Gustav of Sweden (1568–1607)

Gustav Eriksson (28 January 1568 – February 1607),[1] son of King Erik XIV and Karin Månsdotter, was born as heir to the Swedish throne but lost his status when his father was deposed in September 1568.

In 1599, Tsar Boris Godunov invited him to Moscow for a proposed marriage to his daughter Xenia, but when Gustav refused to be part of the political schemes, he was imprisoned.

Gustav Eriksson was born in 28 January 1568 in Nyköping to King Erik XIV and Karin Månsdotter,[2] who had been secretly married by Archbishop Laurentius Petri the previous summer.

[4][5] The king's brothers, dukes John and Charles, did not attend the ceremonies, which led Erik to place them under house arrest.

Gustav, Sigrid and their parents were initially held in Stockholm, then moved to Turku (Åbo) Castle in July 1570, later to Kastelholm, and then to Gripsholm in the autumn of 1571.

Gustav was placed with the family of Laurentius Rilski, a loyal servant to Queen Catherine Jagiellon, where he received a Polish upbringing.

[4] Gustav was in Kraków during King Sigismund III coronation in December 1587 and managed to meet his sister Sigrid, who was there as a lady-in-waiting to their cousin, Princess Anna.

[4] In 1588, Gustav Eriksson stayed in Prague at the court of Emperor Rudolf II, with whom he shared an interest in alchemy.

In early 1590s, Gustav lived in Prussia, where he received income from lands granted to him by the pope at the request of King Sigismund.

[citation needed] After the False Dmitry's death, the new tsar Vasili IV released Gustav and sent him to live in the small city of Kashin, Russia.