Gustav Eriksson Vasa was born in 1496 into a high noble family, a descendant of the Vasa and Sture lines[[1]]. His great-uncle Sten Sture the Elder was the regent of Sweden, and his great-grandmother was King Karl VIII's sister. Unsurprisingly, there was no dearth of landed wealth and status in the family.
A dangerous alliance
Gustav's cousin, Sten Sture the Younger, also had his turn at being regent from 1512 until 1520, and staunchly opposed Danish rule in Sweden. Gustav and his father aligned with Sture's position, and were influential enough to be considered a threat. Following a Swedish victory in the Battle of Brännkyrka in 1518, Gustav was one of six hostages[[2]] to be held during negotiations with Denmark's King Christian II – which did not occur.
The opulent festivities were perversely followed by mass executions of over 80 people who had supported Sture, in an event now known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. Gustav's father, Erik Johanssen Vasa, as well as his cousin, were killed for heresy.
Instead, the Swedes were transported to Denmark and held captive. It was an attempt to convince them to switch sides, and while it worked on the rest of his countrymen, Gustav's allegiance was unwavering. The following year, he succeeded in escaping to Lübeck in disguise – accounts differ as to what this was, but possibly a bullock driver.
In 1520, Christian II attacked Sweden and killed Sten Sture. Gustav relocated to Kalmar, declining to attend the king's coronation[[3]]. The opulent festivities were perversely followed by mass executions of over 80 people who had supported Sture, in an event now known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. Gustav's father, Erik Johanssen Vasa, as well as his cousin, were killed for heresy. The women of his family, including his mother Cecelia, her half-sister Christina – the widow of Sten Sture – his grandmother and his sisters were taken captive in 1521 and imprisoned in a dungeon in Copenhagen Castle.
Gustav was pursued. He fled to Dalarna, where his efforts to mobilise an army were not quite successful. He was on his way to Norway when the tide began to turn, and previously reluctant men decided to join him.[[4]]
A desired break
By 1521, many regions of Sweden had started to rebel against Danish rule. Gustav's army swelled, and Götaland declared him regent, helping him garner even more support from the nobility – as well as manpower. His supporters infiltrated the council and captured many locations, and soon joined forces with the Hanseatic League.
On 6 June 1523, Gustav was elected King of Sweden[[5]], and a joint attack against Denmark was launched subsequently. Provisions were made for Hanseatic cities to trade toll-free with Sweden, and with Gustav's entry into Stockholm, his stronghold was cemented. Meanwhile, there was tragedy on a personal front – Gustav's mother and sisters, still imprisoned in Copenhagen, died of the plague.
In 1524, King Gustav Vasa, also known as Gustav I, signed the Treaty of Malmö with Denmark that effectively declared Sweden's independence and the disintegration of the Kalmar Union. This chapter is now known as the Swedish War of Liberation.
A ruthless reign
Given his origins and the circumstances of his rise to power, it is probably no surprise that Gustav I believed in the quick quelling of rebellions, of which there were several in the first decade of his rule. Some of the changes he brought about included church reforms, taxes, and punishment for disloyalty, all of which also bred discontent in certain pockets.
Perhaps the most significant adjustment for the people was the ushering in of Lutheranism. Gustav's wishes to replace the archbishop, Gustav Trolle, who had been a likely ally of Denmark, were challenged by the Pope. This paved the way for the Reformation in Sweden, complete with Gustav Vasa's Bible, a translation from Martin Luther's German version. Consequently, assets belonging to the Catholic church were seized throughout the country. According to legal historian Mia Korpiola[[6]],
“Generally, the medieval laws continued in force. But of course, having a resident king and a new dynasty meant that there was a more hands-on sense of governance. The dynasty was poor and Sweden had no treasury of its own because all the money had been going to Denmark. So, Gustav Vasa had to find money somewhere else and the church was one way of getting it. The whole fiscal governance had to be reformed.”
The king also replaced the elective monarchy thus far prevalent with a hierarchical monarchy. The House of Vasa ruled Sweden until 1654. Gustav married three times[[7]], and had one child with his first wife, whom he married in 1531, and ten with his second. Upon his death in 1560, he was succeeded by his firstborn, Erik XIV[[8]].
A colourful legacy
Gustav I died in 1560 from ailing health. His affinity for propaganda and sensationalism ensured that the stories known about him, many of which are now believed to be untrue or at least exaggerated, still live on. Credited for uniting the various provinces of the country, breaking away from the Kalmar Union, and laying the groundwork for a powerful army, his reign paved the way for Sweden's subsequent rise to power.
He also, perhaps uncharacteristically, founded the Royal Court Orchestra – one of the oldest orchestras in the world, which is the orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera today – and his library was the genesis of the National Library of Sweden.[[9]] He inspired everything from currency and an eponymous museum to a city in Finland (Vaasa) and a demanding ski race. According to Mikael Alm, Professor at the Department of History Uppsala University,[[10]]
“I wouldn’t say that this is where Sweden’s history begins, but a vital chapter in Sweden’s history certainly began when Gustav Vasa was elected. During his reign, the Reformation was carried out, Sweden became Protestant, the hereditary monarchy was introduced, the kingdom’s borders were drawn – the geography took on the form which, following the wars of the 17th century, was then expanded to include Sweden’s current borders. Central state administration that we recognise from history started to take shape.”
[[1]]: His parents were Cecilia Månsdotter Eka and Erik Johansson Vasa.
[[2]]: The other five were Hemming Gadh, Lars Siggesson, Jöran Siggesson, Olof Ryning, and Bengt Nilsson.
[[3]]: The King had promised amnesty, but Gustav was wise to decline.
[[4]]: His journey toward Norway and back inspired what is now the Vasaloppet ski race, the largest in the world.
[[5]]: Though he was not formally crowned, this proclamation of Gustav Vasa as King on 6 June 1523 at the assembly of the estates at Strängnäs was nonetheless significant; in 1983, the date was declared the National Day of Sweden.
[[6]]: “A period of great importance for state-building: Interview with Mia Korpiola about the legal reforms under the Vasa kings", University of Munster, https://www.uni-muenster.de/EViR/en/transfer/blog/2023/20230605interview.html
[[7]]: Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (m. 1531, died 1535), Margaret Leijonhufvud (m. 1536; died 1551), Catherine Stenbock (m. 1552)
[[8]]: Erik XIV (1533 - 1577) was the son of Gustav Vasa and his first wife, Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg.
[[9]]: Elin Hofverberg, “On this Day in 1523: Gustav Vasa Elected King – Happy 500, Sweden!”, Library of Congress Blogs, 6 June 2023, https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2023/06/on-this-day-in-1523-gustav-vasa-elected-king-happy-500-sweden/
[[10]]: “2023 a jubilee year for Carl XVI Gustaf and Gustav Vasa”, Uppsala University, https://www.uu.se/en/news/2023/2023-08-15-2023-a-jubilee-year-for-carl-xvi-gustaf-and-gustav-vasa
