Sweden's 1809 Coup: The King Who Lost Finland

In March 1809, a group of Swedish army officers led by Georg Adlersparre and Carl Johan Adlercreutz staged a bloodless coup against King Gustav IV Adolf, ending his disastrous reign and setting Sweden on a path toward constitutional monarchy. This episode dives into the final weeks of the king's rule, his stubborn refusal to make peace with Napoleon, the loss of Finland to Russia, and the swift crafting of a new constitution that curbed royal power for good. We follow the conspirators as they march from Värmland, arrest the king in Stockholm, and install his childless uncle as Charles XIII. The new Instrument of Government of 1809, inspired by Montesquieu's separation of powers, divided authority between king and Riksdag and laid the groundwork for Sweden's modern democracy. Along the way, we encounter figures like Hans Henric von Essen, the king's loyalist who chose not to resist, and the Estates of the realm who quietly supported the coup. It's a story of desperation, compromise, and a nation reinventing itself after losing a third of its territory.

#Sweden #History #FexingoHistory #1809Coup #GustavIVAdolf #GeorgAdlersparre #CarlJohanAdlercreutz #InstrumentOfGovernment1809 #ConstitutionalMonarchy #FinnishWar #TreatyOfFredrikshamn #Riksdag #CharlesXIII #HansHenricVonEssen #Montesquieu #Värmland #Stockholm #NapoleonicWars

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