by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Karl IX, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl IX, King of Sweden was the youngest of the ten children and the fifth of the five sons of Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden and his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud. Two of Karl’s elder brothers died in infancy, one was mentally disabled, and the eldest brother Johan III, King of Sweden succeeded his deposed half-brother Eric XIV. Karl was born on October 4, 1550, at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site of the current Royal Palace of Stockholm. His mother’s constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia before Karl’s first birthday.

Karl had nine older siblings:

• Johan III, King of Sweden (1537 – 1592), married (1) Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, had three children including his successor Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden (2) Gunilla Bielke, had one son
• Katarina Gustavsdotter Vasa (1539 – 1610), married Edzard II, Count of East Frisia, had ten children
• Cecilia Gustavsdotter Vasa (1540 – 1627), married Christoph II, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern, had seven children
• Magnus Gustavson Vasa, Duke of Östergötland (1542 – 1595), unmarried, mentally disabled
• Karl Gustavson Vasa (born and died 1544), died in infancy
• Anna Gustavsdotter Vasa (1545 – 1610), married Georg Johann I, Count Palatine of Veldenz, had eleven children
• Sten Gustavson Vasa (1546 – 1547), died in infancy
• Sofia Gustavsdotter Vasa (1547 – 1611), married Magnus II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, had six children but only one lived past infancy
• Elisabet Gustavsdotter Vasa (1549 – 1597), married Christoph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch, had one daughter

Karl had one elder half-sibling from his father’s first marriage to Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg:

• Eric XIV, King of Sweden (1533 – 1577), married Karin Månsdotter, his mistress, had two children before marriage and two children after marriage, Erik reigned for nine years until he was deposed by Karl’s eldest brother Johan III, King of Sweden.

Karl with his first wife Maria and second wife Christina, 1598 by Hieronymus Nützel; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl was not expected to become King of Sweden and was created Duke of Södermanland. In 1578, eighteen-year-old Karl visited Heidelberg in the Electorate of Palatinate, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and proposed to fifteen-year-old Maria of Palatinate-Simmern, daughter of Ludwig VI, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Hesse. Karl decided to marry Maria because they were both devout Lutherans. Karl and Maria married on May 11, 1579, in Heidelberg. On July 29, 1589, Maria died after a long illness, aged 28, at Eskilstuna Castle in Eskilstuna, Södermanland, Sweden. She was buried at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Södermanland, Sweden.

Karl and Maria had six children but only one survived childhood:

• Margareta Elisabeth of Sweden (1580 – 1585), died in childhood
• Elisabeth Sabina of Sweden (1582 – 1585), died in childhood
• Ludwig of Sweden (born and died 1583), died in infancy
• Katharina of Sweden (1584 – 1638), married Count Palatine Johann Kasimir of Palitinate-Zweibrücken-Kleeburg, had eight children including Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden
• Gustav of Sweden (born and 1587), died in infancy
• Maria Sweden (1588 – 1589), died in infancy

Karl’s second wife Christina of Holstein-Gottorp; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 27, 1592, at Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Södermanland, Sweden, Karl married Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, the daughter of Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Christine of Hesse. Christina and Karl’s first wife Maria were first cousins through their mothers.

Karl and Christina had four children:

• Gustavus II Adolphus the Great, King of Sweden (1594 – 1632), married Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, had two daughters, only one survived infancy and succeeded her father as Christina, Queen of Sweden
• Maria Elisabet of Sweden (1596 – 1618), married her paternal first cousin Prince Johan of Sweden, Duke of Östergötland, no children
• Kristina of Sweden (1598 – 1599), died in infancy
• Karl Philip of Sweden (1601 – 1622), married morganatically Elizabet Ribbing, had one posthumous daughter

Karl’s brother Johan III, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl’s brother Johan III, King of Sweden married the Roman Catholic Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, daughter of Sigismund I, King of Poland. As Queen Consort of Sweden, Katarina had much political influence and influenced her husband in many areas. However, her greatest influence was in religious policy. The Protestant Johan had clear Catholic sympathies, inspired by his Catholic wife Katarina, and this created issues with the Protestant Swedish clergy and nobility. Their son Sigismund Vasa was raised as a Catholic in the hopes that he would acquire the Polish crown in the future.

After the death of Stephen Báthory, King of Poland, who had no legitimate children, 21-year-old Sigismund Vasa was elected King of Poland in 1587. On November 17, 1592, Sigismund’s father Johan III, King of Sweden, died. Sigismund was granted permission by the Polish legislature to claim his inheritance as the rightful Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden. The Catholic Sigismund promised to recognize Lutheranism as Sweden’s state religion and was crowned at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden on February 19, 1594. However, many were suspicious of Sigismund’s promise to uphold Lutheranism when a papal nuncio was in the coronation procession.

Karl’s nephew Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

When Sigismund returned to Poland in July 1594, Karl, Sigismund’s uncle, and the council were to govern in his absence. Because of the religious differences, Sigismund did not want to give his uncle and the council full government power. He appointed some council members who favored the Roman Catholic Church and would receive orders directly from him. In 1595, the Riksdag (legislature) gained control of the Swedish government and appointed the Lutheran Karl Regent of Sweden. Finally, on February  24, 1604, the Swedish Riksdag declared that Sigismund abdicated the Swedish throne, and his uncle Karl was recognized as the sovereign – Karl IX, King of Sweden. Sigismund had lost the Swedish throne but he reigned as King of Poland until he died in 1632.

Although Karl became King of Sweden in 1604, Karl and his wife Christina were not crowned King and Queen of Sweden until March 15, 1607, at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. Karl’s seven-year reign was marked by almost constant warfare: the Polish-Swedish War (1600 – 1611), the Ingrian War with Russia (1610 – 1617), and the Kalmar War (1611–1613) with Denmark-Norway.

On October 30, 1611, at Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Södermanland, Sweden, 61-year-old Karl IX, King of Sweden died. He was buried at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Södermanland, Sweden. Karl IX has a most unusual grave monument – a rider on a horse wearing gold armor placed over Karl IX’s family crypt. The gold armor was made by twelve of Stockholm’s most prominent goldsmiths. Christina survived her husband by fourteen years, dying at the age of 52, on December 8, 1625, at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden, and was buried in the family crypt below her husband’s equestrian grave monument at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Sweden.

