Oskar II och marinen, sedd genom hans bibliotek, arkiv och skrifter

Abstract

The private library and archive of the Swedish monarch Oskar II (1829-1907) included a large amount of books and papers concerning naval matters. Most of it was collected during his time as an officer in the Swedish Navy from the 1840s to the 1860s. He took part in many of the controversies concerning the Navy's organization and equipment. The collections were especially influenced by the debates around 1850 and in the 1860s. The library and archive mirror the king's thoughts on naval matters, which for a number of years were characterized by his idealistic philosophy. In later years, he abandoned this idealistic stance concerning the Navy and adapted a more modern and pragmatic view. Up until the end of the 1860s his opinions were often in opposition to the line of the government, but after a dispute on monitors, he refrained from making his views public. After his succession to the throne in 1872, the collection of books and archival material did not grow at the same rate as before, since the king could no longer afford to take the Navy in special consideration.