Jacob Hoefnagel: Gustavus Adolphus.
Oil on canvas. Photo: Göran Schmidt
Gustavus Adolphus (Gustav II Adolf)
fought in many wars, the last of them
being the Thirty Years War, which broke
out in 1618. The King had been fighting in
that war for two years when, in 1632, he
fell at Lützen. Streiff, his charger, was with
him. Streiff died on the way back to
Sweden. The war finally ended in 1648 with
the Peace of Westphalia, which made
Sweden one of the great powers of Europe.
In the footsteps of
Gustavus Adolphus
a round tour
Gustavus Adolphus (1594–1632) was only 17 when his father died. In order
to become king, he had to promise not to decide anything about Sweden’s
foreign policy or taxes. He had to ask the Council and the Estates (parliament) first.
Gustavus Adolphus got on easily with other people, and had the gift of
communicating with ordinary people. He was a warrior king. Together, he
and Axel Oxenstierna laid the foundations of Sweden as a great power, modernising the country and its administration. There were a lot of changes in
Sweden during his reign:
• The Riksdag (parliament) became more influential.
• Legislation, taxes and defence began to be handled by special
national authorities.
• A county governor and county administrative board became
the long arm of the national government in each county.
• Each province acquired a military unit – a regiment – of its own.
The school system was developed. Grammar schools were founded.
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Shirt, stockings and buff jerkin
Gustavus Adolphus was wearing the three
shirts and the stockings when his body was
found on the battlefield at Lützen. He had
been wearing at least three shirts instead
of a thick, warm doublet. The shirts are of
linen, with bobbin lace. The King suffered
many sword and gunshot wounds, hence
the bloodstains. The stockings are of linen
and their tops are embroidered with silk,
gold thread and spangles. The elk-hide buff
jerkin has long sleeves and a green silk lining. A sword has jabbed into the left side of
the breast.
Gustavus Adolphus’s sword
This rapier was made in Germany between
1625 and 1630. It was found trampled into
the mud at Lützen. The King’s dying words
are said to have been: “Fence for God!”
Gustavus Adolphus’s funeral clothes
After the King’s body had been embalmed,
it was dressed in these clothes. The jacket is
a floral gold and silver brocade with linen
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Streiff, the King’s charger
This horse was named after its owner,
Colonel Johan Streiff von Lauenstein, who
sold it to Gustavus Adolphus for a thousand riksdalers. An ordinary horse cost 70
or 80. Streiff died on the way back to
Sweden. His hide was mounted on a
wooden frame and put on display in the
Royal Armoury at Three Crowns Castle.
The saddle and harness were a New Year’s
present from Queen Maria Eleonora when
she visited the King in Germany during the
war, in 1629-30.
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The Polish dresses
These “dresses” are what made the Royal
Armoury a museum. The King was twice
wounded at the wars in Poland, and he
wanted these garments saved as a memento.
On the first occasion he was wounded in
the hip. The bullet hole is visible in the
breeches. The second time he was wounded
in the right shoulder.
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cuffs and collar. The breeches are black
velvet.
The heart shroud
Maria Eleonora received her husband’s
heart wrapped in this linen handkerchief.
The heart had been removed from the
King’s body, as was customary in the
Queen’s native Brandenburg, in Germany.
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Gustavus Adolphus’s
wedding tournament, 1620
The wedding festivities for Gustavus
Adolphus and Maria Eleonora included a
tournament. This is what the King looked
like. The horse caparison is embroidered
with the armorial shields of the Vasa dynasty, the Svea, the Goths, Greater Finland
and Uppland. Red and black silk helmet
wreaths are also extant. These were presented as prizes or fastened to the helmets.
Gustavus Adolphus’s
mauve travelling dress
Gustavus Adolphus wore these garments
at his and Maria Eleonora’s wedding. They
are embroidered with gold and with spangles and gold braid. The flowers symbolise
marriage, purity and fertility. Floral fabrics
were modern at this time. Even warrior
kings like Gustavus Adolphus wore clothes
with floral embroidery.
You can download this information sheet at our webside: www.livrustkammaren.se.