John, Duke of Östergötland
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| Prince John | |
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Duke of Östergötland | |
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| Born | 18 April 1589 Uppsala Castle, Uppsala, Sweden |
| Died | 5 March 1618 (aged 28) Bråborg Castle, Bråviken, Norrköping, Östergötland, Sweden |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Princess Maria Elizabeth of Sweden |
| Issue | Hans Johansson (ill.) |
| House | Vasa |
| Father | John III of Sweden |
| Mother | Gunilla Bielke |
John of Sweden, Duke of Östergötland (in Swedish Johan) (18 April 1589 – 5 March 1618) was a
His father was
Biography
Early life
At the age of one, the baby John was created Duke of Finland,[2] Count of Åland, and Count of Bråborg. He was tutored together with his first cousin, the five-years-younger hereditary prince and future king, Gustav Adolf of Södermanland. John's uncle Duke Charles, then king, treated him like his own son.
After the Battle of Stångebro, Duke John's Catholic half-brother Sigismund was declared deposed from the Swedish throne in 1599 after a Swedish civil war. The 10-year-old John would have been the next king according to the line of succession. His uncle Charles, Duke of Södermanland (1550–1611), the closest adult in the line of succession, took up the regency, and, until 1604, no king was proclaimed.
Duke of Östergötland
In 1604, the
After John's renunciation, the next heir, the elderly regent Duke Charles, was proclaimed King Charles IX and was crowned. In 1605, when King Charles was warring in Livonia, Duke John was a member of the government that ruled on behalf of the absent king, together with Queen Christina and the kingdom's councillors.
In 1606 his duchies were exchanged from Finland to Östergötland. Then, in 1609, Läckö and Dalsland were exchanged for the much closer county of Stegeborg.
After King Charles' death in 1611, Duke John participated in the government. At the parliament of Nyköping the same year, Gustav II Adolf was recognized as the king, and Duke John renewed his renunciation. Several districts of Västergötland were added to his duchy.
On 29 November 1612, Duke John married his first cousin,
Duke John had a remarkable role in the development of the town of
Duke John died in 1618 and left immense debts. He was a true wastrel, and the Johannisborg construction next to ruined the economy of his duchy.[citation needed]
He had one extramarital child, Hans Johansson, by his mistress, a Kerstin Månsdotter. The son died unmarried in Germany. Aside from John's childless widow, his elder half-brother King Sigismund of Poland and half-sister
Duke John was buried in Linköping Cathedral.
References
- ^ "Johan, hertig af Östergötland", Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon (1906) I:550.
- ^ Note that during 1590-1599 his father and half-brother continued to call themselves Grand Dukes of Finland. See Titles of European hereditary rulers.
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