After the Great Northern War (1700-1721), Sweden lost the position as a Great Power it had had since the 17th century. It was time to rebuild the country. Despite financial difficulties, it was a time of optimism and faith in the future, not least in science. Swedish science had an international breakthrough. The founding of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences at the House of Nobility in 1739, was part of this development. One of the most important aims of the Academy was to spread knowledge of how science could contribute to improving the economy of the country.

One of the first decisions was to publish a bulletin, Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar (The Transactions of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences).
Therein, practical advice was given on the cultivation of silk worms, the improvement of ploughs and new methods for the extermination of pests. With the help of science, Sweden would once again become a Great Power.

Linnaeus was one of the founders of the Academy and its first preses (chair). He shared the view of the Academy on the importance of science for the
country. In 1739, at the age of 32, he was a physician in Stockholm and only at the start of his career. In 1741, he moved to Uppsala to become professor of medicine. The appearances of Linnaeus at the Academy meetings became more and more rare. He still maintained an influence on the Academy, however, until his death in 1778.

© KVA

'Bridegroom portrait' of Linnaeus, copy by Jean Haagen (1906) of oil painting by J H Scheffel (1739).