Known as the father of the nation, King Gustav Vasa steered Sweden toward sovereignty and prosperity. He was born Gustav Eriksson in 1496 and assumed the throne amidst a struggle for independence from the Kalmar Union.
King Gustav Vasa was one of the captives sent by Sten Sture the Younger to Christian II of Denmark as part of the armistice agreement. However, Christian II violated the treaty and took Gustav to Denmark instead. He ran away to Lubeck in 1519 and returned to Sweden in 1520. Gustav’s father Gustav Johansson, as well as two of his uncles were killed by Christian II in the Stockholm bloodbath. This led to King Gustav Vasa’s rebellion.
During his reign, he acquired family lands by seizing them from the church. In the 1540s, he sourced German administration which allowed him to stay in power. Although his reign was harsh and violent, he was considered as a great ruler, giving Sweden its independence and 37 years of stable government. The nation also broke free from the Roman Catholic Church. In 1544, he replaced the elective monarchy of Sweden with hereditary monarchy.
King Gustav Vasa is honored on Swedish kronor banknotes from the 1918-1962 series, such as the 5-krone, the 10-krone, the 50-krone, the 100-krone, and the 1000-krone, featuring the painting of the king by Jakob Binck on its reverse. On the obverse is a seated Mother Svea painted by Julius Kronberg.
King Gustav Vasa is also featured on the 5-krone banknote issued in 1967 and was demonetized in 1998. This note that is printed by Tumba Bruk bears the king’s portrait, also a painting by Jakob Binck, on the front design. The banknote’s reverse is adorned with woodland grouse and a spruce tree.
The 1,000 kronor banknote also portrays the king, with his portrait painted by Cornelius Arentz displayed on the obverse, along with the king’s quote “SCRIPTURAM IN PROPRIA HABEANT LINGUA’ which translates to “Let them have the holy scripture in their own language”. King Gustav Vasa’s image is also shown on the banknote’s watermark. Featured on the reverse is a depiction of Olaus Magnus’ 1555 book. History of the Northern People, illustrating farmers threshing grain.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Vasa
thumbnail: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Gustav_I_of_Sweden_c_1550.jpg
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gustav-I-Vasa
