Carl Einar Thure af Wirsén (20 April 1875 – 5 January 1946) was a Swedish Army officer, diplomat and writer. Originally an officer, he was sent into the diplomatic service after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and served as a military attaché in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

and

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

where he witnessed the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...

. From the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, af Wirsén came to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and witnessed the country's resurrection. After serving in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Reval Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...

and Riga, he was sent as envoy to

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and Belgrade in 1921. After working in the Mosul Commission, af Wirsén was sent to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, where he would stay for the next 12 years as envoy. Finally he was envoy in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

for three years before retiring in 1940.

Career

Einar af Wirsén was born in

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the c ...

, Sweden, the son of poet and literary critic Carl David af Wirsén and Cecilia Emerentia Leontina (née Adlöf). He became a volunteer in the

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards ( sv, Svea livgarde), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Tro ...

in 1891, passed ''mogenhetsexamen'' in 1893 and was promoted to sergeant in 1894. af Wirsén enrolled at the Royal Military Academy on 16 August 1894, was promoted to ''

fanjunkare Fanjunkare (OR-7) is a Swedish military rank above Översergeant and below Förvaltare. The word 'Fanjunkare' is derived from German 'Fahnenjunker', and denotes a standard-bearer, hence 'Colour Sergeant'. Promotion For promotion to ''Fanjunkar ...

'' in 1895 and graduated from the Royal Military Academy on 20 November the same year. af Wirsén became a second lieutenant in the Svea Life Guards in 1895, was promoted to lieutenant in 1897 and attended the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1900 to 1902. He was appointed attaché in 1903 and was an aspirant at the General Staff from 1904 to 1906. He was promoted to captain in the Svea Life Guards in 1909. af Wirsén served on the General Staff from 1910 to 1914. He became a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College in 1911 and was then military attaché in

and

from 1915 to 1920. Whilst in Constantinople and Sofia, he witnessed the

along with the military operations in the Dardanelles in 1915–16 and the military operations in Macedonia in 1918. af Wirsén was promoted to major in the Swedish Army in 1917 and major in the Göta Life Guards in 1920. He was acting extra second legation secretary in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

from 15 January to 31 March 1921 and was appointed acting extra first legation secretary at the

Ministry for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

on 8 April the same year. af Wirsén was acting first legation secretary in

from 28 April to 2 July 1921 and was appointed acting chargé d'affaires in

and Riga on 24 June 1921. He was appointed

envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an automobile brand used to sell Br ...

and Belgrade (accredited from Bucharest) on 26 September 1921, staying in this position until the 5 November 1924 when he took a

leave of absence The labour law concept of leave, specifically paid leave or, in some countries' long-form, a leave of absence, is an authorised prolonged absence from work, for any reason authorised by the workplace. When people "take leave" in this way, they are ...

. af Wirsén was, from 1924 to 1925, the president of the League of Nations Council-appointed investigation commission for the submission of proposals for the border between Turkey and Iraq (the Mosul Commission) and had a significant share in its thorough report, which formed the basis for the Council decision. af Wirsén served his mission in a very satisfactory manner, and skilfully preserved the integrity of the commission, including in relation to quite tangible British pressure. He was then appointed an envoy in

on 26 September 1925 and became major in the Svea Life Guards reserve on 8 January 1926. He stayed at his post in Berlin until 1937 and then became an envoy in

from 1937 to 1940.

Personal life

On 26 January 1910 he married Jeanne Maria Käthie Ingeldi (25 July 1881 in

Kristinehamn Kristinehamn is a locality and the seat of Kristinehamn Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden, with 17,839 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Kristinehamn is situated by the shores of lake Vänern where the small rivers ''Varnan'' and ''Löt' ...

– 21 December 1920 in

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...

). On 1 February 1922 in

Engelbrekt Church Engelbrekt Church ( sv, Engelbrektskyrkan) is a protected church located in the Lärkstaden area of Stockholm, Sweden. Its located at Östermalm and belongs to the Church of Sweden and is parish church for Engelbrekt Parish in the Diocese of ...

, Stockholm he married his cousin's daughter Ebba Elsa Cecilia Hildebrand (5 April 1903 – 26 September 1991; both in Stockholm), the daughter of chairman of the board of the

Swedish National Debt Office The Swedish National Debt Office ( sv, Riksgäldskontoret or shortly ''Riksgälden'') was founded by Gustav III at the Riksdag of the Estates in 1789, through the Act of union and security. It is a Swedish Government agency. The first task of the ...

, Karl Emil Hildebrand and Elisabet af Geijerstam. af Wirsén had three daughters; *Käthie ''Madeleine'' Carola Cecilia (married Landenius) (18 May 1912 in Stockholm – 26 September 1996) *''Ulla'' Elisabet (born 11 October 1922 in

Sinaia Sinaia () is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery of 1695, around which it was built. The monastery, in turn, is named aft ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

– 9 September 1976) *''Diane'' Augusta (born 21 April 1935 in Berlin) Einar af Wirsén died on 5 January 1946 and was buried 15 days later in Uppsala old cemetery in his hometown.

Awards and decorations

af Wirsén's awards: * King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1928) *Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of t ...

(1932) *Knight of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the ...

(1916) *Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

(1914) *Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy *Grand Cross of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvija ...

(1930) *Grand Cross of the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...

(1925) *Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (1922) *Grand Cross of the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order (german: link=yes, Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden)Hausorden
Herz ...

*Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Sava The Royal Order of St. Sava is an Order of merit, first awarded by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1883 and later by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was awarded to nationals and foreigners for meritorious ach ...

(1922) *Commander of the Order of Military Merit (1922) *Third Class of the

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in f ...

(1916) *Officer of the Order of Saint Alexander with swords (1919) *Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog (1912) *Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (1913) *Knight Third Class of the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

(1909) *Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for m ...

(1915)

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wirsen, Einar 1875 births 1946 deaths Swedish Army officers Swedish male writers Ambassadors of Sweden to Romania Ambassadors of Sweden to Greece Ambassadors of Sweden to Yugoslavia Ambassadors of Sweden to Germany Ambassadors of Sweden to Italy Military personnel from Uppsala Witnesses of the Armenian genocide Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of Vasa Burials at Uppsala old cemetery Swedish military attachés