Editing John III of Sweden (section)

==John III as king==

===Hailed as king===

In January 1569, John III was recognized as king by the same [[Diet (assembly)|Diet]] ([[Riksdag of the Estates|Riksdag]]) that forced Erik XIV from the throne. But this recognition was not without concessions on the part of John: Duke Charles was confirmed in his dukedom without the restrictions on his power imposed by the ''Articles of Arboga''; the nobility were granted privileges which, in extending their rights and limiting their duties, represent a significant moment in the history of the nobility; and special privileges were granted to the higher nobility which consolidated and developed the distinction between the various classes of the nobility which is of such profound significance in the history of the [[Swedish nobility]].{{sfn|Harrison|Eriksson|2010|p=414}}

===Erik dies—John is free===
[[Image:Gunilla Bielke.jpg|thumb|[[Gunilla Bielke]], [[Queen of Sweden]], second wife of King John III. At the side of the strictly [[Protestantism|Protestant]] Queen Gunilla, John's zeal for [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] doctrine gradually waned.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://runeberg.org/sbh/bielkegu.html|title=Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon 3. Bielke, Gunilla|access-date=15 November 2024|website=Project Runeberg|language=sv}}</ref>]]
Although power was now in King John's hands, he did not feel secure on his throne as long as his captured half-brother was alive. Three plots were uncovered during these years to depose him: the [[1569 Plot]], the [[Mornay Plot]], and the [[1576 Plot]].<ref>Karin Tegenborg Falkdalen (2010). ''Vasadöttrarna'' (2). Falun: Historiska Media. {{ISBN|978-91-85873-87-6}}</ref><ref>Nordisk familjebok / Uggleupplagan. 7. Egyptologi - Feinschmecker. pp. 787–788</ref> Fear of his possible release constantly worried the king (compare Erik XIV) and led him, as early as 1571, to order the guards, in the event of the slightest danger of an attempted rescue or the like, to assassinate the captured king, and it was probably as a result of such an order that Erik's life was ended in 1577. Even if this was not the case, the fact remains that John did not shrink from the possible murder of his half-brother and that it was not against his will if it was carried out.

===Like his father===

John III often likened himself to his father for propaganda purposes, and in particular he tried to emphasize that while his father had "liberated Sweden" from the "bloodhound" [[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]], he had saved the population from the "tyrannical" Erik XIV, his own brother. He had some similar characteristics to his father and brothers; violent, with a fierce temperament and great suspicion.{{sfn|Harrison|Eriksson|2010|pp=414, 416}} But he lacked sharpness, firmness, prudence and a practical eye.

===Son far away—Karl supports===

John and his wife Catherine Jagiellon had ensured that their son Sigismund received a Catholic upbringing, probably to help him acquire the Polish crown. This aim was achieved in 1587,{{sfn|Harrison|Eriksson|2010|p=423}} and John had thus given Sweden a new [[Personal union|union]], more unnatural than the one his father had torn apart (the [[Kalmar Union]]), as Sweden and Poland often had directly conflicting interests in the Baltic. He also soon came to regret his decision and vainly demanded the return of Sigismund to Sweden, which the high nobility opposed as they foresaw that this would lead to war with Poland, something Sweden after 28 years of war would find difficult to cope with.

John responded with a political shake-up; instead of relying on the council aristocracy as before, he now sought the assistance of his brother Duke Charles, with whom he had been at bitter odds for most of his previous reign. The reasons for this had been many, but one of the most important had been that John III, as king, had sought to apply the same principles with regard to royal rights within Charles's principality that he had so ardently opposed as duke. In 1587 he had finally succeeded in persuading his brother to approve statutes very similar to the ''Articles of Arboga'', which he himself had repealed in 1569, but judging from a proposal in 1590 for a new arrangement of the princely rights, he gave up the claims he had previously stubbornly maintained after the break with the high nobility.

===Alone at last===

Even John's newfound friendship with his brother Charles soon cooled, however, and for the last few months of his life John was completely alone. In the spring of 1592, he fell ill with a fever that made him very anxious. He hoped to get better by moving to a pleasure garden he had built on [[Skeppsholmen]], where he thought the air was healthier than in the city. But there was no improvement, and in high summer the condition worsened. 
[[Image:Gravmonument över Johan III i Uppsala domkyrka2.jpg|thumb|[[Tomb effigy]] of John III, by [[Willem van den Blocke]], in [[Uppsala Cathedral]].]]
John died in Stockholm on 17 November 1592, leaving his kingdom weakened by external and internal strife, in disorder and neglect, and for the immediate future threatened by the greatest dangers. John III is buried in [[Uppsala Cathedral]].{{sfn|Harrison|Eriksson|2010|p=419}}

As king, John was oriented towards the Baltic, aiming to take control of the rich trade on Russia. After ending the Seven Years' War in 1570 and making peace with Denmark and Lübeck, he went to war with Russia. This war lasted with varying intensity until 1595. The capture of Narva in 1581 was his greatest military success.