King Karl XIII
Karl was king of Sweden from 1809 to 1818, and from 1814 also King of Norway. In 1774, he married his cousin Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta. Both of their children died in infancy.
On the death of Gustav III in 1792, Karl became the guardian of Gustav IV Adolf, who was still a minor. When he was deposed in 1809, Karl was appointed regent. After approving the Constitution Act of 1809, he was named king.
Since Karl XIII missing heirs, the Riksdag appointed a new crown prince: Kristian August of Augustenburg. He was adopted by Karl, but died suddenly in May 1810. Three months later, a Frenchman – Jean Baptiste Bernadotte – was elected as the new crown prince by the Riksdag.
Karl XIII portrayed as Duke of Södermanland. Painted in 1799 by the Austrian painter Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder (1751–1830). The painting hangs in the Bernadotte Gallery at the Royal Palace. Photo: Alexis Daflos/Royalpalaces.se