![Eric XIV of Sweden outdoor relief 2013 Stockholm Palace](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Eric_XIV_of_Sweden_outdoor_relief_2013_Stockholm_Palace.jpg)
Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was
King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...
from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of
Gustav I
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...
(1496–1560) and
Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg
Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (''Katarina'' in Swedish) (24 September 1513 – 23 September 1535) was the first wife of Gustav I of Sweden and thus Queen of Sweden from 1531 until her death in 1535.
Life
Catherine was born in Ratzeburg to Magnus ...
(1513–1535). He was also ruler of
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, after its
conquest by Sweden in 1561.
While he has been regarded as intelligent and artistically skilled, as well as politically ambitious, early in his reign he showed signs of mental instability, a condition that eventually led to
insanity
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...
. Some scholars claim that his illness began early during his reign, while others believe that it first manifested with the
Sture murders.
Eric, having been deposed and imprisoned, was most likely murdered. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that he probably died of
arsenic poisoning
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but o ...
.
Early years
Eric XIV was born at
Tre Kronor castle, the morning of 13 December 1533. His mother died before his second year. In 1536, his father,
Gustav Vasa
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...
, married
Margaret Leijonhufvud
Margaret Leijonhufvud (née ''Margareta Eriksdotter''; 1 January 1516 – 26 August 1551) was Queen of Sweden from 1536 to 1551 by marriage to King Gustav I. She played a political role as the advisor of, and the intermediary to, her spouse the ...
(1516–1551), a Swedish noblewoman.
Eric's first teacher was the learned German
Georg Norman George Norman (died 1552 or 1553) was a civil servant of German origin who was in Swedish service from 1539.
He was a teacher of Johan III and Erik XIV.
Biography
Norman studied at Rostock University
The University of Rostock (german: link=n ...
, whose services were shortly thereafter needed elsewhere within the Swedish state. He was replaced by French
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
Dionysius Beurraeus
The name Dionysius (; el, Διονύσιος ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; la, Dionysius) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name ...
(1500–67). Dionysius taught both Eric and his half-brother
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, and seems to have been appreciated by both. Eric was very successful in foreign languages and mathematics. He was also an informed historian, a good writer and familiar with
astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
.
When Eric started to appear in public, he was referred to as "chosen king" ( sv, utvald konung) and after the meeting of parliament in Stockholm in 1560, he received the title of "hereditary king" ( sv, arvkonung).
In 1557, Eric was assigned the fiefdoms of Kalmar, Kronoberg and Öland. He took up residence in the city of
Kalmar
Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...
.
Against his father's wishes, Eric entered into marriage negotiations with the future
Queen Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
and pursued her for several years. Tensions between Eric and his father grew. Eric also made unsuccessful marriage proposals to, among others,
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
(1542–87),
Renata of Lorraine
Renata of Lorraine or Renée de Lorraine (20 April 1544 – 22 May 1602) was by birth a member of the House of Lorraine and Duchess of Bavaria by marriage to William V, Duke of Bavaria.
Born in Nancy, France, she was the second child and eldest d ...
(1544–1602),
Anna of Saxony
Anna of Saxony (23 December 1544 – 18 December 1577) was the heiress of Maurice, Elector of Saxony, and Agnes, eldest daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. Maurice's only son, Albert, died in infancy. Anna was the second wife of William t ...
(1544–77) and
Christine of Hesse
Christine of Hesse (29 June 1543 – 13 May 1604) was Duchess consort of Holstein-Gottorp as the spouse of Duke Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp. She exerted some political influence as a widow after 1586.
Biography
Christine was born in Kassel a ...
(1543–1604).
Rule
![Eric XIV of Sweden grave 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Eric_XIV_of_Sweden_grave_2013.jpg)
The news of his father's death reached Eric as he was on the point of embarking for England to press his suit for the hand of Queen Elizabeth. Back in Stockholm he summoned a
Riksdag
The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...
