Magnus Jakob Crusenstolpe - Encyclopedia

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

MAGNUS JAKOB CRUSENSTOLPE (1795-1865), Swedish historian, early became famous both as a political and a historical writer. His first important work was a History of the Early Years of the Life of King Gustavus IV. Adolphus, which was followed by a series of monographs and by some politico-historical novels, of which The House of Holstein-Gottorp in Sweden is considered the best. He obtained a great influence over King Charles XIV. (Bernadotte), who during the years 18301 833 gave him his fullest confidence, and sanctioned the official character of Crusenstolpe's newspaper Faderneslandet. In the last-mentioned year, however, the historian suddenly became the king's bitterest enemy, and used his acrid pen on all occasions in attacking him. In 1838 he was condemned, for one of these angry utterances, to be imprisoned three years in the castle of Waxholm. He continued his literary labours until his death in 1865. Few Swedish writers have wielded so pure and so incisive a style as Crusenstolpe, but his historical work is vitiated by political and personal bias.