Curt Bogislaus Ludvig Kristoffer von Stedingk (26 October 1746 – 7 January 1837) was a

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of the von Stedingk family, and a successful

Swedish army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

officer and diplomat who played a prominent role in Swedish foreign policy for several decades.

Biography

Early life

Von Stedingk was born in

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...

on 26 October 1746. His father was Major Kristoffer Adam Stedingk and his mother was Countess Kristina Charlotta von Schwerin, daughter of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

's famous Field Marshal Kurt Christoph von Schwerin. He married Ulrika Fredrika Ekström and became the father of one son and five daughters, who married into the noble families af Ugglas, Biörnstierna, von Platen, d'Otrante and Rosenblad; he was the father of the composer Maria Fredrica von Stedingk. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, while Sweden was at war with

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, the 13-year-old Curt was an ensign in the personal regiment of the Crown Prince of Sweden. After the war ended, he went to Sweden to claim compensation for damage done to his family's estate in Pomerania. This goal was not achieved, but von Stedingk was introduced to the court and became friends with the crown prince and his brothers. In Canada, the lineage continues with Baron Vicko von Stedingk and his wife Baroness Paula von Stedingk.

Career

Military career

In 1763, after von Stedingk completed his studies at

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

, he began his military career, and rose quickly through the ranks in the '' Royal Suédois'' regiment in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, which was owned by his friend count Axel von Fersen. Both von Stedingk and Axel von Fersen were both close friends of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

and

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

and spent much time in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. By 1778, he had become ''colonel en chef'', and by 1783, he was in charge of a larger army unit in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, then an internal part of Sweden. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, when France sent troops under the command of

Marquis de LaFayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

in support of the American colonies, von Stedingk went overseas to

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1779. At the

siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the second battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

in October 1779, he commanded the left column of the attacking force, and planted the

American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

on the last line of enemy trenches, but was wounded by enemy crossfire, and forced to retreat, with 20 men, all wounded like he was. For this, he was decorated by the French and received a lifetime pension. He was also recognized as a hero for his acts during the naval Battle of Grenada fought against Vice Admiral

John Byron Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sa ...

on 6 July 1779. For his feats in battle, von Stedingk was made a member of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

in 1783. During the Russo-Swedish War started by King

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he saw ...

in 1788, von Stedingk commanded the defence of Savolax. His forces repeatedly defeated Russian forces that greatly outnumbered the Swedes, and von Stedingk was promoted to major general. He was Ambassador to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

in two turns – all in all almost 20 years. In the Russo-Swedish War 1808–1809 he was commander-in-chief in

, which still belonged to Sweden. Thanks to his very good standing with the

Russian Imperial Family The House of Romanov (also transliterated as Romanoff; , ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russia. Ni ...

he later managed to alleviate the harsh terms of the peace negotiations when Finland was lost to Russia. In the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

he successfully commanded the Swedish troops against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. He was promoted to field marshal.''People from the past: Curt von Stedingk, ambassador and Sweden’s last field marshal'' (Trond Norén Isaksen)
/ref>

Death and afterward

Von Stedingk died at age 90 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 ...

, and is said to have been mourned by both the King of Sweden, at that time,

Charles XIV John Charles XIV John (; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844 and the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty. In Norway, he is known as Charles III John () and before he became royalty in ...

, and the armed forces.

References

Other sources

* Hofberg et al., ''Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon'' 1906, Albert Bonnier publishing company. Available a
Project Runeberg
*von Platen, Carl Henrik (1995) ''Stedingk: Curt von Stedingk (1746–1837) : kosmopolit, krigare och diplomat hos Ludvig XVI, Gustav III och Katarina den stora'' (Atlantis) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stedingk, Kurt von 1746 births 1837 deaths Field marshals of Sweden Swedish people of German descent Uppsala University alumni Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Recipients of the Order of St. Anna Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword 18th-century diplomats 18th-century Swedish military personnel 18th-century Swedish nobility Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (France) Swedish military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Ambassadors of Sweden to the Russian Empire Gustavian era people People from Swedish Pomerania Swedish military personnel of the American Revolutionary War