Swedish prince. He was a member of the Vasa Dynasty, son of King Eric XIV and Queen Catherine. He was present as an infant at his mother's wedding to the King of Sweden in 1568 and at her coronation, together with his sister Sigrid. The presence of the children was a way of demonstrating their new status: both of them were officially confirmed as legitimate, and he and his sister were given all the privileges of a royal prince and princess. After his father's dethronement, he was sent to live outside of Sweden in 1575, to protect him from King John III of Sweden who feared that the supporters of Eric would try to deprive his own son of the crown. He went to Poland where he lived in poverty and despair. At some time during his stay he became a Catholic. Emperor Ivan IV the Terrible of Russia attempted to persuade him to assist in his political ambitions around the Baltic, but these attempts (which included both promises and several years of exile) failed. In August 1599 Gustav arrived in Moscow for a proposed marriage to Emperor Boris Godunov's daughter Princess Xenia, but there he lived a self-indulgent life, so the Emperor eventually broke off the engagement. As compensation, the homeless Gustav received the principality of Uglich, where he lived until the beginning of the reign of False Dmitry, who ordered his arrest as demanded by King Sigmund III of Poland, a cousin of Gustav's. After the death of False Dmitry, the new Emperor Basil IV of Russia released him and sent him to live in the small city of Kashin, Russia. He died there and was buried outside of town on February 22. In older historical accounts he was said to have had four children with by a certain Brita Karth and perhaps even had married her. This has however been refuted by modern historians. He is the main character of the famous Polish novel Gwiazda spadająca by Jadwiga Żylińska.
Swedish prince. He was a member of the Vasa Dynasty, son of King Eric XIV and Queen Catherine. He was present as an infant at his mother's wedding to the King of Sweden in 1568 and at her coronation, together with his sister Sigrid. The presence of the children was a way of demonstrating their new status: both of them were officially confirmed as legitimate, and he and his sister were given all the privileges of a royal prince and princess. After his father's dethronement, he was sent to live outside of Sweden in 1575, to protect him from King John III of Sweden who feared that the supporters of Eric would try to deprive his own son of the crown. He went to Poland where he lived in poverty and despair. At some time during his stay he became a Catholic. Emperor Ivan IV the Terrible of Russia attempted to persuade him to assist in his political ambitions around the Baltic, but these attempts (which included both promises and several years of exile) failed. In August 1599 Gustav arrived in Moscow for a proposed marriage to Emperor Boris Godunov's daughter Princess Xenia, but there he lived a self-indulgent life, so the Emperor eventually broke off the engagement. As compensation, the homeless Gustav received the principality of Uglich, where he lived until the beginning of the reign of False Dmitry, who ordered his arrest as demanded by King Sigmund III of Poland, a cousin of Gustav's. After the death of False Dmitry, the new Emperor Basil IV of Russia released him and sent him to live in the small city of Kashin, Russia. He died there and was buried outside of town on February 22. In older historical accounts he was said to have had four children with by a certain Brita Karth and perhaps even had married her. This has however been refuted by modern historians. He is the main character of the famous Polish novel Gwiazda spadająca by Jadwiga Żylińska.
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