This man ended up on an island after shipwreck, married its princess, became king

New Delhi: The life story of Carl Emil Pettersson is one of intriguing thriller. Unlike most other stories of shipwreck survivors, Carl's story took a different turn, making him a king. Carl Emil Pettersson was born in October 1875 and he was a Swedish sailor who became the king of an island after reaching there following a shipwreck and marrying its princess. In this article, we take a look at how the shipwreck survivor became the king of an island. Yes, you have read that right. The person lead a pretty prosperous and died in old age. Curious? Well, read on to find more about him. 

Carl was born to Carl Wilhelm and Johanna Pettersson and he had five siblings. His father left the family, and in around 1892, Carl went to sea when he was reportedly 17 years old. Later, in around 1898, he ended up in the German New Guinea's Bismarck Archipelago, where he worked for the German trading house, Neuguinea-Compagnie whose headquarter was in Kokopo. 

The job at the Neuguinea-Compagnie gave Carl a good life for a while. With a steady job and being a confident sailor, Carl enjoyed his time on the water. On December 25, 1904, when Carl was 29-years-old, during a recruiting trip in the Pacific, his vessel the Herzog Johan Albrecht sank off Tabar Island in New Ireland Province. He survived and washed ashore near a village, and found himself surrounded by native islanders.

The islanders weren’t used to outsiders and chances were high that they could have killed Carl. Moreover, certain islands in Papua New Guinea were known as home to cannibals. However, Carl Emil Pettersson was unlike any person the islanders had ever seen. The Tabar islanders lowered their weapons and captured Carl. 

However, things took a dramatic turn when Carl was taken to their king, Lamry. There, the daughter of the king, Princess Sindu, fell in love with this outsider. In 1907, Carl and Princess Sindu got married. Later, he started the copra trade, created his coconut plantation named Teripax. After the death of the king, Pettersson became the new ruler of the island. Due to his impressive strength, the locals gave him the nickname "Strong Charley”. His story was printed in Swedish and German newspapers.

Carl increased his business and founded two plantations. He treated the local customs with respect and showed concern for his employees, which made him very popular. Him and Sindu had nine children, with one of them dying in infancy. In 1921, his wife died of puerperal fever. Later, he went to Sweden in search of a new wife and married Jessie Louisa Simpson. They returned to Tabar Island, but by then, the plantation had declined. Also, both Carl and his wife repeatedly fell sick. 

Carl reportedly found a gold deposit on Simberi Island which helped him to become wealthy once again. However, the island lacked adequate healthcare and other modern amenities and. His wife returned to Sweden, and died of cancer in May 1935 in Stockholm. Carl’s faltering health also made it difficult for him to continue living on that island. He left the island and went to Sydney. In 1937, he died of a heart attack at the age of 61. 

Carl left the island to Frederick, his eldest son who was studying medicine in New Zealand at that time. He decided to abandon his career to become the new king of Tabar. However, Frederick quickly realised that he could not live on the island by giving up the luxuries of New Zealand. He offered to sell it to Sweden but they declined the offer. He even offered Sweden money, but it was declined again. In the end, Australia took possession of the land. The fascinating story of Carl Pettersson inspired author Astrid Lindgren to create her children’s book, Pippi Longstocking. Even today, the tale of Carl Pettersson continues to inspire people. He did not lose hope and courage in face of great adversity. Instead, he kept his wits, made the best of the situation, and even ended becoming a king. If there is anything to learn from this, it is the fact that make the most of things.