Magnus Vasa (25 July 1542 – 26 June 1595),

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

from 1555. Magnus was the third son of King

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 ...

. His mother was queen

Margareta 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 ...

Biography

Magnus was the only of Gustav Vasa's sons, except for Karl and Sten, who died in infancy, that didn't become king of Sweden. In 1555, he was made Duke of Ostrogothia, Kinda and Ydre, Dalsland, Sundbo härad in Närke, Kåkind, Valla, and the major part of Vadsbo härad in Västergötland. As Duke of Ostrogothia, he lived permanently at

Vadstena Castle Vadstena Castle ( sv, Vadstena slott) is a former Royal Castle in Vadstena, the province of Östergötland, Sweden. History Vadstena Castle was originally built by King Gustav I in 1545 as a fortress to protect Stockholm from enemies approach ...

Vadstena Vadstena () is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,613 inhabitants in 2010. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality. Despite its small population, Vadstena is ...

. Magnus suffered from a

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

. The illness showed its first signs in 1563, and eventually became permanent. In 1574, the responsibility of his fiefs were taken over by his brother King John III, who managed them as his guardian because of his mental condition. A smaller part of them was granted to his other brother, Charles. Magnus died at the Manorhouse of Kungsbro, outside

Linköping Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...

, in 1595 and is buried in the

Bridgettine The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta or Bridget of Sweden in 1344, and approved by Pope Urban ...

Abbey Church A church, church building or church house is a building used for Christian worship services and other Christian religious activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 and 256. From the 11th thro ...

Legacy

Many ballads and stories were inspired by Magnus and his alleged interest in mythological creatures such as fairies. There are many stories about the "Mad Duke", for instance about how he saw a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

in the castle

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

and threw himself out of a window, nearly drowning himself. There is no proof that this event ever took place, but the story might have evolved from an incident in 1563 when he fell in the moat, during the construction of the castle

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

Geijer Geijer is a Swedish surname. People with this surname include: * Agnes Geijer (1898–1989), Swedish historian and archaeologist *Arne Geijer (1910–1979), trade unionist *Erik Gustaf Geijer (1783–1847), writer, composer, and historian *Eric Nev ...

and Afzelius note that the alleged mermaid incident appears to have found its way into the ballad " Hertig Magnus och Hafsfrun" ("

Herr Mannelig ''Herr Mannelig'' (also known as ''Bergatrollets frieri'' "The Courting of the Mountain Troll") is a Swedish folk ballad ( SMB 26; TSB A 59) that tells the story of a female mountain troll (''bergatroll'') who proposes marriage to a young h ...

").

Issue

Magnus was never married. He had three confirmed and acknowledged children outside of marriage. With

Valborg Eriksdotter Valborg Eriksdotter (1545-1580), was the royal mistress of Magnus, Duke of Östergötland, between 1560 and 1567. She was the only official mistress of Magnus with the exception of Anna von Haugwitz. She was the mother of the acknowledged illegitim ...

: # Lucretia Magnusdotter (Gyllenhielm) (1562–1624) married to nobleman

Christoffer von Warnstedt Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

With

Anna von Haubitz Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

Helena Gyllenhielm Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * H ...

(1572-1630) married to nobleman Wollmar Yxkull Mother unknown: # Virginia

Ancestry

Sources

Magnus Gustavsson Vasa
. Historiesajten.

. Bengans historiasidor.

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnus, Duke Of Ostergotland House of Vasa 1542 births 1595 deaths Magnus 1542 Burials at Vadstena Abbey Dukes of Östergötland Sons of kings