Karl IX’s grave monument; Credit – Av Kigsz – Eget arbete, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71076804

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Swedish Monarchs
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• Swedish Royal Links
• Swedish Royal Residences
• Swedish Royal Weddings
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• Profiles of the Swedish Royal Family

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl IX. (Schweden) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_IX._(Schweden)> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles IX of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IX_of_Sweden> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Johan III, King of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johan-iii-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden, King of Poland. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sigismund-iii-vasa-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl IX – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_IX> [Accessed 11 July 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden, King of Poland; Credit – Wikipedia

Sigmund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 until he died in 1632 and King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from his father’s death in 1592 until he was deposed by his uncle in 1599. He was born on June 20, 1566, at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden, where his parents were being held in captivity because of a failed rebellion against Johan’s mentally ill half-brother Erik XIV, King of Sweden. Sigismund was the second of the three children and only son of Johan, Grand Duke of Finland, the future Johan III, King of Sweden, and his first wife Katarina Jagellonica of Poland. Sigismund’s mother was the daughter of Sigismund I, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1467 – 1548) and his second wife Bona Sforza of Milan (1494 – 1557). After her father’s death in 1548, Katarina’s brother Sigismund II Augustus succeeded as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Johan III of Sweden, his wife Katarina Jagiellon and young Sigismund imprisoned at Gripsholm Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

Sigismund III Vasa had two sisters:

• Isabella Vasa of Sweden (1564 – 1566), died in early childhood
• Anna Vasa of Sweden (1568 – 1625), unmarried

Due to King Erik XIV’s mental health issues, his participation in the 1567 Sture Murders, and his unpopular marriage to his mistress Karin Månsdotter, his younger half-brothers led a revolt against him with the support of many nobles that ended in Erik XIV’s removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. Sigismund was now the Crown Prince of Sweden.

While his father was Lutheran, Sigismund’s mother was Roman Catholic and he was raised Catholic in the hopes that he would become King of Poland. Sigismund was made aware of his connection to the Jagiellonian dynasty which ruled Poland since 1386. He was tutored in Polish and Swedish and was proficient in German, Italian, and Latin. In the spring of 1583, Sigismund’s mother Katarina became seriously ill with gout, and after much suffering, she died on September 16, 1583, aged 56. After Katarina’s death, Johan III married again to Gunilla Bielke.

Sigismund had one half-brother from his father’s second marriage to Gunilla Bielke:

• Johan of Sweden, Duke of Finland, Duke of Östergötland (1589 – 1618), married his first cousin Princess Maria Elisabet of Sweden, no children

After the death of Stephen Báthory, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, who had no legitimate children, 21-year-old Sigismund was elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1587. He was crowned on December 27, 1587, at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland.

Anna of Austria, Sigismund’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 31, 1592, at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland, Sigismund married his first wife Anna of Austria, daughter of Archduke Karl II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. On the same day, Anna was crowned Queen of Poland.

Sigismund and Anna had five children but only one, Ladislaus Vasa, who succeeded his father as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, survived childhood. Similarly, Ladislaus Vasa had five children from his two marriages but none survived childhood.

• Anna Marie (1593 – 1600), died in childhood
• Katarina (born and died 1594), died in infancy
• Ladislaus Vasa IV, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1595 – 1648), married (1) Cecilia Renata of Austria, had three children, none survived childhood, Cecilia Renata died due to childbirth complications (2) Marie Louise Gonzaga, had two children, neither survived infancy
• Katarina (1596 – 1597), died in infancy
• Christopher (born and died 1598), died shortly after birth

On November 17, 1592, Sigismund’s father Johan III, King of Sweden, Grand Duke of Lithuania died. Sigismund was granted permission by the Polish legislature to claim his inheritance as the rightful King of Sweden. The Catholic Sigismund promised to recognize Lutheranism as Sweden’s state religion and was crowned at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden on February 19, 1594. However, many were suspicious of Sigismund’s promise to uphold Lutheranism when a papal nuncio was in the coronation procession.

Sigismund’s uncle Karl who deposed him and then reigned as Karl IX, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

When Sigismund returned to Poland in July 1594, Sigismund’s uncle Karl, Duke of Södermanland and the council were to govern in his absence. Because of the religious differences, Sigismund did not want to give us uncle and the council full government power. He appointed some council members who favored the Roman Catholic Church who would receive orders directly from him. In 1595, the Riksdag (legislature) gained control of the Swedish government and appointed Karl Regent.  During this long conflict, Sigismund’s first wife Anna died, aged 24, on February 10, 1598, due to birth complications during the birth of her sixth child, who also died. She was buried in the South Ambulatory Crypt at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland. Ultimately, on February  24, 1604, the Swedish Riksdag declared that Sigismund abdicated the Swedish throne and that his uncle Karl, Duke of Södermanland was recognized as the sovereign – Karl IX, King of Sweden. Although he lost the Swedish throne, Sigismund reigned as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death.

Constance of Austria, Sigismund’s second wife and the younger sister of his first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 11, 1605, Sigismund married Anna’s sister Constance of Austria (1588 – 1631) who became Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania upon her marriage.

Sigismund and Constance had seven children:

• Johan Kasimir (1607 – 1608), died in infancy
• Johan Kasimir II, King of Poland, Duke of Lithuania (1609 – 1672), married (1) Marie Louise Gonzaga, had two children (2) Claudine Françoise Mignot (morganatic marriage), had one daughter
• Cardinal Johan Albert Vasa, Bishop of Krakow (1612 – 1634), died from smallpox
• Karl Ferdinand Vasa, Bishop of Wrocław (1613 – 1655)
• Alexander Karl Vasa (1614 – 1634), died from smallpox
• Anna Konstantia Vasa (born and died 1616), died in infancy
• Anna Katarina Constance Vasa (1619 – 1651), married Philip Wilhelm, Hereditary Count Palatine of Neuburg, no children

In June 1631, on a very hot day, Constance participated in the procession on the religious Feast of Corpus Christi and suffered a severe heatstroke. She died on July 10, 1631, aged 42, from the effects of the heatstroke. Sigismund was so upset that he could not attend her funeral. He never recovered from Constance’s sudden death and died just nine months later, on April 30, 1632, aged 65. Sigismund and Constance were buried in the crypt under the Vasa Chapel at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland.

