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Gustaf VKing of Sweden from 8 December 1907 to 29 October 1950
Date of Birth: 16.06.1858
Country:  Sweden |
Content:
Biography of Gustav V
Gustav V was the King of Sweden from December 8, 1907 to October 29, 1950. He was born on June 16, 1858, as the eldest son of Oscar II and Sofia of Nassau. His godmother was his great-grandmother, Desirée Clary, who was the fiancée of Napoleon I and married Marshal Bernadotte, who later became the King of Sweden.
Early Life and Accession to the Throne
Gustav V was born with the title Duke of Värmland. He ascended to the throne two years after his father's death, following the separation of Norway from Sweden. His wife, Victoria of Baden, was a descendant of the previous Swedish dynasty, the House of Holstein-Gottorp, through King Adolf Frederick. Gustav V held the rank of Russian admiral from December 1907 and German admiral from August 3, 1908.
Political Involvement
Gustav V was the last King of Sweden who actively intervened in government politics. In 1914, he influenced the defense budget. However, in 1939, he declined the position of supreme commander of the Swedish army. During World War I, Gustav V was believed to have pro-German sympathies, largely influenced by his wife. Prior to World War II, the king and his grandson, Duke of Västerbotten, had active communication with the leadership of the Third Reich, particularly Hermann Göring. Sweden supplied Germany with iron ore during the war but remained neutral and was not occupied. Despite this, the king spoke out against the persecution of Jews in Germany and Hungary. In 1941, he congratulated Hitler in a private letter on the victories over the Soviet Union and the "Bolshevik plague." Fearing conflict with Germany, he demanded that the government allow transit of German troops through Sweden.
Tennis and Family
Aside from his role as king, Gustav V was a well-known tennis player. He founded the first tennis club in Sweden and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980 for his contributions to the sport. He also cared for the fate of tennis players who were arrested by the Nazis. From his marriage to Victoria of Baden, Gustav V had three sons: Gustav VI Adolf, who succeeded him as king, Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland, and Eric, Duke of Westmanland. His eldest grandson, Gustav Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, was politically active during World War II but tragically died in an airplane crash before his grandfather's passing, leaving behind a nine-month-old son, Carl, who now reigns as King Carl XVI Gustaf.
