Oscar II of Sweden
Although many people would not know the king of which countries he had been, King Oscar remains one of the top remembered kings in the world history because he has appeared on the cover of sardines tins for most than one century. He was born in 1807 and became King of Noray and Sweden in 1872 when suceeding from his brother King Charles IV. His elder son wil become the King of Sweden only, following the dissolution of the Swedish Norwegian union in 1905. He was the fourth of the Bernadottes to become king but was not very popular or as charismatic as his brother Charles XV. However, in his earlier life, he was an acclaimed writer and poet, and as a king, supportive of the arts. He commissioned the construction of the "Operan" the Stockholm opera house.
He had four son with his wife Sophia Wilhelmina and at least five more extra marital ones. His youngest son was Prins Eugén, the famous Swedish landscape painter.
So how come he became better known as a brand of sardine cans?
In 1880, Norwegian fish canneries became exporting sardines. In 1902, the King, in support for this new industry, gave permission to one leading company to use his name for the promotion of the product. The King Oscar brand developped very successfully, increasing international activities and additional products. Today, the group is owned by Thai Union Group, one of the largest seafood producers in the world.
Besides, King Oscar has given his name to a famous French recipe for veal, the King Oscar Veal.