View source for Charles XIII

{{Short description|King of Sweden from 1809 to 1818}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name            = Charles XIII
| image           = King Charles XIII of Sweden.jpg
| caption         = Charles wearing the insignia of the [[Order of Charles XIII]] (in red)
| succession      = [[List of Swedish monarchs|King of Sweden]]
| reign           = 6 June 1809 – {{awrap|5 February 1818}}
| predecessor     = [[Gustav IV Adolf]]
| successor       = [[Charles XIV John]]
| succession1     = [[King of Norway]]
| reign1          = 4 November 1814 – {{awrap|5 February 1818}}
| predecessor1    = [[Christian Frederick]]
| successor1      = [[Charles XIV John]]
| succession2     = [[List of regents#Sweden|Regent of Sweden]]
| reign2          = 29 March 1792 – {{awrap|1 November 1796}}
| reign-type2     = Tenure
| regent2         = Gustav IV Adolf
| reg-type2       = Monarch
| issue           = {{plainlist|
*[[Carl Löwenhielm]] (ill.)
}}
| issue-link      = #Family
| issue-pipe      = more...
| spouse          = {{marriage|[[Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp]]|1774}}
| house           = [[House of Holstein-Gottorp (Swedish line)|Holstein-Gottorp]]
| father          = [[Adolf Frederick of Sweden]]
| mother          = [[Louisa Ulrika of Prussia]]
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1748|10|7|df=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Stockholm]], Sweden
| death_date      = {{Death date and age|1818|2|5|1748|10|7|df=y}}
| death_place     = Stockholm, [[Sweden–Norway]]
| date of burial  = 20 March 1818
| place of burial = [[Riddarholm Church]]
| religion        = [[Lutheran]]
| signature       = Signature of Charles XIII of Sweden.svg
}}

'''Charles XIII''' or '''Carl XIII''' ({{langx|sv|Karl XIII}}; 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818){{sfn|Bain|1911}} was [[King of Sweden]] from 1809 and [[King of Norway]] from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King [[Gustav III]]) of King [[Adolf Frederick of Sweden]] and [[Louisa Ulrika of Prussia]], sister of [[Frederick the Great]].<ref name="snl.no">{{Cite web|url=https://nbl.snl.no/Karl_2.|title=Karl 2.|first=Lars Roar|last=Langslet|date=29 June 2022|via=Store norske leksikon|access-date=8 July 2022|archive-date=8 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708034405/https://nbl.snl.no/Karl_2.|url-status=live}}</ref>

Though known as King Charles XIII in Sweden, he was actually the seventh [[Carl of Sweden (disambiguation)|Swedish king by that name]], as [[Charles IX of Sweden|Charles IX]] (reigned 1604–1611) had adopted his numeral after studying [[Historia de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus|a fictitious history of Sweden]].<ref>Article [https://runeberg.org/nfbm/0500.html Karl] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130120522/http://runeberg.org/nfbm/0500.html |date=30 November 2019 }} in [[Nordisk familjebok]]</ref> In Norway, he is known as '''Charles II'''.<ref name="snl.no"/>

==Early life==
[[File:Ulrica Pasch - Duke Charles XIII of Sweden 1758.jpg|left|thumb|upright| Prince Charles, <!-- the future, Duke Charles XIII of Sweden, --> in 1758 by [[Ulrica Pasch]].]]
Prince Charles was placed under the tutelage of [[Hedvig Elisabet Strömfelt]] and then [[Ulrica Schönström]]. He was appointed [[Swedish Navy#History|grand admiral]] when he was but few days old. He was described as a good dancer at the [[amateur theatre]] of the royal court. Reportedly he was not very close to his mother. The Queen preferred her youngest children, [[Princess Sophia Albertine of Sweden|Sophie Albertine]] and [[Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden|Frederick Adolf]].<ref name="Alma Söderhjelm 1945 pp. 28">Alma Söderhjelm (1945). ''Gustav III:s syskon'' (The siblings of Gustav III) Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag. pp. 28–29. 23033 (Swedish)</ref>

