A Northern Diadem: The Coronation of Oscar I and the Perils of Passage
STOCKHOLM, SEPTEMBER 1841 — By the grace of God and the acclamation of the Riksdag, Oscar I, son of the late Bernadotte, is this day crowned King of Sweden and Norway. The ceremony, conducted within the venerable walls of Storkyrkan, was attended by a concourse of dignitaries from every continental capital. The streets of Stockholm, though chilled by the first breath of autumn, were thronged with citizens bearing torches and banners. His Majesty, in a mantle of ermine and a diadem of burnished gold, swore to uphold the ancient liberties of both realms. The foreign envoys, many of whom had endu…