Charles IX of Sweden
| Charles IX | |
|---|---|
Charles IX by an unknown artist
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| King of Sweden | |
| Reign | 22 March 1604 – 30 October 1611 |
| Coronation | 15 March 1607 |
| Predecessor | Sigismund |
| Successor | Gustav II Adolf |
| Born | 4 October 1550 Stockholm Castle |
| Died | 30 October 1611 (aged 61) Nyköping Castle |
| Burial | Strängnäs Cathedral |
| Spouse |
Maria of Palatinate-Simmern Christina of Holstein-Gottorp |
| Issue |
Catherine, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Maria Elizabeth, Duchess of Ostrogothia Charles Philip, Duke of Södermanland |
| House | Vasa |
| Father | Gustav I of Sweden |
| Mother | Margaret Leijonhufvud |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Charles IX, also Carl (Swedish: Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III, and uncle of Sigismund, king of both Sweden and Poland. By his father's will he got, by way of appanage, the Duchy of Södermanland, which included the provinces of Närke and Värmland; but he did not come into actual possession of them till after the fall of Eric and the succession to the throne of John in 1568.
The Swedish kings Eric XIV (1560–68) and Charles IX (1604–1611) took their numbers according to a fictitious History of Sweden. He was actually the third Swedish king called Charles.
He came into the throne by championing the Protestant cause during the increasingly tense times of religious strife between competing sects of Christianity. In just over a decade, these would break out as the Thirty Years' War. These conflicts had already caused the dynastic squabble rooted in religious freedom that deposed his nephew and brought him to rule as king of Sweden.
His reign marked the start of the final chapter (dated 1648 by some) of both the Reformation and Counter-reformation. With his brother's death in November 1592, the throne of Sweden went to his nephew and Habsburg ally, Sigismund of Poland and Sweden. During these tense political times, Charles viewed the inheritance of the throne of Protestant Sweden by his devout Roman Catholic nephew with alarm. Thus, several years of religious controversy and discord followed.
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