Gustaf V of Sweden

Gustaf V
King of Sweden
Reign	8 December 1907 - 29 October 1950 (&0000000000000042.00000042 years, &0000000000000325.000000325 days)
Predecessor	Oscar II
Successor	Gustaf VI Adolf
Spouse	Victoria of Baden
Issue
Gustaf VI Adolf Prince Vilhelm, Duke of Södermanland Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland
Full name
Oscar Gustaf Adolf
Father	Oscar II
Mother	Sofia of Nassau
Born	16 June 1858(1858-06-16) Drottningholm Palace
Died	29 October 1950 (aged 92) Drottningholm Palace
Burial	Riddarholmen Church

Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf) (16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 1907 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

Early life

Gustaf V was born in Drottningholm Palace in Ekerö, Stockholm County and at birth was created Duke of Värmland. On 8 December 1907, he succeeded his father on the Swedish throne, which had been separated from the Norwegian throne two years earlier.

He married in Karlsruhe Princess Victoria of Baden on 20 September 1881. She was the granddaughter of Sofia of Sweden, and her marriage to Gustaf V united by a real blood link (and not only so-called adoption) the reigning Bernadotte dynasty with the former royal house of Holstein-Gottorp.

Public life

Gustaf V was the last Swedish king to intervene directly in the politics of the country (in 1914 on the disputes over defence budgets). He was a conservative man, who did not approve of the democratic movement and the demands for workers' rights. Gustaf V was also the last Swedish King to be Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces (between 1907 and 1939).

Gustaf V was considered to have German sympathies during World War I. His political stance during the war was highly influenced by his domineering wife, who felt a strong connection to her German homeland. On 18 December 1914, he sponsored a meeting with the other two Kings of Scandinavia to demonstrate unity within and between the Scandinavian countries. Another of Gustaf V's objectives with this three-King conference was to dispel suspicions that he wanted to bring Sweden into the war on Germany's side.

Nazi sympathies

Both the King and his grandson Prince Gustav Adolf, socialized with certain Nazi leaders before World War II, though arguably for diplomatic purposes. Gustaf V attempted to convince Hitler during a visit to Berlin to soften his persecution of the Jews, according to historian Jörgen Weibull. ^[1] He was also noted for appealing to the leader of Hungary to save its Jews "in the name of humanity." ^[2] At the behest of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gustaf V appealed to Hitler for peace negotiations in 1938, "in the interest of peace". ^[3]

When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in October 1941, Gustaf V tried to write a private letter to Hitler thanking him for taking care of the "Bolshevik pest" and congratulating him on his "already achieved victories". ^[4] He was stopped from doing so by the Prime Minister Hansson. Nevertheless, the King sent the message to Hitler (through a telegram by the German embassy in Stockholm) behind the back of the Government.

The 1941 Threat of Abdication

According to Prime Minister Hansson the King had, during a private conversation, threatened to abdicate if the Government did not approve of the German request for permission to transfer one armed division – the Engelbrecht Division – through Swedish territory from northern Norway to northern Finland in June 1941. The accuracy of this claim is debated, and the King's stated intention (if he did in fact make this threat) was to avoid conflict with Germany. ^[5]

However, confirmation of the King's action is contained in German Foreign Policy documents captured at the end of the war. On 25 June 1941, the German Minister in Stockholm sent a "Most Urgent-Top Secret" message to Berlin in which he stated that the King had just informed him that the transit of German troops would be allowed. He added:

The King's words conveyed the joyful emotion he felt. He had lived through anxious days and had gone far in giving his personal support to the matter. He added confidentially that he had found it necessary to go so far as to mention his abdication. ^[6]

According to Ernst Wigforss, both Gustaf V and Prince Gustav Adolf attempted to persuade the Swedish Government to allow the Allies to transport troops through Sweden, though this was rejected by the Government because it was felt it would cause retributions from Germany. ^[7]

Personal life

Swedish Royalty
House of Bernadotte

Charles XIV John Children    Oscar I Oscar I Children    Charles XV    Gustaf, Duke of Upland    Oscar II    Princess Eugenie    August, Duke of Dalarna Charles XV Children    Lovisa, Queen of Denmark    Carl Oscar, Duke of Södermanland Oscar II Children    Gustaf V    Oscar, Duke of Gotland    Eugén, Duke of Närke    Carl, Duke of Västergötland Grandchildren    Princess Margaretha    Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway    Astrid, Queen of Belgium    Carl, Duke of Östergötland Gustaf V Children    Gustaf VI Adolf    Vilhelm, Duke of Södermanland    Erik, Duke of Västmanland Gustaf VI Adolf Children    Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten    Sigvard, Duke of Uppland    Ingrid, Queen of Denmark    Bertil, Duke of Halland    Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna Grandchildren    Princess Margaretha    Princess Birgitta    Princess Désirée    Princess Christina    Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf Children    Crown Princess Victoria    Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland    Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland

Gustaf V was tall and thin. He wore pince-nez eyeglasses and sported a pointed mustache for most of his teen years.

Gustaf V was a devoted tennis player, appearing under the pseudonym Mr G. As a player and promoter of the sport, he was elected in to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980. The King learned the sport during a visit in Britain in 1876 and founded Sweden's first tennis club on his return home. In 1936 he founded the King's Club. During his reign, Gustaf was often seen playing on the Riviera. On a visit to Berlin, Gustaf went straight from a meeting with Hitler to a tennis match with the Jewish player Daniel Prenn. ^[8] During World War II, he interceded to obtain better treatment for Davis Cup stars Jean Borotra of France and Gottfried von Cramm of Germany, who had been imprisoned by the German Government.

Homosexuality

Allegations of a homosexual affair made the Court pay Kurt Haijby at least 170,000 crowns. ^[9] This later led to the Haijby affair. No other evidence has ever been presented to support the allegations.

Styles and titles

Gustaf V was the 1,062nd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain, the 828th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1905 and the 216th Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword.

Death

King Gustaf V died in Stockholm in 1950.

Image gallery

Portrait Crown Prince Gustav and Crown Princess Victoria in the early 1880s

Portrait Crown Prince Gustaf in his 20s

Gustaf wears the Coronet of the Crown Prince and royal robes for a Riksdag opening in 1893

Gustaf V making his famous Courtyard Speech at Stockholm Palace in 1914

Speaking with Hjalmar Branting around 1920

Prince Gustav Adolf, Göring and Gustaf V in Berlin 1939.

Gustaf V, Crown Prince Gustav Adolf and Prince Bertil published in 1943

Gustaf V accepting flowers

Issue

Ancestors

References

1. ^ Bernadottes on Sweden's Throne
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ [2]
4. ^ Dagens Nyheter 070729 [3]
5. ^ Hansson (Wahlbäck, Regeringen och kriget. Ur statsrådens dagböcker 1939-41) [4]
6. ^ Documents of German Foreign Policy 1918-1945 Series D Volume XIII The War Years 23 June 1941 – 11 December 1941, Published in UK by HMSO and in US By Government Printing Office.
7. ^ [5]
8. ^ [6]
9. ^ Heumann, Maths (1978) (in Swedish). Rättsaffärerna Kejne och Haijby. Stockholm: Norstedt. ISBN 91-1-787202-2. 

1. Opener of the 1912 Summer Olympics

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gustaf V of Sweden

• Royal House of Sweden and Royal House of Norway
• Grand-Ducal House of Baden
• Gustaf V profile at the International Tennis Hall of Fame website