The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Leopold, Karl Gustaf af

LEOPOLD, Karl Gustaf af, Swedish poet: b. Stockholm, 3 April 1756; d. there, 9 Nov. 1829. He attained distinction in Swedish letters, his first work to attract wide attention being his ‘Ode on the Birth of the Prince-Royal Gustavus Adolphus’ (1778). He was appointed secretary to Gustavus III in 1778 and stood high in the regard of that monarch. His odes on the martial achievements of the Swedes were among his most popular productions, and his tragedies ‘Odin’ (1790) and ‘Virginia’ (1902) were highly successful. In 1818 he was appointed Secretary of State. His ‘Samlade Skrifter’ were published (Vols. I-III, 1800-02; Vols. IV-VI, 1831-33).