Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna
Encyclopedia
Count
Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna (19 July 1750 – 29 July 1818) was a Swedish
poet, politician, diplomat
and member of the Swedish Academy
, holding seat number 8. He was a prominent courtier at the court of king Gustav III of Sweden
and is considered one of the foremost poets of the Gustavian period. He was a member of the Swedish Government and Parliament on several occasions. Amongst other things, he is also known for his translation into Swedish
of John Milton
s epic blank verse poem Paradise Lost
.
Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna was born at the Skenäs estate
, by lake Kolsnaren (now in Vingåker Municipality
), in the province of Södermanland
. He lived here during his youth with his parents, major general
count Göran Oxenstierna, a member of the Korsholm och Wasa branch of the Oxenstierna
family, and countess Sara Gyllenborg, and with his grandparents, Margareta Gyllenborg (née
von Beijer) and Jan Gyllenborg. The grandparents took active part in the upbringing of young Johan Gabriel - the grandfather until he died in 1752 - as the parents at times resided at Carlsten
, due to the fathers military career. He was the oldest of four brothers.
His childhood at Skenäs came to play a leading role in his later authorship in many ways. The beauty of the nature of Södermanland, and the memories of his upbringing there, came to inspire the themes of his pre-romantic
publications. His maternal uncle, poet Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg
, in whose house he spent a lot of time, and his tutor, poet Olof Bergklint, came to inspire his career choice as a poet, as well as his poetry in itself. A person, whose writings he read and admired during this time, and who came to inspire him, was poet Gustaf Philip Creutz
.
In 1762 he was enrolled as a student at Uppsala University
, from which he graduated in 1767 with an administrative degree ("kansliexamen"). Bergklint served as a tutor for his university studies, starting in 1764. During his studies he lived, at times, in Uppsala.
Although Oxenstierna's writings were not published until after he moved from Skenäs and started working, he did write a Diary between 1766 and 1768, which was published in 1965 by Bokgillet publishers in Uppsala under the title Ljuva ungdomstid: Dagbok 1766-1768 (Sweet Time of Youth: Diary 1766-1768). In it he makes everyday observations of his life at Skenäs, and later in Uppsala and Stockholm. The diary, which was written in French, reveals a melancholic and emotional character and a deep interest in nature and poetry, rather than the rational philosophy of that time.
, in front of the royal court, he was employed at the Royal Chancellery, in the department for foreign correspondence. During this time he resided with his uncle, Gustaf Gyllenborg. He was appointed acting Commission Secretary in Vienna
in 1770, and made the regular Commission Secretary in that city in 1772; the year of king Gustav III's coup d'etat
and the establishment of absolute monarchy in Sweden. He seems to have been rather uninterested in his diplomatic work in Vienna, and more interested in his poetry and in a letter exchange with an Austrian lady, which showed clear Rousseauan
influence.
In 1774 he was called back to Stockholm by the king and made a Chamberlain
. He had hoped for a position at the Swedish legation in Paris
, but instead received the titular office of second secretary of the Presidential office (i.e. the Department for foreign affairs). As a chamberlain his poetic talents came to use, and brought him closer to the king, who was particularly enthused by his ability to write and speak in French. As a result of the king's trust in him, he was sent on diplomatic missions to several German states in 1778. He was made a senior Chamberlain in 1783 and a Member of the College of the Chancellery in 1785, with a special assignment to work with matters relating to Pomerania
and Wismar
. In 1786, the king made him a member of the Privy Council of Sweden
and President of the College of the Chancellery, together with Emanuel De Geer. As President of the Chancellery Oxenstierna was the head of the Privy Council and responsible for relating matters of foreign policy
to the king.
When the Privy Council was dissolved and the office of College of the Chancellery abolished in 1789, he was made Head Steward for the queen, and in the absence of the king during the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), he was a member of the Cabinet. During this time, believing the king was about to abdicate
, he worked to form an alliance with other nobles and Duke Charles
to force the king to make peace with Russia and go into a defensive alliance with Denmark and Russia. The king, however, remained on the throne until his assassination in 1992, shortly before which Oxenstierna was made a Riksmarskalk ("Marshal of the Kingdom"). After the king's death, he left all public offices, but remained as a Marshal at the court.
After king Gustav's death he temporarily fell from grace with the new rulers. He made a short comeback as a cabinet member in 1798 and 1799, while king Gustav IV Adolf
travelled through Europe. In 1801 he stepped down as Riksmarskalk and was without any political influence until after the revolution of 1809, which deposed king Gustav IV Adolf and introduced the Constitution of 1809
. Oxenstierna disliked the revolution, but accepted being chairman of a committee during the Parliament
of 1809, and again in 1815. However, he was not in any way an influential politician.
Oxenstierna was never a formidable politician or diplomat. As mentioned before, he showed a distinct lack of interest already during his first diplomatic mission in Vienna. The king often kept him uninformed and took care of business himself. Gustav III simply liked having an Oxenstierna by his side, because of the family's notability in matters of state since the days of Axel Oxenstierna
. Oxenstierna often got distracted from his work, his mind wandering to more interesting matters, to the extent that he sometimes wrote public documents in verse
. His contemporaries described him as "unsuitable for management" and as a Riksmarskalk he managed to misorganize both the funeral of king Gustav III and the coronation
of the new king Charles XIII, drawing many complaints, even from the new king himself. He was not blind to this lack of administrative ability, and when he was suggested as President of the Chancellery he wrote to a friend: "This is insane and can never be, as I am not competent for this post."
He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
in 1804.
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna (19 July 1750 – 29 July 1818) was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
poet, politician, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and member of the Swedish Academy
Swedish Academy
The Swedish Academy , founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden.-History:The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. Modelled after the Académie française, it has 18 members. The motto of the Academy is "Talent and Taste"...
, holding seat number 8. He was a prominent courtier at the court of king Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
and is considered one of the foremost poets of the Gustavian period. He was a member of the Swedish Government and Parliament on several occasions. Amongst other things, he is also known for his translation into Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
of John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
s epic blank verse poem Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
.
Early life
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
, by lake Kolsnaren (now in Vingåker Municipality
Vingåker Municipality
Vingåker Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Vingåker.The municipality has its present size since the local government reform of 1971.-Localities :...
), in the province of Södermanland
Södermanland
', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
. He lived here during his youth with his parents, major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
count Göran Oxenstierna, a member of the Korsholm och Wasa branch of the Oxenstierna
Oxenstierna
Oxenstierna, an ancient Swedish noble family, the origin of which can be traced up to the middle of the 14th century, which had vast estates in Södermanland and Uppland, and began to adopt its armorial designation of Oxenstierna as a personal name towards the end of the 16th century...
family, and countess Sara Gyllenborg, and with his grandparents, Margareta Gyllenborg (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
von Beijer) and Jan Gyllenborg. The grandparents took active part in the upbringing of young Johan Gabriel - the grandfather until he died in 1752 - as the parents at times resided at Carlsten
Carlsten
Carlsten is a stone fortress located at Marstrand, on the western coast of Sweden. The fortress was built on the orders of King Carl X of Sweden following the Treaty of Roskilde, 1658 to protect the newly acquired province of Bohuslän from hostile attacks....
, due to the fathers military career. He was the oldest of four brothers.
His childhood at Skenäs came to play a leading role in his later authorship in many ways. The beauty of the nature of Södermanland, and the memories of his upbringing there, came to inspire the themes of his pre-romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
publications. His maternal uncle, poet Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg
Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg
Count Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg was a Swedish writer. Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg was born in Suinstad, Östergötland and died in Stockholm....
, in whose house he spent a lot of time, and his tutor, poet Olof Bergklint, came to inspire his career choice as a poet, as well as his poetry in itself. A person, whose writings he read and admired during this time, and who came to inspire him, was poet Gustaf Philip Creutz
Gustaf Philip Creutz
Count Gustaf Philip Creutz , was a Swedish statesman, diplomat and poet. He was born in Finland and after concluding his studies at the Royal Academy of Turku he received a post in the Privy Council Chancery at Stockholm in 1751. Here he met Count Gyllenborg, with whom his name is indissolubly...
.
In 1762 he was enrolled as a student at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
, from which he graduated in 1767 with an administrative degree ("kansliexamen"). Bergklint served as a tutor for his university studies, starting in 1764. During his studies he lived, at times, in Uppsala.