Sigismund III on his catafalque following his death; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Sweden Index
• Swedish Orders and Honours
• Swedish Royal Dates
• Swedish Royal Burial Sites
• Swedish Royal Christenings
• Swedish Royal FAQs
• Swedish Royal Residences
• Swedish Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Sweden
• Profiles of the Swedish Royal Family

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sigismund III Vasa – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigismund_III_Vasa> [Accessed 4 June 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan. Johan III, King of Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johan-iii-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 4 June 2021].
• Pl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Zygmunt III Waza – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia. [online] Available at: <https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zygmunt_III_Waza> [Accessed 4 June 2021].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sigismund – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigismund> [Accessed 4 June 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke was the second wife of Johan III, King of Sweden. Born on June 25, 1568, in Liljesta, Östergötland, Sweden, she was the eldest of the three daughters and the third of the eight children of Johan Axelsson Bielke (? – 1576) and Margareta Axelsdotter Posse (1548 – 1575). The Bielke family was an aristocratic Swedish family. Gunilla’s father was a member of the royal council and Lieutenant of Östergötland.

Gunilla had seven siblings:

• Gunder Johansson Bielke (1562 – ?)
• Axel Johansson Bielke (? – 1597), married Ebba Bielke
• Elsa Johansdotter Bielke (1569 – 1622), married Count Claes Bielke, had three children
• Brita Johansdotter Bielke (1570 – 1599), married Count Sten Gustafsson, had one son
• Erik Johansson Bielke, died young
• Nils Johansson Bielke, died young
• Ebba Johansdotter Bielke (born 1575 – ?), died young

When Gunilla was seven years old, her mother died, possibly in childbirth giving birth to her last child. Her father died the following year. Gunilla was then raised at court as a playmate of King Johan III’s daughter Princess Anna Vasa of Sweden. In 1582, Gunilla became a maid of honor to King Johan III’s first wife Queen Katarina Jagellonica. Queen Katarina fell sick in the spring of 1583 and died on September 16, 1583.

After the death of his wife, Johan III began the search for a new wife. He wanted to marry someone he knew and his choice was Gunilla, his deceased wife’s maid of honor and the daughter of one of his cousins. There was a 32-year age difference – Johan was 48 and Gunilla was 16. Several of Johan III’s siblings protested against the marriage and said he should marry a foreign princess. Johan’s brother Karl (the future Karl IX, King of Sweden) had married a foreign princess, Anna Marie of Palatinate-Simmern.

Gunilla had promised herself to a young nobleman named Per Jonsson Liljesparre. When King Johan III informed Gunilla of his intentions to marry her, she refused to agree. Johan III was so angry that he hit her in the face with his glove and left. Gunilla’s relatives saw a connection with the royal family as an opportunity that they could not allow slipping away, and so they pleaded, cajoled, and threatened until Gunilla finally gave in.

Gunilla’s husband Johan III, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 21, 1585, Johan III, King of Sweden married Gunilla Bielke at Västerås Cathedral in Västerås, Sweden. Gunilla was crowned Queen of Sweden the following day. Johan’s brother Karl was still disturbed by his brother’s choice of a wife. He refused to attend the wedding festivities which further worsened the brothers’ already strained relationship.

Johan III and Gunilla had one son:

• Johan of Sweden, Duke of Finland, Duke of Östergötland (1589 – 1618), married his first cousin Princess Maria Elisabet of Sweden, no children

Gunilla and Johan III’s son Johan of Sweden, Duke of Finland, Duke of Östergötland; Credit – Wikipedia

Gunilla had two step-children, both close in age to her, from Johan III’s marriage to his first wife Katarina Jagellonica:

• Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland, King of Sweden, Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania (1566 – 1632), married (1) Anne of Austria, had five children (2) Constance of Austria, had seven children
• Anna Vasa of Sweden (1568 – 1625), unmarried

Gunilla had a significant influence on Johan. She had received a strict Lutheran education and is credited with influencing Johan’s policy regarding religion in favor of Protestantism, similar to the way his first wife had influenced him in favor of Catholicism. In 1590, Johan III named Gunilla to serve as regent, should their son Johan succeed to the throne as a minor. Gunilla and Johan III’s son never succeeded to the Swedish throne. First, he was put aside by his elder half-brother Sigismund III Vasa, and then by his uncle Karl IX.

After a reign of twenty-three years, Johan III, King of Sweden died on November 17, 1592, aged 54. He was succeeded by Sigismund III Vasa, his son by his first wife, the Roman Catholic Polish Princess Katarina Jagellonica. Sigismund, who had been raised Roman Catholic, had been elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1587. However, the Catholic Sigismund was deposed in 1599 as King of Sweden by his Protestant uncle who then reigned as King Karl IX of Sweden. Sigismund lived the remainder of his life in Poland and reigned for a total of 45 years in Poland and Lithuania, dying in 1632.

Gunilla’s home Bråborg Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband, Gunilla received a generous allowance and land willed to her by her husband, as well as custody of her three-year-old son and control of his Duchy of Östergötland. She retired to Bråborg Castle in the Duchy of Östergötland, where she resided until her death. Gunilla survived her husband by only five years, dying at the age of 29 of a fever on July 19, 1597. She was buried near her husband at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. After Gunilla’s death, her son Johan was raised by his uncle Karl IX, King of Sweden, who treated him like his own son. Johan was tutored with his first cousin, the future Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Sweden Index
• Swedish Orders and Honours
• Swedish Royal Dates
• Swedish Royal Burial Sites
• Swedish Royal Christenings
• Swedish Royal FAQs
• Swedish Royal Residences
• Swedish Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Sweden
• Profiles of the Swedish Royal Family

Works Cited

• Adelsvapen.com. 2021. Bielke af Åkerö nr 8 – Adelsvapen-Wiki. [online] Available at: <https://www.adelsvapen.com/genealogi/Bielke_af_%C3%85ker%C3%B6_nr_8> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gunilla Bielke – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunilla_Bielke> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gunilla Bielke — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunilla_Bielke> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
• Gunilla Bielke, Q., 2021. Gunilla Bielke, Queen of Sweden. [online] geni_family_tree. Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Gunilla-Bielke-Queen-of-Sweden/6000000000699070330> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
• Historiesajten.se. 2021. Gunilla Bielke – Historiesajten. [online] Available at: <https://historiesajten.se/visainfo.asp?id=259> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gunilla Bielke – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunilla_Bielke> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
• Tegenborg Falkdalen, K., 2018. Gunilla, drottning. [online] Skbl.se. Available at: <https://www.skbl.se/sv/artikel/GunillaBielke> [Accessed 22 May 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Katarina Jagellonica of Poland was the first of the two wives of Johan III, King of Sweden. Born on November 1, 1526, in Kraków, Poland, she was the fifth of the six children and the youngest of the four daughters of Sigismund I, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1467 – 1548) and his second wife Bona Sforza of Milan (1494 – 1557), daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan and Isabella of Naples, daughter of King Alfonso II of Naples.

Katarina had five siblings:

• Isabella Jagiellon (1519 – 1559), married John I Zápolya, King of Hungary, had one son John II Sigismund Zápolya, King of Hungary
• Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1520 – 1572), married (1) Elisabeth of Austria, no children (2) Barbara Radziwiłł, no children (3) Catherine of Austria, no children
• Sophia Jagiellon (1522 – 1575), married Heinrich V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneberg, no children
• Anna Jagiellon, Queen of Poland, Grand Duchess of Lithuania in her own right (1523 – 1596), married Stephen Báthory, no children
• Wojciech Olbracht Jagiellon (born and died 1527), as a result of a fall from a horse, his mother gave birth prematurely and he died at birth

Ten portrait miniatures of the Jagiellon Family: Sigismund I, Bona Sforza, Sigismund II Augustus, Elizabeth of Austria, Barbara Radziwiłł, Catherine of Austria, Isabella Jagiellon, Catherine Jagiellon, Sophia Jagiellon, Anna Jagiellon; Credit – Wikipedia

From her father’s first marriage to Barbara Zápolya (1495 – 1515), a Hungarian noblewoman who died two months after giving birth to her second child, Katharina had two half-sisters:

• Hedwig Jagiellon (1513 – 1573), married Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg, had six children
• Anna (1515 – 1520), died in childhood

Katarina was raised with her sisters Sophia and Anna. Most of her parents’ attention was given to the two eldest children Isabella and Sigismund Augustus. Katarina was educated by Italian tutors to read, write, and speak Latin, German, and Italian. In addition, she was instructed in riding, dancing, singing, and playing several musical instruments.

After her father died in 1548, Katarina’s brother Sigismund II Augustus succeeded as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sigismund II Augustus and his mother Bona Sforza previously had a conflict over his marriage to Barbara Radziwiłł, his former mistress. Bona eventually accepted her son’s decision to marry but their relationship was problematic and after her husband’s death, Bona and her three unmarried daughters moved away from the Polish court. In 1556, Katarina’s sister Sophia married and left for the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneberg. At the same time, Katarina’s mother decided to return to her home country, the Duchy of Milan. Katarina and her sister Anna were sent to the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius so that there would be a royal presence in Lithuania.

Johan III, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Katarina was now in her 30s, quite old for a princess to remain unwed. In 1560, the widowed Ivan IV (the Terrible), Tsar of Russia proposed marriage but her brother Sigismund II Augustus did not consent to the marriage. Meanwhile, in Sweden, King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden died and was succeeded by his son from his first marriage Erik XIV, King of Sweden. Erik summoned the Riksdag (parliament) and at his urging, the Riksdag curtailed the authority of his half-brothers Johan, Duke of Finland and Karl, Duke of Södermanland in the dukedoms given to them by their father. As a further move against his half-brother Johan, Duke of Finland, Erik placed Johan’s city of Reval, now Tallinn, Estonia, under his protective power and led expansionist campaigns of conquest in Estonia. Johan then turned to Sigismund II Augustus for an alliance. In 1562, Johan’s envoys proposed a marriage between Katarina and Johan, Duke of Finland. However, Polish custom required that princesses marry in seniority. Katarina’s sister Anna who was three years older but was unmarried persuaded her brother to allow the marriage and he agreed. At the age of 35, Katarina married 25-year-old Johan, Duke of Finland in Vilnius, Grand Duchy of Lithuania on October 4, 1562.

Johan and Katarina Jagellonica had three children:

• Isabella Vasa of Sweden (1564 – 1566), died in early childhood
• Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland, King of Sweden, Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania (1566–1632), married (1) Anne of Austria, had five children (2) Constance of Austria, had seven children
• Anna Vasa of Sweden (1568 – 1625), unmarried

Katarina and Johan with their son Sigismund in captivity at Gripsholm Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

In exchange for marrying Katarina, Johan received a substantial sum of money and land in Livonia (located in present-day Estonia and Latvia), which hindered the expansionist policy of his half-brother King Erik XIV. Erik’s response was to send 10,000 troops to besiege Johan’s home Turku Castle in Turku, Finland. On August 12, 1563, Turku Castle surrendered. Johan was tried for high treason and sentenced to death but he was pardoned and imprisoned for four years with Katarina at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden. Johan and Katarina’s two eldest children were born in captivity at Gripsholm Castle.

Due to King Erik XIV’s mental health issues, his participation in the 1567 Sture Murders, and his unpopular marriage to his mistress Karin Månsdotter, his younger half-brothers led a revolt against him with the support of many nobles that ended in Erik XIV’s removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. In January 1569, the Riksdag (parliament) legally dethroned Erik. Johan and Katarina were crowned King and Queen of Sweden on July 10, 1569, at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. Erik was imprisoned in various castles for nine years and died on February 26, 1577, aged 43. He was most likely murdered due to the three major conspiracies that attempted to depose his half-brother King Johan III and place Erik back on the Swedish throne. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning.

As Queen Consort of Sweden, Katarina had much political influence and influenced her husband in many areas, such as his foreign policy and interest in Renaissance art. Johan III named her regent of Sweden should he die while their son was a minor. However, her greatest influence was in religious policy. The Protestant Johan had clear Catholic sympathies, inspired by the Catholic Katarina, and this created issues with the Protestant Swedish clergy and nobility. Their son Sigismund was raised as a Catholic in the hopes that he would acquire the Polish crown in the future.

Katarina’s tomb in Uppsala Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

In the spring of 1583, Katarina became seriously ill with gout, and after much suffering, she died on September 16, 1583, aged 56, at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, and was buried in Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. After Katarina’s death, Johan III married again to Gunilla Bielke and had one son.

Katarina’s son Sigismund Vasa, circa 1590; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1587, Katarina and Johan III’s son Sigismund was elected monarch of the Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth and became King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Upon the death of his father Johan III in 1592, Sigismund also became King of Sweden. However, the Catholic Sigismund was deposed in 1599 as King of Sweden by his Protestant uncle who then reigned as King Karl IX of Sweden. Sigismund lived the remainder of his life in Poland and reigned for a total of 45 years in Poland and Lithuania, dying in 1632.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Sweden Index
• Swedish Orders and Honours
• Swedish Royal Dates
• Swedish Royal Burial Sites
• Swedish Royal Christenings
• Swedish Royal FAQs
• Swedish Royal Residences
• Swedish Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Sweden
• Profiles of the Swedish Royal Family

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Bona Sforza – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bona_Sforza> [Accessed 16 May 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Catherine Jagiellon – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Jagiellon> [Accessed 16 May 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sigismund I the Old – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigismund_I_of_Poland> [Accessed 16 May 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Johan III, King of Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johan-iii-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 16 May 2021].
• Pl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Katarzyna Jagiellonka – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia. [online] Available at: <https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katarzyna_Jagiellonka> [Accessed 16 May 2021].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Katarina Jagellonica – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katarina_Jagellonica> [Accessed 16 May 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Johan III, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Johan III, King of Sweden was born at Stegeborg Castle in Söderköping, Östergötland, Sweden on December 20, 1537. He was the eldest of the ten children and the eldest of the five sons of Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden and his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud.  Margareta was a member of the Leijonhufvud family, one of Sweden’s most powerful noble families. Her constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia at the age of 35 in 1551, when Johan, the eldest child, was 13-years-old.

Johan had nine younger siblings:

• Katarina Gustavsdotter Vasa (1539 – 1610), married Edzard II, Count of East Frisia, had ten children
• Cecilia Gustavsdotter Vasa (1540 – 1627), married Christoph II, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern, had seven children
• Magnus Gustavson Vasa, Duke of Östergötland (1542 – 1595), unmarried, mentally ill
• Karl Gustavson Vasa (born and died 1544), died in infancy
• Anna Gustavsdotter Vasa (1545 – 1610), married of Georg Johann I, Count Palatine of Veldenz, had eleven children
• Sten Gustavson Vasa (1546 – 1547), died in infancy
• Sofia Gustavsdotter Vasa (1547 – 1611), married Magnus II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, had six children but only one lived past infancy
• Elisabet Gustavsdotter Vasa (1549 – 1597), married Christoph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch, had one daughter
• Karl IX, King of Sweden (1550 – 1611), married (1) Maria of Palatinate-Simmern, had six children but only one daughter survived childhood (2) Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, had four children including his successor Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden

Johan had one elder half-brother from his father’s first marriage to Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg:

• Eric XIV, King of Sweden (1533 – 1577), married Karin Månsdotter, his mistress, had two children before marriage and two children after marriage

Johan, along with his elder half-brother Erik, was well-educated by tutors. In 1557, King Gustav I wrote his will and divided his kingdom into hereditary duchies for his sons: Erik, Duke of Kalmar; Johan, Duke of Finland; Magnus, Duke of Östergötland; and Karl, Duke of Södermanland.

Johan’s half-brother Erik XIV, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of his father, Johan’s elder half-brother succeeded to the throne as Erik XIV, King of Sweden. Erik summoned the Riksdag (parliament) at Arboga where, under Erik’s urging, the Arboga Articles were adopted curtailing the authority of his half-brothers Johan and Karl in the dukedoms given to them by their father. As a further move against his half-brother Johan, Duke of Finland, Erik placed the city of Reval, now Tallinn, Estonia, under his protective power and led expansionist campaigns of conquest in Estonia.

Johan’s first wife Katarina Jagellonica of Poland; Credit – Wikipedia

Johan then turned to Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania for an alliance. He married Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, the sister of Sigismund II Augustus.

Johan and Katarina Jagellonica had three children:

• Isabella of Sweden (1564 – 1566), died in early childhood
• Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland, King of Sweden, Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania (1566 – 1632), married (1) Anne of Austria, had five children (2) Constance of Austria, had seven children
• Anna of Sweden (1568 – 1625), unmarried

In exchange for marrying Katarina Jagellonica, Johan received a substantial sum of money and land in Livonia in present-day Estonia and Latvia, hindering King Erik XIV’s expansionist policy. Erik’s response was to send 10,000 troops to besiege Johan’s home Turku Castle in Turku, Finland. On August 12, 1563, Turku Castle surrendered. Johan was tried for high treason and sentenced to death but he was pardoned and imprisoned for four years with his wife at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden. Johan and Katarina’s two eldest children were born in captivity at Gripsholm Castle.

Johan, his wife Katarina, and his son Sigismund imprisoned at Gripsholm Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

King Erik XIV had suffered from mental health issues and from 1563 onwards these issues worsened. His decisions became more illogical and he exhibited violent behavior. Erik’s suspicion of the nobility led him to be suspicious of the Sture family, then headed by Svante Stensson Sture who was married to Märta Erikdotter Leijonhufvud, the sister of Johan’s mother Margareta Leijonhufvud. Erik lacked a legal heir and feared the Sture family might claim his throne. These fears resulted in the 1567 Sture Murders, the murders of five Swedish nobles and Erik’s former tutor, in which Erik was an active participant and faced no immediate repercussions.

Due to King Erik XIV’s behavior and his marriage to his mistress Karin Månsdotter, his younger half-brothers led a revolt against Erik with the support of many nobles that ended in his removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. In January 1569, the Riksdag (parliament) legally dethroned Erik. He was imprisoned in several castles for nine years and died on February 26, 1577, aged 43. He was most likely murdered due to the three major conspiracies that attempted to depose his half-brother King Johan III and place Erik back on the Swedish throne. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning.

Tre Kronor Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

During his reign, Johan III carried out extensive building projects. He participated in planning buildings and provided his own architectural drawings. Johan was particularly interested in the preservation of existing buildings. Some churches that had suffered damage were restored and refurbished including Uppsala Cathedral, Västerås Cathedral, Linköping Cathedral, and Skara Cathedral. In Stockholm, the Storkyrkan (Great Church) and the Riddarholmen Church both had extensive renovations. Tre Kronor Castle, located on the site of the current Royal Palace in Stockholm, was significantly expanded and refurbished and a castle church was added.

In 1570, Johan III ended the Nordic Seven Years War with Denmark and Sweden, a war his half-brother Erik had started. During the following years, Johan successfully fought Russia in the Livonian War, concluded by the Treaty of Plussa in 1583. Johan had clear Catholic sympathies, inspired by his Catholic Polish wife, and this created issues with the Protestant Swedish clergy and nobility. His son Sigismund was raised as a Catholic to help him acquire the Polish crown. In 1587, Sigismund was elected monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and became King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Johan’s second wife Gunilla Bielke; Credit – Wikipedia

Katarina Jagellonica fell sick in the spring of 1583 and died in Stockholm on September 16, 1583, at the age of 56. She was buried in the royal crypt of the Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. On February 21, 1585, Johan married Gunilla Bielke at Västerås Cathedral, and his new wife was crowned Queen of Sweden the following day. Gunilla, who was thirty-one years younger than her husband, was the daughter of one of Johan’s cousins and had been orphaned at an early age. She was raised at court as a playmate of Johan’s daughter Anna. In 1582, Gunilla had been made a maid of honor to Queen Katarina Jagellonica. Gunilla had a significant influence on Johan. She is credited with influencing his policy regarding religion in favor of Protestantism, similar to the way his first wife had influenced him in favor of Catholicism.

Johan III and Gunilla had one son:

• Johan of Sweden, Duke of Finland, Duke of Östergötland (1589 – 1618), married his first cousin Princess Maria Elisabet of Sweden, no children

After a reign of twenty-three years, Johan III, King of Sweden died on November 17, 1592, aged 54, at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden. He was buried in Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. Gunilla survived her husband by only five years, dying at the age of 29 of a fever on July 19, 1597. She was buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden.

Tomb of Johan III, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Sweden Index
• Swedish Orders and Honours
• Swedish Royal Dates
• Swedish Royal Burial Sites
• Swedish Royal Christenings
• Swedish Royal FAQs
• Swedish Royal Residences
• Swedish Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Sweden
• Profiles of the Swedish Royal Family

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Johann III. (Schweden) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_III._(Schweden)> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. John III of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_III_of_Sweden> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Erik XIV, King of Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/erik-xiv-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Johan III – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_III> [Accessed 8 May 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Karin Månsdotter, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Karin Månsdotter was one of several mistresses of Erik XIV, King of Sweden (1533 – 1577), and then briefly his Queen Consort. She was born on November 6, 1550, in Uppland, Sweden. Her father Måns was a mercenary and then a prison guard. Karin’s surname Månsdotter is a patronym, meaning daughter of Måns. Her mother Ingrid came from a family of peasants. It is thought that both of Karin’s parents died around 1560.

Gert Cantor was a musician at the court of Eric XIV, King of Sweden, and also a favorite and confidant of the king. Cantor and his wife managed an inn frequented by the guests of the royal court. Karin Månsdotter was employed as a serving girl in the inn. Cantor’s wife managed the inn and introduced Karin to King Erik XIV. Erik XIV and Karin first met at the beginning of 1565. Karin then moved into Tre Kronor, a castle in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site where the Royal Palace is today. Karin worked as a chambermaid for Elisabet Vasa, Erik IV’s half-sister from the second marriage of his father Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden to Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud. Also, Karin took care of Virginia Eriksdotter (born 1559) one of Erik XIV’s illegitimate children by his mistress Agda Persdotter.

Erik XIV, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Erik XIV was very taken by the teenage Karin. There are indications that early on he deeply loved her and wanted to marry her. Erik suffered from occasional bouts of mental illness and those closest to him noted that Karin had a calming effect on him. Karin quickly became Erik’s favorite mistress and he dismissed his other mistresses. She was given expensive clothes, her own apartments and servants, and openly appeared with Erik at court. When Karin and Erik’s first child Sigrid was born in 1566, she was immediately treated like a real princess.

Erik and Karin had four children. The first two were born before the second official marriage in 1568 (see below) but were later legitimized. The last two died in early childhood.

• Princess Sigrid (1566 – 1633), married (1) Henrik Klasson Tott, had three children (2) Nils Nilsson Natt och Dag
• Prince Gustav (1568 – 1607), unmarried
• Prince Henrik (1570 – 1574)
• Prince Arnold (1572 – 1573)

From 1563 onwards Erik’s mental health issues worsened. His decisions became more illogical and he exhibited violent behavior. Starting early in her relationship with Erik, courtiers used Karin to intercede with Erik. In May 1567, Erik imprisoned five nobles in Uppsala Castle: Svante Stensson Sture (husband of Märta Erikdotter Leijonhufvud, the sister of Margareta Leijonhufvud, the second wife of Erik’s father) and his sons Nils Svantesson Sture and Erik Svantesson Sture, Abraham Gustafsson Stenbock (brother of Katarina Gustavsdotter Stenbock, the third wife of King Gustav I Vasa), and Ivar Ivarsson Liljeörn. Svante Stensson Sture’s wife Märta appealed to Karin to ensure that the prisoners would be protected. Karin assured Märta no one would hurt the prisoners.

Svante Stensson Sture; Credit – Wikipedia

Later the same morning, Erik XIV visited Svante Stensson Sture in prison, fell on his knees before him, and begged for his friendship. However, later that day, all five men were killed in their cells on Erik’s orders in what is known as the Sture Murders. Erik personally stabbed Nils Svantesson Sture to death. After the murders, Erik’s former tutor Dionysius Beurreus found him outside the castle in a state of agitation. Beurreus tried to calm Erik but instead, Erik issued an order to kill Beurreus and vanished into a nearby forest. The guards then stabbed Beurreus to death. Karin participated in the search for Erik. Three days after the murder, he was found in the village of Odensala, disguised as a peasant and confused, and was brought to Stockholm. There were no immediate repercussions for Erik’s behavior.

