Sweden’s King Adolf Frederick (1710 – 1771) reigned from 1751 until his death twenty years later. A weak ruler who sat upon a throne once occupied by dynamic kings who shook Europe, such as Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII, little that happened during Adolf Frederick’s reign mattered to the outside world. He is better known to history for his comic demise than for any accomplishment as a monarch, and is remembered as the king who ate himself to death.
An Unexpected King
King Adolf Frederick had not been a direct heir to the Swedish crown. He was born into the House of Oldenburg, a German dynasty that had last occupied Sweden’s throne more than two centuries before Frederick was crowned in 1751. From 1727 to 1750, he was bishop of Lubeck. However, he was elected heir after Sweden made an attempt to recapture territory that had been lost to Russia a generation earlier. Sweden lost the resultant war, 1741 – 1743.
Frederick’s election was secured by Russian bayonets, after Russia’s Tsarina Elizabeth demanded that he be selected as heir as a condition for peace. The Russians backed that with the threat of annexing large swathes of Swedish territory if their tsarina’s preferred candidate lost the election. Out of the options, the Swedes gave in. Adolf Frederick was elected heir in 1743, and ascended the throne in 1751 after its occupant passed away.
A King Remembered More for His Weird Death Than for His Accomplishments in Life
Throughout his time on the throne, King Adolf Frederick reigned more than he ruled, and most real power rested with the Riksdag, or parliament. He tried from time to time to challenge parliament and increase his power and royal prerogatives, but all his attempts ended in failure. As such, he remained a figurehead king. However, that was not a bad thing for Sweden: it marked a shift from absolutist monarchy to a constitutional one. Frederick consoled himself by spending the bulk of his reign in pursuit of pleasure.
One of Adolf Frederick’s greatest pleasures was eating, and he became a glutton. It proved a fatal delight that brought him to an undignified end on February 12th, after he wolfed down a gluttonously lavish dinner. The king’s last supper included large servings of lobster, caviar, sausages, and sauerkraut, washed down with copious amounts of champagne. For desert, he had fourteen servings of semla – a Swedish sweet roll topped with whipped cream – with hot milk. Soon thereafter, he started to complain of stomach pains, which steadily worsened until he died a few hours later.
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Some Sources & Further Reading
Encyclopedia Britannica – Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden
Nordstjernan – King-Sized Meal: A Cautionary Tale
