Gustav iii of sweden biography

The dilapidated finances were set in good order by the " currency realization ordinance " of Gustav also introduced new national economic policies. In , free trade in grain was promoted and several oppressive export tolls were abolished. The poor law was amended, and limited religious liberty was proclaimed for both Roman Catholics and Jews. Gustav even designed and popularized a Swedish national costume , which was in general use among the upper classes from until his death [ 20 ] and it is still worn by the ladies of the court on state occasions.

The king's one great economic blunder was his attempt in to make the sale of alcoholic spirits a government monopoly, through the establishment of a network of crown distilleries. These proved to be unprofitable, and moreover the monopoly was hugely unpopular among the common people, and so Gustav was forced to abolish it in Gustav's foreign policy, in contrast, was at first both restrained and cautious.

Thus, when the king summoned the estates to assemble at Stockholm on 3 September , he could give a highly positive account of his six years' stewardship. The Riksdag was quite obsequious towards the king. Short as the session was, it was long enough for the deputies to realize that their political supremacy was over. They had changed places with the king.

He was now indeed their sovereign lord. For all his gentleness, he guarded the royal prerogative fiercely and plainly showed that he would continue to do so. Even those who were prepared to acquiesce in the change by no means liked it. If the Riksdag of had been docile, the Riksdag of was mutinous. The consequence was that nearly all the royal propositions were either rejected outright or so modified that Gustav himself withdrew them.

Earlier in foreign affairs, however, and privately, Gustav had shown considerable interest in the American Revolution and had this to say about it in October The Riksdag of marks a turning-point in Gustav's history. Henceforth he showed a growing determination to rule without a parliament, a cautious and gradual passage from semi-constitutionalism to semi-absolutism.

At the same time, his foreign policy became more adventurous. At first he sought to gain Russian support to acquire Norway from Denmark. When Catherine the Great refused to abandon her ally Denmark, Gustav declared war on Russia in June , while it was deeply engaged in a war with the Ottoman Empire to the south. In embarking on a war of aggression without the consent of the estates, Gustav violated his own constitution of , which led to a serious mutiny, the Anjala Conspiracy , among his aristocratic officers in Finland.

Denmark declared war in support of its Russian ally, but was soon persuaded to sign a ceasefire through British and Prussian diplomacy. Returning to Sweden, Gustav aroused popular indignation against the mutinous aristocratic officers. Ultimately, he quelled their rebellion and arrested its leaders. Capitalizing on the powerful anti-aristocratic passions thus aroused, Gustav summoned a Riksdag early in , at which he put through an Act of Union and Security on 17 February with the backing of the three lower estates.

This reinforced monarchical authority significantly, although the estates retained the power of the purse. In return, Gustav abolished most of the old privileges of the nobility. Throughout and , Gustav conducted a war with Russia known as the Russo-Swedish War of — At first, the venture seemed headed for disaster before the Swedes successfully broke a blockade by the Russian fleet at the Battle of Svensksund on 9 July This is regarded as the greatest naval victory ever achieved by the Swedish Navy.

The Russians lost one-third of their fleet and 7, men. Only eight months before, Catherine had declared that "the odious and revolting aggression" of the king of Sweden would be "forgiven" only if he "testified his repentance" by agreeing to a peace granting a general and unlimited amnesty to all his rebels and consenting to a guarantee by the Swedish Riksdag for the observance of peace in the future "as it would be imprudent to confide in his good faith alone".

Gustav next aimed at forming a league of princes against the revolutionary government in France, [ 1 ] and subordinated every other consideration to this goal. His profound knowledge of popular assemblies enabled him, alone among contemporary sovereigns, to gauge the scope of the French Revolution accurately from the first. A conspiracy to have the king assassinated and reform the constitution was created within the nobility in the winter of — The assassination of the king was enacted at a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm at midnight on 16 March During dinner, he received an anonymous letter that described a threat to his life written by the colonel of the Life Guards Carl Pontus Lilliehorn , but, as the king had received numerous threatening letters in the past, he chose to ignore it.

The letter was written in French , and in translation it stated:. Pray, allow an unknown whose pen is guided by tactfulness and the voice of conscience, dare take the liberty to inform You, with all possible sincerity, that certain individuals exist, both in the Provinces and here in the City, that only breathe hatred and revenge against You; indeed to the extreme of wanting to shorten Your days, through murder.

