Prince Gustav of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Eric XIV of Sweden
-Family and descendants:Eric XIV had several relationships before his marriage. With Agda Persdotter he had four daughters:#Margareta Eriksdotter , married 1592 to Olov Simonsson, vicar of Horn....
and Karin Månsdotter
Karin Månsdotter
Karin Månsdotter was Queen of Sweden, first a mistress and then the spouse of King Eric XIV of Sweden...
.
Gustav was sent to live outside of Sweden in 1575, to protect him from King John III
John III of Sweden
-Family:John married his first wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland , house of Jagiello, in Vilnius on 4 October 1562. In Sweden, she is known as Katarina Jagellonica. She was the sister of king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland...
who feared that the supporters of Eric would try to deprive his son of the crown. Gustav came to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
where he lived in poverty and despair. At some time during his stay he became a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
.
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
attempted to persuade Gustav to help him in his political ambitions around the Baltic
Baltic region
The terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
, but these attempts (which included both promises and several years exile) failed.
In August 1599 Gustav arrived in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for a proposed marriage to the Tsar Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov
Boris Fyodorovich Godunov was de facto regent of Russia from c. 1585 to 1598 and then the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. The end of his reign saw Russia descend into the Time of Troubles.-Early years:...
's daughter Ksenia. But there, he lived a self-indulgent life. As a consequence, he invited his old lover Brita and their children to stay in his Russian home, and showing them in public in a carriage harnessed as though it was meant for the tsarina. As a result, the Tsar eventually broke off the engagement of his beloved daughter.
As compensation, the homeless Gustav received the principality of Uglich
Uglich
Uglich is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, which stands on the Volga River. Population: A local tradition dates the town's origins to 937. It was first documented in 1148 as Ugliche Pole...
, where he lived until the beginning of the reign of the False Dmitry, who ordered his arrest by the demands of his ally — Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
(cousin of Gustav and son of king John III) and sent him to Yaroslav
Yaroslav
Yaroslav is a Slavic given name, and it may refer to:*Yaroslav I the Wise , Grand Prince of Kiev. Son of Vladimir the Great*Yaroslav II of Kiev , son of Iziaslav II of Kiev...
jail. After the death of the False Dmitry, the new Tsar, Vasili IV of Russia
Vasili IV of Russia
Vasili IV of Russia was Tsar of Russia between 1606 and 1610 after the murder of False Dmitriy I. His reign fell during the Time of Troubles....
, released Gustav and sent him to live in the small city of Kashin, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Gustav Eriksson Vasa died in February 1607 in Kashin and was buried there February 22. He was in elder history writing thought to have had four children with a certain Brita Karth and perhaps even have married her. This has however been refuted by modern historians.
Prince Gustav is the main character of the famous polish novel "Broken star" by Jadwiga Żylińska.