King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
| Gustav II Adolf | |
|---|---|
Gustavus Adolphus, attributed to Jacob Hoefnagel
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| King of Sweden | |
| Reign | 30 October 1611 – 6 November 1632 |
| Coronation | 12 October 1617 |
| Predecessor | Charles IX |
| Successor | Christina |
| Born |
9 December 1594 Castle Tre Kronor, Sweden |
| Died | 6 November 1632 (aged 37) Lützen, Electorate of Saxony |
| Burial | 22 June 1634 Riddarholm Church, |
| Spouse | Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg |
| Issue | Christina |
| House | Vasa |
| Father | Charles IX |
| Mother | Christina of Holstein-Gottorp |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Gustav II Adolf (9 December 1594 – 6 November 1632, O.S.), widely known in English by his Latinised name Gustavus Adolphus or as Gustav II Adolph, was the King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632 and is credited as the founder of Sweden as a Great Power (Swedish: Stormaktstiden). He led Sweden to military supremacy during the Thirty Years' War, helping to determine the political as well as the religious balance of power in Europe. He was formally and posthumously given the name Gustavus Adolphus the Great (Swedish: Gustav Adolf den store, Latin: Gustavus Adolphus Magnus) by the Riksdag of the Estates in 1634.
He is often regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time, with innovative use of combined arms. His most notable military victory was the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631). With a superb military machine, good weapons, excellent training, and effective field artillery, backed by an efficient government that could provide necessary funds, Gustavus Adolphus was poised to make himself a major European leader. He was killed a year later, however, at the Battle of Lützen (1632). He was ably assisted in his efforts by Count Axel Oxenstierna, the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden, who also acted as regent after his death.
In an era characterized by almost endless warfare, Gustavus Adolphus king from 1611 (at age 16) until his death, inherited three simultaneous and ongoing wars of his father's (Charles IX). Two of these were border wars with Russia and Denmark, and a more personal war (for his father, at least) with Gustavus first cousin, king Sigismund of Poland. Of these three wars, was the the Danish war the most acute one, as of 1611.
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