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Gustaf Vasa

Gustav I
Gustav Vasa.jpg
Gustav I portrayed in 1542 by Jakob Bincks.
King of Sweden
Reign 6 June 1523 – 29 September 1560
Coronation 6 June 1523
Predecessor Christian II
Successor Eric XIV
Born (1496-05-12)12 May 1496
Rydboholm Castle, Uppland or
Lindholmen, Uppland, Sweden
Died 29 September 1560(1560-09-29) (aged 64)
Tre Kronor, , Sweden
Burial 21 December 1560
Uppsala Cathedral, Uppsala, Sweden
Spouse Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg
Margaret Leijonhufvud
Katarina Stenbock
Issue Eric XIV of Sweden
John III of Sweden
Katharina Vasa
Cecilia, Margravine of Baden-Rodemachern
Magnus, Duke of Östergötland
Anna Maria, Countess Palatine of Veldenz
Sophia, Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg
Elizabeth, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch
Charles IX of Sweden
House Vasa
Father Erik Johansson Vasa
Mother Cecilia Månsdotter Eka
Religion Lutheran
prev. Roman Catholic

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 (Riksföreståndare) from 1521, during the ongoing Swedish War of Liberation against King Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Initially of low standing, Gustav rose to lead the rebel movement following the , in which his father perished. Gustav's election as King on 6 June 1523 and his triumphant eleven days later meant the end of Medieval Sweden's elective monarchy and the Kalmar Union, and the birth of a hereditary monarchy under the House of Vasa and its successors, including the current House of Bernadotte.

As King, Gustav proved an enigmatic administrator with a ruthless streak not inferior to his predecessor's, brutally suppressing subsequent uprisings (three in Dalarna – which had once been the first region to support his claim to the throne - one in Västergötland, and one in Småland). He worked to raise taxes, end Feudalism and bring about a Swedish Reformation, replacing the prerogatives of local landowners, noblemen and clergy with centrally appointed governors and bishops. His 37-year rule, which was the longest of a mature Swedish king to that date (subsequently passed by Gustav V and Carl XVI Gustav) saw a complete break with not only the Danish supremacy but also the Roman Catholic Church, whose assets were nationalised, with the Lutheran Church of Sweden established under his personal control. He became the first truly native Swedish sovereign and was a skilled propagandist and bureaucrat, with his main opponent, Christian's, infamous mark as the "tyrant king" and his largely fictitious adventures during the liberation struggle still widespread to date. Due to a vibrant dynastic succession, his three sons, Erik, Johan and Karl IX, all held the kingship at different points.


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