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October 7, 2025Would you pledge your life, your fortune, and your sacred honor to secure the blessings of liberty for your children? Will you attend a monthly Republican meeting to be part of the political

Tumbling out of the warm Pacific waters, Carl Emil Pettersson found footing on terra firma after the ordeal of his shipwreck. Blinking in the tropical sun, he must have taken in the lush setting of Tabar Island bit by bit. The volcanic foliage and exotic fauna of the atoll were so different from the crags and cliffs of Petterssons native Sweden.Public DomainCarl Emil Pettersson went from a simple Swedish sailor to king of Tabar Island.Dry land was a welcome feeling, but he was far from salvation.In the distance, perhaps he could make out the Tabar natives, allegedly known for their practice of cannibalism. Soon, this poor sailor from the suburbs of Stockholm would rule over this island and its people as king.In 1904, Carl Emil Pettersson sailed the waters between northern Australia and whats now Papua New Guinea. The journey changed the life of one simple sailor and forever altered the gene pool of the royal family of Tabar Island.The Early Life Of The Man Who Would Be KingThe early life of Carl Emil Pettersson is not well-recorded. The man who would be the king of Tabar Island was born outside of Stockholm in 1875. One of six children, Petterssons early life was not an easy one, particularly when his father abandoned the family.Around 1892, when he was just 17, Pettersson took to the seas to make a living. By 1898, he was working for the Neuguinea-Compagnie, a German trading company operating in the South Pacific around German New Guinea. It was on a voyage for this company that he met his destiny. On Christmas Day 1904, his ship, the Herzog Johan Albrecht, sank off the coast of Tabar Island. Pettersson washed ashore and was immediately surrounded by the islands natives who were rumored to be cannibals. NASAAn aerial shot of Tabar Island, located in the Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea.Whether or not Pettersson was in real danger of death or worse two things helped save him: love and money.The villagers took Pettersson to their king, Lamy, who had a daughter named Singdo. The princess reportedly fell in love with Carl Emil Pettersson, and the young sailor promised Lamy that he could bring great wealth to the island in the form of a coconut plantation.As the story goes, Lamy agreed to let Pettersson marry his daughter if he could uphold his end of the bargain and create a profitable plantation. Pettersson succeeded, and he and Singdo were married in 1907.And soon, Carl Emil Pettersson was the king of Tabar Island in his own right.Becoming The King Of A South Pacific IslandOver the next 14 years, Pettersson and his new wife had nine children. At some point during that period, King Lamy died, and Pettersson took his place as the islands ruler. Public DomainCarl Emil Pettersson around 1907, the year he married Princess Singdo.This new Swedish king endeared himself to the people of Tabar, respecting their customs and treating them fairly. Their nickname for their new sovereign was Strong Charley.Strong Charleys reign was as formidable as his moniker, at least initially. He expanded his coconut plantations, and the crops proved to be lucrative. Whats more, Carl Emil Pettersson clearly relished his position as king. His granddaughter, Maria Chan Hoerler, told SBS in 2019, Hed write in the Swedish papers and he always wanted to tell people of his adventures in the South Pacific. Hed write about the whole family and what they do.Public DomainCarl Emil Pettersson with Singdo and six of their children in 1918.Well into the 1930s, Pettersson was a popular character in Swedish media. Outlets published wildly exaggerated tales of sharks, cannibals, and pirates, referring to their hometown hero as King Carl the First.These colorful travelogues inspired a young Swedish girl named Astrid Lindgren who would one day create a beloved childrens heroine with a father who ruled over a Pacific island.Carl Emil Petterssons Final YearsEven on the tropical island of Tabar, the sun sets eventually. Singdo contracted a fever after childbirth around 1921 and passed away. With nine children to care for, Pettersson sailed back to Europe in search of a new wife. Back in Sweden, he met Jessie Louisa Simpson, and they returned to Tabar Island in 1923. However, Pettersson was shocked to find his kingdom in disarray. His plantations werent doing well without him around to keep an eye on things, and hed lost much of his fortune. There was a moment of hope when Pettersson reportedly discovered a gold deposit on the nearby island of Simberi. His wealth was restored but he and his new wife were suffering from malaria. Simpson left Tabar to get treatment in Australia and ultimately returned to Sweden, where she died in 1935.That same year, Carl Emil Pettersson left Tabar for good. But he never made it back to Sweden. He only got as far as Sydney, dying from a heart attack in 1937 at age 61.Public DomainCarl Emil Petterssons life inspired Astrid Lindgren as she was writing the Pippi Longstocking series. The connection between Sweden and Tabar Island didnt end with Petterssons death, however. According to a 1938 report in Perths Daily News, his son, Frederick, became king upon Petterssons demise. Frederick tried to give Tabar to Sweden, but the government refused his offer. The more poetic connection lies in the stories spun by Astrid Lindgren about a feisty, red-headed Swedish girl named Pippi Longstocking. In the popular childrens series, Pippis father, Ephraim, is a sailor who is lost in the South Pacific and finally returns home to reveal that hes the king of a faraway island. Lindgren based Ephraim on the stories shed heard of Carl Emil Pettersson when she was young, and the enduring popularity of Pippi Longstocking ensures that the Swedish sailors remarkable legacy will survive for generations to come. After reading about the incredible life of Carl Emil Pettersson, learn about King Ludwig II of Bavaria and his fairy-tale castle. Or, go inside the story of King Adolf Frederick, the Swedish monarch who ate himself to death.The post The Incredible Story Of Carl Emil Pettersson, The Swedish Sailor Who Became The King Of A Pacific Island appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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