Gustaf V of Sweden
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Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf) (June 16, 1858 – October 29, 1950) was King of Sweden from 1907 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway and Sophia of Nassau.
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[edit] Early life
Gustaf V was born in Drottningholm Palace and at birth was created Duke of Värmland. On December 8, 1907 he succeeded his father on the Swedish throne, which had been separated from the Norwegian throne two years earlier.
He married Princess Victoria of Baden on September 20, 1881. She was the granddaughter of Sofia of Sweden, and her marriage to Gustaf V united by a real blood link (and not only so-called adoption) the reigning Bernadotte dynasty with the former royal house of Holstein-Gottorp.
[edit] Public life
Gustaf V was the last Swedish king to intervene directly in the politics of the country, in 1914 on the disputes over defence budgets. He was a conservative man, who did not approve of the democratic movement and the demands for workers' rights. Gustaf V was also the last Swedish king to be Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces (between 1907 and 1939).
Gustaf V was considered to have German sympathies during World War I. His political stance during WWI was highly influenced by his domineering wife, who felt a strong connection to her German homeland. On the 18th December 1914 he sponsored a meeting with the other two kings of Scandinavia to demonstrate unity within and between the Scandinavian countries. Another of Gustaf V's objectives with this, three-king conference was to dispell suspicions that he wanted to bring Sweden into the war on Germany´s side.
Both the king and his grandson Prince Gustaf Adolf, had socialized with certain Nazis leaders before World War II, though arguably for diplomatic purposes. Gustaf V attempted to convince Hitler during a visit to Berlin to soften his persecution of the Jews, according to historian Jörgen Weibull. (Weibull, Bernadottes on Sweden's Throne) [1]. He was also noted for appealing to the leader of Hungary to save its Jews "in the name of humanity." [2] At the behest of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gustaf V appealed to Hitler for peace negotiations in 1938, "in the interest of peace". [3]
According to Prime Minister Hansson the king had, during a private conversation, threatened to abdicate if the government did not approve of the German request for permission to transfer one armed division through Swedish territory from northern Norway to northern Finland in June 1941. The accuracy of this claim is debated, and the king's stated intention (if he did in fact make this threat) was to avoid conflict with Germany, according to Hansson (Wahlbäck, Regeringen och kriget. Ur statsrådens dagböcker 1939-41). [4] According to Ernst Wigforss, both Gustaf V and Prince Gustaf Adolf attempted to persuade the Swedish government to allow the Allies to transport troops through Sweden, though this was rejected by the government because it was felt it would cause retributions from Germany. [5]
[edit] Personal life
Gustaf V was tall and thin with blonde hair. He wore pince-nez eyeglasses and sported a pointed goatee and mustache for most of his teen years
Gustaf V was also a devoted tennis player, appearing under the pseudonym Mr G. As a player and promotor of the sport, Gustaf was elected in to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980. Gustaf learned the sport during a visit in Britain in 1876 and founded Sweden's first tennis club on his return home. In 1936 he founded the King's Club. During his reign, Gustaf was often seen playing on the Riviera. During a visit in Berlin, Gustaf went straight from a meeting with Hitler to a tennis match with the Jewish player Daniel Prenn. [6] During World War II he interceded to obtain better treatment for the Davis Cup stars, Jean Borotra of France and Gottfried von Cramm of Germany, who had been imprisoned by the German government.
 Portrait Crown Prince Gustaf in his 20s |
 Crown Prince Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria in the early 1880s |
 Portrait published 1895 |
 Gustaf V making his famous Courtyard Speech at Stockholm Palace in 1914 |
 Speaking with Hjalmar Branting around 1920 |
 Hermann Göring and Gustaf V in Berlin 1939 |
 Gustaf V, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Prince Bertil published in 1943 |
 Gustaf V accepting flowers |
[edit] Children
- HRH Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Skåne and later succeeded his father as HM King Gustaf VI Adolf (1882-1973)
- HRH Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland (1884-1965)
- HRH Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (1889-1918)
[edit] Ancestors
| Gustaf V Adolf of Sweden | Father: Oscar II of Sweden |
Paternal Grandfather: Oscar I of Sweden |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Charles XIV John of Sweden |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Désirée Clary |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Josephine of Leuchtenberg |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Eugène de Beauharnais |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Princess Augusta of Bavaria |
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| Mother: Sofia of Nassau |
Maternal Grandfather: Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Pauline Friederica Marie, Princess of Württemberg |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Prince Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich Augustus of Württemberg |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Katharina Charlotte of Sachsen-Altenburg |
[edit] Other notes
- Opener of the 1912 Summer Olympics
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
| Preceded by Oscar II |
King of Sweden 1907–1950 |
Succeeded by Gustaf VI Adolf |
| Preceded by ? |
Duke of Värmland 1858–1950 |
Succeeded by Carl Philip of Sweden |
Categories: 1858 births | 1950 deaths | People from Stockholm | House of Bernadotte | Swedish monarchs | Swedish Lutherans | Knights of the Garter | Knights of the Golden Fleece | Dukes of Swedish Provinces | World War II political leaders | Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order | Tennis Hall of Fame members | Recipients of the Royal Victorian Chain
