Ämne: Historia
Titel: Erik XVI


Erik was born 1533 of Katarina of Sachsen-Lauenburg, who was married to Gustav Vasa. He was given the title of the Swedish successor to the throne when he was eleven years old. After he got this title, he was raised very good and carefully.
	When he was 25 years old, he became lord of Kalmar castle. Under this comming period he started to give proposal of marriage with different women, among all Elisabeth who was the halfsister of Englands' queen Mary.
	Elisabeths' correspondent in Sweden gave a report home to her about Erik. He wrote that Erik was an intelligent, well-mannered, groomed and well-formed man with good education. But, as everyone here in the North, his nose was too short and his frontteeth too long.
	Erik's foreign policy was hated by many other countries, especially Poland and Finland, where his brother, Johan, reigned. It also gave rise to a war against Denmark and Lübeck (1563-1570), which is called the Nordic sevenyears war. Erik's two brothers, Johan and Karl, had to remove him from office to end the war, but this happends later.
	In 1561 Erik put a limit to his brothers feudal power. This was not the only thing he did to his brothers, which irritated them and led to that they, as above, removed him from office.
	Nowadays historic researchers think that Erik was mentally sick, that he was paranoiac, which means that he thougth that everyone was chasing him. The only one he trusted was his adviser, Joeran Persson. It is possible that it, in fact, was Joeran Persson who reigned the country, because Erik asked of his opinion in every important question and he always did as Persson told him to.
	He had put his brother, Johan, into prison, but it was a little bit unclear why, perhaps just because the brothers hated each other. But Johan was released after the Stureexecutions. The Stureexecutions was after Erik had had a conflict with the noble. He accused them for high treason. Erik executed the first nobleman, Nils Sture, himself with a knife. Maybe, or probably, this was just a result of his paranodiac character.
	In the autumn of 1568 the lords and the noble rose in rebellion. This gave rise to that Erik was removed from office. And now Johan could be Johan III.
	Erik had to spend the rest of his life in prison. There he got two children with his wife Karin Mansdotter. Both of the children died in prison but the couple had another child before the imprisonment.
	He died in prison at Orbyhus castle, 1577. It is unclear if he died of natural causes or if Johan poisoned him. If Johan did poison Erik it was in his last meal, peasoup. Johan had the promission of the estates to kill Erik, if someone tried to set him free.