Count Carl August Ehrensvärd (16 September 1858 – 16 February 1944) was a

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

admiral, politician and Minister for Naval Affairs from 1907 to 1911.

Early life

Ehrensvärd was born on 16 September 1858 at Tosterup Castle, Tomelilla Municipality, Sweden, the son of County Governor Albert Ehrensvärd and his wife Ingeborg Hedvig Vogt (from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

). He had fours siblings; Albert Ehrensvärd (1867–1940), Henriette Eleonore Ingeborg Ehrensvärd (born 1853), Anna Louise Dorotée (born 1855) and Augustine Sofia Amalia (1862–1944).

Career

He became ''

underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word '' Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 19 ...

'' in the

in 1878 and lieutenant (''kapten'') in 1889. Ehrensvärd was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1900 and to commander in 1903. He was head of the Military Office of the Ministry for Naval Affairs from 1904 to 1906 and he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1905. Ehrensvärd was chief of the shipyard in

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to ...

in 1906 and Council of State (''statsråd'') and head of the Ministry for Naval Affairs from 4 December 1907 to 30 June 1910. Ehrensvärd then promoted to rear admiral in 1910 and appointed station commander in

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 ...

. In 1916 he was appointed Inspector of the Navy's Exercises at Sea and the year after Ehrensvärd was promoted to vice admiral. In 1919 Ehrensvärd was appointed Highest Commander of the Coastal Fleet and he was then commanding admiral and station commander in Karlskrona from 1919 to 1923. He was first adjutant of Gustaf V of Sweden and was appointed chief of His Majesty's Military Staff in 1924. Ehrensvärd was promoted to full admiral in 1926, three years after he retired from the navy.

Personal life

In 1883 he married baroness Lovisa Ulrika (Ulla) Thott (born 3 August 1858), the daughter of '' ryttmästare'', baron Gustav Thott and baroness Ulrika Thott. They had three sons: Carl August Ehrensvärd, Gösta Ehrensvärd and Augustin Ehrensvärd.

Dates of rank

*1878 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word '' Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 19 ...

'' *1889 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*1900 – Lieutenant commander *1903 –

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

*1905 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

*1910 –

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

*1917 –

Vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

*1926 –

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Royal Majesty (16 June 1928), Chancellor of the Order * Order of the Seraphim - Ribbon bar

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1928) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(16 December 1916) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(19 January 1909) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

(30 November 1907) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

(1898)

Foreign

* Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold * Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown * Grand Cross of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

(14 February 1919); with Breast Star in Diamonds, (14 May 1937) * Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

* Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

* Grand Cross of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...

* Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint-Charles The Order of Saint Charles (; Monégasque: ''U̍rdine de San Carlu'') is a dynastic order of knighthood established in Monaco on 15 March 1858. Award This order rewards service to the State or Prince. In particular cases, it may be grante ...

* Grand Cross of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

with swords * Knight First Class of the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

* Knight First Class of the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; 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 Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

* Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

* Grand Cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

* Honorary Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(3 August 1907) * 1st Degree of the Cross of Liberty * Knight 2nd Class of the Order of the Crown * 2nd Class, Third Grade of the

Order of the Double Dragon The Imperial Order of the Double Dragon () was an Order (decoration), order awarded in the late Qing dynasty. The Order was founded by the Guangxu Emperor on 7 February 1882 as an award for outstanding services to the throne and the Qing court. ...

* Knight 1st Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

* Knight of the

Military Order of Saint James of the Sword The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword (), formerly known as the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit (), is one of the four former ancient Portu ...

* Knight 3rd Class of the Order of the Iron Crown (1890)

Honours

*Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1905) *Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1908)

References

} } {{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrensvard, Carl August 1858 births 1944 deaths Swedish counts Swedish Navy admirals Ministers for naval affairs of Sweden People from Tomelilla Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences 20th-century Swedish military personnel Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Knights of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy) Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Honorary Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour