Benjamin Danielsson Roth (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: Roht) was a

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

blacksmith and farrier who emigrated to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

near the beginning of the 18th century. He is best known for his work on Charles XII's Stair at

Katarina Church Katarina kyrka (''Church of Catherine'') is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 199 ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden.

Emigration to Sweden

Roth family legend had long speculated that Benjamin was either hired or conscripted to serve as a blacksmith for the army of

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

when it marched north from

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

to invade the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and that he returned to Sweden with other surviving members of the Swedish army after their defeat by

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

. This narrative conflicts with records of his marriage to a Swedish woman in 1704 and the fact that Saxony was not defeated and subsequently allied with Sweden until 1706. Also, records indicate that the few Swedish soldiers who were not killed or captured in Russia fled south with Charles XII and did not return with him to Sweden until 1715. This means that either: A. Benjamin's emigration to Sweden happened sometime before 1704 and was unrelated to Saxony's alliance with Sweden or; B. The records that indicate a marriage date of 1704 are incorrect; however, their first child was born in July 1705.

Life in Sweden

Benjamin settled in the part of

called

Södermalm Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is the southern district of Stockholm City Centre. Overview The Södermalm district covers the island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''), which, however, is not fully separated from th ...

where he worked as a master

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...

. He married Catharina Berg, the daughter of Swedish

locksmith Locksmithing is the work of creating and bypassing locks. Locksmithing is a traditional trade and in many countries requires completion of an apprenticeship. The level of formal education legally required varies by country, ranging from no formal ...

Lars Olsson Berg, in 1704. They had 7 children: Maria, Catharina, Margaretha, Carl, Benjamin, Christina Charlotta, and one unnamed child who died either in birth or infancy. In addition to their home in Södermalm, an estate inventory in 1763 indicates that they owned two small stone houses between Baggensgatan and Västerlånggatan in Gamla Stan (Old Town), Stockholm. Benjamin was a member of the German parish and eventually became an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

in Stockholm's farriers

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

Roht vs. Roth

None of the sources relating to Benjamin Roth or his son Carl speak to or explain the alternate spelling of Roth found on Karl XII's stair. It may be due to that in the past names had different spellings in different languages. (I.E. Karl in Germany, Karl or Carl in Sweden, Charles in England, Char in France, Carolos in Latin, etc.) It may simply have been spelled Roht in Saxony and Roth in Sweden, and the family eventually formally adopted the Swedish spelling.

Benjamin's Admiration for
Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

Karl XII:s Trappa Sometime between 1712 and 1715 Benjamin was commissioned to forge a railing for a staircase at

in Södermalm. The stair was dedicated to Charles XII of Sweden and his royal monogram appears above the dedication date. He is also mentioned in the poem that is engraved on the pillars on either side of the stair. This double staircase leads from the cemetery up to the southern entrance of the church. It was dedicated in 1715 and he was paid 300

riksdaler The Svenska riksdaler () was the name of a Swedish coin first minted in 1604. Between 1777 and 1873, it was the currency of Sweden. The daler, like the dollar,''National Geographic''. June 2002. p. 1. ''Ask Us''. was named after the German Thale ...

for the work. The railing was renovated by Benjamin's son, Carl Roth, in 1776. File:Charles XII Stair, post 26.jpg File:Charles XII Stair, post 27.jpg File:Charles XII Stair, post 28.jpg Tradition of Carl Benjamin named his first son Carl in honor of the king of Sweden, Charles XII. This began a tradition in House Roth where some or all of the male children (usually at least the oldest) were named Carl and were commonly known by their middle names. This tradition has persisted within certain branches of House Roth for over 300 years to present day: The youngest being Carl Eben Roth, son of Carl Jan Christian and Stephanie Roth, born 2019.

References

Sources