Lot Essay
Gustavus II Adolphus Vasa, King of Sweden (1594-1632), son of Charles IX and Christina of Holstein-Gottorp was King of Sweden from 1611, champion of Protestantism and known as 'Lion of the North'. On his accession to the throne, he found the country deeply involved in wars and disorder but he quickly conciliated the nobility, reorganised the government and revitalised the army. He waged successful war against Russia (1613-1617) and received a large part of Finland and Livonia through the treaty of Stolbova. He fought a long war against King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland. He intervened directly in the Thirty Years' War on behalf of the Protestants against the Catholic League of the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II. In 1630 he crossed to Pomerania with 15,000 men and took Stettin but in 1631 failed to save the citizenry of Magdeburg from Count von Tilly. In 1632 he advanced into Bavaria and deafeated and killed Tilly and captured Augsburg and Munich. In November 1632, the Swedes defeated Wallenstein at the battle of Lützen where Gustavus Adolphus was mortally wounded. His heart was taken back to Stockholm in his blood stained silken shirt.
He married Maria Eleanor of Brandenburg in 1620 and their only child, Christina succeeded him as Queen.
He married Maria Eleanor of Brandenburg in 1620 and their only child, Christina succeeded him as Queen.