On This Day

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway

The House of Bernadotte is the royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John. It was also the royal family of Norway between 1818 and 1905.

The House of Bernadotte is the royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John. It was also the royal family of Norway between 1818 and 1905. Its founder was born in Pau in southern France as Jean Bernadotte. Bernadotte, who had been made a General of Division and Minister of War for his service in the French Army during the French Revolution, and Marshal of the French Empire and Prince of Pontecorvo under Napoleon, was adopted by the elderly king of Sweden Charles XIII, who had no other heir and whose Holstein-Gottorp branch of the House of Oldenburg thus was soon to be extinct on the Swedish throne. The current king of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, is a direct descendant of Charles XIV John.

Historical Significance

The House of Bernadotte is the royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John.

Events Before

  1. Argentine General José de San Martín leads a revolutionary army over the Andes to attack Spanish royalists in Chile

    Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, extending along a narrow strip of land...

  2. Gioachino Rossini's opera "La Cenerentola" (Cinderella) premieres at Rome's Teatro Valle

    La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo ("Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant") is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.

  3. The New York Stock Exchange is founded

    The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "the Big Board") is an American stock exchange headquartered at the New York Stock Exchange Building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New…

  4. Tsar of Russia, Nicholas I (21) weds Alexandra Feodorovna [Princess Charlotte] (19) at the Grand Church of the Winter Pa

    Tsar of Russia, Nicholas I (21) weds Alexandra Feodorovna [Princess Charlotte] (19) at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Russia

  5. Alexander Twilight, likely the first African American to graduate from a US college, receives a BA degree from Middlebur

    Alexander Twilight, likely the first African American to graduate from a US college, receives a BA degree from Middlebury College

Events After

  1. British colonial officer Stamford Raffles lands in Singapore

    British colonial officer Stamford Raffles lands in Singapore

  2. Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading post

    Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British colonial official who served as the governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816 and lieutenant-governor of…

  3. Godert van der Capellen, becomes Governor-General of Dutch East Indies

    Godert Alexander Gerard Philip, Baron van der Capellen (Utrecht, 15 December 1778 – De Bilt, 10 April 1848) was a Dutch statesman.

  4. The Adams–Onís Treaty between Spain and the United States is signed, ceding Florida to the US and defining the boundary

    The Adams–Onís Treaty between Spain and the United States is signed, ceding Florida to the US and defining the boundary between the US and New Spain

  5. Territory of Arkansas organized

    The Arkansas Territory was a territory of the United States from July 4, 1819, to June 15, 1836, when the final extent of Arkansas Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.

More from the 1810s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 5, 1818?
The House of Bernadotte is the royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John. It was also the royal family of Norway between 1818 and 1905. Its founder was born in Pau in southern France as Jean Bernadotte.
Why is Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway significant?
The House of Bernadotte is the royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John.

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