thing he did was to do an evaluation of the state of the kingdom, and determined that French Empire was its biggest problem, and acted accordingly.
Can't believe I've only just discovered this channel and can't believe it doesn't have more subs, views, and likes. Love this so much and the jokes are en pointe!!! 🤩 and the content and the narration and the style and the animation. Absolutely love it!!
I guess that Bernadotte was an example of Churchill said about diplomacy being the art of telling someone to go to hell but in such they'll ask for directions. Incidentally when it came to officers during the French Revolution many started out in the ranks of the National Guard and got where they were from their abilities rather than their social connections and a few became marshals under Napoleon. There was even a quip that every drummer boy carried a marshal's baton in their haversacks just in case. I heard this on a show once and they stated at least one of Napoleon's marshals did start out as a drummer.
There is a good book about Bernadotte's diplomatic war during the 6th Coalition in 1813. He was locking horns with Metternich and Hardenberg of Denmark. Austria was really looking to screw over Sweden and Bernadotte saw it. In the end the Gascon outwitted them both.
I think the saying was "Every drummer boy has a marshals' baton in their haversack, and every marshal has a crown in his."
@@robertcapet9132 That would be "Bernadotte and the Fall of Napoleon." Good book on coalition wrangles. So many kings agree on nothing they say. Austrians wanted Napoleon to throne stay on, scared of Prussia and Russia. Austria also want to use Bernadotte and ditch him for Danes. They never forgive him being Revolutionary general.
@@janeghudjars3496 Bernadotte certain gave credence to that statement.
The marshal who started as a drummer i forgot his name but i'm pretty sure he was promoted to illustrate the upper ranks being open to commoners but i'm also quasi sure that there a problem with him like he never learned how to read or he was super bad or smth
Another gem!!!!! Anxiously waiting for a new episode.
I very much enjoy your historical videos SideQuest, they remind me a lot of the historical documentaries that the late and great Tony Jay narrated.
Real glad I found this! Deserves way more attention, great video!
I hope Bernadotte will have a Hollywood movie about him someday.
No thanks. Let them ruin Napoleon
Bernadotte commanded the Bavarian Army (and his I Corps) in 1805 and liberated Bavaria from the Austrians. He commanded 65,000 troops during the Austerlitz Campaign in the lead up to Ulm. He had a talent for independent command and diplomacy with foreign monarchs, and peoples, that few of the other Marshals did. It was apparent from the time he was Minister of War in 1799 that he was destined to rule somewhere. He wanted Ansbach, but he got a much bigger prize.
Yay instead of ruling ansbach he need up ruling two whole country’s for 26 years
Bernadotte is one of those weird things in history where you have to stop and go 'no... yeah, that REALLY happened."
I love the content bc it’s stuff I always wondered about … sidequest is such a good way to put it. But the personality behind the scripting is so witty & genuinely hilarious. My new favorite channel.
To long didn’t read: A Frenchmen treated his enemy well, and that made the Swedes like him so much he became their King.
Except it was actually the fact that he was a strong military man and friendly with Napoleon which could secure peace between Sweden and Russia. Those were the main reasons along with the fact that the previous chosen crown prince: the Danish Christian August, who took the name Charles August, died.
After watching the napoleonic wars series I instantly knew it, great video as always.
hilarious and educational as usual. loved the prequel meme thrown in there
Me too!
Such pretty animations and narrating
Love this channle
3:46 Not given Carl 12 enough credit, he died at the age of 36, theorised to be an assassination, and is probably one of the greatest generals the world has had
I feel like it must've been a typo in the video and it was actually supposed to be Charles XIII. The graphics and story makes no sense for Charles XII.
Love the animations 👍
This channel is so underrated.
I was seriously going through withdrawals without a new episode from you. Thanks so much for feeding my addiction.
I am happy to see a new video from this channel.
Great video, but I'm a bit confused about the kings you referenced. Charles XII died in a battle when he was only 36 and Gustav Vasa lead an indepence movement and became king at 27, which isn't thaaat young
Don't know about the Gustav Vasa reference, but I suppose they actually meant Charles XIII, not Charles XII
I know this comment is a year old, but Gustav Vasa in this case was Gustav IV Adolf's son. It was contemplated to make Gustav king after the de-throning of his father, but it was opted against as he was too young. As I understand it, he later in his life took up the name Wasa as a reference to being the true heir to the Swedish throne.
Incredible Channel honestly
Amazing content! I hope you guys found an empire of your own!
There is an error in this video - I think they confused Charles XII (who died young and did not wet himself because he got too old) with Charles XIII. And Gustav Vasa was a grown man by the time his dynasty first came to power.
They are referring to the son of Gustav IV Adolf, who later in life took the name Gustav Wasa.
