A Lavish Meal That Doomed a Monarch
Adolf Frederick reigned more than he ruled, and most real power in Sweden rested with its Riksdag, or parliament. He sometimes tried to buck parliament and increase his power and royal prerogatives, but without success. As such, he remained a figurehead monarch. That was not a bad thing, because it marked a shift from absolutist monarchy to a constitutional one. As consolation, Frederick spent the bulk of his reign in pursuit of pleasure. One of his greatest pleasures was food, and he became a glutton.
That gluttony proved a fatal delight, as Frederick discovered on February 12th, 1771. That night, as was his wont, His Highness wolfed down a gluttonously lavish dinner. The meal included large servings of lobster, caviar, sausages, and sauerkraut, washed down with copious champagne. For desert, he had fourteen servings of semla – a sweet roll topped with whipped cream – and hot milk. Soon afterwards, he complained of stomach pains, which steadily worsened until he died a few hours later.
