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{{Short description|King of Sweden (1872–1907) and Norway (1872–1905)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Oscar II
| image        = Porträtt av Oscar II i amiralsuniform. 1900-1907. Foto Lars Larsson (Cropped).jpg
| caption      = Official portrait, {{circa|1900–1907}}
| succession   = [[King of Sweden]]
| reign        = 18 September 1872 – {{nowrap|8 December 1907}}
| predecessor  = [[Charles XV]]
| successor    = [[Gustaf V]]
| coronation   = 12 May 1873
| cor-type     = [[Coronations in Europe#Sweden|Coronation]]
| succession1  = [[King of Norway]]
| reign1       = 18 September 1872 – {{nowrap|7 June 1905}}<br/>
| predecessor1 = [[Charles XV|Charles IV]]
| successor1   = [[Haakon VII]]
| coronation1  = 18 July 1873
| cor-type1    = [[Coronations in Norway|Coronation]]
| full name    = Oscar Fredrik
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Sophia of Nassau]]|1857}}
| issue        = {{ubl|[[Gustaf V]]|[[Oscar Bernadotte|Prince Oscar Bernadotte]]|[[Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland]]|[[Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke]]}}
| house        = [[House of Bernadotte|Bernadotte]]
| father       = [[Oscar I of Sweden]]
| mother       = [[Josephine of Leuchtenberg]]
| signature    = Autograf, Oscar II, Nordisk familjebok.png
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1829|01|21|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Stockholm Palace]], [[Stockholm]], Sweden
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1907|12|08|1829|01|21|df=y}}
| death_place  = Stockholm Palace, Stockholm, Sweden
| burial_date  = 19 December 1907
| burial_place = [[Riddarholm Church]]
| religion     = [[Lutheran]]
| module       = {{Infobox person
| embed=yes
| education = [[Uppsala University]]
}}
}}
'''Oscar II''' (Oscar Fredrik;<ref>Stockholm City Archives, archive of the Court parish, birth and baptism records, volume C I:5</ref> 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was [[King of Sweden]] from 1872 until his death in 1907 and [[King of Norway]] from 1872 to 1905.

Oscar was the son of [[Oscar I of Sweden|King Oscar I]] and [[Josephine of Leuchtenberg|Queen Josephine]]. He inherited the Swedish and Norwegian thrones when his brother died in 1872. Oscar II ruled during a time when both countries were undergoing a period of industrialization and rapid technological progress. His reign also saw the gradual decline of the [[Union of Sweden and Norway]], which culminated in its [[Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden|dissolution in 1905]]. In 1905, the throne of Norway was transferred to his grandnephew Prince [[Haakon VII of Norway|Carl of Denmark]] under the [[regnal name]] Haakon VII. When Oscar died in 1907, he was succeeded in Sweden by his eldest son, [[Gustaf V]].

==Early life==
[[File:Framsida av medalj med bild av Karl XV, Prins Gustaf och Oscar II i profil, 1829 - Skoklosters slott - 99618.tif|thumb|left|[[Mauritz Frumerie]]'s 1829 medal showing the three eldest sons of [[Oscar I of Sweden|Crown Prince Oscar]]: [[Charles XV|Charles]], [[Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland|Gustaf]], and Oscar.]]
Oscar Fredrik was born at the [[Stockholm Palace|Royal Palace]] in [[Stockholm]] on 21 January 1829, the third of four sons of [[Oscar I of Sweden|Crown Prince Oscar]] and [[Josephine of Leuchtenberg]].<ref name=Neveus>{{Cite encyclopedia |first=Torgny |last=Nevéus |title=Oscar II |url=https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=7812 |year=1992–1994 |encyclopedia=[[Svenskt biografiskt lexikon]] |volume=28 |pages=377 |language=sv |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref> Upon his birth, he was created [[Duke of Östergötland]]. At birth, he was fourth in the [[succession to the Swedish throne]] after his father and older brothers, but as a younger son had no immediate prospect of inheriting the throne. During his childhood, he was placed in the care of the royal governess, Countess Christina Ulrika Taube.<ref>Gustaf Elgenstierna, Den introducerade svenska adelns ättartavlor. 1925–36.</ref>

Prince Oscar entered the [[Swedish Navy|Royal Swedish Navy]] as a midshipman at the age of 11, and was appointed junior lieutenant in July 1845. Later, he studied at [[Uppsala University]], where he distinguished himself in mathematics.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} On 13 December 1848, was made an honorary member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]].