Charles was, however, his father's favorite, and similar to him in personality.<ref name="ReferenceA">Karl XIII, urn:sbl:12358, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Olof Jägerskiöld), hämtad 9 February 2015.</ref> He was also described as close to his brother Gustav during their childhood.<ref name="Alma Söderhjelm 1945 pp. 28"/>

Because of his position as the heir to the throne after his elder brother Gustav, he was early targeted as a useful tool for the opposition to his brother: already in the 1760s, the [[Caps (party)]] tried to use him against his brother the crown prince through his then love interest countess [[Brita Horn]], daughter of the Cap's politician [[Adam Horn]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Gustav, however, was always careful to prevent Charles from being used by the opposition, which came to its first test during the [[December Crisis (1768)]], when Charles, ultimately, did not let himself be used by the Caps party.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In 1770, he made a journey through Germany and France alone.

==Reign of Gustav III==
[[File:Alexander Roslin - King Gustav III of Sweden and his Brothers - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Gustav III, King of Sweden, and his brothers]]
[[File:Coronet of Carl of Sweden (1748) & subsequent Princes 2014.jpg|thumb|[[Coronet]] created for Prince Charles and worn at his brother Gustav's coronation in 1772.]]
[[File:Carl XIII & Charlotte wedding medal 1774.jpg|thumb|Medal issued when Charles married his cousin in 1774]]
After the death of his father in 1771, when his brother the crown prince was abroad, the [[Caps (party)|Caps]] once again attempted to use him against his brother, now King [[Gustav III]] of Sweden, and his mother Louisa Ulrika used this in order to have her own rights as a dowager queen respected by the Caps.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Upon the departure of his mother to Prussia, and the return of his brother, however, Gustav III managed to win him to his side.

In 1772 he cooperated in the [[Revolution of 1772]] of his elder brother, King Gustav. He was given the task of using his connections in the Caps party to neutralize it and secure the southern provinces by use of the military, tasks he performed successfully<ref name="ReferenceA"/> and for which the king rewarded him with the title Duke of [[Södermanland]].

Duke Charles in early years was the object of his mother's plans to arrange political marriages for her children. On the wish of his mother, he was to be married to her niece, his cousin [[Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt]], a plan to which he had agreed in 1770. The government, however, refused to issue negotiations because of the costs.<ref name="Alma Söderhjelm 1945 pp. 28"/> After the accession of Gustav III and the coup d'état which introduced absolute monarchy, his brother terminated these plans against their mother's will in October 1772, and began negotiations for a marriage between Charles and his cousin [[Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp]]. As King Gustav had not consummated his own marriage, he wished to place the task of providing an heir to the throne with his brother. Charles agreed to the marriage in August 1773, and the marriage took place the following year. After a false alarm of a pregnancy of Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte in 1775, the king finally consummated his own marriage. Charles and his wife lived separate private lives and each had extramarital affairs.<ref name="Alma Söderhjelm 1945 pp. 28"/> During the great succession scandal of 1778, when queen dowager Louisa Ulrika questioned the paternity of the issue of Gustav III, Charles sided with his brother the king against their mother, this despite the fact that it was in fact he who had informed her of the rumors regarding the legitimacy, something he however withheld from the king.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Charles was described as dependent and easily influenced.<ref>Alma Söderhjelm (1945). ''Gustav III:s syskon'' (The siblings of Gustav III) Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag. p. 28-29. 23033 (Swedish)</ref> His numerous affairs gave him the reputation of being a libertine.<ref name="Alma Söderhjelm 1945 pp. 28"/> He was reputed for his many lovers,<ref name="Alma Söderhjelm 1945 pp. 28"/> of which the more well known were [[Augusta von Fersen]], [[Charlotte Eckerman]], [[Françoise-Éléonore Villain]], [[Mariana Koskull]] and [[Charlotte Slottsberg]], the last one reputed to have had political influence over him.  He unsuccessfully courted [[Magdalena Rudenschöld]], and her refusal of his advances has been pointed out as the cause of the harsh treatment he exposed her to as regent during the [[Armfelt Conspiracy|Armfelt conspiracy]].  
After the late 1790s, when his health deteriorated as a result of a series of rheumatic attacks, his relationship to his consort improved and she gained more influence over him.<ref>Alma Söderhjelm (1945). ''Gustav III:s syskon'' (The siblings of Gustav III) Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag. 23033 (Swedish)</ref>

