Count Axel von Fersen, dressed in the robes of a Swedish Privy Councilor, with the Knights Commander chains of the Royal Orders of the Seraphim and that of the Sword around his neck.

Count Hans Axel von Fersen (September 4, 1755 - June 20, 1810) was a Swedish soldier, diplomat and statesman. He was carefully educated at home, at the Carolinum at Brunswick and at Turin. In 1779 he entered the French military service Royal-Bavière, accompanied General Rochambeau to America as his adjutant, served as interpreter between him and General Washington, distinguished himself during the war with England, notably at the siege of Yorktown, 1781, and in 1785 was promoted to be colonel proprietaire of the regiment Royal Suédois. He is famous as a lover and had affairs with women as Marie-Angelique Diderot (daughter of Denis Diderot) and Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta, married to the future King Charles XIII of Sweden. September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ... 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A soldier is a person who serves in an armed force for pay. ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... The term statesman is a respectful term used to refer to diplomats, politicians, and other notable figures of state. ... Map of Germany showing Braunschweig Braunschweig [ˈbraunʃvaik] (English & French: Brunswick) is a city of 245,500 people (as of December 31, 2004), located in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Country Italy Region Piedmont Province Turin (TO) Mayor Sergio Chiamparino (The Union) Elevation 240 m Area 130 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 902,255  - Density 6928/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Torinesi Dialing code 011 Postal code 10100 Patron St. ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (July 1, 1725   May 10, 1807) was a French soldier and marshall. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732–December 14, 1799) led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and was the first President of the United States, from 1789 to 1797. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Combatants Britain Colonial America France Commanders Charles Cornwallis George Washington Comte de Rochambeau Strength 7,500 8,845 Americans 7,800 French Casualties 156 killed 326 wounded 7,018 captured Americans: 20 killed, 56 wounded French: 52 killed, 134 wounded The Battle of Yorktown (1781) was a victory by a... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Portrait of Diderot by Louis-Michel van Loo, 1767 Denis Diderot (October 5, 1713 – July 31, 1784) was a French philosopher and writer. ... Charles XIII, Karl XIII, or Carl II, (1748-1818), king of Norway, the second son of king Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and Louisa Ulrica of Prussia, sister of Frederick the Great, was born at Stockholm on October 7, 1748. ...

Fersen's relationship with Marie Antoinette

The young nobleman was, from the first, a prime favourite at the French court, owing partly to the recollection of his father's devotion to France, but principally because of his own amiable and brilliant qualities. Queen Marie Antoinette, who had first met Fersen when they both were age 16, was especially attracted by the grace and wit of "le beau" Fersen, who had inherited his full share of the striking handsomeness which was hereditary in the family. It is possible that Fersen would have spent most of his life at Versailles, but for a hint from his own sovereign, then at Pisa, that he desired him to join his suite. Fersen accompanied Gustav III of Sweden in his Italian tour and returned home with him in 1784. Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... , Versailles (pronounced , roughly vair-sye’, in French), formerly the de facto capital of the kingdom of France, is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and is still an important administrative and judicial center. ... Country Italy Region Toscana Province Pisa (PI) Mayor Paolo Fontanelli (since May 25, 2003) Elevation 4 m Area 185 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2005) 90,482  - Density 462/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Pisani Dialing code 050 Postal code 56100 Frazioni Marina di Pisa... Gustav III (13 January 1746 (O.S.) (24 January 1746 (N.S.))–March 29, 1792) was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1785 Marie Antoinette would give birth to Louis-Charles, the first titular Duke of Normandy in centuries. Afterwards Louis XVI wrote in his journal that it had happened just as when "his own son" had been born. Some have claimed that Louis-Charles, later dauphin of France, was the biological child of Marie Antoinette and Fersen. However, this is extremely unlikely. Some have claimed that Louis XVI actually meant when "his first son" was born. Secondly, little Louis XVII was noted to resemble two members of the Bourbon family: his paternal uncle Charles X (Louis XVI's youngest brother) and his late grandmother, Princess Maria-Josefa (Louis XVI's mother). The claim that Fersen was the biological father of Louis XVII has been discounted by the child's recent biographer, Deborah Cadbury, and by Marie-Antoinette's biographer Antonia Fraser. The question of this is answerable today through DNA analysis but no one as yet has undertaken to do this as they did with the Russian Family. 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Louis XVII of France (March 27, 1785 – June 8, 1795), from birth to 1789 known as Louis-Charles, Duke of Normandy; then from 1789 to 1791 as Louis-Charles, Dauphin of Viennois; and from 1791 to 1793 as Louis-Charles, Prince Royal of France, was the son of King Louis... The Duke of Normandy is a title held (or claimed) by various Norman, English, French and British rulers from the 10th century. ... Louis XVI of France Louis XVI (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French from 1791 to 1792. ... The Dauphin was the heir apparent to the throne of France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties. ... Charles X, King of France Navarre Charles X, King of France and of Navarre (October 9, 1757 – November 6, 1836) was born at the Palace of Versailles. ... Marie-Josèphe of Saxony Marie-Josèphe of Saxony, (4 November 1731-13 March 1767), Dauphiness of France, was the daughter of Augustus II, prince-Elector of Saxony and king of Poland, and Marie Josepha of Austria, (1699-1757), the daughter of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor. ... Louis XVII of France (March 27, 1785 – June 8, 1795), from birth to 1789 known as Louis-Charles, Duke of Normandy; then from 1789 to 1791 as Louis-Charles, Dauphin of Viennois; and from 1791 to 1793 as Louis-Charles, Prince Royal of France, was the son of King Louis... Lady Antonia Fraser, née Pakenham, (born August 27, 1932) is a British author of history and novels, best known for writing biographies. ...

