Fredrik Hasselqvist

Who was Fredrik Hasselqvist?

Fredrik Hasselquist was a Swedish traveller and naturalist.

Hasselquist was born at Törnevalla, which is two kilometers east of Linghem, Östergötland. On account of the frequently expressed regrets of Carolus Linnaeus, under whom he studied at Uppsala University, at the lack of information regarding the natural history of Palestine, Hasselquist resolved to undertake a journey to that country. With a sufficient subscription having been obtained to defray expenses, he reached Smyrna towards the end of 1749.

He visited parts of Asia Minor, Egypt, Cyprus and Palestine, making large natural history collections, but his constitution, naturally weak, gave way under the fatigues of travel, and he died near Smyrna on his way home.

His collections reached home in safety, and five years after his death his notes were published by Linnaeus under the title Iter Palæstinum, Eller Resa til Heliga Landet, Förrättad Ifrån år 1749 til 1752, which was translated into French and German in 1762 and into English in 1766.

He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1750.