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<img height="112" width="98" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/webjam-upload/gustavvasa_105701___89644575a7504ddfa68ad156ffbfe710(350x406)__8__.jpg" align="center" vspace="8" hspace="8" border="0" title="gustavvasa_10570[1]" /></span></span></span></em></span></span></strong></span></p> </td> <td><span style="COLOR: #000080"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia,palatino"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 16px"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.thevasaorder.com/virtual_kubb_english"></a><strong><span style="color: #808080;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,times;"><span style="font-size: 64px;"><span style="font-family: georgia,palatino;"><span style="font-size: 72px;"><span style="color: #800000;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><strong><span style="COLOR: #993300"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: comic sans ms,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span style="color: #000080;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia,palatino;"><span style="font-size: 56px;"><em><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-size: 6px;"><span style="color: #800000;"><span style="COLOR: #000080"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia,palatino"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 16px"><strong><span style="color: #808080;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,times;"><span style="font-size: 64px;"><span style="font-family: georgia,palatino;"><span style="font-size: 72px;"><span style="color: #7d5c3a;"><span style="font-size: 36px;"><span style="font-size: 48px;">Gustav Vasa<br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #800000;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #993300;"><em>First King Of Sweden</em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></em></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></td> <td></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><img height="129" width="59" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/webjam-upload/gustav_vasa1___9abda6b9316849bea05fe0da4e5573aa(235x450)__27__.jpg" align="left" vspace="8" hspace="8" border="0" title="Gustav Vasa" />As a king, Gustav Vasa started to transform Sweden into an autocratic nation - state. At that time this meant strong central authority led by an absolute monarch. Gustav Vasa made the tax-system much more efficient than it had been before. Earlier a number of farms or a village formed a tax unit; from now on every single farm was a unit. All farms, and how much each farm had to pay was precisely written down. The king had sheriffs who ensured that everyone paid their taxes. This meant heavily increased taxes for most farmers and caused rebellions in some parts of the country. The king handled the rebellions successfully (most rebels were killed). This strengthened his authority even more.</span></span></strong></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">King Gustav Vasa is known for his correspondence with his subordinates. He personally wrote letters even to common farmers, telling them how to do things and solve problems. Some hundred years later in history when a quite romanticised picture of the king was drawn, this was used as an example of his greatness and one of the facts that, for many generations of Swedes, made him a beloved monarch. The people who received critical letters from King Gustav Vasa probably did not think of him as a "beloved monarch". Most people were presumably terrified.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></p> </td> <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td> <td><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> <object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/5vrB2AG_uKI?fs=1&amp;autoplay=1;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x3a3a3a&amp;color2=0x999999&amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500" height="405"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5vrB2AG_uKI?fs=1&amp;autoplay=1;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x3a3a3a&amp;color2=0x999999&amp;border=1" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> </object> </span></span></span></span></span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Born: May 12, probably the year 1496 or 1497<br />National chancellor : 1521-1523<br />King: 1523-1560<br />Death: 23 september 1560<br /><i>Married 1:</i> 1531-1535 with Katarina of Sachsen-Lauenburg (daughter to Duke Magnus I of Sachsen-Lauenburg and Katarina of Braunschweig-Wolfenb&uuml;ttel, sister of Dorotea married to Kristian III of Denmark)<br /><i>Married 2:</i> 1536-1551 Margareta Leijonhufvud (daughter to Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufvud)<br /><i>Married 3:</i> 1552-1560 Katarina Stenbock (niece to Margareta Leijonhufvud) Father: Erik Johansson Vase (related to Sten Sture the elder)<br /><i>Mother: </i>Cecilia M&aring;nsdotter av Eka (niece to Kristina Gyllenstierna, married to Sten Sture the younger)<br />Children with Katarina of Sachsen-Lauenburg : Erik XIV<br />Children with Margareta Leijonhufvud: Johan III, Magnus, Karl IX, Sten, Gustaf, Katarina (married to Count Edzard II of Ostfriesland), Cecilia (married to Mark Count Kristofer of Baden-Rodemachern), Anna (married to Count Georg Johann of Veldenz), Sofia (married to Duke Magnus II of Sachsen-Lauernburg - Nephew to Gustav Vasas first wife) Elisabet (married to Duke Kristofer of Mecklenburg).</span></span></strong></span></p>FalsePublicTrue