Interesting found you from Monsieur z liked and subedd to you
3:46 aren't these switched around accidentally? Charles XII was famously young when he became king, doing so before it was even really "his time" to become full on king, and Gustac Vasa became 64 years old, almost twice the age that Charles died at
Please do correct me if I'm wrong tho
Edit: Forgot "twice"
Nope you’re correct! I also found that odd. Charles XII became sovereign ruler before he was of age, and died rather young as he was out and waged war all the time. Gustav Vasa, our founder king, was rather young, but definatly of age when he became king, and ruled till he was old. Karl August (Charles Augustus) was never actually king of Sweden, but was crown prince for a very short while.
'his wife was Napoleon's former fiancee ', Napoleon was also kind enough to let it be know to posterity that he had buggered her.
While it's possible, just because she was his fiance didn't mean they had sex. There were actual sexual standards back than, as much as the french revolution had been destructive to them
@@Kenfren I used the word buggered deliberately as napoleon never claimed to have had sex with her, he boasted that he had anally known her. Hilariously enough I first found out about it through a biography of his early life, so yeah.
Brilliant video, but my one gripe is that Charles XII came to the throne at 15 years old and died during the siege of fredriksten in his mid-30s (I believe). Far from too old I’d say
Yes, I think they meant Karl XIII as the old one.
Gustav Vasa was also not that young when he was crowned (aged 27).
One of the greatest leaders in history
@@tism19 They are referring to the son of Gustav IV Adolf, who later in life took the name Gustav Wasa.
Maybe just me, but I thought that this was one of your better episodes. Well done. 🙂
Awesome video as always mate 😎
You popped up in my recommendations, and I must commend you for your hard work. Enjoy your new sun :)
Sub*
You make such interesting content on a variety of topics that just pull you in, wanting to learn more about them.
Cant stop enjoying this videos...awesome
How tf is this channel so good
Great story, wonderful storytelling
The cartoon should have had a bigger nose. That said, it is remarkable that France produced such talented men. Bonaparte, Bernadotte, and many of the other marshals were for the ages.
Well Bonaparte was Corsican, so 50/50 😋
I learned about him from the 1954 movie Desiree where Marlon Brando played a totally convincing Napoleon
This channel NEEDS to be blessed by the algorithm, maybe make a video on a really popular history topic? I found this channel from the candle video haha
Same
well those videos keep popping in my feed, so clearly the algorithm picked it up recently.
@@Lapantouflemagic0 Yep, sidequest had around 20k subs just a week or so ago
Bernadotte had a tattoo on his chest: "Death to all kings!" And he accepted his crown in a small town of Örebro in central Sweden, that was a capital of the country for one day (they still talk about it!)
This channel is amazing, I just accidentally binge watched like 20 of their videos
I love this channel
Nice work! I'm not a huge fan of Bernadotte, but he was a clever opportunist much like Napoleon. This is probably why the 2 men never got along; they were too similar in nature. Plus, there is Desiree Clary whom they both loved.
My man, your videos are the best. You got to get a discord made.
I just stumbled upon this channel. Looks amazing, subscribed 😁
"Otto, you're a nauteh boi!" 😆😆😆
This script was fantastic 20/10
The descendants of Carl XIV John still rule in Norway. The present King Harald V is a descendant and great great great grandson of Carl XIV John through his grandson King Carl XV.
Good one side quest! 👏
Bernandotte has a mention in the novel Starship Troopers as an example of a good leader.
As a swede, i approve of this video.
Samma här.
edit: jag hatar danskjävlarna i vissa kommentarer som försvarar Kristian Tyrann och hans Tyranni...
Informative and funny at the same time.
Also, today the channel subs has increased from 108k to 144k from yesterday.
Swedes be like, there's nothing we can do ..
So informative......and soooooo FUNNY 😁 😂 😀 😄 😆 🤣 😁 Thank you
I knew there was a french general named Bernadotte around that time but I didn't know this
Swedes: "Him being pals with Napoleon could be useful!"
_Immediate allies with the Russians against Napoleon._
WHY ISN'T SIDE QUEST MORE POPULAR THAN IT IS
You deserve more subs!
Monsier Z sent me. Anyways Ooooohh your back!
These videos are great
"The Swedes need a strong leader". Oh how that still hits to this day.
I am somewhat proud that you actually get to meet Bernadotte in Assassin's Creed Unity.
In a sidequest. Yes, literally.
20 seconds in i realized who this was about
Why did you get charles the XII and Gustav Vasa mixed up :( Charles XII never got old and was considered too young during his time though not by far one of Swedens youngest king. And although Gustav Vasa was not old when crowned, he still was a clearly grown man and rather ruled for too long by his eventually old age
They didn't. They mixed up Karl XIII up with Karl XII and Gustav, Prince of Vasa and King Gustav Vasa
Ooh, what an amazing channel! Found you via an random Reddit link!
Sorry, how is this channel not HUGE?
On the sidenote, the bridge on swedens coat of arms is the bridge of pointecorvo. This is since it was on Bernadotes already existing coat of arms as the prince of pointecorvo.