, which met at
Arboga
Arboga () is a locality and the seat of Arboga Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 10,330 inhabitants in 2010.
Overview
The city of Arboga is known to have existed as a town since the 13th century but the area has been inhabited sinc ...
on 15 April 1561. There he adopted the royal propositions known as the "Arboga articles", considerably curtailing the authority of the royal dukes, John and
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
, in their respective provinces.
He was crowned as Eric XIV, but was not necessarily the 14th king of Sweden named Eric. He and his brother Charles adopted regnal numbers according to
Johannes Magnus
Johannes Magnus (a modified form of Ioannes Magnus, a Latin translation of his birth name Johan Månsson; 19 March 1488 – 22 March 1544) was the last functioning Catholic Archbishop in Sweden, and also a theologian, genealogist, and histori ...
's partly fictitious
history of Sweden
The history of Sweden can be traced back to the melting of the Northern Polar Ice Caps. From as early as 12000 BC, humans have inhabited this area. Throughout the Stone Age, between 8000 BC and 6000 BC, early inhabitants used st ...
. There had, however, been at least six earlier Swedish kings with the name of Eric, as well as pretenders about whom very little is known.
From the start of his reign, Eric was in opposition to the
Swedish nobility
The Swedish nobility ( sv, Adeln eller Ridderskapet och Adeln) has historically been a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, and part of the so-called ''frälse'' (a derivation from Old Swedish meaning ''free neck''). The archaic term ...
. He chose as a close adviser
Göran Persson
Hans Göran Persson (; born 20 January 1949) is a Swedish politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007.
Persson was first elected to the Swedish Parlia ...
(1530–68), who had narrowly escaped execution under Eric's father. Persson was also opposed to the nobility and a determined opponent of Eric's half-brother, later
John III of Sweden
John III ( sv , Johan III, fi, Juhana III; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomous ...
(1537–92). John was the
Duke of Finland Duke of Finland (in Finnish ''Suomen herttua''; Swedish ''hertig av Finland'') was an occasional medieval title granted as a tertiogeniture to the relatives of the King of Sweden between the 13th and 16th centuries. It included a duchy along with f ...
and was married to a Polish princess, against Eric's wishes, which made him friendly with Poland. John pursued an expansionist policy in Livonia (now Estonia and Latvia), in breach of the Arboga articles, which led to contention between the brothers. In 1563, John was seized by an army sent to Finland, and tried for
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
by Eric's order.
Unlike his father, who had been satisfied with ruling an independent state, Eric tried to expand his influence in the
Baltic region
The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...
and in
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, beginning the process that resulted in Sweden becoming a great power in the 17th century. This expansionism resulted in a clash with his cousin,
Frederick II of Denmark-Norway (1534–88). Most of Eric XIV's reign was then dominated by the
Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pre ...
and the
Scandinavian Seven Years' War
The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck, and Pola ...
against
Denmark-Norway (1563–70), during which he successfully repelled most Danish-Norwegian attempts at conquest, but was unable to keep his own acquisitions.
From 1563 onwards, his insanity became pronounced; his rule became even more arbitrary and marked by violence. His suspicion of the nobility led him to suspicions of the
Sture
Sture () was a name borne by three distinct but interrelated noble families in Sweden in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. It was originally a nickname, meaning 'haughty, proud' (compare the Swedish word ''stursk'' and the Old Norse ...
family, then headed by
Svante Stensson Sture
Svante Stensson Sture or Svante Sture the Younger (born 1 May 1517 in Stockholm, d. 24 May 1567 in the Sture Murders at Uppsala Castle) was a Swedish count, riksmarsk and statesman. From 1562 to 1564, during the Livonian War, he was governor of E ...
, who was married to Gustav's sister-in-law. He first acted against the family in 1566, accusing Svante's son
Nils
Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas.
