Charles XV of Sweden

Charles XV (May 3, 1826 - October 18, 1872), king of Sweden and Norway, eldest son of Oscar I, king of Sweden and Norway, and Josephine of Leuchtenberg[?], was born on May 3, 1826. In Norway he is known as King Carl IV of Norway. On the June 19, 1851 he married Louise of Orange-Nassau[?], daughter of Prince Frederick of the Netherlands.

Reign He became regent on September 25, 1857, and king on the death of his father July 8, 1859. As crown prince, Charles's brusque and downright manners had led many to regard his future accession with some apprehension, yet he proved to be one of the most popular of Scandinavian kings and a constitutional ruler in the best sense of the word. His reign was remarkable for its manifold and far-reaching reforms. Sweden’s existing communal law (1862), ecclesiastical law (1863) and criminal law (1864) were enacted appropriately enough under the direction. of a king whose motto was: "Land skall med lag byggas" - Land shall be built upon laws. Charles also materially assisted Louis de Geer to carry through his memorable reform of the Riksdag in 1866. Charles was a warm advocate of Scandinavianism[?] and the political solidarity of the three northern kingdoms, and his warm friendship for Frederick VII of Denmark, it is said, led him to give half promises of help to Denmark on the eve of the war of 1864, which, in the circumstances, were perhaps misleading and unjustifiable. In view, however, of the unpreparedness of the Swedish army and the difficulties of the situation, Charles was forced to observe a strict neutrality. He died at Malmö on September 18, 1872. Charles XV was highly gifted in many directions. He attained to some eminence as a painter, and his "Dikter" show him to have been a true poet. He was followed on the throne by his brother Oscar II.

Children

1. Princess Louise (1851-1926)
2. Prince Carl Oscar (1852-1854)

He left but one child, a daughter, Louisa Josephina Eugenia[?], who in 1869 married Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark. Their son, Prince Carl, was elected king of Norway after the dissolution of the personal union of Norway and Sweden in 1905 under the name Haakon VII.

See also: List of Norwegian Prime Ministers

References

• 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica