Background
A son of Gillis Bildt, he inherited the baronial title on his father"s death in 1894.
A son of Gillis Bildt, he inherited the baronial title on his father"s death in 1894.
Uppsala University.
He spent most of his Foreign Office career as Swedish envoy in Rome and published extensively on Swedish historical topics relating to Rome and Italy. After a law degree from Uppsala and holding various lower-ranking diplomatic posts in London, Paris, Washington District of Columbia, Berlin and Vienna, and as state secretary for foreign affairs, he was appointed Swedish envoy to Rome in 1889. He remained there until 1902 when he was transferred to the same position in London, but returned as envoy to Rome in 1905 and remained there as envoy until his retirement in 1920.
He remained in Rome after retirement, died in 1931 and was buried in the Non-Catholic Cemetery for Foreigners there.
Throughout his years in Italy, Bildt published a number of works on Italian or Italo-Swedish topics, starting with his Anteckningar från Italien av en svensk diplomat ("Notes from Italy by a Swedish diplomat"), with historical descriptions of a number of Italian towns. With his excellent connections in Rome, Bildt was able to access until-then unused sources in Roman public and private archives and published articles on many previously unknown episodes in and aspects of Christina"s later life.
Swedish Academy]
He was elected a member of the Swedish Academy in 1901 and was a member of several foreign academies.