"Swedish Generals" Topic

Hey! has anyone got pictures or links to pictures of Swedish Generals in the period of 1715-1745? Not Charles/Karl XII and not in 3/4 armour?

offkaren.com/mtrl/g1.html
Men who commanded Värmlands Regemente, some of them fit into your time period.

I have a couple of pictures of Sparre and Creutz in 1707-09 in my blog:

torgauproject.blogspot.com

Fabrizio

Thanks, guys. Still hoping for a series of paintings of Swedish generals in campaign dress. I guess that didn't come into fashion 'til the F&I war and the American Revolution, so British officers could show off their Indian gear.

Funny, when there's so many portraits of Karl XII; you'd think some of the generals would emulate him and get themselves painted without the formal armour.

Spontoon,

If you're looking on the Net for these guys, good luck.

Most portraits of Swedish generals that I've seen, Stenbock, Lewenhaupt, Armfelt, etc. are all in a cuirass, which would've been worn under the coat, if worn at all [most indications are that they didn't wear it]. I can plow through the books I have and photocopy [yes, I'm ancient] what I have if you want.

King Charles' simple attire was remarked upon, and depicted, precisely because it was so unusual. Some of his generals may well have emulated him in practice (although his Drabants certainly spared no expense). Their portraits however were painted so they could join the line of their ancestors on the walls of the family manor and impress the locals. For that they'd pose in full fig, even putting on the traditional commander's cuirass which they might not actually wear in the field.

Cuirasses are ok! Just when they've got all the rest of the armour on, I cant see it. Even under Gustav Adolph 3/4 armour was rare!

I'm interested in sashes, ribbons, and orders they might wear.

Spontoon,

As mentioned by Musketier – most generals probably would have emulated Karl's simple dress. There are very few accounts from what I remember of what general's wore, though maybe there is something in either 'Karoliner' or 'Karl XII pa slagfaltet', or the more recent publications on the uniforms of the GNW published by Acedia Press.

I would guess that sashes, ribbons, and orders would be rare, though the Drabants and many field officers wore gold piping around their cuffs, collars, pockets, on their hats, etc. The Karoliner uniform was quite plain and Karl wanted his stoicism in dress to filter down to the officers. I would gather especially after the defeat at Poltava in 1709 that most officers dressed like their men and that would include the generals.

If you're looking for sashes, ribbons, piping, etc. then you need to look at the Gustavian uniforms of the late 1770s in Sweden. Those uniforms were awesome in the way of piping, feathers, sashes, ribbons, etc. Actually, the Gustavian era is my favorite period because of the uniforms.

I can check out my sources if you like.

Thanks Swampking;

I will try to check those sources. Wish I read Swedish! It looks like the fashion, garnered from what little I have been able to spot in the corner of a portrait or two!; is for a plain blue coat, blue cuffs, gold laced buttonholes; polished cuirass. I assume the smallclothes are either buff or yellow.

The Order of the Sword was instituted in 1748, so I suppose it's riband and star are appropriate for SYW. Anyone have any idea if Swedish generals wore feather trim on tricornes?

For the GNW, yes – small clothes were mostly buff from what I've seen and read. I've seen pics of 1788 Swedish generals with feather trim on their tricornes and/or feathers. Then again, for the 1788 war – feathers were the thing for the Gustavian Swedes.

Reading Swedish isn't as bad as trying to read Polish or Hungarian!!! Buy a dictionary and plow right through the book or article – there get the general gist. In college, I translated all of Gustaf Bjorlin's "Kriget i Finland 1808" on a lark, just to see if it could be done and got fairly close.