On 6 June 1857, Prince Oscar married [[Sophia of Nassau|Princess Sophia of Nassau]] at the [[Biebrich Palace]], the ducal residence of the [[Duchy of Nassau]], with whom he had four sons. Princess Sophia was the youngest daughter of [[Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau]] and [[Princess Pauline of Württemberg (1810–1856)|Princess Pauline Friederike Marie of Württemberg]], and a half-sister of [[Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg|Adolphe]], the then reigning [[Duke of Nassau]] and future [[Grand Duke of Luxembourg]].<ref name=Neveus/>

[[File:King Charles XV of Sweden and Prince Oscar with Adjutants.jpg|thumb|left|Aides [[Daniel Nordlander]] (upper left) and [[Fritz von Dardel]], Ordnance Officer [[Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin]], [[General]] [[Henri-Pierre Castelnau]], King [[Charles XV of Sweden]] and Prince Oscar, future King Oscar II of Sweden, at the [[International Exposition (1867)|1867 International Exposition]] in [[Paris]], [[France]].]]
Upon the death of his father, King Oscar I, in 1859, Prince Oscar became [[heir presumptive]] to the thrones of Sweden and Norway, as his eldest brother King [[Charles XV of Sweden|Charles XV of Sweden/Charles IV of Norway]] was without a legitimate heir, having lost his only son, [[Prince Carl Oscar, Duke of Södermanland]], to [[pneumonia]] in 1854. His second elder brother, [[Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland]], had died of [[typhoid fever]] already in 1852.

==King of Sweden and Norway==
===Accession===
[[File:Oscar II & Sofia coronation medal 1873.jpg|thumb|Norwegian coronation medal for Oscar and Sophia]]
Oscar II became King on 18 September 1872, upon the death of his brother, [[Charles XV of Sweden|Charles XV]] who died without an heir. At his accession, he adopted as [[Royal mottos of Swedish monarchs|his motto]] ''Brödrafolkens väl'' / ''Broderfolkenes Vel'' ("The Welfare of the Brother Peoples"). His [[Coronations in Europe#Sweden|coronation as Swedish monarch]] was celebrated in [[Storkyrkan]] in Stockholm on 12 May 1873, and his [[Coronations in Norway|coronation as Norwegian monarch]] two months later in the [[Nidaros Cathedral]] in [[Trondheim]] on 18 July 1873.<ref name=Neveus/> While the King, his family and the [[Royal Court of Sweden|Royal Court]] resided mostly in Sweden, Oscar II made the effort of learning to be fluent in [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] and from the very beginning realized the essential difficulties in the maintenance of the [[Union between Sweden and Norway|union between the two countries]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

===Foreign and domestic statecraft===
[[File:Portrett av Kong Oscar II (6961203441).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Photograph of Oscar II, {{circa|1870s}}]]
His acute intelligence and his aloofness from the dynastic considerations affecting most European sovereigns (both his paternal and maternal grandfathers were French military commanders who served under [[Napoleon I]]) gave the king considerable weight as an arbitrator in international questions. At the request of the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States in 1889, he appointed the [[Chief Justice of Samoa]] under the [[Treaty of Berlin (1889)|Treaty of Berlin]], and he was again called on to arbitrate in [[Samoa]]n affairs in 1899.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

[[File:Oscar II av Sverige by Gosta Florman, 1891.jpg|thumb|right|Photograph of Oscar II by Gösta Florman, {{circa|1891}}]]
In 1897, he was empowered to appoint a fifth arbitrator if necessary in the Venezuelan dispute, and he was called on to act as umpire in the Anglo-American arbitration treaty that was quashed by the [[United States Senate]]. He won many friends in the United Kingdom by his outspoken and generous support of Britain at the time of the [[Second Boer War]] (1899–1902), expressed in a declaration printed in ''[[The Times]]'' of 2 May 1900, when continental opinion was almost universally hostile.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

He remained a strong supporter of the Navy throughout his life, and frequently visited ships of the fleet. When the [[coastal defence ship]] {{ship|HSwMS|Oscar II||2}} was launched, he even signed his name on the vessel's aft main gun tower.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Borgenstam|first=Curt|title=Swedish Coastal Defence Ship Oscar II|journal=International Navy Journal|volume=5|number=1|year=2017|issn=2411-3204|page=65|url=http://ejournal37.com/journals_n/1508159082.pdf|access-date=18 September 2018|archive-date=11 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211221041/http://ejournal37.com/journals_n/1508159082.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The office of [[Prime Minister of Sweden]] was instituted in 1876. [[Louis Gerhard De Geer|Louis De Geer]] became the first head of government in Sweden to use this title. The most known and powerful first minister of the Crown during the reign of Oscar was the conservative estate owner [[Erik Gustaf Boström]]. Boström served as prime minister in 1891–1900 and 1902–1905. He was trusted and respected by Oscar II, who had much difficulty approving someone else as prime minister. Over a period of time, the King gave Boström a free hand to select his own ministers without much royal involvement. It was an arrangement (unintentional by both the King and Boström) that furthered the road to parliamentarism.

