Gustav (Eriksson) Vasa (abt. 1496 - 1560)

Born about 12 May 1496 in Rydboholm, Östra Ryd, Uppland, Sverige [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Margareta (Eriksdotter) Leijonhufvud — married 1 Oct 1536 in Uppsala Castle

Husband of Katarina (Stenbock) Gustafsdotter — married 22 Aug 1552 in Vadstena, Östergötland, Sweden

Descendants

Died 13 Jun 1560 at about age 64 in Stockholms slott, Stockholm, Sverige

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Biography

Gustav (Eriksson) Vasa is a member of the House of Vasa.

Gustav Eriksson was probably born May 12, 1496, at Rydboholm. He was the son of the noble man Erik Johansson (Vasa) and Cecilia Månsdotter (Eka). His mother's sister was married to the head of the nation Sten Sture (junior) and Gustav served at his court.

In 1518 he took part in the battle of Brännkyrka against the Danish king Kristian who wanted the Swedish crown and the restoration of the union. In October of the same year, negotiations were held between the Swedes and the Danes. Gustav was one of the six people who were given as a hostage to the Danish king, who against his word sent the hostage to be held prisoners at Kalö in Denmark. The young nobleman Gustav managed to escape (September 1519), first to Lübeck, and then to Kalmar, Sweden (May 1520) before hiding at the family estate Räfsnäs in Södermanland.

The Danish king was crowned king of Sweden in November 1520 and soon thereafter he staged the Bloodbath of Stockholm, executing Gustav's father and several other relatives. When Gustav heard about the deed he went to Dalarna in order to raise a rebellion against the king. Others had already started a rebellion and they joined Gustav. By the new year of 1522 all of Sweden except for Finland, Kalmar and Stockholm had fallen. In order to conquer the remaining cities, Gustav hired mercenaries from Lübeck.

On June 6, 1523, Gustav was elected king of Sweden.

The debt to Lübeck had to be paid so taxes were raised. Friends of Kristian tried to undermine the new king and the former fellow rebels from Dalarna protested the new taxes.

New religious teaching was preached by Laurentius Andreae and Olaus Petri who had studied in the city of Wittenberg where they had met Martin Luther. The king saw the benefits of the new teaching and at the Council of Västerås in 1527 the first steps to a reformation were taken when the riches of the church fell under the crown. Gustav stripped the church of its wealth and used it to repay the debt to Lübeck.

The first twenty years of Gustav's reign were filled with different uprisings against him. The king learned from his mistakes and at the Council of Västerås in 1544 several important decisions were made which helped forge the faith of Sweden. The crown became hereditary, the military was reorganized so that larger forces could more quickly come to the king's aid and the earlier decision that the Church of Sweden would be evangelical was finalized together with other rules for the church. The king's sons were given dukedoms that would support their living expenses.

Wives

Gustav Vasa was married three times.

1. September 24, 1531, to Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg,in Storkyrkan, Stockholm.^[1] the daughter of duke Magnus of Sachsen-Lauenburg and Katarina of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel.
2. October 1, 1536, to Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhuvud, daughter of cabinet minister Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufvud and Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa. Erik had been executed at Stockholm's blood bath and her mother was Gustav's second cousin. The wedding took place at Uppsala Castle on the day that the former queen, Catherine, had been buried the year before. It is believd that the marriage was a happy one.
3. August 22, 1552, to Katarina Stenbock, daughter of cabinet minister Gustaf Olofsson Stenbock and Brita Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud. Katarina was the niece of Margareta and there by cousin to Gustav's children. She was only sixteen when the king, who now was an old man, started courting her after his second wife had died. The wedding was held at Vadstena Castle.

Children

With Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg:

1. Erik (1533-1568) who came to be known as Erik XIV, king of Sweden.

With Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhuvud:

1. Johan (1537-1592), who came to be known as Johan III, king of Sweden.
2. Katarina (1539-1610) married to Edzard II von Ostfriesland
3. Cecilia (1540-1627) married to Christoffel van Baden-Rodemachern.
4. Magnus (1542-1595)
5. Karl, born and died 1544 in Linköping
6. Anna (1545-1610) married to Georg Hans von Pfalz-Veldenz
7. Sten, born 1546 in Stockholm, died three years later.
8. Sofia (1547-1611) married to Magnus Sachsen-Leuenburg, cousin to Erik XIV.
9. Elisabet (1549-1597) married to Christof van Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
10. Karl (1550-1611) who came to be known as Karl IX, king of Sweden.

Death and Burial

Gustav died September 29, 1560, at Stockholm Castle. He was buried in Uppsala Cathedral.

Characteristics

Gustav was 173 cm tall and stout. He had a low forehead that leaned backwards, his hair was gingery and he also had a fiery temperament.^[2]

Legacy

• The Swedish crown became hereditary
• Several castles were built or renovated to protect and defend the country (Kalmar, Vadstena, Stockholm, etc.)
• The church of Sweden
• The military was reorganized so that there would always be a great army ready.
• The princes and princesses of Sweden receive dukedoms when they are born. They are, however, no longer meant to support them financially.

Sources

1. ↑ Gustav Vasa och Katarina av Sachsen-Lauenburg, Kungliga bröllop, kungahuset.se
2. ↑ Lindqvist, Herman: De vilda vasarana - en våldsam historia, Albert Bonniers Förlag (2016)

• Roberts, Michael: The Early Vasas: A History of Sweden 1523–1611 (1968)
• Åberg, Alf: Gustav Vasa 500 år / The official anniversary book (1996)
• Larsson, Lars-Olof: Gustav Vasa - Landsfader eller tyrann?, Bokförlaget Prisma, Stockholm (2002)
• Svensson, Alex: Sveriges regenter under 1000 år, Svenskt Militärhistoriskt Biblioteks Förlag (2010)
• Lindqvist, Herman: Historien om Sverige - Gustav Vasa och hans söner och döttrar, Nordstedt Förlag AB Stockholm (1993)

See also:

• Wikipedia contributors. "Gustav I of Sweden." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 30 May. 2016. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.