And i noticed a little error. You claimed charles XII wet himself in his old age but i think you ment charles XIII then he was the old king the swedes wanted to replace and not the soldierking that died 100 years prior at the age of 36.
The man servant bernodotte had me crying, “ya, apply more lotion between my haunches “
I liked that Napoleon did a little pig snort at the end of hos comment, nice Animal farm reference. 👌
long time no see
As a half Swede, I love this video 🇸🇪
Guys is a 6 and half minute video not a 3 hour documentary on the guy, of course he can't mention in detail all his accomplishments and deeds.
Really well done, I have never heard of someone being crown due to "kindness" beforehand.
Great video thanks
You actually witnessed quite a bit of Bernadotte's story in Assassin's Creed: Unity.
FUN FACT: In southern Sweden (Scania), we use the French R sound
3:47 I think you mean Charles XI, as Charles XII died in battle at just 30
Liked just for the star wars reference hehe
This is fantastic!
Do you do all the voices yourself? They're really good
The Swedish King Gustav IV Adolf was very stubbornly against napoleon so much so, even when russia had been forced into an allince with France he would back down, so russia in 1808 warned Sweden to join the anti brittish alince leader by France or get invaded by russia but Gustav IV Adolf refused so Russia invaded Sweden in 1808 and in the peace 1809 Finland was lost. Gustav IV Adolf also got forced to abdikate.
After the peace the Swedish nodels decided to get the French general of Jean Baptiste Bernadotte as the heir. They thought he would invade russia and take back Finland but in 1814 he took Norway ftom denmark instead.
Jean Baptiste Bernadotte is known as king Karl XIV Johan Bernadotte here in Sweden.
It's pretty intriguing how bernadette sending back to Paris because he retreat from battle without order from napoleon and at that time the ambassador also seek him, fate really have good way playing drama on matchmaking
6:00 You state that his Bernadotte's descendants still rule Sweden today. Also included among his descendants are the Monarchs of Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Started good, but complete fail regarding the role Bernadotte played in defeating Napoleon and bringing peace and renewed prosperity to Sweden. I guess it’s more entertaining to paint him as a Russian lackey.
Or his accomplishments as a general and Minister of War. It makes it appear that he was only in a high position by marrying Desiree. The truth is that he was made Minister of War on his own merits and outranked Napoleon in 1799. He was Napoleon's greatest military rival and could have stopped his coup.
@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 There is an alternate universe in which Bernadotte became King of France. I tend to think that had Napoleon not overthrown the Directory that Bernadotte would have eventually. Bernadotte also almost became the ruler of the French Empire in America. After 1803 he would have been left to his own devices.
@@metaxu3305 Kleber was dead. Moreau disgraced and Carnot not suited for rule. Bernadotte was a far more talented politician than either Kleber and Moreau. People overlook his ability to charm and inspire masses of people. And his intelligence. Kleber and Moreau were talented military men, but they lacked political skills and the touch necessary to win over civilians. Moreau's military reputation is also inflated in my opinion. His advice to the Tsar in the 1813 Campaign, before his untimely demise, was indicative of a military mind that still had not grasped the changes Napoleon brought. Indeed, in his return to Europe, he disagreed with Bernadotte's overall strategy that later formed the basis for the Trachenberg Plan and counseled an immediate abandonment of Berlin along with other sentiments that led some to believe he had been out of the game too long.
As for Carnot. He was an able minister and great administrator. He was a talented legislator. But in no way would he ever be someone who could rule a country. He lacked a certain greatness and ability with the masses that Bonaparte and Bernadotte had. Carnot was a more charming version of Berthier. Moreover, many felt Carnot received too much credit for what he did, and presented the work of others' as his own. This was also Napoleon's assessment.
@@metaxu3305 Moreover, I have to completely disagree that Bernadotte was not at the same caliber as an administrator as Carnot. His record in Hannover, Ansbach and the Hansa Cities speak for themselves. As does his record as King of Sweden and Norway. His rule in all those locales were not remote, or that of a cipher. Bernadotte got involved in the deep details. He was a reformer and an innovator. His rule of Hannover was so well done, so mild, so just, that it was extremely prosperous despite an occupation and the restrictions attendant to a wartime economy. He was so popular that the people genuinely rued his departure. The same can be said for the Hansa Cities which achieved economic prosperity at a level that should not have occurred under the austerity of the Continental System. And again, Bernadotte completely revitalized Sweden and rebuilt its institutions and economy from the ground up. Indeed, Bernadotte found Sweden in a far more dire strait than Napoleon when he became Consul. Carnot was a only minister and then legislator. Bernadotte a King of two realms. His reign laid the foundation of modern Sweden. It is absolutely not hyperbole to say that Bernadotte absolutely can be considered in the same tier as Napoleon. Of all the rulers of that period, they are the only two he personal commanded their armies and oversaw the administrations of their realms to the lowest level.