Augustin Ehrensvärd
Augustin Ehrensvärd | |
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![]() Portrait of Augustin Ehrensvärd, by Olof Arenius | |
Born | Fullerö Castle, Sweden | 25 September 1710
Died | 4 October 1772 Saris, Mynämäki, Finland | (aged 62)
Buried | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | Swedish Army |
Years of service | 1739–1772 |
Rank | Field Marshal |
Battles/wars | Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743)
War of the Austrian Succession Pomeranian War |
Awards | |
Spouse(s) | Catharina Elisabeth Adlerheim |
Children | Carl August |
Relations |
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Field Marshal count Augustin Ehrensvärd (25 September 1710 – 4 October 1772) was a Swedish military officer, military architect, artist, creator of the Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) fortress and the Swedish archipelago fleet. He was born in Fullerö Castle, Barkarö and died in the village of Saris, Mynämäki.
In 1747, he was chosen by king Frederick I of Sweden to design and construct a maritime fortress near Helsinki in Finland, then a part of the Kingdom of Sweden. Building the fortress of Sveaborg became a life's work for Ehrensvärd, who kept expanding the island fortress until his death in 1772. Ehrensvärd's design was a low-profile bastion-type fortress that would follow the natural contours of the islands and thus remain inconspicuous to enemy fleets. Many of the constructions in Sveaborg are considered to be architectural masterpieces. Augustin Ehrensvärd was also the commander of the Swedish Archipelago Fleet from 1756 to 1766, and from 1770, until his death in 1772.
In addition to architecture, Ehrensvärd's interests included painting, educational psychology and botany. Upon his death in 1772, Ehrensvärd was promoted to the rank of field marshal. He was also well respected by the Finnish people, who appreciated his efforts in the construction of Sveaborg, an important cultural and economic centre in the eastern part of 18th-century Sweden, which later would become modern Finland. Ehrensvärd's burial monument in Sveaborg was designed by king Gustav III of Sweden himself.
Ehrensvärd was elected a member of the member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1739, the year it was founded.
Augustin Ehrensvärd's tomb at the Suomenlinna fortress
"View over Sveaborg" by Augustin Ehrensvärd
See also[]
- Suomenlinna (Sveaborg)
References[]
![]() | This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (December 2016) |
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Augustin Ehrensvärd. |
- 1710 births
- 1772 deaths
- People from Västerås Municipality
- Field marshals of Sweden
- Swedish architects
- Swedish nobility
- Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
- 18th-century Swedish people
- Suomenlinna
- Age of Liberty people