Although Oxenstierna's writings were not published until after he moved from Skenäs and started working, he did write a Diary between 1766 and 1768, which was published in 1965 by Bokgillet publishers in Uppsala under the title Ljuva ungdomstid: Dagbok 1766-1768 (Sweet Time of Youth: Diary 1766-1768). In it he makes everyday observations of his life at Skenäs, and later in Uppsala and Stockholm. The diary, which was written in French, reveals a melancholic and emotional character and a deep interest in nature and poetry, rather than the rational philosophy of that time.
Public career
Like his father, and his three brothers, Oxenstierna embarked upon a career in the public sector. After graduating from Uppsala, and after a successful disputationDisputation
In the scholastic system of education of the Middle Ages, disputations offered a formalized method of debate designed to uncover and establish truths in theology and in sciences...
, in front of the royal court, he was employed at the Royal Chancellery, in the department for foreign correspondence. During this time he resided with his uncle, Gustaf Gyllenborg. He was appointed acting Commission Secretary in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1770, and made the regular Commission Secretary in that city in 1772; the year of king Gustav III's coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and the establishment of absolute monarchy in Sweden. He seems to have been rather uninterested in his diplomatic work in Vienna, and more interested in his poetry and in a letter exchange with an Austrian lady, which showed clear Rousseauan
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
influence.
In 1774 he was called back to Stockholm by the king and made a Chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
. He had hoped for a position at the Swedish legation in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, but instead received the titular office of second secretary of the Presidential office (i.e. the Department for foreign affairs). As a chamberlain his poetic talents came to use, and brought him closer to the king, who was particularly enthused by his ability to write and speak in French. As a result of the king's trust in him, he was sent on diplomatic missions to several German states in 1778. He was made a senior Chamberlain in 1783 and a Member of the College of the Chancellery in 1785, with a special assignment to work with matters relating to Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
and Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
. In 1786, the king made him a member of the Privy Council of Sweden
Privy Council of Sweden
The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
and President of the College of the Chancellery, together with Emanuel De Geer. As President of the Chancellery Oxenstierna was the head of the Privy Council and responsible for relating matters of foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
to the king.
When the Privy Council was dissolved and the office of College of the Chancellery abolished in 1789, he was made Head Steward for the queen, and in the absence of the king during the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), he was a member of the Cabinet. During this time, believing the king was about to abdicate
Abdication
Abdication occurs when a monarch, such as a king or emperor, renounces his office.-Terminology:The word abdication comes derives from the Latin abdicatio. meaning to disown or renounce...
, he worked to form an alliance with other nobles and Duke Charles
Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII & II also Carl, , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
to force the king to make peace with Russia and go into a defensive alliance with Denmark and Russia. The king, however, remained on the throne until his assassination in 1992, shortly before which Oxenstierna was made a Riksmarskalk ("Marshal of the Kingdom"). After the king's death, he left all public offices, but remained as a Marshal at the court.
After king Gustav's death he temporarily fell from grace with the new rulers. He made a short comeback as a cabinet member in 1798 and 1799, while king Gustav IV Adolf
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
travelled through Europe. In 1801 he stepped down as Riksmarskalk and was without any political influence until after the revolution of 1809, which deposed king Gustav IV Adolf and introduced the Constitution of 1809
Instrument of Government (1809)
The Instrument of Government adopted on 6 June 1809 by the Riksdag of the Estates was one of the fundamental laws that made up the constitution of Sweden from 1809 to 1974...
. Oxenstierna disliked the revolution, but accepted being chairman of a committee during the Parliament
Riksdag of the Estates
The Riksdag of the Estates , was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King...
of 1809, and again in 1815. However, he was not in any way an influential politician.
Oxenstierna was never a formidable politician or diplomat. As mentioned before, he showed a distinct lack of interest already during his first diplomatic mission in Vienna. The king often kept him uninformed and took care of business himself. Gustav III simply liked having an Oxenstierna by his side, because of the family's notability in matters of state since the days of Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
. Oxenstierna often got distracted from his work, his mind wandering to more interesting matters, to the extent that he sometimes wrote public documents in verse
Verse (poetry)
A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
. His contemporaries described him as "unsuitable for management" and as a Riksmarskalk he managed to misorganize both the funeral of king Gustav III and the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of the new king Charles XIII, drawing many complaints, even from the new king himself. He was not blind to this lack of administrative ability, and when he was suggested as President of the Chancellery he wrote to a friend: "This is insane and can never be, as I am not competent for this post."
He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
in 1804.