===Science and the arts===
[[Image:Oscar II of Sweden.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Portrait of Oscar II by [[Anders Zorn]] 1898]]
A distinguished writer and musical amateur himself, King Oscar did much to encourage the development of education throughout his dominions. In 1858, a collection of his lyrical and narrative poems, ''Memorials of the Swedish Fleet'', published anonymously, obtained the second prize of the [[Swedish Academy]]. His "Contributions to the Military History of Sweden in the Years 1711, 1712, 1713", originally appeared in the Annals of the academy, and were printed separately in 1865. His works, which included his speeches, translations of [[Johann Gottfried Herder|Herder]]'s ''Cid'' and [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]]'s ''[[Torquato Tasso (play)|Torquato Tasso]]'', and a play, ''Castle Cronberg'', were collected in two volumes in 1875–76, and a larger edition, in three volumes, appeared in 1885–88.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

His Easter hymn and some other of his poems are familiar throughout the Scandinavian countries. His work on [[Charles XII of Sweden]] were translated into English in 1879. In 1881, he founded the world's first [[open-air museum]], at [[Norwegian Museum of Cultural History|Bygdøy]], located next to his [[Bygdøy Royal Estate|summer residence]] near [[Oslo]] (then known as Christiania). In 1885, he published his ''Address to the Academy of Music'', and a translation of one of his essays on music appeared in ''Literature'' in May 1900. He had a valuable collection of printed and manuscript music, which was readily accessible to the historical student of music.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Being a theater lover, he commissioned a new opera house to be built by [[Axel Anderberg]] for the [[Royal Swedish Opera]] which was inaugurated on 19 September 1898. It remains as the home of that institution.
Oscar II once told playwright [[Henrik Ibsen]] that his [[Ghosts (play)|''Ghosts'']] was "not a good play". As he was dying, he requested that the theatres not be closed on account of his death. His wishes were respected.

Oscar was also particularly interested in mathematics. In 1887, he set up a contest, to be awarded on the occasion of his 60th birthday in 1889, for "an important discovery in the realm of higher mathematical analysis".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The scientific legacy of Poincaré|date=2010|publisher=American Mathematical Society|others=Charpentier, Éric., Ghys, E. (Etienne), Lesne, Annick.|isbn=9780821847183|location=Providence, R.I.|pages=165|oclc=426389803}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-11672-8_43 | doi=10.1007/978-3-642-11672-8_43 | chapter=King Oscar's Prize | title=Gösta Mittag-Leffler | date=2010 | last1=Stubhaug | first1=Arild | pages=377–380 | isbn=978-3-642-11671-1 }}</ref> The contest listed four potential areas of research, one of which was the [[n-body problem]] in [[celestial mechanics]], relevant to the stability of the [[Solar System]]. [[Henri Poincaré|Henri Poincare]], a professor at the [[University of Paris]], won by submitting an entry showing that even the 3-body problem was unstable, the seminal result in what is now called [[chaos theory]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Chaos: An Introduction to Dynamical Systems|chapter=Chaos|date=1996|chapter-url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/0-387-22492-0_3|pages=105–147|place=New York, NY|publisher=Springer New York|language=en|doi=10.1007/0-387-22492-0_3|isbn=978-0-387-94677-1|access-date=2 February 2022|series=Textbooks in Mathematical Sciences|archive-date=9 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112244/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-387-22492-0_3|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.math.uvic.ca/faculty/diacu/diacuNbody.pdf The solution of the n-body problem] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092935/http://www.math.uvic.ca/faculty/diacu/diacuNbody.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }}, Florin Diacu. Mar 2016.</ref>

King Oscar II was an enthusiast of Arctic exploration. Along with Swedish millionaire [[Oscar Dickson, 1st Baron Dickson|Oscar Dickson]] and Russian magnate [[Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Sibiryakov]], he was the patron of a number of pioneering Arctic expeditions in the 1800s. Among the ventures the king sponsored, the most important are [[Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld]]'s explorations to the Russian Arctic and [[Greenland]], and [[Fridtjof Nansen]]'s Polar journey on the ''[[Fram (ship)|Fram]]''.<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.lib.helsinki.fi/tietolinja/0199/nordensk.html | first = Maire | last = Aho | contribution = AE Nordenskiöld Collection included in the Unesco Memory of the World Program | title = Tietolinja News | date = January 1999 | publisher = Helsinki | place = FI | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070707232447/http://www.lib.helsinki.fi/tietolinja/0199/nordensk.html | archive-date = 7 July 2007 | df = dmy-all }}.</ref>

Oscar was also a generous sponsor of the sciences and personally funded the [[Vega Expedition]], which was the first Arctic expedition to navigate through the [[Northeast Passage]], the sea route between Europe and Asia through the [[Arctic Ocean]], and the first voyage to circumnavigate Eurasia.

