FERSEN: A story of the rise and fall of a great power and a noble family

The book links one of the most important noble families in Swedish history to the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire. It describes how the Fersen family adapted to changes in Sweden's power bases, from the accession of Estonia in 1561 to the death of the last female descendant in 1879. The family, which contributed several field marshals and provincial governors during the period of great power, moved to Sweden proper only after 1721. There it flourished during the 18th century. The historically undervalued Fredrik Axel Fersen (Axel the Elder) was then the leader of both the Hat Party and the Swedish nobility in the struggle against royal autocracy - while the other women and men of the family excelled in the sweet life of the court. Axel the Younger, Marie-Antoinette's favorite, is also included, but now in critical light. He failed to adapt to the bourgeois society of the 19th century and squandered his fortune. The book analyzes how the strategies and networks of a noble family enabled it to reproduce itself socially over many centuries. The focus is on family ties - while revealing how an overly positive myth has been built around the family's most internationally renowned member, Axel the Younger, and how his actions actually undermined the family's ability to survive. The analysis also shows the central role of Estonia (and the Baltic nobility) in the rise of Sweden as a major European power. The analysis is based entirely on published scholarly works, letters and diaries, contemporary memoirs, etc.