In 1567, Erik decided to marry Karin following an agreement with the state council in 1561 that he could marry whomever he pleased. On December 29, 1567, Erik and Karin were married morganatically in a secret ceremony. In 1568, Karin was ennobled and a second official wedding was held in Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden on July 4, 1568, followed the next day by Karin’s coronation as Queen of Sweden.

Due to Erik’s behavior and his marriage to Karin, his younger half-brothers led a revolt against Erik with the support of many nobles that ended in his removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. In January 1569, the Riksdag (parliament) legally dethroned Erik.

Embed from Getty Images 
Erik XIV, Karin, and one of their sons in captivity

Erik and Karin were imprisoned but their children were initially placed in the care of Queen Dowager Katherina Stenbock, the third wife and widow of Erik’s father. In 1570, the children were returned to their parents. Karin gave birth to two children in captivity in 1570 and 1572, both of whom died young. In 1573, Karin and her children were separated from Erik to prevent the birth of any more children. They were taken to Turku Castle in Finland where they remained under house arrest. In 1575, King Johan III exiled Erik and Karin’s son seven-year-old-son Gustav because he feared that the supporters of Erik would try to install Gustav on the Swedish throne. Gustav was sent to Poland, placed under the care of Jesuit priests, and converted to Roman Catholicism.

Karin Månsdotter, drawing done by King Erik XIV while in captivity; Credit – Wikipedia

Erik was imprisoned in various castles for nine years. He died on February 26, 1577, aged 43, at Örbyhus Castle in Örbyhus, Sweden. He was most likely murdered due to the three major conspiracies that attempted to depose his half-brother Johan III and place Erik back on the Swedish throne. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning. Erik XIV was originally buried in a crypt at Västerås Cathedral in Västerås, Västmanland, Sweden. In 1797, Erik’s remains were reburied at Västerås Cathedral in a Carrara marble sarcophagus that King Gustav III of Sweden originally ordered for himself.

After Erik died in 1577, Karin and her daughter Sigrid were released. King Johan III granted Karin the royal estate Liuksiala Manor in Kangasala, Finland, where she lived comfortably for the rest of her life. In 1582, Karin and her daughter Sigrid were invited to Stockholm to meet with King Johan III, his wife Catherine Jagellonica of Poland, and Queen Dowager Katerina Stenbock at Svartsjö Castle in what was called “The Meeting of Three Queens Catherine”.

Princess Sigrid of Sweden, daughter of Erik XIV  and Karin; Credit – Wikipedia

Karin’s daughter Princess Sigrid had a good relationship with her father’s family and frequently visited her mother. In 1582, she was made lady-in-waiting to her cousin Princess Anna of Sweden, daughter of King Johan III, and traveled with her to Poland, where she was present at the coronation of Anna’s brother King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden as King of Poland in 1587. Sigrid married twice, both times to Swedish noblemen.

Karin’s son Gustav was not allowed to return to Sweden and Karin did not see him again until 1596 when she saw him in Reval (now Tallinn), Estonia. Gustav had forgotten her and they could not speak to each other because he had forgotten the Swedish language. Karin could identify him only by his birthmarks. Gustav was poor and worked as a mercenary. Karin tried to help him financially, and for the rest of her life, unsuccessfully attempted to get permission for him to return to Sweden but never saw him again.

Tomb of Karin Månsdotter in Turku Cathedral in Turku, Finland; Credit – By Hajotthu, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41249703

Karin Månsdotter died, aged 61, at her home, Liuksiala Manor in Kangasala, Finland on September 13, 1612. She was buried at Turku Cathedral in Turku, Finland, now the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Karin’s daughter Sigrid and Sigrid’s son Åke Henriksson Tott are also buried at Turku Cathedral. Karin was initially buried in the crypt of the Tott Chapel at Turku Cathedral. In the 1860s, her coffin was moved to the Kankas Chapel where it was interred in a sarcophagus decorated with a crown resting on a golden pillow.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Sweden Index
• Swedish Orders and Honours
• Swedish Royal Dates
• Swedish Royal Burial Sites
• Swedish Royal Christenings
• Swedish Royal FAQs
• Swedish Royal Residences
• Swedish Royal Weddings
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Sweden
• Profiles of the Swedish Royal Family

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karin Månsdotter – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdotter> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sture murders – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sture_murders> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Turku Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turku_Cathedral> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Erik XIV, King of Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/erik-xiv-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karin Månsdotter – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdotter> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karin Månsdotter – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdotter> [Accessed 2 May 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Erik XIV, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Erik XIV, King of Sweden is known for the Sture Murders in which he and his guards killed six men. Deposed by his half-brother, Erik was imprisoned, and likely murdered by arsenic poisoning. He was born on December 13, 1533, at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, the only child of Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden and his first wife Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg. In September 1535, during a ball given in honor of her brother-in-law, Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway, who was visiting Sweden, the pregnant Katharina fell while dancing with Christian III. The fall confined her to bed and led to pregnancy complications, and she died on September 23, 1535, the day before her twenty-second birthday along with her unborn child. Erik was not yet two years old.

Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden, Erik’s father; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1536, Erik’s father Gustav I married his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud. Margareta was a member of the Leijonhufvud family, one of Sweden’s most powerful noble families. Her constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia at the age of 35 in 1551.

Erik had ten half-siblings from his father’s second marriage:

• Johan III, King of Sweden (1537 – 1592), married (1) Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, had three children including his successor Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden (2) Gunilla Bielke, had one son
• Katarina Gustavsdotter Vasa (1539 – 1610), married Edzard II, Count of East Frisia, had ten children
• Cecilia Gustavsdotter Vasa (1540 – 1627), married Christoph II, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern, had seven children
• Magnus Gustavson Vasa, Duke of Östergötland (1542 – 1595), unmarried, mentally ill
• Karl Gustavson Vasa (born and died 1544), died in infancy
• Anna Gustavsdotter Vasa (1545 – 1610), married of Georg Johann I, Count Palatine of Veldenz, had eleven children
• Sten Gustavson Vasa (1546 – 1547), died in infancy
• Sofia Gustavsdotter Vasa (1547 – 1611), married Magnus II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, had six children but only one lived past infancy
• Elisabet Gustavsdotter Vasa (1549 – 1597), married Christoph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch, had one daughter
• Karl IX, King of Sweden (1550 – 1611), married (1) Maria of Palatinate-Simmern, had six children but only one daughter survived childhood (2) Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, had four children including his successor Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden

In 1552, Erik’s father Gustav I married his third wife 17-year-old Katarina Stenbock, the daughter of Gustaf Olofsson Stenbock and Brita Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud, who was the sister of King Gustav I’s second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud. They had no children. Katarina survived her husband by sixty-one years, dying on December 13, 1621, aged 86.

