CHARLF.S XIV., of Sweden, CARL XIV. JOHAN (Jean Banter/ Jima Iltaxamorrr.), born at Pau In the Mann in January 1704, wa the second son of a lawyer in that town. Ile was educated in hie paternal home till the age of seventeen, when one day ho left. it abruptly awl enlisted as a volunteer In the regiment royal marine, in 1780. His first service was in the island of Corsica, where ho remained two years. On his return to France, be rose gradually through own good conduct to the rank of adjutant. Ile was doing garrison duty at Marseille In 1790, when the revolution began. Bernadotte had the good fortune to save his colonel, the Marquis d'Ambert, from the popular fury which wu then excited against the nobles Dernadotte was next pioinoted Into the regiment of Auijou, arid al he royalist officer, emigrated in crowds, promotion became rapid for .hose who remained under their colours. Bernadotte was soon made ? colonel, and when the war broke out against Austria and Prussia, 20 was sent to the army of the Ithine under General Ctustine, where to distinguished himself, was made chief of brigade, and afterwards eauno general of division in the army of Sambre-et-Mouse, under Kleber and Jourdau. lie served in the well-contested campaigns of 1795-98, against the Austrian Generals Clairfait, Bray, and the Arch luke Charles. At the beginning of 1797, he was ordered by the Directory to march with C0,000 men from the Rhine to Italy, to rein 'ones General Bonaparte. Bernadotte commanded the advanced guard n the campaign of 1797, and distinguished himself at the passage of Tagliamento, and in the invasion of Carniola. After the prelimi 1aries of peruse were signed at Leoben, Bonaparte returned to Milan and left Bernadotte in command of the advanced poste is the Venetian province of Friuli. Ile received afterwards the thanks of the States sf Friuli for his humanity and kindness towards the inhabitants of dust country.
During the negotiations for the definite peace, Bonaparte sent Bernadotte to Paris to present to the Directory the standards taken From the Austrians. On his return to headquarters, in October 1797, Bonaparte interrogated him concerning the disposition of the various parties towards himself. Bernadotte told him frankly that he must not depend upon any party, that the Directory were suspicious of him, that ho could not expect any reinforcements in case of a new campaign against Austria, and that the wisest thing that he could do was to hasten to conclude peace with the emperor. Four days after
wards, Bonaparte signed the treaty of Campoformio. On leaving Italy, Bonaparte took away from Bernadotte one-half of the troops which ho had brought with him from the Rhine, and ordered them back to France. Bernadotte, offended at this, requested of the Directory a command in the colonies, or if not to accept his resignation. Tho Directory appointed him ambassador at Vienna.
In his embassy at Vienna, Bernadotte assumed a conciliatory and temperate tone, and even made no outward display of the revolutionary flag and cockade, till expressly ordered by the Directory to hoist the tricoloured flag above the entrance of his hotel. This was done on the 13th of April 1798, and led to a riot which was only quelled by the interference of the military. Bernadotte after this loft Vienna, but after some diplomatic explanations the affair was hushed up. In the following August, 1798, Bernadotte married at Paris a younger sister of Joseph Bonaparte's wife of the name of Clary. In the following year be was appointed linistersateWar, at a time when the armies were discouraged by reverses, and were in a state of great destitution. He exerted himself to re-establish confidence and dis cipline, and to protect the French frontiers, which wore threatened by the allies. He furnished Maarten& with the means of resuming offensive operations, which led to the defeat of the Russians at Ziirich. By one of those intrigues so frequent in the councils of the French Directory, Bernadotte was recalled from the war ministry; and he was living unemployed at Paris when Bonaparte arrived from Egypt. Bonaparte tried to cajole him into an acquiescence with his views previous to the revolution of Brumaire, but Bernadotte firmly refused to join him in upsetting the constitution of the republic, and would havo opposed him by Force had the Directory so ordered him. A military man, he remained strictly within the line of military duty. Bonaparte knew this; and having become First Consul, he gave Bernadotte the command of the army of the west, for the purpose of pacifying La Vend& and the other disturbed districts.