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| Adolf Frederick | |
|---|---|
.png) Adolf Frederick by Lorens Pasch the Younger | |
| King of Sweden | |
| Reign | 25 March 1751 – 12 February 1771 |
| Coronation | 26 November 1751 |
| Predecessor | Frederick I |
| Successor | Gustav III |
| Prince-Bishop of Lübeck | |
| Reign | 1727 – 1750 |
| Predecessor | Charles August |
| Successor | Frederick August |
| Born | 14 May 1710 Gottorp, Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig |
| Died | 12 February 1771 (aged 60) Stockholm Palace, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Burial | 30 July 1771 Riddarholm Church, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Gustav III of Sweden Charles XIII of Sweden Prince Frederick Adolf, Duke of Östergötland Sophia Albertina, Abbess of Quedlinburg |
| House | Holstein-Gottorp |
| Father | Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin |
| Mother | Princess Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
| Signature |  |
Adolf (or Adolph) Frederick (Swedish: Adolf Fredrik; German: Adolf Friedrich; 14 May 1710 – 12 February 1771) was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death in 1771. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin, and Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach. He was an uncle of Catherine the Great and husband to Louisa Ulrika of Prussia.[1][2]
The first king from the House of Holstein-Gottorp, Adolf Frederick was a weak monarch, installed as first in line to the throne following the parliamentary government's failure to reconquer the Baltic provinces in 1741–1743. Aside from a few attempts, supported by pro-absolutist factions among the nobility, to reclaim the absolute monarchy held by previous monarchs, he remained a mere constitutional figurehead until his death.
His reign saw an extended period of internal peace. However, the finances stagnated following failed mercantilist doctrines pursued by the Hat administration. The Hat administration ended during the 1765–1766 parliament, where the Cap opposition took over the government and enacted reforms towards greater economic liberalism, as well as a Freedom of Press Act. The Freedom of Press Act is unique for the time for its curtailing of all censorship, retaining punitive measures only for libeling the monarch or the Church of Sweden.[3]
- ^ L. Stavenow. "Adolf Fredrik". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ^ "Christian August, Herzog von Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp". Christian August (Herzog von Holstein-Gottorf). Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie. Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie. 1876. p. 192. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ^ "Adolf Fredrik". Nordisk familjebok. Retrieved 1 January 2019.