Erik, along with his half-brother, the future Johan III, King of Sweden, was well-educated by tutors and excelled in foreign languages, mathematics, and history. In 1557, King Gustav I wrote his will and divided his kingdom into hereditary duchies for his sons: Erik, Duke of Kalmar; Johan, Duke of Finland; Magnus, Duke of Östergötland; and Karl, Duke of Södermanland. When Erik started to make public appearances, he was referred to as the “chosen king” (Swedish: utvald konung) until the Riksdag (parliament) granted him the title of “hereditary king” (Swedish: arvkonung) in 1560.

When Erik was in his early 20s, his relationship with his father became very strained. Against his father’s wishes, Erik entered into negotiations for a marriage with the future Queen Elizabeth I of England and pursued her for several years. The death of Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden on September 29, 1560, prevented Erik from traveling to England to press Queen Elizabeth I for her hand in marriage. His later marriage proposals to Mary, Queen of Scots, Renata of Lorraine, Anna of Saxony, and Christine of Hesse were also rejected.

Erik XIV, King of Sweden opposed the Swedish nobility. He chose as his closest advisor Göran Persson who held the same views as Erik and who had narrowly escaped execution under the reign of Erik’s father. Erik summoned the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature, at Arboga where, under Erik’s urging, the Arboga Articles were adopted curtailing the authority of his half-brothers Johan and Karl in the dukedoms given to them by their father. As a further move against his half-brother Johan, Duke of Finland, Erik placed the city of Reval, now Tallinn, Estonia, under his protective power and led expansionist campaigns of conquest in Estonia.

Eriks’s brother Johan then turned to Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania for an alliance. He married Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, the sister of Sigismund II Augustus and in exchange received a substantial sum of money and land in Livonia (located in present-day Estonia and Latvia) which then hindered Erik’s expansionist policy. Erik’s response was to send 10,000 troops to besiege Johan’s home Turku Castle in Turku, Finland. On August 12, 1563, Turku Castle surrendered. Johan was tried for high treason and sentenced to death but he was pardoned and imprisoned with his wife at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden.

Karin Månsdotter, Erik XIV, and Göran Persson; Credit – Wikipedia

Sometime in 1565, Erik entered into a relationship with low-born Karin Månsdotter, a maid to his half-sister Elisabet. In 1567, Erik decided to marry Karin following the agreement he made with the state council in 1561 that he could marry whomever he pleased. The marriage plans were supported by his advisor Göran Persson. On December 29, 1567, Erik and Karin were married morganatically in a secret ceremony. A second official wedding was held in Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden on July 4, 1568, followed the next day by Karin’s coronation as Queen of Sweden.

Erik and Karin Månsdotter had four children. The first two were born before the second official marriage in 1568 (see below) but were later legitimized. The last two died in early childhood.

• Princess Sigrid (1566 – 1633), married Henrik Klasson Tott, had three children
• Prince Gustav (1568 – 1607), unmarried
• Prince Henrik (1570 – 1574)
• Prince Arnold (1572 – 1573)

Erik had suffered from mental health issues and from 1563 onwards these issues worsened. His decisions became more illogical and he exhibited violent behavior. Erik’s suspicion of the nobility led him to be suspicious of the Sture family, then headed by Svante Stensson Sture who was married to Märta Erikdotter Leijonhufvud, the sister of Margareta Leijonhufvud, the second wife of Erik’s father. Erik lacked a legal heir and feared that the Sture family might claim his throne. These fears resulted in the Sture Murders, the murders of five incarcerated Swedish nobles and Erik’s former tutor.

Svante Stensson Sture; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 24, 1567, in Uppsala Castle, Erik and his guards killed six men. Svante Stensson Sture, and his sons Nils Svantesson Sture and Erik Svantesson Sture, Abraham Gustafsson Stenbock (brother of Katarina Gustavsdotter Stenbock, the third wife of King Gustav I Vasa), and Ivar Ivarsson Liljeörn were killed in their cells inside the castle. Erik personally stabbed Nils Svantesson Sture to death. After the murders, Erik’s former tutor Dionysius Beurreus found him outside the castle in a state of agitation. Beurreus tried to calm Erik but instead, Erik issued an order to kill Beurreus and vanished into a nearby forest. The guards then stabbed Beurreus to death. Abraham Gustafsson Stenbock and Ivar Ivarsson Liljeörn already had been sentenced to death but Svante Sture and his sons were executed without trial on Erik’s order and the unfortunate Beurreus was killed on a whim.

Johan III, King of Sweden, Erik’s eldest half-brother and successor; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 27, 1567, Erik was found in the village of Odensala, disguised as a peasant and confused, and was brought to Stockholm. Eventually, he calmed down and then asked both God and the Swedish people for forgiveness. He sought reconciliation with the relatives of the murdered. For a while, a regency council took over the government of the country, freed Erik’s half-brother Johan from prison, and sentenced Erik’s advisor Göran Persson to death. However, this death sentence was not carried out for fear of how Erik would react when he recovered. The king’s younger half-brothers led a revolt against Erik which ended in his removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. In January 1569, the Riksdag legally dethroned Erik.

Erik was imprisoned in various castles for nine years. He died on February 26, 1577, aged 43, at Örbyhus Castle in Örbyhus, Sweden. He was most likely murdered due to the three major conspiracies that attempted to depose his half-brother Johan III and place Erik back on the Swedish throne. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning. Erik XIV, King of Sweden was originally buried in a crypt at Västerås Cathedral in Västerås, Västmanland, Sweden. In 1797, Erik’s remains were reburied at Västerås Cathedral in a Carrara marble sarcophagus that King Gustav III of Sweden originally ordered for himself.

Tomb of Erik XIV, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

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Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Erik XIV. – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_XIV.> [Accessed 30 April 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Eric XIV of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_XIV_of_Sweden> [Accessed 30 April 2021].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Erik XIV – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_XIV> [Accessed 30 April 2021].