The grave of the dog Pompe - the favorite of the Swedish ruler (8 photos)

The greats of this world can also have their weaknesses, just like their ordinary subjects.





A tombstone on the grounds of the royal castle marks the burial place of the Swedish king's beloved dog.



Karlberg Castle in Solna, main building

Despite the fact that dogs are perhaps the most beloved and widespread pets all over the world, regardless of the status of their owners, arranging burials for them is not such a common practice. But it was the royal dog.





Charles XII

King Charles XII, who ruled Sweden from 1697 to 1718, loved dogs and became famous, among other things, for having many, many four-legged friends. But his favorite was a puppy named Pompe, named after the Roman statesman Pompey. Oddly enough, Pompa was actually three, because after the death of the previous dog, the king got a new one and gave it the same name. But the first Pompe was my favorite.



When Pompe died in 1699 after a long and productive service as a hunting dog, he was buried in the grounds of Karlberg Castle in Solna. At the site of his burial there was a tombstone with an inscription, which is still visited today.



After this, the king got a second hunting dog with the same name. This pet lived until 1703, and then died in a field camp. However, the king was stubborn, he did not give up and got a third dog named Pompe. But, unfortunately, she also died during a trip to Hungary.



The dog Pompe is well known in Sweden (although sometimes there is confusion, because there were three dogs with the same name). In many ways, the four-legged friend was glorified by a poem written by the king's auditor general, Israel Holmström. He personally saw the second Pompe in action. Roughly translated, this ode looks something like this:

Loyal boy of King Pompe.

Every night he slept in a king's bed.

He died at the king's feet.

Many proud men and fair maidens

They wanted to live like Pompe.

And thousands of heroes want to die like Pompe.



This poem attracted many angry responses due to its apparent disrespectful comparison of the exalted king and the insignificant dog. Many alternative versions were created, the authors of which tried to correct the situation. But none of them became as popular as the pretentious, albeit clumsy, original.