Greatest Swedish monarch
Twenty monarchs of Sweden, from the Middle Ages to the House of Bernadotte. Who was the greatest?
Tier list by PairTier · 20 items
- Magnus Eriksson — King 1319–1364 who also ruled Norway; his reign produced Sweden's first national law code.
- Gustav Vasa — King 1523–1560 who broke from the Kalmar Union, founded the Vasa dynasty and began the Reformation in Sweden.
- Eric XIV — King 1560–1568, son of Gustav Vasa; deposed by his brother John and died in captivity.
- John III — King 1568–1592, a Renaissance builder king who ended the Northern Seven Years' War in 1570.
- Charles IX — King 1604–1611 who took power from his nephew Sigismund; father of Gustavus Adolphus.
- Gustavus Adolphus — King 1611–1632 who made Sweden a great power and was killed at the Battle of Lützen.
- Christina — Queen regnant 1632–1654 and patron of learning, who abdicated, converted to Catholicism and settled in Rome.
- Charles X Gustav — King 1654–1660 who led his army across the frozen Danish straits, winning Scania in the Treaty of Roskilde.
- Charles XI — King 1660–1697 who won the Battle of Lund, strengthened royal power and reclaimed crown lands.
- Charles XII — Warrior king 1697–1718 of the Great Northern War; victor at Narva, defeated at Poltava, killed at Fredriksten.
- Adolf Frederick — King 1751–1771 during the Age of Liberty, with little real power; famously died after a large meal.
- Gustav III — King 1771–1792 who seized power in a coup, founded the Swedish Academy and was shot at a masked ball.
- Gustav IV Adolf — King 1792–1809 who lost Finland to Russia and was deposed in a coup.
- Charles XIV John — Former French marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte; king 1818–1844 and founder of the Bernadotte dynasty.
- Oscar I — King 1844–1859 whose reforms included equal inheritance rights for sons and daughters.
- Charles XV — King 1859–1872 whose reign saw the Riksdag of the Estates replaced by a two-chamber parliament.
- Oscar II — King 1872–1907 during whose reign the union with Norway was dissolved in 1905.
- Gustaf V — King 1907–1950, who reigned through both world wars as Sweden remained neutral.
- Gustaf VI Adolf — King 1950–1973, a keen archaeologist and expert on Chinese art who came to the throne aged 67.
- Carl XVI Gustaf — King since 1973 and the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history.