The Duke was known for his interest in the [[supernatural]] and [[mysticism]], and he was engaged in several [[secret societies]]. He was a member of the [[Freemasons]]. He was reportedly a client of the fortune teller [[Ulrica Arfvidsson]], and he also favored the [[Mediumship|medium]] [[Henrik Gustaf Ulfvenklou]]. In 1811, he founded the [[Order of Charles XIII]], a Swedish [[order of chivalry]] awarded only to a maximum number of 33 knights, on the condition of confessing the Lutheran Evangelic Religion and being Freemasons. All Princes and Kings of the [[Bernadotte dynasty]], the royal house of Sweden are from baptism, incorporate parts of the royal order of knights and freemasons. In addition are the order of merit granted to members of foreign Grand Lodges affiliated to the so-called [[Freemasonry in Sweden|Swedish System]],<ref name=Lobkowicz>{{cite book|last=Lobkowicz|first=František|title=Encyklopedie řádů a vyznamenání|year=1995|publisher=Libri|location=Prague|isbn=80-901579-9-8|page=171|language = cs}}</ref> such as the [[Grande Loge Nationale Française]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frimurarorden.se/information-in-english/|title=Svenska Frimurare Orden|website=frimurarorden.se|access-date=3 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203055631/https://www.frimurarorden.se/information-in-english/|archive-date=3 December 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> if of royal rank. When the Swedish order of Freemason's states that "''Freemasonry in Sweden has continued to develop under leadership of their Grand Masters, all of them belonging to the Royal House since more than 200 years''",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frimurarorden.se/information-in-english/history/|title=Svenska Frimurare Orden|website=frimurarorden.se|access-date=3 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203152103/https://www.frimurarorden.se/information-in-english/history/|archive-date=3 December 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> the origin of which arrives in large from King Charles II of Norway, XIII of Sweden.

Duke Charles was given several political tasks during his tenure as a duke. In 1777, he served as regent during Gustav III's stay in Russia. In 1780, he served as formal chief commander during the king's stay in [[Spa, Belgium|Spa]]. The same year, Gustav III named him regent for his son should he succeed him while still a minor.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> However, he was not appointed regent during the journey of the king to Italy and France in 1783–84, and in the following years, he came under the influence of [[Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm]], who was in opposition to the monarch, and came to be less trusted by Gustav III.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In 1785, he was offered the Dukedom of [[Courland]] by the nobility of the Duchy and given the support of Gustav III.<ref>
{{cite book
 |author=Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte, Queen Consort of Charles XIII of Sweden
 | editor = C. C. Bonde
 | title = Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok II 1783–1788 (The diaries of Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte II)
 | publisher =  P. A. Norstedt & Söners förlag
 | year = 1903
 | page =96
 | language = sv
 | id=412070
}}</ref> This however never materialized.

