Richard Dybeck
Richard Dybeck was a Swedish jurist, antiquarian, and lyricist. He is mainly remembered as the author of the lyrics to what is now the de facto Swedish national anthem, Du gamla, Du fria.Biography
Dybeck was born in the rectory of Odensvi parish just outside the town of Köping in Västmanland, Sweden. He was the son of a clergyman, went to gymnasium in Västerås, and later matriculated at Uppsala University in 1831 with a law degree. He completed his civil service degree in law in 1834 and entered the Svea Court of Appeal. He held a number of positions in the court system during the following years, but eventually began to spend all his time on his antiquarian and historical research.
Dybeck wrote many poems. He was also known to be keenly interested in Asian culture, as was seen by his collection of historic prints and lithographs which originated from places like Myanmar and China. Dybeck died in 1877 at Södertälje and was buried at Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm.
