The only child of Charles XIV Jean and Queen Désirée, Oscar was born in Paris in 1799. He became a Swedish prince when Bernadotte was selected to become Sweden’s next king. Raised between French and Swedish worlds, Oscar was educated, idealistic, and reform-minded. While he championed liberal causes, he carried the legacy of a dynasty built on ambition, secrecy, and sacrifice—including his own youth. At his father’s death in 1844, he was crowned King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway.