BERNADOTTE (Jean-Baptiste)

Lot 27
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BERNADOTTE (Jean-Baptiste)
Collection of letters, proclamations and speeches of His Royal Highness Charles John Royal Prince of Sweden and Norway. S.l.n.d. [at the end] : Stockholm, From the Printing House of C. Deleen, 1817. In-8, long-grained red morocco, straight lace formed by two fillets and two roulettes, crowned figure O in the center and princely crown in the corners, smooth spine richly decorated with a cross-brace, inner lace, gilt edges (Period binding). The work opens with a copper-engraved title-frontispiece by Ruckman after Westin, followed by a dedication by the publisher E. von der Lancken to the hereditary prince. The letters, proclamations and other speeches transcribed in this book date from 1809 to 1817, an important period in Swedish history and in the life of Bernadotte (1763-1844), Napoleon's former marshal who was appointed crown prince to King Charles VIII before he acceded to the crown in 1818: I have left France, for which I had lived until that day. I have separated from the Emperor Napoleon, to whom I was deeply grateful and to whom an infinite number of other ties attached me, [...] I will only find true compensation in the happiness of my new homeland, he swore in 1810. Five letters are addressed to the Emperor Napoleon, whom Bernadotte had to fight by allying himself with the Tsar Alexander. The one of March 23, 1813 is particularly eloquent and recalls the crazy campaign of Russia: Your army, the elite of France, Germany and Italy, does not exist anymore. There remained the brave men who saved France at Fleurus, who conquered in Italy, who resisted the burning climate of Egypt [...]. May Your soul be moved by this heart-rending picture, Sire; and if it is necessary to move it further, may it remember the death of more than a million Frenchmen, left on the field of honor, victims of wars that Your Majesty has undertaken! [...] Whatever your decision may be, Sire, for peace or for war, I will not less preserve for Your Majesty the feelings of an old brother in arms. Precious copy of dedication bound with the figure of Joseph-François Oscar (1799-1859), only son of Bernadotte. It is printed on wove paper, with large margins. Oscar Bernadotte ruled Sweden and Norway from 1844 to his death under the name of Oscar I. He received a solid education and was brought up in the Swedish tradition, at the request of his father who had elaborated for him a program of instruction that was to be followed to the letter by the baron Cederhjelm, appointed on this occasion governor of the prince (pp. 73-81). Rare provenance. Small restoration to the corners, the headpieces and a spine.
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