On the outbreak of the [[Gustav III's Russian War|Russo-Swedish War]] of 1788 he served with distinction as admiral of the [[Swedish Royal Navy|fleet]], especially at the battles of [[Battle of Hogland|Hogland]] (7 June 1788) and [[Battle of Öland (1789)|Öland]] (26 July 1789). On the latter occasion he would have won a signal victory but for the remissness of his second-in-command, Admiral Liljehorn.{{sfn|Bain|1911}}

The autumn of 1789, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte wished to depose Gustav III and place her husband Duke Charles upon the throne.<ref name="Hellsing 2013">My Hellsing (2013). Hovpolitik. Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte som politisk aktör vid det gustavianska hovet (Court Politics. Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte as a political actor at the Gustavian court) Örebro: Örebro universitet. {{ISBN|978-91-7668-964-6}} (in Swedish)</ref> Her ideal was the [[Swedish Constitution of 1772]], which she saw as a good tool for an enlightened aristocracy, and the war and the [[Union and Security Act]] had made her a leading part of the opposition. She cooperated with [[Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden]] and [[Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm]].<ref name="Hellsing 2013"/> The plan was to force Charles to act as a symbol of the opposition to the [[Union and Security Act]] when the time was right.<ref name="Hellsing 2013"/> When the time arrived to make Charles act, however, he refused, which effectively foiled [[1789 Conspiracy (Sweden)|the coup]].<ref name="Hellsing 2013"/>

Charles was in close connection to the opposition against Gustav III, and it is debated whether he knew of and supported the plans to assassinate the king.<ref name="NE2jan2007">''Nationalencyklopedin'' accessed online 2 January 2007, article ''Karl XIII''</ref>

==Reign of Gustav IV Adolf==
On the assassination of Gustav III in 1792, Charles acted as [[regent]] of Sweden until 1796 on behalf of his nephew, King Gustav IV, who was a minor when his father was shot in the Stockholm opera. Gustav III had designated him regent in his earlier will. When he was dying, he altered the will, and while still appointing Charles regent of his minor son, he was no longer to rule absolute, but restricted by a government consisted of the supporters of Gustav III.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> After the death of the monarch, however, Charles successfully contested the will and was given unlimited power as sole regent.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

[[File:King Charles XIII of Sweden by unknown artist.jpg|thumb|King Charles XIII of Sweden by unknown artist]]

The Duke-regent was in practice not willing or capable to manage the state affairs, reportedly because of his lack of energy and staying power.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Instead, he entrusted the power of government to his favorite and adviser [[Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm]], whose influence over him was supreme. 
These four years have been considered perhaps the most miserable and degrading period in Swedish history; an Age of Lead succeeding an [[Age of Gold]], as it has been called, and may be briefly described as alternations of fantastic [[jacobinism]] and the ruthless [[despotism]].{{sfn|Bain|1911}} Reuterholm ruled as the uncontested regent [[de facto]] the entire tenure of the regency, "only seldom disturbed by other influences or any personal will of charles".<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The unexpectedly mild sentences of the involved in the regicide of Gustav III attracted attention.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In 1794 the discovery of the Armfelt Conspiracy exposed the opposition of the [[Gustavian Party]]. The marriage negotiations of the young king disturbed the relationship to Russia, and the alliance with revolutionary France was greatly disliked by other powers.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

On the coming of age of [[Gustav IV Adolf]] of Sweden in November 1796, the duke's regency ended. His relationship to Gustav IV Adolf was cordial though never close, and he was not entrusted with much responsibility during the rule of his nephew.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In 1797 and 1798, he and his consort had their first children, though in neither case the child lived. After this, the Duke and Duchess made a journey through Germany and Austria in 1798–99.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In 1803, the Boheman affair caused a severe conflict between Gustav IV Adolf and the ducal couple. The mystic [[Karl Adolf Boheman]] (1764–1831) had been introduced to the couple by Count Magnus Stenbock in 1793 and gained great influence by promising to reveal scientific secrets about the occult. Boheman inducted them into a secret society [[Yellow Rose (society)|Yellow Rose]] in 1801, where both sexes were accepted as members, and to which the Counts and Countesses Ruuth and Brahe as well as the [[Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt|mother of the queen]] were introduced. Boheman was arrested upon an attempt to recruit the monarch, who accused him of revolutionary agendas and expelled him. The ducal couple were exposed in an informal investigation by the monarch, and the duchess was questioned in the presence of the royal council.<ref>
{{cite book
 |author=Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte, Queen Consort of Charles XIII of Sweden
 | editor =  Cecilia af Klercker
 | title = Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok VII 1800–1806 (The diaries of Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte VIII 1800–1806)
 | publisher =  P. A. Norstedt & Söners förlag Stockholm
 | year = 1936
| pages =497–527
 | language = sv
 | id=362103
}}
</ref> In 1808, Charles was again chief commander during Gustav IV Adolf's stay in Finland. He is presumed to have been, if not involved, aware of the plans to depose Gustav IV Adolf in 1809.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> He kept passive during the [[Coup of 1809]], and accepted the post of regent from the victorious party after having assured himself that the deposed monarch was not in mortal danger.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Charles was initially not willing to accept the crown, however, out of consideration for the former king's son.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

