Gustavus III.

Gustavus III., king of Sweden, was born in 1746, and succeeded his father, Adolph Frederick, in 1771. At that time Sweden was ruled by an oligarchy of the nobles. The first task Gustavus set himself after his accession was to break their power and bring the supreme authority into his own hands; and this task he accomplished by means of a feigned revolt. Being of an energetic temperament and possessing a considerable share of political sagacity, Gustavus now laboured hard, and laboured successfully, for the progress of his country, encouraging agriculture and bettering the lot of the peasantry, fostering commerce, mining, literature, and science, especially medicine, ordering the finances, digging canals, and building hospitals, orphanages, and workhouses. But he had an inordinate love for things French, and, in his endeavour to imitate the extravagance and splendour of the court of Versailles, he became embarrassed for money. His attempts to overcome this embarrassment by an increase of taxation alienated from him the affections of his people. Of this state of things the nobles took advantage; they thwarted the king's designs in his war with Russia, and endeavoured to recover the power they had lost (see SWEDEN). And, though Gustavus once more broke their opposition and made himself full master of his kingdom, an ill-advised scheme for employing the forces of Sweden in behalf of Louis XVI. of France against the storm of the Revolution led to his own assassination by Ankarström, an emissary of the oligarchical party, at Stockholm in March 1792.