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Gustav Eriksson (28 January 1568 – February 1607), son of King
Erik XIV Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...
and
Karin Månsdotter Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first the Mistress (lover), mistress and then the queen consort of King Erik XIV of Sweden. Early life Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later pri ...
, was born as
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
to the Swedish throne but lost his status when his father was deposed in September 1568. After spending his early years in captivity with his family, he was sent to Poland in 1575, where he was raised and became Catholic. He spent time in various parts of Europe, including Poland, Prussia, and possibly Italy. His uncle, King
John III of Sweden John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...
, viewed him as a possible
pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimat ...
to the throne and refused to allow his return to Sweden. Gustav developed an interest in
alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
, which gained him the favor of Emperor
Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...
. In 1599, Tsar
Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...
invited him to Moscow for a proposed marriage to his daughter
Xenia Xenia may refer to: People * Xenia (name), a feminine given name; includes a list of people with this name Places United States ''listed alphabetically by state'' * Xenia, Illinois, a village in Clay County ** Xenia Township, Clay County, Il ...
, but when Gustav refused to be part of the political schemes, he was imprisoned. After Boris was overthrown in 1605, Gustav was released, but he was later imprisoned again by the
False Dmitry The generic name False Dmitry (also Pseudo-Demetrius, , ''Lžedmitrij'') refers to various impostors who passed themselves off as the deceased Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, and claimed the Russian thro ...
and sent to
Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...
. After the False Dmitry’s death, Gustav was sent to live in Kashin, where he died in 1607.


Early life

Gustav Eriksson was born in 28 January 1568 in Nyköping to King
Erik XIV Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...
and
Karin Månsdotter Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first the Mistress (lover), mistress and then the queen consort of King Erik XIV of Sweden. Early life Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later pri ...
, who had been secretly married by Archbishop
Laurentius Petri Laurentius Petri Nericius (1499 – 27 October 1573) was a Swedish clergyman and the first Evangelical Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden. He and his brother Olaus Petri are, together with the King Gustav Vasa, regarded as the main Lutheran reform ...
the previous summer. A public marriage ceremony was held in
Stockholm Cathedral Storkyrkan (, ), also called Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Church of Saint Nicholas), is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace and ...
on 4 July 1568. During the ceremony, King Erik carried his son in his arms, with his daughter
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 Sii ...
(born in 1566) following behind her parents. The children's presence was an unprecedented breach of etiquette, designed to demonstrate their status: both of them were officially recognized as legitimate, and Gustav, named after his grandfather
Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...
, was confirmed as the heir to the throne. The ceremonies continued the next day with Karin Månsdotter's coronation as Queen of Sweden. The king's brothers, dukes
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 * Second E ...
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 ''* ...
, did not attend the ceremonies, which led Erik to place them under house arrest. This was the final provocation that led the dukes and nobles to rebel against Erik XIV. After some resistance, John seized power on 30 September, and was hailed as King John III, while Erik and his family were imprisoned. Gustav, Sigrid and their parents were initially held in Stockholm, remaining in the care of their governess Johanna de Herboville, then moved to Turku (Åbo) Castle in July 1570, later to Kastelholm, and then to
Gripsholm Gripsholm Castle () is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm. Since Gustav I Vasa, Gripsholm has belonged to ...
in the autumn of 1571. Erik was separated from his family in June 1573 when Karin and her children were moved to Turku, and he never saw them after that. He died in 1577.


Poland and travels

In spring 1575, the seven-year-old Gustav was taken from his mother and sent to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. King John III considered Gustav a threat to his reign, as he could be used as a pretender to the throne by his opponents. Gustav was placed with the family of Laurentius Rilski, a loyal servant to Queen Catherine Jagiellon, where he received a Polish upbringing. Gustav became a
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, learned Polish, and almost completely forgot the Swedish language. Gustav escaped the Rilski family in 1578 and survived for a time by begging and doing odd jobs. By the early 1580s, he enrolled in the Jesuit seminar in Braunsberg (Braniewo) and later transferred to another seminar in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
. He kept his true identity hidden during his stay in the seminary. In 1583, Gustav is recorded to have stayed with the
Zaporozhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossa ...
along the Dnieper River, and seems to have left his studies by that time. By 1585, he is found in the Polish court, under the protection of Queen Anne. Gustav was in
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
during King
Sigismund III Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Relig ...
coronation in December 1587 and managed to meet his sister Sigrid, who was there as a
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
to their cousin, Princess Anna. Sigrid helped him deliver a letter to Sigismund, requesting that Sigismund appeal to his father, King John III, to revoke Gustav's exile. However, John refused. Later, Gustav wrote further appeals to John III, but to no avail. Around this time, he also wrote to Felipe II of Spain and asked for a permission to settle in Spain. In 1588, Gustav Eriksson stayed in Prague at the court of Emperor
Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...
, with whom he shared an interest in alchemy. In early 1590s, Gustav lived in
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
, where he received income from lands granted to him by the pope at the request of King Sigismund. He may have also spent some time in Italy, studying in the
University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...
where he is said to have received instruction from
Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...
. Having learned Gustav Eriksson's identity, the catholic circles of Central Europe made plans to elevate him to the Swedish throne, or alternatively, to appoint him as the Catholic Archbishop of Uppsala. However, based on his letters, Gustav himself showed no interest on such plans, but would have been content with a stable income and a peaceful life. In 1596, Gustav was invited to Finland by his mother, Karin, but the Finnish governor, Klas Fleming, did not permit him to enter. Instead, Gustav and Karin met at Reval (Tallinn), where she gave him some of Erik XIV's diaries. Afterwards, Gustav settled in Thorn.


Russia

In 1599, Tsar
Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...
invited Gustav to
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
for a proposed marriage to his daughter
Xenia Xenia may refer to: People * Xenia (name), a feminine given name; includes a list of people with this name Places United States ''listed alphabetically by state'' * Xenia, Illinois, a village in Clay County ** Xenia Township, Clay County, Il ...
. Gustav was received with great celebrations, but it soon became clear that the tsar intended to use him in political plans against Sweden. Gustav refused the marriage and the political schemes, and was thrown in prison. Gustav was released after Boris Godunov was overthrown in 1605. As compensation, the now-homeless Gustav received the principality of
Uglich Uglich ( rus, У́глич, p=ˈuɡlʲɪtɕ) is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River. Population: History The city was first documented in 1148 as ''Ugliche Pole'' (''Corner Field''). The town's name is thou ...
, where he lived until the beginning of the reign of the
False Dmitry The generic name False Dmitry (also Pseudo-Demetrius, , ''Lžedmitrij'') refers to various impostors who passed themselves off as the deceased Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, and claimed the Russian thro ...
. At the request of his ally,
Sigismund III Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Relig ...
, the False Dmitry ordered Gustav's arrest and sent him to a prison in
Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...
. After the False Dmitry's death, the new tsar Vasili IV released Gustav and sent him to live in the small city of Kashin,
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. Gustav Eriksson Vasa died in February 1607 in Kashin and was buried there 22 February.


Legacy

In older history writing, Gustav was thought to have had four children with a certain Brita Karth and perhaps even have married her. This has however been refuted by modern historians.See for example Bengt Hildebrands article "Eldstierna" in ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'', vol. XIII (Stockholm 1950) and Ulf Sundberg: ''Kungliga släktband'' (Lund 2004) Gustav is the main character of the famous Polish novel "Gwiazda spadająca" by Jadwiga Żylińska.


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gustav of Sweden, Prince 1568 births 1607 deaths Gustav 1568 Swedish heirs apparent who never acceded House of Vasa Disinherited European royalty Sons of kings People from Nyköping