==Reign==
[[File:Kastpenning av silver från Karl XIIIs kröning 1809 - Skoklosters slott - 99583.tif|thumb|Coronation coin]]
[[File:Medalj präglad till Karl XIIIs och Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas kröning 29 juni 1809 - Skoklosters slott - 99576.tif|thumb|left|Coronation medal for Charles and Charlotte in 1809]]
[[File:Carl XIII of Sweden c 1816 by Per Krafft the Younger.jpg|thumb|The elderly King Carl XIII]]
On 13 March 1809, those who had dethroned Gustav IV Adolf appointed Charles regent, and he was finally elected king by the [[Riksdag of the Estates]]. By the time he became king, he was 60 years old and prematurely decrepit. In November 1809, he was affected by a heart attack, and was not able to participate in government. The new constitution which was introduced also made his involvement in politics difficult. A planned attempt to enlarge the royal power in 1809–10 was not put into effect because of his indecisiveness and health condition.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

His incapacity triggered a search for a suitable heir.  The initial choice was a Danish prince, Christian August, who took the name [[Charles August, Crown Prince of Sweden|Charles August]] upon being adopted by Charles.  However, Charles August died only a few months after his arrival in Sweden.  One of Napoleon's marshals, [[Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte]], was then chosen as his successor.  The new crown prince took over the government as soon as he landed in Sweden in 1810. Charles's condition deteriorated every year, especially after 1812, and he eventually became but a mute witness during the government councils chaired by the crown prince, having lost his memory and no longer being able to communicate.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

By the [[Sweden-Norway|Union of Sweden and Norway]] on 4 November 1814, Charles became king of Norway under the name '''Carl II of Norway'''. After eight years as king only by title, Charles died without a natural heir on 5 February 1818, and Bernadotte succeeded him as King [[Charles XIV John]].<ref>[[Halvdan Koht]]: biografi (Karl XIII), i NBL1{{Clarify|date=October 2011}}, bd. 7, 1936</ref>

Charles was the 872nd [[Knight]] of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] in Spain.

==Family==
He married his cousin [[Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp]] (1759–1818), on 7 July 1774 in [[Stockholm]].{{sfn|Bain|1911}} They had a son who died in infancy:

# Carl Adolf, Duke of [[Värmland]] ([[Stockholm]], 4 July 1798 – [[Stockholm]], 10 July 1798). Lived six days; buried at Riddarholmskyrkan ([[Riddarholm Church]]).{{sfn|Bain|1911}}

With [[Augusta von Fersen]], he had an extramarital son:

# [[Carl Löwenhielm]] 1772–1861<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=10110 |title=Carl A Löwenhielm |encyclopedia=[[Svenskt biografiskt lexikon]] |volume=24 |page=605 |language=sv |access-date=5 October 2018 |archive-date=6 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006000538/https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=10110 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Adopted sons:
# [[Charles August, Crown Prince of Sweden]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Christian August|encyclopedia=[[Norsk biografisk leksikon]]|first=Knut|last=Mykland|author-link=Knut Mykland|editor=Helle, Knut|editor-link=Knut Helle|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|url=https://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Christian_August/utdypning|language=no|access-date=24 June 2009|archive-date=16 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916213359/http://snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Christian_August/utdypning|url-status=live}}</ref>
# [[Charles XIV John]] of Sweden<ref>{{cite EB1911|last=Bain |first=Robert Nisbet |author-link=Robert Nisbet Bain |wstitle=Charles XIV. |volume=5 |pages=931–932 |ref=none}}</ref>