People and animals with the given name
* Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player
*Nils Björk (1898–1989) ...
of treason, but commuted the sentence and instead sent Nils to
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
, supposedly to arrange a marriage with the princess
Renata. However, Eric had determined to marry his mistress
Karin Månsdotter
Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first a mistress of King Eric XIV of Sweden and then briefly queen as his wife.
Early life
Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later prison guard na ...
and in 1567, on Nils's return and suspicious of high treason, he killed several members of the family in the so-called
Sture Murders, Eric himself stabbing
Nils Svantesson Sture
Nils Svantesson Sture (b. 20 July 1543 at Hörningsholm Castle, d. 24 May 1567 in the Sture Murders at Uppsala Castle) was a Swedish diplomat and soldier during the reign of Erik XIV of Sweden. He was the son of Svante Stensson Sture and Märta ...
. The King probably thought of the killing as an execution rather than murder.
Downfall
After the Sture homicides, John was imprisoned and Eric's conflict with the nobility came to its climax. Early in 1568, Eric seemed to recover his reason, and attempted to reconcile with John on the condition that the latter recognized Eric's marriage with
Karin Månsdotter
Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first a mistress of King Eric XIV of Sweden and then briefly queen as his wife.
Early life
Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later prison guard na ...
. This marriage was solemnized in July, Karin crowned Queen, and their infant son
Gustav
Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to:
*Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film
* ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...
pronounced Prince-royal. However, in the fall of 1568, asserting Eric's insanity, the dukes and the nobles rebelled, and after some resistance, Eric was imprisoned by his brother Duke John, who took power on 30 September.
Göran Persson
Hans Göran Persson (; born 20 January 1949) is a Swedish politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007.
Persson was first elected to the Swedish Parlia ...
was assigned much of the blame for the actions directed against the nobility during Eric XIV's reign and was executed shortly after John III had incarcerated Eric, who was legally dethroned in January 1569 by the
Riksdag
The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...
.
[ Ingvar Andersson in ''Erik XIV'' ]Wahlström & Widstrand
Wahlström & Widstrand is a Swedish book publishing company.
Wahlström & Widstrand was established in 1885 by two book sellers in Stockholm, Per Karl Wahlström and Wilhelm Widstrand. The company started publishing fiction in the 1890s and la ...
1979 pp. 263 & 265
Imprisonment and death
For the next seven years the ex-king was a source of anxiety to the new government. Three rebellions - the
1569 Plot, the
Mornay Plot and the
1576 Plot - with the object of releasing and reinstating him, had to be suppressed, and Eric was held as a prisoner in many different castles in both Sweden and Finland. He died in prison in
Örbyhus Castle
Örbyhus Castle (Swedish: ''Örbyhus slott'') is a castle in Tierp Municipality, Sweden. It lies some 12 kilometres east of European route E4, approximately halfway between Uppsala and Gävle.
Known since the 14th century, the estate was turned ...
. According to a tradition starting with
Johannes Messenius
Johannes Messenius (1579–1636) was a Swedish historian, dramatist and university professor. He was born in the village of Freberga, in Stenby parish in Östergötland, and died in Oulu, in modern-day Finland.
Childhood
He was the son of a mill ...
, his final meal was a poisoned bowl of
pea soup
Pea soup or split pea soup is soup made typically from dried peas, such as the split pea. It is, with variations, a part of the cuisine of many cultures. It is most often greyish-green or yellow in color depending on the regional variety of pe ...
. A document signed by his brother, John III of Sweden, and a nobleman, Bengt Bengtsson Gylta (1514–74), gave Eric's guards in his last prison authorization to poison him if anyone tried to release him. His body was later
exhumed and modern forensic analysis revealed evidence of lethal
arsenic poisoning
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but o ...
.
Family and descendants
![Catherine of Sweden (1568) by Eric XIV of Sweden c 1575](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Catherine_of_Sweden_%281568%29_by_Eric_XIV_of_Sweden_c_1575.jpg)
Eric XIV had several relationships before his marriage.
