Editing John III of Sweden (section)

===Free again===

During Erik's insanity in the fall of 1567 (see the [[Sture Murders]]), John's release was secured in October 1567, after which negotiations were begun for the Duke's restoration to his rights. 
[[File:Cranach the Younger Catherine Jagiellon.jpg|thumb|[[Catherine Jagiellon]], (1526 – 1583), first wife of John III (from 1562), [[Queen of Sweden]] from 1569, mother of [[Sigismund III Vasa]], sister of Poland's King [[Sigismund II Augustus]].]]
John further initiated peace talks with [[Denmark–Norway]] and Lübeck to end the [[Northern Seven Years' War]] but rejected the resulting [[Treaties of Roskilde (1568)|Treaties of Roskilde]] in which his envoys had accepted far-reaching Danish demands. After two more years of fighting, the war was concluded without many Swedish concessions in the [[Treaty of Stettin (1570)|Treaty of Stettin]]. During the following years he successfully fought [[Russia]] in the [[Livonian War]], concluded by the [[Treaty of Plussa]] in 1583, a war that meant a Swedish reconquest of [[Narva]].  As a whole his foreign policy was affected by his connection to [[Poland]] of which country his son [[Sigismund III Vasa]] was made king in 1587.

However, Erik's actions in the first half of 1568 were likely to arouse John's fears that his newly won freedom would be taken away from him again. John therefore entered into an agreement with his brother Charles and some of the nobility for a joint rising against Erik's hated regiment. [[Uprising against Erik XIV|This revolt]] began in July and spread so rapidly that by mid-September the army of the dukes was already outside Stockholm, whose gates were opened to them on 29 September 1568. An important ally was John's maternal uncle [[Sten Leijonhufvud]], who was fatally wounded. At deathbed he was made [[Count of Raseborg]]. Erik XIV was taken prisoner, and immediately afterwards John had himself hailed as king by the city authorities and by those of the nobility and warriors who were gathered there. Shortly after this John executed his brother's most trusted counsellor, [[Jöran Persson]], whom he held largely responsible for his harsh treatment while in prison.<ref name=su1/>