Lysande uppdrag: Bernadotte-dynastins kungliga historiografer, 1930–1960-tal

This article explores the ‘modernisation’ of the Swedish royal court in the first half of the 20th century via the association of three academic historians writing about the ruling Bernadotte dynasty. This article relates analytically to current historiography on archival practice and the materiality of history writing during a formative period of professionalisation and the institutionalisation of public record-keeping and academic careers. Through correspondence and memoirs, the article reveals the trajectory of three historians gaining exclusive access to the royal archives concerning the house of Bernadotte, exploring their competition and motivation in becoming associated with royal topics. Several scholarly biographies on the 19th-century history of the Bernadotte dynastyweresimultaneouslypublisheddueto this archival effort. The works promoted the historians’ careers in different ways: Torvald Höjer was appointed custodian to the royal archives in 1944, Carl-Fredrik Palmstierna became Gustav VI Adolf’s personal secretary somewhat later, and Alma Söderhjelm gained fame and profit through her writings, appearing as the particular friend of members of the royal family. The article argues that in this particularly challenging time for European monarchies, the royal court benefitted from the thorough inventory of its dynastic history and the inclusion of academic scholarship. Thus, they compensated for the loss of constitutional status with a growing awareness of the monarchy as a bearer of cultural heritage and importance.