Gustav I Vasa summary

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Gustav I Vasa.

Gustav I Vasa, orig. Gustav Eriksson Vasa, (born May 12, 1496?—died Sept. 29, 1560, Stockholm, Swed.), King of Sweden (1523–60) and founder of the Vasa dynasty. The son of a Swedish senator, Gustav joined the rebellion against Christian II of Denmark, who controlled most of Sweden. He became leader of the rebels (1520) and secured crucial aid from the rich free city of Lübeck. This aid enabled Gustav to establish Sweden’s independence, and in 1523 he was elected king. Gustav imposed heavy taxes to pay his debts to Lübeck and to strengthen royal authority and lands. He hoped to seize the Roman Catholic church’s wealth, and he pushed Sweden toward becoming a Protestant (Lutheran) country. An autocratic ruler, he built a strong monarchy and an efficient administration.

church and state Summary

Church and state, the concept, largely Christian, that the religious and political powers in society are clearly distinct, though both claim the people’s loyalty. A brief treatment of church and state follows. For full treatment of the separation of religion and politics, see secularism. For full

war Summary

War, in the popular sense, a conflict between political groups involving hostilities of considerable duration and magnitude. In the usage of social science, certain qualifications are added. Sociologists usually apply the term to such conflicts only if they are initiated and conducted in accordance

Lutheranism Summary

Lutheranism, branch of Christianity that traces its interpretation of the Christian religion to the teachings of Martin Luther and the 16th-century movements that issued from his reforms. Along with Anglicanism, the Reformed and Presbyterian (Calvinist) churches, Methodism, and the Baptist

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not