Wasn't Vergennes also the guy who had to negotiate with Franklin and John Adams about supporting you tax dodgers? And speaking of dimly remembered cross connections, Axel von Fersen was one of Gustav's guys, right? Or was he in the aristocratic opposition?
Also, that is a compelling account. I note an opera is involved even then. (As it will be when Gustav gets killed.) No wonder this is the Swedish King to end up a Verdi tenor!
Wasn't Vergennes also the guy who had to negotiate with Franklin and John Adams about supporting you tax dodgers?
He was! He had a very interesting life, and one of my last-minute book acquisitions as I was writing this series of posts in December was a biography of Vergennes. I haven't read the whole thing, only the parts relevant to this exact time period, but I have it saved for when we cover the 1770s and 1780s (which one day I do hope to do, though no promises).
And speaking of dimly remembered cross connections, Axel von Fersen was one of Gustav's guys, right? Or was he in the aristocratic opposition?
Well...it's complicated, because there were two Axel von Fersen's, and I'm not sure which one you're talking about, and for the father, the answer is "yes" to both of your questions. :P
Axel von Fersen the younger, probable lover of Marie Antoinette, was on his Grand Tour when the coup happened; he was only 16. He did serve Gustav, often pretty closely, after he became an adult, including as secret envoy to France. His father, Axel Fersen the elder, shows up more in my reading (e.g. Michael Roberts' British Diplomacy and Swedish Politics, 1758-1773, a major source for my Sweden installments), because I'm reading about the earlier period.
Axel Fersen the elder was one of the Hat aristocracy, which originally made him an opponent to the crown. However, while Gustav was crown prince, during the merry-go-round period that we talked about in the previous installment, when everything was in flux, Gustav managed to win him over. This was a major victory for Gustav, to have such a prominent aristocrat.
When the coup came, though, Axel Fersen (the Elder) prudently made sure he was nowhere around, and his support proved to be rather passive. After Gustav became king, Fersen the Elder put up a lot of opposition to his initiatives, and Wikipedia tells me he was even arrested in 1789.
How this played out in family dynamics, I'm not sure, but thank you for reminding me of the Fersens, because I've been keeping an eye out for another 18th century figure who's likely to have a French biography in e-book form for reading practice when I'm done, and Axel Fersen the Younger naturally has one. I suspect it will focus more on Marie Antoinette than anything else, but maybe we'll get some glimpses into the Fersens and Swedish politics.
(Don't hold your breath, though: I'm not even halfway through Philippe the Regent, and my daily reading accomplishments have slowed down since things have picked up again at work. Plus there's German handwriting practice, where I am foiled not only by capital letters but also archaic vocabulary. ;)
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cahn
Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Sweden: Gustav's coup (1772)
Date: 2024-01-20 09:19 am (UTC)Also, that is a compelling account. I note an opera is involved even then. (As it will be when Gustav gets killed.) No wonder this is the Swedish King to end up a Verdi tenor!
Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Sweden: Gustav's coup (1772)
Date: 2024-01-20 04:00 pm (UTC)He was! He had a very interesting life, and one of my last-minute book acquisitions as I was writing this series of posts in December was a biography of Vergennes. I haven't read the whole thing, only the parts relevant to this exact time period, but I have it saved for when we cover the 1770s and 1780s (which one day I do hope to do, though no promises).
And speaking of dimly remembered cross connections, Axel von Fersen was one of Gustav's guys, right? Or was he in the aristocratic opposition?
Well...it's complicated, because there were two Axel von Fersen's, and I'm not sure which one you're talking about, and for the father, the answer is "yes" to both of your questions. :P
Axel von Fersen the younger, probable lover of Marie Antoinette, was on his Grand Tour when the coup happened; he was only 16. He did serve Gustav, often pretty closely, after he became an adult, including as secret envoy to France. His father, Axel Fersen the elder, shows up more in my reading (e.g. Michael Roberts' British Diplomacy and Swedish Politics, 1758-1773, a major source for my Sweden installments), because I'm reading about the earlier period.
Axel Fersen the elder was one of the Hat aristocracy, which originally made him an opponent to the crown. However, while Gustav was crown prince, during the merry-go-round period that we talked about in the previous installment, when everything was in flux, Gustav managed to win him over. This was a major victory for Gustav, to have such a prominent aristocrat.
When the coup came, though, Axel Fersen (the Elder) prudently made sure he was nowhere around, and his support proved to be rather passive. After Gustav became king, Fersen the Elder put up a lot of opposition to his initiatives, and Wikipedia tells me he was even arrested in 1789.
How this played out in family dynamics, I'm not sure, but thank you for reminding me of the Fersens, because I've been keeping an eye out for another 18th century figure who's likely to have a French biography in e-book form for reading practice when I'm done, and Axel Fersen the Younger naturally has one. I suspect it will focus more on Marie Antoinette than anything else, but maybe we'll get some glimpses into the Fersens and Swedish politics.
(Don't hold your breath, though: I'm not even halfway through Philippe the Regent, and my daily reading accomplishments have slowed down since things have picked up again at work. Plus there's German handwriting practice, where I am foiled not only by capital letters but also archaic vocabulary. ;)
Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Sweden: Gustav's coup (1772)
Date: 2024-01-24 06:36 am (UTC)LOL! Yeah, I remember he was in Proud Destiny!
No wonder this is the Swedish King to end up a Verdi tenor!
Oh wait, this is the same guy?! Yeah, I can see it...