When the war with Russia broke out, in 1788, Fersen accompanied his regiment to Finland, but in the autumn of the same year was sent to France, where the political horizon was already darkening. It was necessary for Gustav III to have an agent thoroughly in the confidence of the French royal family, and, at the same time, sufficiently able and audacious to help them in their desperate straits, especially as he had lost all confidence in his accredited minister, the baron de Stael. With his usual acumen, he fixed upon Fersen, who was at his post early in 1790. Before the end of the year he was forced to admit that the cause of the French monarchy was hopeless so long as the king and queen of France were nothing but captives in their own capital, at the mercy of an irresponsible mob. 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1790 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

He had the leading role in the flight to Varennes. He found most of the requisite funds at the last moment. He ordered the construction of the famous carriage for six, in the name of the baroness von Korff, and kept it in his hotel grounds, rue Matignon, that all Paris might get accustomed to the sight of it. He was the coachman of the fiacre which drove the royal family from the Carrousel to the Porte Saint-Martin. He accompanied them to Bondy, the first stage of their journey. The Flight to Varennes (June 20-21, 1791) was a significant episode in the French Revolution during which the French royal family, faced with a decrease in royal authority, attempted unsuccessfully to escape abroad disguised as a Russian aristocratic family. ...

Politics

In August 1791, Fersen was sent to Vienna to induce the emperor Leopold to accede to a new coalition against revolutionary France, but he soon came to the conclusion that the Austrian court meant to do nothing at all. At his own request, therefore, he was transferred to Brussels, where he could be of more service to the queen of France. In February 1792, at his own mortal peril, he once more succeeded in reaching Paris with counterfeit credentials as minister plenipotentiary to Portugal. On the 13th he arrived, and the same evening contrived to steal an interview with the queen unobserved. On the following day he was with the royal family from six o'clock in the evening till six o'clock the next morning, and convinced himself that a second flight was physically impossible. On the afternoon of the 21st he succeeded in paying a third visit to the Tuileries, stayed there till midnight and succeeded, with great difficulty, in reaching Brussels on the 27th. This perilous expedition, a monumental instance of courage and loyalty, had no substantial result. In 1797 Fersen was sent to the Second Congress of Rastatt as the Swedish delegate, but in consequence of a protest from the French government, was not permitted to take part in it. 1791 (MDCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 UN complex in Vienna, with the non-affiliated Austria Center Vienna in front - picture taken from Danube Tower in nearby Danube Park. ... Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II Leopold II (born Peter Leopold Joseph) (Vienna, May 5, 1747 – Vienna, March 1, 1792) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1790 to 1792 and Grand-duke of Tuscany. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... Up to 1871 the Tuileries Palace was a palace in Paris, France, on the right bank of the River Seine. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Second Congress of Rastatt, which was opened in December 1797, was intended to rearrange the map of Germany by providing compensation for those princes whose lands on the left bank of the Rhine had been seized by France. ...

During this congress it is told that Napoléon simply called him Monsieur, neglecting the fact that he was an appointed ambassador, a Count, and one of the Lords of the Realm of Sweden (en av Rikets Herrar). Napoléon in turn was said to have told that he might as well call him a deserter for leaving his regiment back in 1791 (the Royal Suédois), and he would never discuss anything with a person who had had an affair with the widow Capet (Marie Antoinette). Fersen is said to have left the congress and Napoléon in rage. Bonaparte as general, by Antoine-Jean Gros. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ...

During the regency of the Duke Charles of Sudermannia (1792-1796) Fersen, like all the other Gustavians, was in disgrace; but, on Gustav IV attaining his majority in 1796, he was welcomed back to court with open arms, and reinstated in all his offices and dignities. In 1801 he was appointed Riksmarskalk, or Earl Marshal. On the outbreak of the war with Napoleon, Fersen accompanied Gustav IV to Germany to assist him in gaining fresh allies. He prevented Gustav from invading Prussia in revenge for the refusal of the king of Prussia to declare war against France, and during the rest of the reign was in semi disgrace, though generally a member of the government when the king was abroad. Charles XIII, Karl XIII, or Carl II, (1748-1818), king of Sweden and Norway, the second son of king Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and Louisa Ulrica of Prussia, sister of Frederick the Great, was born at Stockholm on October 7, 1748. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... Gustav IV Adolf (1778-1837), king of Sweden, of the house Holstein-Gottorp, was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, and born at Stockholm on November 1, 1778. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: Prūsa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ...

