Gustav III

Gustav III, born as George York, is the eight king of post-Kalmar Union Sweden, and the first king from the York dynasty. He ruled from 16 August 1560 to 13 February 1573.

Early Life
George York was born on to Charles I York and. During his childhood, he was groomed to be a diplomat, and was taught numerous languages such as Swedish. When he became 16, he was sent as a diplomat to Sweden.

Rule
On 16 August 1560, Johan III suddenly died due to still-unknown causes. He did not have any children, and neither did his brother. The Riksdag decided to appoint Anne I's nephew George York as the new king of Sweden. Upon his ascension, George York chose the name Gustav and was thus crowned Gustav III. Due to his background, he already knew Swedish and was familiar to Swedish customs, so there was no issue with culture.

Expanding Sweden
On 11 December 1561, he implemented the unfinished plans of Johan III and declared the Jutland War to firmly cement Swedish control over the Oresund and Lubeck. The war was a success; although the Oresund itself was not taken, much of Jutland and the isle of Bornholm ended up in Swedish hands.

Gustav III planned to invade Muscovy, as it appeared that they were recovering from the effects of the War of the Rivers. On 1 November 1567, Estonia was integrated into Sweden. Shortly after, on 28 December, he declared the Swedo-Muscovite War to end any attempt of a Muscovite restoration. The war was successful, with much land being granted to his vassal Novgorod. Just before it ended on 27 February 1572, he declared war on Lithuania to reclaim the land lost in the Lithuanian War in what is known as the Vengeance War.

Death
Gustav III unexpectedly died on 13 February 1573, during the siege of Vilnius in his Vengeance War. As his son (see below) was still a minor, he was succeeded by his wife Mary I as Regent.

Family
Shortly after his ascension, he married the widow of Johan III, Mary York. She was of a distant branch of the family and thus the marriage was considered legal by the church. On 27 January 1562, they had a son Charles. On 6 January 1571, the couple had another child.

Personality
Gustav III was a very righteous leader, always abiding by the laws of Sweden and never making any impulsive actions.