==Death==
The political events which led up to the peaceful [[dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden]] in 1905 could hardly have been attained but for the tact and patience of the king himself. He was dethroned on 7 June 1905 by the [[Storting]] and renounced the [[Norwegian throne]] on 26 October. He declined, indeed, to permit any prince of his house to become king of Norway, but better relations between the two countries were restored before his death.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Oscar II died in [[Stockholm]] on 8 December 1907 at 9:10 am.<ref>{{cite news |title=Death Of Oscar King Of Sweden. His Son Ascends The Throne And Takes The Title Gustave The Fifth |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06E1DE153EE733A2575AC0A9649D946697D6CF&legacy=true |quote=He Eulogizes His Father Tells Why The Country Should Cherish His Memory. In His Sentiments All Sweden Shares. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=9 December 1907 |access-date=11 February 2017 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220045747/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06E1DE153EE733A2575AC0A9649D946697D6CF&legacy=true |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Marriage and children==
[[Image:Oscar II by Zorn from Hildebrand Sveriges historia.jpg|thumb|right|Oscar II boating.<br />Engraving by [[Anders Zorn]].]]
On 6 June 1857, he married in [[Wiesbaden-Biebrich]], [[Duchy of Nassau]] (located in present-day [[Hessen]], [[Germany]]) [[Sophia of Nassau|Princess Sophia Wilhelmina]], the youngest daughter of [[William, Duke of Nassau|Duke William of Nassau]] and [[Princess Pauline of Württemberg (1810–1856)|Princess Pauline of Württemberg]]. They had four sons:

# [[Gustaf V|King Gustaf V]] (16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950)
# [[Oscar Bernadotte|Prince Oscar, Duke of Gotland]], later known as Prince Oscar Bernadotte, [[Count of Wisborg]] (15 November 1859 – 4 October 1953)
# [[Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland]] (27 February 1861 – 24 October 1951)
# [[Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke]] (1 August 1865 – 17 August 1947)

His eldest son Gustaf was Duke of [[Värmland]] and succeeded him as King Gustaf V of Sweden from 1907 until 1950, married [[Victoria of Baden|Princess Victoria of Baden]] and they had three sons. His second son, Prince Oscar, lost his rights of succession to the throne upon his unequal marriage in 1888 to a former [[lady-in-waiting]], [[Ebba Munck af Fulkila]], and was granted the title of [[Prince Bernadotte]] first in Sweden, and from 1892 in [[Luxembourg]], where he also was created [[Count of Wisborg]] as an hereditary title for his marital progeny ([[Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg]], was the half-brother of his mother, Queen Sophia). The other sons of Oscar II were Prince Carl, Duke of [[Västergötland]] who married [[Princess Ingeborg of Denmark]]; and Prince Eugén, Duke of [[Närke]], who was well known as an artist and remained a bachelor all his life.

