The birthday of the King of Sweden

“Once upon a time there was one old kingdom” is how many Swedish fairy tales begin. One can guess for a long time which kingdom is meant. But the Swedes themselves do not guess, they are sure that all good fairy tales are about them. Sweden is the largest and oldest kingdom in the world.

The Swedish monarchy has a tradition of thousands of years. It is not known to historians who were the first monarchs of Sweden, even after a very careful study of the history of the country, but it is known that there were more than seventy rulers of Sweden. And the first known ruler was Gustav Vasa, who ruled from 1523 to 1560 and initiated the laws of succession in Sweden.

By the way, if we talk about the history of not only world monarchy, but also democracy, then the Swedish parliament - the Riksdag, which has existed since 1435, in 1809 issued a set of laws that limit the sole power of both the king and the Riksdag himself in order to avoid abuses in their official position. These laws are still in force today, making Sweden’s constitutional monarchy a guarantee of high social security for Swedes.

We know quite well the Swedish monarch Charles XII, who was a brave warrior and a very experienced military commander. And even the fact that Peter I defeated it near Poltava was not a mistake of Charles, but the merit of Peter the Great. But if you look at the history of Sweden, almost all kings could lead not only the state, but also their valiant troops.

The story of the royal family of Bernadotte, whose representative currently occupies the Swedish throne, is indicative of this. The founder of the family - Frenchman Jean Baptiste Bernadotte - General of the Napoleonic army. He ascended the Swedish throne in 1818 under the name of King Carl XIV Johan and reigned until 1844.

The current ruler of Sweden is King Carl XVI Gustaf, the seventh of the glorious family of Bernadotte. He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-seven, on September 15, 1973.
Carl Gustav Folke Hubertus, Duke of Jamtland, was born on 30 April 1946 to Crown Prince Gustav Adolphus and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. As a result of a plane crash in 1947, Crown Prince Gustav Adolf dies and Karl becomes the heir, ascending the throne after his grandfather, Gustav VI Adolf in 1973.

In 1972, at the Olympic Games in Munich, the future king of Sweden met the translator Sylvia Sommerlat, the daughter of German financier Walter Sommerlat and Brazilian Alice Renata. The outburst of love between Karl and Sylvia disheartened all the Swedish princesses, who could now be content with the exclusive honorary title of Friends of the Family. They were engaged at Stockholm Castle on March 12, 1976, and married in church on June 19.

In 1977, an important event occurred in the royal family: Crown Princess Victoria was born - the future heir to the Swedish throne, in 1979 - Prince Carl Philippe, and in 1982 - Princess Madeline. The king has four sisters: Princess Margaret, Birgitta, Desiri and Christina.

All Swedish citizens, of course, know the birthdays of all members of the royal family, but the most important holiday is the birthday of King Carl Gustav. On April 30, citizens from all over the country gather at the Royal Castle in Stockholm, where they have a rare opportunity not only to see the king, but also to personally present him with gifts with best wishes. On this day, a military parade, various spectacular events are held in the city center and the whole country celebrates the birthday of the monarch with great love for its main symbol of Swedish statehood.