2-490-623 - Historisk Bildbyrå/Mustang media/Heritage Images

Carl XIV Johan of Sweden, when he was Field Marshal of France, c1804-c1810. Born Jean Bernadotte in Pau, France, the future King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden (1763-1844) joined the French Army in 1780. He enjoyed rapid promotion after the French Revolution and in 1804 Napoleon made him a Marshal of France when he established the First Empire. His service to France ended in 1810 when he was offered the Swedish throne. From the collection of the Royal Library, Stockholm.