===Alleged extramarital children===
<!-- Contains borderline fringe speculation with questionable sources -->
Oscar II is also suspected to have had several extramarital children,<ref>[[:sv:Gustaf von Platen|Gustaf von Platen]] in ''Bakom den gyllene fasaden'' [[Bonniers]] {{ISBN|91-0-058048-1}} p 146</ref> of which at least five are named:
* [[Anna Hofman-Uddgren]] (1868–1947) by Emma Hammarström (1849–1910)<ref>''Anna Hofmann – varietéstjärna och filmregissör'', catalogue of exhibition by that name at [[Stockholms Stadsmuséum]] 1998 with essays by Åke Abrahamsson and Marika Lagercrantz/Lotte Wellton.</ref>
* Elin Esping Smitz (1878–1960) by Paulina Mathilda Esping (1858–1878)<ref>{{cite book | last=Demitz | first=Jacob Truedson | title=Throne of a Thousand Years | publisher=Ristesson Ent | publication-place=Ludvika, Sweden; Los Angeles | date=1996 | isbn=978-91-630-5030-5|title-link=Throne of a Thousand Years|pages=277}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://famsac.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=famsac&view=0&pid=743&ver=10451|title=FamSAC of Stockholm & Blair – Family Tree|website=famsac.tribalpages.com|access-date=8 July 2022|archive-date=26 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326094125/https://famsac.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=famsac&view=0&pid=743&ver=10451|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Knut August Ekstam (born 1878, in U.S.A. 1903, death unknown) by [[Marie Friberg]] (1852–1934) 
* [[Florence Stephens]] (1881–1979) by Elisabeth Kreüger Stephens (1858–1911)<ref>{{cite book |last=Norlin |first=Arne |title=Familjen Bernadotte: makten, myterna, människorna |year=2015 |publisher=Fischer & Co |location=Stockholm |language=sv |isbn=9789186597962 |id={{LIBRIS|17803399}} |pages=218–220}}</ref>
* Nils Teodor Ekstam (1889–1954) also by Friberg above<ref>[http://w3.msi.vxu.se/~nivre/sps/king.html Sherlock Holmes and the King of Scandinavia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316181252/http://w3.msi.vxu.se/~nivre/sps/king.html |date=16 March 2012 }} The Swedish Pathological Society</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/brollopet/article7176892.ab |newspaper=[[Aftonbladet]] |title=Jakten på den försvunne sonen |first=Mattias |last=Sandberg |date=24 May 2010 |access-date=4 May 2016 |language=sv |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031124445/http://www.aftonbladet.se/brollopet/article7176892.ab |url-status=live }}</ref>

However, unlike his father, Oscar II never officially recognized any illegitimate children of his.

== Honours ==
[[File:Oskar II by Oscar Björck - no border (Nationalmuseum, 38942).png|right|thumb|260px|Portrait of Oscar II wearing the [[Crown of Eric XIV]] and mantle, by [[Oscar Björck]]. King Oscar II was the last crowned Swedish king and was known to enjoy the pomp and ceremony.]]
;National<ref name="438 (Sveriges statskalender / 1905)">{{citation|title=Sveriges statskalender|year=1905|page=438|url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1905/0462.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=6 January 2018|language=sv|archive-date=21 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821210912/http://runeberg.org/statskal/1905/0462.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Order of the Seraphim|Knight and Commander of the Seraphim]], ''21 January 1829''
* Knight of the [[Order of Charles XIII]], ''21 January 1829''
* [[Order of the Sword|Commander Grand Cross of the Sword]], ''21 January 1829''
* [[Order of the Polar Star|Commander Grand Cross of the Polar Star]], ''21 January 1829''
* Commander Grand Cross of the [[Order of Vasa]], ''15 June 1866''<ref>{{citation|title=Sveriges och Norges statskalender|year=1870|page=568|url=https://runeberg.org/sonkal/1870/0610.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=6 January 2018|language=sv|archive-date=25 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425032246/http://runeberg.org/sonkal/1870/0610.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Order of St. Olav|Grand Cross of St. Olav]], with Collar, ''21 August 1847''<ref>{{citation|title=Sveriges och Norges statskalender|year=1870|page=690|url=https://runeberg.org/sonkal/1870/0732.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=6 January 2018|language=sv|archive-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719071448/http://runeberg.org/sonkal/1870/0732.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Founder and Master of the [[Order of the Norwegian Lion]], ''21 January 1904 – 26 October 1905''<ref>[http://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=33000&sek=32999 "The Order of the Norwegian Lion"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810072649/http://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=33000&sek=32999 |date=10 August 2018 }}, ''The Royal House of Norway''. Retrieved 10 August 2018.</ref>