== Honours and arms  ==
=== Honours ===
* {{Flagicon image|Svensk flagg 1815.svg}} [[Sweden]]:
** Knight of the [[Order of the Seraphim]], ''7 October 1748''
** Commander Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Sword]], ''7 October 1748''; Grand Cross, 1st Class, ''27 July 1788''<ref name="Svenska Sjöhjältar 7 1914">''Svenska Sjöhjältar'' 7:1, Arnold Munthe (1914), p.232</ref>
** Commander Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Polar Star]], ''7 October 1748''
** Commander Grand Cross of the [[Order of Vasa]], ''7 October 1748''
** Founder of the [[Order of Charles XIII]], ''27 May 1811''<ref>{{cite book|author=Anton Anjou|year=1900|title=Riddare af Konung Carl XIII:s orden: 1811–1900: biografiska anteckningar|publisher=Eksjö, Eksjö tryckeri-aktiebolag|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/riddareafkonung00anjogoog#page/n10/mode/1up|language=sv}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1750-1801).svg}} [[Kingdom of Prussia]]: Knight of the [[Order of the Black Eagle]], ''18 October 1770''<ref>''Liste der Ritter des Königlich Preußischen Hohen Ordens vom Schwarzen Adler'' (1851), "Von Seiner Majestät dem Könige Friedrich II. ernannte Ritter" [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10362193?page=20 p. 10] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403222434/https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10362193?page=20 |date=3 April 2023 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Russian Empire}}:<ref>{{cite book|title=Almanach de la cour: pour l'année ... 1817|year=1817|publisher=l'Académie Imp. des Sciences|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8ZpKAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA61 61], [https://books.google.com/books?id=8ZpKAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA76 76]}}</ref>
** Knight of the [[Order of St. Andrew]], ''28 August 1796''
** Knight of the [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]], ''28 August 1796''
* {{flag|Denmark}}: Knight of the [[Order of the Elephant]], ''10 February 1810''<ref name="Berlien1846">{{cite book|author=J ..... -H ..... -Fr ..... Berlien|title=Der Elephanten-Orden und seine Ritter|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_-BAZAAAAYAAJ|year=1846|publisher=Berling|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_-BAZAAAAYAAJ/page/n159/mode/2up 129]–130}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Spain (1785–1873, 1875–1931).svg}} [[History of Spain (1810–73)|Spain]]: Knight of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]], ''23 September 1814''<ref>{{citation|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ucm.5305253613&view=1up&seq=49|title=Caballeros Existentes en la Insignie Orden del Toyson de Oro|date=1816|journal=Calendario manual y guía de forasteros en Madrid|access-date=25 April 2020|page=41|language=es|last1=Guerra|first1=Francisco|archive-date=4 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404040924/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ucm.5305253613&view=1up&seq=49|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Arms ===
<gallery class="center" widths="190" heights="190">
File:Armoiries du Prince Charles de Suède duc de Södermanland.svg|Coat of Arms as <br> Prince of Sweden, <br> Duke of [[Södermanland]]
File:Armoiries des rois Adolphe Frédéric, Gustave III et Charles XIII de Suède.svg|Coat of Arms as <br> King Charles XIII <br> of Sweden, 1809–1814
File:Coat of Arms of Charles XIII of Sweden and Norway.svg|Coat of Arms as King Charles XIII of Sweden and Charles II of Norway, 1814–1818
File:Royal Monogram of King Charles XIII of Sweden.svg|Royal Monogram of <br> King Charles XIII of Sweden
</gallery>