With
Agda Persdotter
Agda Persdotter (died after 1565) also known as ''Agda i Porten'' ('Agda of the Gate'), was the official royal mistress of the future King Eric XIV of Sweden during his time as a Crown Prince in 1558-61, and possibly informally in 1563-65.
Life ...
:
#
Virginia Eriksdotter
Virginia Eriksdotter (1 January 1559 – 1633) was a Swedish noble. She was the recognized illegitimate daughter of King Erik XIV of Sweden and his official royal mistress Agda Persdotter.
Life
Virginia was born at Kalmar Castle during her father ...
(1559–1633; living descendants)
#
Constantia Eriksdotter Constantia Eriksdotter (1560–1649) was the illegitimate daughter of Eric XIV of Sweden and Agda Persdotter. She was called "The Queen of Tiveden".
Life
Constantia Eriksdotter and her sister Virginia were removed from their mother's custody when ...
(1560–1649; living descendants)
#Lucretia Eriksdotter (1564–after 1574) died young.
With
Karin Jacobsdotter:
#An unnamed child, died April 1565.
Eric XIV finally married
Karin Månsdotter
Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first a mistress of King Eric XIV of Sweden and then briefly queen as his wife.
Early life
Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later prison guard na ...
(1550–1612) on 4 July 1568; their children were:
#
Sigrid
Sigrid is a Scandinavian given name for women from Old Norse ''Sigríðr'',
composed of the elements ''sigr'' "victory" and ''fríðr'' "beautiful".
Common short forms include Siri, Sigga, Sig, and Sigi. An Estonian and Finnish variant is Siiri ...
(1566–1633; born before the marriage), lady-in-waiting, wife of two noblemen.
#
Gustaf (1568–1607; born before the marriage), mercenary
#Henrik (1570–74)
#Arnold (1572–73)
Eric XIV in literature
The life of Eric XIV is the subject of an 1899
play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* Pla ...
by Swedish playwright
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...
(1849–1912). The love story of Eric XIV and Karin Månsdotter is the subject of a 1942 historical novel
''Karin Månsdotter'' by
Mika Waltari
Mika Toimi Waltari (; 19 September 1908 – 26 August 1979) was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel ''The Egyptian'' ( fi, Sinuhe egyptiläinen). He was extremely productive. Besides his novels he also wrote poetry, short stori ...
.
See also
*
List of Swedish monarchs
This is a list of Swedish kings, queens, regents and viceroys of the Kalmar Union.
History
The earliest record of what is generally considered to be a Swedish king appears in Tacitus' work '' Germania'', c. 100 AD (the king of the Suiones). Ho ...
*
List of Finnish monarchs and Heads of State
This is a list of monarchs and heads of state of Finland; that is, the kings of Sweden with regents and viceroys of the Kalmar Union, the grand dukes of Finland, a title used by most Swedish monarchs, up to the two-year regency following the inde ...
*
History of Sweden
The history of Sweden can be traced back to the melting of the Northern Polar Ice Caps. From as early as 12000 BC, humans have inhabited this area. Throughout the Stone Age, between 8000 BC and 6000 BC, early inhabitants used st ...
*
History of Sweden (1523–1611)
The Early Vasa era is a period that in Swedish and Finnish history lasted between 1523–1611. It began with the reconquest of Stockholm by Gustav Vasa and his men from the Danes in 1523, which was triggered by the event known as the Stock ...
References
*
External links
Biography of Eric XIV of Sweden*
* https://www.adelsvapen.com/genealogi/Vasa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eric 14 Of Sweden
1533 births
1577 deaths
Dethroned monarchs
16th-century Swedish monarchs
People from Stockholm
Rulers of Finland
House of Vasa
16th-century murdered monarchs
Royalty and nobility with disabilities
People of the Northern Seven Years' War
People murdered in Sweden
Sons of kings
Deaths from arsenic poisoning
Murder in 1577