;Foreign<ref name="438 (Sveriges statskalender / 1905)" />
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* {{flagicon|Anhalt}} [[Duchy of Anhalt|Anhalt]]: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Albert the Bear]]
* {{flagcountry|Austrian Empire}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary|Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen]], ''1866''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222022855/http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|url-status=dead|title="A Szent István Rend tagjai"|archivedate=22 December 2010}}</ref>
* {{flag|Baden}}:<ref name="HandbuchBaden">''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden'' (1880), "Großherzogliche Orden" [https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1875329 pp. 60] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806013433/https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1875329 |date=6 August 2020 }}, [https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1875341 72] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806020513/https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1875341 |date=6 August 2020 }}</ref>
** Knight of the [[House Order of Fidelity]], ''1877''
** Knight of the [[Order of Berthold the First]], ''1877''
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Bavaria}}: [[Order of St. Hubert|Knight of St. Hubert]], ''1862''<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern'' (1906), "Königliche Orden" [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_nTedipoxoGcC/page/n37/mode/2up p. 7]</ref>
* {{flag|Belgium}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]], ''17 May 1856''<ref name="Veldekens1858">{{cite book|author=Ferdinand Veldekens|title=Le livre d'or de l'ordre de Léopold et de la croix de fer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_6lAAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP11|year=1858|publisher=lelong|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_6lAAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA224 224]|access-date=17 December 2020|archive-date=9 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112242/https://books.google.com/books?id=_6lAAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP11|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Empire of Brazil}}: [[Order of the Southern Cross|Grand Cross of the Southern Cross]]
* {{flag|Denmark}}:<ref name="DanskStatskalender">{{cite book |year=1907 |orig-year=1st pub.:1801 |editor1-last=Bille-Hansen |editor1-first=A. C. |editor2-last=Holck |editor2-first=Harald |title=Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1907 |trans-title=State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1907 |url=https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/921843.pdf#page=39 |format=PDF |series=Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender |language=da |location=Copenhagen |publisher=J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri |page=3 |access-date=7 September 2020 |via=[[:da:DIS Danmark]] |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021010610/https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/921843.pdf#page=39 |url-status=live }}</ref>
** [[Order of the Elephant|Knight of the Elephant]], ''3 June 1848''
** [[Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog]], ''5 October 1863''
* {{flagcountry|Second French Empire}}:
** [[Honour medal for courage and devotion|Honour medal for Courage and Devotion]], ''23 March 1862''<ref>{{cite web|title=oscar-iis-franska-raddningsmedalj|date=28 February 2018|trans-title=Oscar II's Rescue Medal|language=sv|url=https://phaleristica.com/2018/02/28/oscar-iis-franska-raddningsmedalj/|access-date=3 May 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806003455/https://phaleristica.com/2018/02/28/oscar-iis-franska-raddningsmedalj/|url-status=live}}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Legion of Honour]]
** Gold [[Médaille militaire]]
* {{flagicon|Greece|royal}} [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]]: [[Order of the Redeemer|Grand Cross of the Redeemer]]
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Hanover}}: Grand Cross of the [[Royal Guelphic Order]], ''1852''<ref name="Hannover1865">{{cite book|author=Staat Hannover|title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_bAFTAAAAcAAJ|year=1865|publisher=Berenberg|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_bAFTAAAAcAAJ/page/n95/mode/2up 81]}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Hawaii}}: Grand Cross of the [[Royal Order of Kamehameha I (decoration)|Order of Kamehameha I]]
* {{flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen ohne Wappen.svg}} [[Grand Duchy of Hesse|Hesse-Darmstadt]]: Grand Cross of the [[Ludwig Order]], ''20 September 1881''<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen'' (1883), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen", [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112032663715&view=1up&seq=42 p. 14] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009055218/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112032663715&view=1up&seq=42 |date=9 October 2021 }}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Italy}}: [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation|Knight of the Annunciation]], ''10 January 1862''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Notizia storica del nobilissimo ordine supremo della santissima Annunziata. Sunto degli statuti, catalogo dei cavalieri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2aP6enNFoYC|publisher=Eredi Botta|date=1869|access-date=9 May 2020|language=it|first=Luigi|surname=Cibrario|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2aP6enNFoYC&dq=Ordine+supremo+della+Santissima+Annunziata&pg=PA118 118]|archive-date=9 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112251/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2aP6enNFoYC|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]], ''27 July 1881''<ref>{{cite book|author=刑部芳則|title=明治時代の勲章外交儀礼|url=http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf|year=2017|publisher=明治聖徳記念学会紀要|language=ja|page=143|access-date=17 August 2020|archive-date=28 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328221535/http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg}} [[Mecklenburg]]: [[House Order of the Wendish Crown|Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown]], with Crown in Ore
* {{flag|Monaco}}: [[Order of Saint-Charles|Grand Cross of St. Charles]], ''16 January 1862''<ref>[https://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/var/jdm/storage/original/application/f41d2b49a98a52b8d0a24470ad08cc49.pdf Journal de Monaco] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318031846/https://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/var/jdm/storage/original/application/f41d2b49a98a52b8d0a24470ad08cc49.pdf |date=18 March 2022 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Nassau}}: [[Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau|Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau]], ''July 1858''<ref>''Staats- und Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Nassau'' (1866), "Herzogliche Orden" [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10021632?page=24 p. 8] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407012030/https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10021632?page=24 |date=7 April 2023 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Netherlands}}: [[Order of the Netherlands Lion|Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion]]
* {{flag|Luxembourg}}: [[Order of the Oak Crown|Grand Cross of the Oak Crown]]
* {{flag|Ottoman Empire}}:
** [[Order of Osmanieh]], 1st Class
** [[Order of Distinction (Ottoman Empire)|Order of Distinction]]
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Tunisia.svg}} [[Beylik of Tunis]]: Husainid Family Order
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Portugal}}:
** [[Order of the Tower and Sword|Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword]]
** Grand Cross of the [[Sash of the Three Orders]]
* {{flagicon image|Early 20th Century Qajar Flag.svg}} [[Qajar Iran|Persia]]: House Order of the Imperial Effigy, 1st Class
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1803-1892).svg}} [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]:
** [[Order of the Black Eagle|Knight of the Black Eagle]], ''28 September 1861'';<ref name="prus">{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste|journal=Preussische Ordens-Liste|volume=1|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|pages=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=14&skin=2021 6], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=1007&skin=2021 935]|language=German|location=Berlin|year=1886|access-date=22 August 2021|archive-date=18 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818034008/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|url-status=live}}</ref> with Collar
** [[Order of the Red Eagle|Grand Cross of the Red Eagle]]
** Grand Commander's Cross of the [[House Order of Hohenzollern#Royal House Order|Royal House Order of Hohenzollern]], ''12 June 1875''<ref name="prus"/>
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}}:
** [[Order of the Star of Romania|Grand Cross of the Star of Romania]]
** [[Order of the Crown of Romania|Grand Cross of the Crown of Romania]]
* {{flagcountry|Russian Empire}}:
** [[Order of St. Andrew|Knight of St. Andrew]], ''9 July 1846''
** [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky|Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky]]
** [[Order of the White Eagle (Russia)|Knight of the White Eagle]]
** [[Order of Saint Anna|Knight of St. Anna]], 1st Class
** [[Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov)|Knight of St. Stanislaus]], 1st Class
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Saxony}}: [[Order of the Rue Crown|Knight of the Rue Crown]], ''1875''<ref name="Sachsen1876">{{cite book|author=Sachsen|title=Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1876|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sdDm0hzLlTsC&pg=PR1|year=1876|publisher=Heinrich|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=sdDm0hzLlTsC&pg=PA3 3]|access-date=24 June 2020|archive-date=9 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709112247/https://books.google.com/books?id=sdDm0hzLlTsC&pg=PR1|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flag|Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach}}: [[Order of the White Falcon|Grand Cross of the White Falcon]], ''26 May 1862''<ref>''Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach'' (1864), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" [https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00183895/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_13_0430.tif p. 13] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830065732/https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00183895/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_13_0430.tif |date=30 August 2019 }}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Principality of Serbia}}: [[Order of the Cross of Takovo|Grand Cross of the Cross of Takovo]]
* {{Flagicon|Thailand|1855}} [[Siam]]:
** Knight of the [[Order of the Royal House of Chakri]], ''29 October 1888''
** [[Order of the White Elephant|Grand Cross of the White Elephant]]
* {{flagcountry|Restoration (Spain)}}: [[Order of the Golden Fleece|Knight of the Golden Fleece]], ''14 July 1872''<ref>{{citation|chapter-url=http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000941464&search=&lang=es|chapter=Caballeros de la insigne orden del toisón de oro|title=Guía Oficial de España|date=1887|access-date=21 March 2019|page=146|language=es|archive-date=22 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222032234/http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000941464&search=&lang=es|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}: [[Order of the Garter|Stranger Knight Companion of the Garter]], ''17 May 1881''<ref name=p66>Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) ''The Knights of England'', '''I''', London, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n155/mode/2up p. 66]</ref>
* [[File:Flag of Venezuela (1863–1905).svg|25px]] [[Venezuela]]: Collar of the [[Order of the Liberator]]
* {{flag|Württemberg}}: [[Order of the Crown (Württemberg)|Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown]], ''1879''<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Pc5CAAAAYAAJ/page/n63 Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg]'' (1907), "Königliche Orden" p. 28</ref>
}}