==Ancestors==
{{House of Holstein-Gottorp (Sweden)}}
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center |ref=<ref>{{cite book|title=Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans|trans-title=Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA29|year=1768|publisher=Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel|location=Bourdeaux|language=fr|page=29|access-date=22 January 2019|archive-date=18 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018191734/https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA29#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Charles XIII of Sweden'''
|2= 2. [[Adolf Frederick of Sweden]]
|3= 3. [[Louisa Ulrika of Prussia]]
|4= 4. [[Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin]]
|5= 5. [[Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach]]
|6= 6. [[Frederick William I of Prussia]]
|7= 7. [[Sophia Dorothea of Hanover]]
|8= 8. [[Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp]]
|9= 9. [[Frederikke Amalie of Denmark]]
|10= 10. [[Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach]]
|11= 11. [[Augusta Marie of Holstein-Gottorp]]
|12= 12. [[Frederick I of Prussia]]
|13= 13. [[Sophia Charlotte of Hanover]]
|14= 14. [[George I of Great Britain]]
|15= 15. [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]]
}}

==See also==
*[[Gustavian era]]
*[[List of Freemasons]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{EB1911 |last = Bain |first = Robert Nisbet |author-link = Robert Nisbet Bain |wstitle = Charles XIII. |volume = 5 |page=931}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|author=Cronholm, Neander N. |title=A History of Sweden from the Earliest Times to the Present Day|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924071200822|year=1902}} ch 38 pp 221–48

===Written sources===
* Signum svenska kulturhistoria: Gustavianska tiden
* Ingvar Andersson: Gustavianskt (1979)
* Signum Förlag: Frihetstiden
* Lars Elgklou: Familjen Bernadotte. En kunglig släktkrönika
* Herman Lindqvist: Historien om Sverige. Gustavs dagar
* {{cite book
 | author = Cecilia af Klercker
 | title = Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok I 1775–1782 (The diaries of Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte II)
 | publisher =  P.A. Norstedt & Söners förlag
 | year = 1908
 | language = sv
 | id=412070
}}
* {{cite book
 | author = Cecilia af Klercker
 | title = Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok IX 1807–1811 (The diaries of Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte IX 1807–1811)
 | publisher =  P.A. Norstedt & Söners förlag
 | year = 1939
 | language = sv
 | id=412070
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Charles XIII of Sweden}}
{{NIE Poster|year=1905|Charles XIII.}}
* [https://runeberg.org/nfcj/0495.html Nordisk familjebok]
*[https://www.historiesajten.se/visainfo.asp?id=51 Karl XIII av Holstein-Gottorp – Historiesajten]
*{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Charles XIII. |short=x}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Holstein-Gottorp (Swedish line)|House of Holstein-Gottorp]]|7 October|1748|5 February|1818|[[House of Oldenburg]]|name=Charles XIII/II}}
{{S-reg|}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Gustav IV Adolf]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Sweden]]|years=1809–1818}}
{{S-aft|rows=2|after=[[Charles XIV John of Sweden|Charles XIV/III John]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Christian VIII of Denmark|Christian Frederick]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Norway]]|years=1814–1818}}
{{s-end}}

{{Swedish princes}}
{{Monarchs of Norway}}
{{Monarchs of Sweden}}
{{SwedishThroneHeirs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles 13}}
[[Category:1748 births]]
[[Category:1818 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century regents]]
[[Category:19th-century Swedish monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century Norwegian monarchs]]
[[Category:House of Holstein-Gottorp]]
[[Category:Swedish Freemasons]]
[[Category:Regents of Sweden]]
[[Category:Swedish people of German descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Riddarholmen Church]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword]]
[[Category:Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star]]
[[Category:Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of Vasa]]
[[Category:Grand masters of the Order of Charles XIII]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of Charles XIII]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:People of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)]]
[[Category:Swedish admirals]]
[[Category:Dukes of Södermanland]]
[[Category:Sons of kings]]
[[Category:Royalty from Stockholm]]