Laurentius Petri Gothus

The Most Reverend Laurentius Petri Gothus
Archbishop of Uppsala Primate of Sweden
Church	Church of Sweden
Archdiocese	Uppsala
Appointed	1574
In office	1574–1579
Predecessor	Laurentius Petri
Successor	Andreas Laurentii Björnram
Orders
Consecration	14 July 1575 by Jacob Johannis
Rank	Metropolitan Archbishop
Personal details
Born	1529 or 1530 Söderköping, Sweden
Died	12 February 1579 Uppsala, Sweden
Nationality	Swede
Spouse	Margareta Larsdotter
Children	2

Laurentius Petri Gothus (died 12 February 1579) was the second Swedish Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, in 1575–1579.

He was born in 1529 or 1530 in the province Östergötland, from where his name Gothus is derived as a means of distinguishing him from his predecessor as archbishop, Laurentius Petri Nericius.

He was a well-mannered and educated person, and the previous archbishop Nericius recommended him as his court chaplain to the King Erik XIV in 1560.

When Erik's successor, John III, was crowned, John preferred Gothus to Nericius, since Gothus was more in agreement with the king's own view on Lutheranism. They advocated a middle way between Catholicism and Lutheranism in Sweden, unlike Nericius, who was more inclined to Luther's teachings.

He was ordained by the king in 1575 in a ceremony with Catholic elements, including a cope and typical Catholic rituals.

In the 1570s, Jesuits were allowed to spread their messages. As a reaction, Gothus wrote several texts against papism and liturgy. Some of Gothus's texts show him as a supporter of liturgy, however, while also at the same time favoring Luther's works.

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