==Legacy==
The name and portrait of Oscar II have been used as a trademark for [[King Oscar (company)|King Oscar sardines]] in Norway since 1902<ref name="historien">{{cite web |url=https://www.kingoscar.com/about-us/ |title=About King Oscar |publisher=[[King Oscar sardines|kingoscar.com]] |access-date=7 July 2019 |archive-date=7 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707093610/https://www.kingoscar.com/about-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (which remains the only brand to have once obtained his "royal permission"
<ref name="Norwegianamerican">{{cite news |url=https://www.norwegianamerican.com/food/king-of-the-sea/ |title=King of the sea |newspaper=[[The Norwegian American]] |date=7 September 2016 |access-date=6 July 2019 |archive-date=7 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707093609/https://www.norwegianamerican.com/food/king-of-the-sea/ |url-status=live }}</ref>) as well as [[gingerbread]] cookies (''pepparkakor'') and other bakery products made by [[Göteborgs Kex AB|Göteborgs Kex]] in Sweden.<ref name="Gingerbread">{{cite web |url=https://www.goteborgskex.se/products/kung-oscar/ |title=Kung Oscar |work=Goteborgskex |publisher=[[Göteborgs Kex AB]] |language=sv |access-date=7 July 2019 |archive-date=7 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707093616/https://www.goteborgskex.se/products/kung-oscar/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The culinary creation [[Veal Oscar]] was named in his honor supposedly for his fondness for its ingredients: veal cutlet, crab meat, Béarnaise sauce, and asparagus.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=799&dat=19990329&id=cf5OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ik4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6110,4111527|title=Try New Wave Veal Oscar for fine spring or Easter dining|last=Beaulieu|first=Linda|date=29 March 1999|work=AP|publisher=The Bryan Times|access-date=25 February 2014}}</ref>

