Ohla Olsson

GEDCOM Note

The following was information obtained by Edward Roy Ludwig from his grandmother Anna Parson (Parsdotter) Ludwig at different times.: "My mother's folks, way back,"My (mother's) folks, way back, were Swedish people and descended from the ancient Goths. They lived mainly in Skane, the southernmost tip of Sweden and nearest to Denmark. Mother mentioned that there was Danish blood in the family." (historical note - prior to the area they were from being Sweden - it actually WAS Denmark. Sweden conquered it and it has been Sweden ever since!)

1768 - born in Sodra Reslov, Mlmhs on May 17 1768

1802 - Saxtorp, Mlmhs, married 6 Jan 1802

Wars during his lifetime: Pomeranian War from 1751 to 1771 ° Gustav III´s Russian War from 1788 to 1790, was a war fought between Sweden and Russia ° The Finnish War from 1808 to 1809 ° War with Norway in 1814 as Norway was awarded to Sweden under the Treaty of Kiel but Norway resisted this agreement of being ruled under Sweden, but then did form a personal union with Sweden under the Convention of Moss.

http://www.understandingyourancestors.com/asl/skaneEvents.aspx Below history

Gustav III and the Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790)

From the time he ascended to the throne, King Gustav III craved more power. When the quarreling political parties of the time, the Caps and Hats, attempted to further limit the influence of the king, Gustav decided to take action. On August 19, 1772, he pulled off a bloodless coup which concentrated power in his own hands.

Once in power, Gustav longed for a war to give more power to Sweden and more glory to himself. Specifically, Gustav wanted war with Russia, who was constantly working to undermine Sweden´s position and alliances. When war broke out between Russia and Turkey, Gustav sensed an opportunity. However, according to the constitution, Gustav couldn´t begin a war without the support of the government. So, Gustav used a little creativity. In June of 1788, Gustav instructed Swedish soldiers in Finland to dress up like Cossacks and attack a Finnish position. The Russian troops counterattacked the Swedes, leading Gustav to declare war - due to Russian aggression, of course.

The war took some unexpected turns. Members of the noble class, who already despised Gustav, took advantage of the situation to plot with Russia to overthrow him. Denmark-Norway (joined together as one country at the time) invaded Sweden from the west. Gustav went from town to town calling upon the peasants to defend their country.

Despite mismanagement, the war ended successfully for Gustav. In 1790, Catherine of Russia sued for peace. But, peace in Sweden was short-lived. The hatred of the nobles led to Gustav´s assassination on March 16, 1792.

Napoleon´s Effect on Skåne (1808-1815)

Tumult brewed in France, sending waves across all of Europe. As countries joined France´s Continental System one by one, Sweden clung to an alliance with England against Napoleon. In 1805, Sweden launched a brief, but disastrous attack against France in Pommerania, Sweden´s foothold in Germany. Then, in February of 1808, Russia struck Sweden in Finland (then part of Sweden), using Sweden´s support of England as an excuse. More likely, Russia was simply taking advantage of an opportunity to incorporate Finland into Russia.

The resulting war was one of the biggest disasters in Swedish history. Gustav IV, who had taken his father´s position as king, proved to be incompetent. Defeat in Finland came quickly. The troops, of which Nils may have been a part, suffered more from the conditions than the fighting. Poor planning, limited supplies, and inadequate training caused thousands of soldiers to die of cold, hunger, and unsanitary conditions.

By the beginning of 1809, Russian troops descended on Sweden. Russia´s allies, Denmark-Norway and France, became involved. Sensing impending collapse, a Swedish general, with support from much of the army, walked into the king´s room in Stockholm and arrested Gustav on March 13, 1809. On Christmas Eve of that year, Gustav IV left Sweden forever.

A temporary government tried to salvage the situation as best as possible, making peace with everyone involved. In the end, Sweden had no choice but to cede over a third of its territory and join the Continental System supported by Napoleon. The humiliation and sense of despair reached from the leaders in Stockholm to the peasants in the villages.

Over the next months and years, Sweden struggled to find solid footing again. In a matter of two weeks, the drafting committee put together a new constitution that lasted, with a few revisions, until 1970. Choosing a ruler proved to be a difficult task. After considerable maneuvering and mind changing, the temporary government settled on a most unusual candidate -- Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, a French general. The royal family adopted Bernadotte, who assumed the more Swedish-sounding name of Karl Johann.

When Napoleon´s troops began to weaken, England and its allies saw their chance. Soon the war pulled in nearly all of Europe. Sweden entered against the French. Although Nils was a middle-aged man by that time, he may have still followed Karl Johann as he led Swedish troops into his former homeland of France.

At last, the coalition forces defeated France. Denmark had joined the war on the side of the French and now had to pay. Sweden walked away with the kingdom of Norway. Previously a part of Denmark, Norway now became incorporated into Sweden (although in name only), a condition that remained until 1905.

Peace in Skåne (1814)

One of the most important dates in Sweden´s military history didn´t mark a battle or a war. Instead, it marked peace. In 1814, Sweden settled into a long period of peace - in fact, the longest continuous period of peace for any country in European history. In part, Sweden just didn´t have the strength or resources to wage war anymore.

Around this time another peace also descended on Skåne. This one was an internal peace, the end to the struggle of the people against the Swedish authority, and the acceptance of Skåne as a province of Sweden. Ironically though, a final act of violence preceded this peace.

Throughout the last half of the 1700s, the underlying tension between the people of Skåne and the Swedish government continued, occasionally bubbling up. Emotions finally boiled over on June 15, 1811 in the village of Klågerup. At the Klågerup castle, one thousand peasants gathered to protest the cruelty of the noble living there as well as the fact that new troops had just been called up to attack Norway. The military was summoned to drive away the mob. By the time the skirmish ended, military forces had killed at least twenty-nine (and some accounts claim many more) peasants.

This represented the last major internal fighting in Skåne. As time passed, the peasants of Skåne became more integrated, gained more rights, and perhaps even more significantly, gave up hope of independence.