Knut Olivecrona and his ”Om dödsstraffet”. - Figuras

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Sigfrid Wieselgren, in his description of the Uppsala of his studies in the 1860's, paints a complex but typical portrait of Olivecrona. He was rigidly conservative. He was thorough in his science. His appearance was somewhat wooden and in his heart, he was very compassionate.1 He was also the leading abolitionist in the Nordic countries and had many and central contacts among abolitionists in Europe and the rest of the world.2 It has been said that Sweden and not least the judicial environment, especially after 1870, was largely oriented towards Germany.3 Olivecrona was of another breed, with widespread contacts and writing letters in English and French but not in German.4 Some of the contacts of Olivecrona are recorded in his large archive in the Uppsala University library.5 The correspondence, however, although huge, is far from complete.6 No drafts written in Swedish is preserved, probably only a minority of the others, and very few at all before ca 1870. The same time range applies to the letters. Although the oldest letter is from 1839 any broader collection only seem to have started at the end of the 1860's.7 There is also another archive of great interest concerning Knut Olivecrona. Since a few years the archives of the Olivecrona family is held in the Swedish national archives. Among material from several Olivecronas much come from Knut and his second wife, Rosalie, such as some correspondence, mostly with family and close friends, and diaries. Although some lacunae in the Uppsala archive are filled by the family archive the gaps still are numerous.8 1 Wieselgren 1907 p 21. 2 Cf Björne 1998 p 173: ”Olivecrona var den auktoritativaste motståndaren till dödsstraffet i Norden.” 3 Sundell 1987 p 20 sqq. 4 I haven't found any reason for his reluctance to use the German language. His school grade in German was for example just as well as his grade in English and better than his grade in French, Wijkmark 1928 p 189. 5 The archive of Olivecrona in UUB consist of the volumes B 187 m 1-28, G 197 k:1-21, and X 284 p:1-2. Books and pamphlets collected by Olivecrona donated to UUB is listed in Förteckning över Häradshövding A. Olivecronas donation 1930, Donationskapsel M5A UUB:s ämbetsarkiv UUB. Additionally there is a collection of newspaper cuttings, to a large extent from foreign newspapers and it occurred that correspondents forwarded cuttings, see for example letter from Fredrik Bruun to Knut Olivecrona 6/2 1883 G 197 k:6 UUB. 6 Letters sent, but not preserved in the collection of drafts are sometime mentioned in other drafts or letters, se for instance draft of letter from Knut Olivecrona to Gustave Rolin- Jacquemyns 4/9 1870 G 197 k:17 and letter from Charles Lucas to Knut Olivecrona 8/11 1880 G 197 k:10 UUB. Drafts to answers to letters not preserved also exist, see for instance draft to letters from Knut Olivecrona to Charles Lucas 4/8 1884 and 26/5 1888 G 197 k:19 UUB. 7 Letter from August von Hartmansdorff to Knut and Thomas Olivecrona 8/4 1839 G 197 k:2 UUB. 8 The archive is not yet put in order and catalogued, thus the references to different boxes is going to become out of date. 2
Childhood and executions In 1867 Olivecrona wrote that he since 25 years was convinced of the unsuitability of the death penalty in Sweden.1 In his autobiography he describes an incident from the summer of 1830 when he was twelve and the young schoolboy was on his way from Stockholm to his home in Värmland. On the road between Fellingsbro and Glanshammar the driver of the coach proposed to his passengers that they should visit a nearby site of execution. A headless body was spiked to a pole and under another a severed head lay since the spikes holding it had been stolen. Olivecrona describes the horrifying impression that stayed with him. Especially the memory of the head followed him for a very long time. Although he does not explicitly state any connection, he goes on describing his opinion on the penalty of death.2 Also, for some others among the leading abolitionists childhood experiences seem to have been of importance, maybe even decisive. Except Knut Olivecrona we can mention Jean-Jacques de Sellon, Charles Lucas, and Victor Hugo. They all had encountered executions, execution processions or execution sites. Sellon, while travelling in Italy between the age of ten and fourteen first encountered several executions in Rome and then the recent abolitionistic history of Tuscany. Lucas was around fourteen when he and some comrades sneaked off from school to see an execution, an experience that horrified and filled them with repulsion. Hugo had several experiences in this field. At the age of ten in Burgos he saw the scaffolds and the execution process. Back in Paris Victor de Lahorie, that he had often met was executed. At sixteen he heard the screams of a girl being branded and more than forty years later he claimed that he still could hear them.3 However, whilst many shared similar experiences, most did not become dedicated abolitionists, but it is interesting as the thoughts about children attending executions and about the consequences of seeing executions altered, almost in a volte-face roughly in the first half of the 19th century. Although in many places up to the mid-19th century at least some children were expected to attend executions in order to be warned and educated, and thus the experiences just mentioned must have been quite common, a fundamental change was taking place, an abhorrence for the presence of children, and women, was gaining ground during the 19th century, often resulting in 1 The drafted article Frågan om dödsstraffets avskaffande fol 6 r B 187 m:25 UUB. 2 Fol 17 sqq X 284 p:1 UUB. 3 Rens et Giesen 1985 p 262 sq, Bérenger 1893 p 546, Hugo s l I:170, 178 sq, Hugo 1985 p 544, Juin 1980 p 173 sqq, 178 sq, Desan 1986-87 p 203. 3
Page 1: The Swede in 19th century European
Page 5 and 6: sciences sociales in Gent, thereby
Page 7 and 8: Knut Olivecrona had in Rosalie a sp
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Page 47 and 48: A few days later Olivecrona and Osc
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An ideal of development, of a brigh
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HEIDELBERG Universitätsbibliothek
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1988 Une prison verte dans les mara
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1987-89 Naumann, Christian i: Svens
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1868b Om förbättringsanstalten i
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Rodhe, Edvard 1926 Förbindelser me
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Knut Olivecrona and his ”Om dödsstraffet”. - Figuras

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