== Heraldry ==
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%; margin:auto;"
|-
! style="background:#ccf;"|Heraldry of Oscar II of Sweden
|-
|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| [[File:Blason du Prince Oscar Fredrik duc d'Östergötland de 1829 à 1844.svg|235px]]<br />Prince of Sweden and Norway <br /> and Duke of [[Östergötland]] (1829–1844)
| [[File:Blason du Prince Oscar (II) de Suede a partir de 1844.svg|200px]]<br />Prince of Sweden and Norway <br /> and Duke of [[Östergötland]] (1844–1872)
| [[File:Coat of Arms of the Union between Sweden and Norway.svg|200px]]<br />King of Sweden and Norway <br />(1872–1885)
| [[File:Coat of Arms of the Union between Sweden and Norway.svg|200px]]<br />King of Sweden and Norway <br />(1885–1905)
| [[File:Oskar II, monogram.svg|155px]]<br />Monogram of King Oscar II<br /> of Sweden
| <br />Arms of Oscar II, King of Sweden and Norway, as displayed on his [[Garter stall plate]] in [[St George's Chapel]]
|}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Oscar II.|volume=20|page=346}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|author=Cronholm, Neander N. |title=A History of Sweden from the Earliest Times to the Present Day|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924071200822|year=1902|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924071200822/page/n330 301]–10|publisher=Chicago, New York [etc.] The author}}
*{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Oscar II.|short=x}}
*{{Cite NSRW|wstitle=Oscar II, Frederic|short=x}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151214082116/http://www.saintolav.com/ The Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav – H.M. King Oscar II the former Grand Master of the Order]

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Bernadotte]]|21 January|1829|8 December|1907|name=Oscar II}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Charles XV of Sweden|Charles XV/IV]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Swedish monarchs|King of Sweden]]|years 	=18 September 1872 – 8 December 1907}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Gustaf V of Sweden|Gustav V]]}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Norwegian monarchs|King of Norway]]|years=18 September 1872 – 7 June 1905}}
{{s-vac|next=[[Haakon VII of Norway|Haakon VII]]}}
{{s-pre}}
|-
{{s-new|loss|reason=[[Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden|Dissolution of the union]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[King of Norway]]
|years=7 June 1905 – 26 October 1905}}
{{s-aft|after='''Claim ended'''}}
{{s-end}}

{{House of Bernadotte}}
{{Swedish princes}}
{{Monarchs of Norway}}
{{Monarchs of Sweden}}
{{SwedishThroneHeirs}}
{{Dukes of Östergötland}}
{{Grand Masters of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oscar 02}}
[[Category:1829 births]]
[[Category:1907 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Swedish monarchs]]
[[Category:20th-century Swedish monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century Norwegian monarchs]]
[[Category:20th-century Norwegian monarchs]]
[[Category:Royalty from Stockholm]]
[[Category:House of Bernadotte]]
[[Category:Swedish Lutherans]]
[[Category:Swedish people of French descent]]
[[Category:Uppsala University alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Swedish people of German descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Riddarholmen Church]]
[[Category:Swedish Freemasons]]
[[Category:Dethroned monarchs]]
[[Category:Dukes of Östergötland]]
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[[Category:Grand masters of the Order of Charles XIII]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of Charles XIII]]
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[[Category:Knights of the Order of the Norwegian Lion]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint James of the Sword|3]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
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