Death of Prince Carl August

Fersen stood quite aloof from the revolution of 1809. His sympathies were entirely with Prince Gustavus, son of the unfortunate Gustav IV, and he was generally credited with the desire to see him king. When the newly elected successor to the throne, the highly popular prince Carl August of Augustenburg, died suddenly in Scania in May 1810, the report spread that he had been poisoned, and that Fersen and his sister, the countess Piper, were accessories. The source of these accusations has never been discovered. But it was eagerly taken up by the anti-Gustavian press, and popular suspicion was especially aroused by a fable called 'The Foxes' directed against the Fersens, which appeared in Nya Posten. When, then, on June 20, 1810, the prince's body was conveyed to Stockholm, and Fersen, in his official capacity as Marshal of the Realm (Swedish: Riksmarskalk), received it at the barrier and led the funeral cortege into the city, his fine carriage and his splendid robes seemed to the people an open derision of the general grief. The crowd began to murmur and presently to fling stones and cry "murderer!" He sought refuge in a house in the Riddarhus Square, but the mob rushed after him, brutally maltreated him and tore his robes to pieces. At this time the Royal Life Guards stood in formation on the square, started to form a square around von Fersen, but the commanding officer gave the order "För fot gevär!" (English: Attention! Rifles by the foot). To quiet the people and save the unhappy victim, two officers volunteered to conduct him to the senate house and there place him in arrest. But he had no sooner mounted the steps leading to the entrance than the crowd, which had followed him all the way beating him with sticks and umbrellas, made a rush at him, knocked him down, and kicked and trampled him to death. This horrible outrage, which lasted more than an hour, happened, too, in the presence of numerous troops, drawn up in the Riddarhus Square, who made not the slightest effort to rescue the Marshal of the Realm from his tormentors. In the circumstances, one must adopt the opinion of Fersen's contemporary, Baron Gustaf Armfelt, "One is almost tempted to say that the government wanted to give the people a victim to play with, just as when one throws something to an irritated wild beast to distract its attention. The more I consider it all, the more I am certain that the mob had the least to do with it. . . . But in God's name what were the troops about? How could such a thing happen in broad daylight during a procession, when troops and a military escort were actually present?" The responsibility certainly rests with the government of Charles XIII of Sweden, which apparently intended to intimidate the Gustavians by the removal of one of their principal leaders. He said: "Det skadar inte om den förnäma herren får lite smuts i sin vagn." (English: It won't hurt if the distinguished man gets some dirt in his carriage). Armfelt escaped in time, so Fersen fell victim. 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Charles August was Crown Prince of Sweden briefly in 1810. ... The Flag of SkÃ¥ne (also known as Scania in English) is the southernmost historical province (landskap) and County (Län) of Sweden. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... External link Riddarhuset - Official site Categories: Stub | Swedish history | Stockholm buildings ... The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army. ... This is an incomplete list of persons that were assassinated for political and other reasons, and who have individual entries. ... Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt (March 31, 1757 – August 19, 1814) was a Swedish courtier and diplomat. ... Charles XIII, Karl XIII, or Carl II, (1748-1818), king of Sweden and Norway, the second son of king Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and Louisa Ulrica of Prussia, sister of Frederick the Great, was born at Stockholm on October 7, 1748. ...

Aftermath

Axel von Fersen died that day in Stockholm in front of the Riddarholm Church, being Sweden’s most highly ranking official next to the King. His death sent shockwaves thorough the country. The cause of death was determined to be "crushing of the ribcage" which he sustained by the possible sailor Otto Johan (John) Tandefelt, who was jumping with both his feet together on Fersens chest. Riddarholmskyrkan, as seen from the east Riddarholmskyrkan, or the Church of Riddarholmen, is the burial church of the Swedish monarchy. ...

A few months after the murder Axel von Fersen and his family are cleared of any suspicion connected with the death of Carl August of Augustenburg, and he finally receives a state burial with all pomp and ceremonies. His sister Sofie Piper retreats from Stockholm after this incident to the family’s palace in Löfstad, southeast of Norrköping. Here she raises a memorial to her brother, which states: Charles August was Crown Prince of Sweden briefly in 1810. ...   (IPA: ; UN/LOCODE: SE STO) is the capital of Sweden, and consequently the site of its Government and Parliament as well as the residence of the Swedish head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf. ... Norrköping [ˈˈnÉ”rʃøːpɪŋ] is a city in Östergötland County in midth-east Sweden. ...

Åt en oförgätlig broder, mannamodet uti hans sista stunder den 20 juni 1810 vittna om hans dygder och sinnes lugn (English: To an unforgettable brother, the courage in his last moments on the 20th of June 1810, bears testimony to his virtues and clean conscience) The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

See also

• Marie Antoinette
• Louis-Charles, Duke of Normandy
• Axel von Fersen, Sr.

Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... Louis XVII of France (March 27, 1785 – June 8, 1795), from birth to 1789 known as Louis-Charles, Duke of Normandy; then from 1789 to 1791 as Louis-Charles, Dauphin of Viennois; and from 1791 to 1793 as Louis-Charles, Prince Royal of France, was the son of King Louis...

References & Further Reading

• The Fatal Friendship by Stanley Loomis ISBN 0-931933-33-1