They are greatly upset to see this not happening at the last masquerade but they rejoice at the tidings of seeing that there will be a new one today. Bandits do not like lanterns; there is nothing more serviceable for an assassination than darkness and disguise. I dare, then, to appeal to You, by everything that is holy in this world, to postpone this damnable ball, to such times as are more positive for Your present as well as coming benefit To dare any possible assassins, the King went out into an open box facing the opera stage.

And after roughly ten minutes he said "this would have been an opportunity to shoot.

Gustav iii of sweden biography

Come, let us go down. The ball seems to be merry and bright. The King, von Essen and Pollet continued through a corridor leading from the foyer towards the opera stage where the dancing took place. On the stage several masked men — some witnesses talked of 20 or 30 men — made it impossible for the king to proceed. Due to the crowd, Pollet receded behind the King, who bent backwards to talk to Pollet.

Because of the King turning backwards the shot went in at an angle from the third lumbar vertebra towards the hip region. The King twitched and said "aee" without falling. People from the King's lifeguard stood some meters away. The king was carried back to his quarters, and the exits of the Opera were sealed. The king had not been shot dead; he was alive and continued to function as head of state.

The coup was a failure in the short run. However, the wound became infected, and on 29 March , the king finally died with these last words :. Ulrica Arfvidsson , the famous medium of the Gustavian era, had told him something that could be interpreted as a prediction of his assassination in , when he visited her anonymously — a coincidence — but she was known to have a large network of informers all over town to help her with her predictions, and she was in fact interrogated about the murder.

Gustav's funeral took place on 14 May Although he may be charged with many foibles and extravagances, Gustav III is regarded one of the leading sovereigns of the 18th century for patronage of the arts. He was very fond of the performing and visual arts, as well as literature. Gustav was also active as a playwright. A new opera house was built in and inaugurated in , connected to the Stockholm Palace by the Norrbro bridge.

Until , spoken drama was also performed in the opera house. Gustav then founded a separate entity for spoken drama, the Royal Dramatic Theatre , with a new building behind the Royal Swedish Opera house. It is widely agreed that the contribution and dedication of Gustav III to the performing arts in Sweden, notably the building of the theatre houses and the founding of a national theatre company, has been crucial to the Swedish culture.

He was a vocal opponent of what he saw as abuses by the nobility of a permissiveness established by parliamentarian reforms that had been worked out since the death of Charles XII. This was completed by the Union and Security Act in , sweeping away most of the last pretences of Riksdag rule. As a bulwark of enlightened despotism, he spent considerable public funds on cultural ventures: this contributed among his critics to controversy about his reign.

Attempts to seize Norway with Russian assistance, and then to recapture the Baltic provinces by a war against Russia, were unsuccessful, although much of Sweden's former military might was restored. We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe. He entered the League of Armed Neutrality against Great Britain and through preparedness and luck was able to ward off attacks from both Russia and Denmark.

Gustavus then tried to form a league against the French Jacobins. Ever since the turbulent days of , the Swedish nobility had been bitter. This was especially true among the younger aristocrats, who, fired by hatred and the battle cries of the French Revolution , imagined that they were fighting for justice and liberty against the King. Joined by hotheads and other malcontents, they plotted against the "Swedish tyrant.

He died on March Gustavus III, enlightened despot and philosophe, modeled his court on Versailles. He promoted the liberty of the press and was hurt when it attacked him. His court was highly ceremonial and at times reflected a theatrical king who not only could act but with his own hand created some of the best dramas of the Swedish theater.

He wrote exquisitely, and his court became a meeting place for most of Sweden's great writers. The Swedish Academy was founded in , and Gustavus made generous gifts to the advancement of science and to the University of Uppsala. He amended the poor law, proclaimed absolute religious liberty, and reformed the judicial system. No longer was torture used in legal investigations.

There can be little doubt that he spent too lavishly for a poor country, that he surrounded himself with frivolous and adventurous flatterers, and that he welcomed every opportunity for pleasure and display. Still he was patriotic and saw an identity between the welfare of his subjects and the enhancement of his own glory. When compared with his immediate predecessors and his successors up to Charles XIV , his reign was refreshing and enlightened.

Stomberg, A History of Sweden Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. His reforms had a significant impact on Swedish society and culture, shaping the country's development for years to come. Contact About Privacy. Christina Queen of Sweden. Katarina Jagiellonka. Ueli Maurer.