Hertig August av Dalarna, Sveriges och Norges arvfurste

https://sok.riksarkivet.se/Sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=18909

His full name was Carl Nicolaus August* Bernadotte. "Prince Nicholas August of Sweden was supposed to be called Nicholas after the Tsar. August was added just to refer of Tsar Nicholas as being the Great. However, something went wrong in the Swedish-Russian relations and he was started to be called just August. Many Swedes were thereafter called August, among them August Strindberg. In the same way the name Oscar had been introduced in Sweden.

"Nicholas August was the fifth child and fourth son of King Oscar I of Sweden, né M. Oscar Bernadotte in Paris 1799 and of Queen Joséphine, née princess of Bologna and duchess of Galliera in Milan 1807 (later styled princess of Leuchtenberg).

"Being the youngest child of his mother he seems to have been her favourite son although not as intelligent as his brothers, nor as artistic.

"He studied at the university of Uppsala and had his military education in the army not the navy, which in Sweden has always been considered smarter than the army.

"He was supposed to drink a bit heavily and courting too many ladies,who were not of his rank, so the engagement to Princess Thérèse of Sachsen-Altenburg was arranged (not against his will or hers) around Christmas 1863. They were married in Altenburg in the spring of 1864. He was at the time of their marriage 33 and she was 28, which was considered extremely late.

"They took up residence at the Royal Palace in Stockholm spending much of the summers at the Haga Palace just outside Stockholm. . . .

"Prince August and Princess Thérèse seem to have lived a rather good life together. They rarely had to take great part in any important state business. However, when Thérèse's second cousin grandduke Konstantin Nicolaivitch, married to her cousin Alexanda of Sachsen-Altenburg, came to Stockholm with their son Nicolaus Konstantinovitch (later to marry another Sachsen-Altenburg princess Elisabeth) they threw a big party at the Haga Palace. Unlike August's brothers King Karl and King Oscar II there hardly any rumours about infidelity from August's side."

["Martin" in "Augustus duke of Delacarlia" at Alexander Palace Time Machine, http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php/topic,8913.0.html, visited September 15, 2007.]

Links:

• The Peerage
• Geneall
• Johann The Younger # 1496
• Wikipedia: English Svenska

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GEDCOM Note

Nikolaus August, född 24 augusti 1831 på Drottningholms slott, död 4 mars 1873 på Stockholms slott, var prins av Sverige och Norge och hertig av Dalarna.

August var yngste son till blivande kung Oscar I och drottning Josefina. Han blev liksom sina syskon uppfostrad under överinseende av Christina Ulrika Taube.

Han gifte sig den 16 april 1864 i Altenburg med prinsessan Teresia av Sachsen-Altenburg (1836–1914). Paret hade inga barn.

Han vistades 1849–53 tidtals som student i Uppsala, blev 1866 exercisinspektör för skärgårdsartilleriet och 1872 generallöjtnant. August hade ej sina bröders begåvning men var en hjärtegod, flärdlös person med en del originella sidor. Under sin ungkarlstid bodde han periodvis på Stjernsunds slott i Askersunds socken.

Prinsen har givit namn åt det tidiga svenska ångloket Prins August, vilket i sin tur – i beaktande av prinsens välkänt begränsade begåvning – givit upphov till uttrycket att vara "dummare än tåget". Han fick även ångfartyget S/S Prins August uppkallat efter sig. Den 10 december 1851 utsågs han till förste hedersledamot av Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien.

Prins August angreps av lungsäcksinflammation och avled efter några veckors sjukdom på Stockholms slott den 4 mars 1873 klockan 09.30. Begravningen ägde rum nio dagar senare, den 13 mars, i Riddarholmskyrkan.