[Gustavus]. King of Sweden, son of Oscar II., king of Sweden and Norway, and Queen Sophia Wilhelmina; born at Drottningholm on the 16th of June 1858. He entered the army, and was, like his father, a great traveller. As crown prince he held the title of duke of Wärmland. He married in 1881 Victoria (b. 1862), daughter of Frederick William Louis, grand duke of Baden, and of Louise, princess of Prussia. The duchess of Baden was the granddaughter of Sophia, princess of Sweden, and the marriage of the crown prince thus effected a union between the Bernadotte dynasty and the ancient Swedish royal house of Vasa. During the absence or illness of his father Gustavus repeatedly acted as regent, and was therefore already thoroughly versed in public affairs when he succeeded to the Swedish throne on the 8th of December 1907, the crown of Norway having been separated from that of Sweden in 1905. He took as his motto “With the people for the Fatherland.” As Crown Prince he had interested himself greatly in sport and music, and he continued as King to patronize them. When the World War broke out in 1914 and neutral countries were impelled to take counsel together. King Gustavus took the statesmanlike action of inviting the kings of Norway and Denmark to a meeting at Malmö, and on a later occasion he himself journeyed to Christiania where he had once sat as regent. During the wax he exerted himself personally to ensure the maintenance of a policy of honourable neutrality. His eldest son, the Crown Prince Gustavus Adolphus (b. 1882), also devoted much time and energy to sport, and interested himself in archæology. The Crown Princess Margaret (b. 1882), a daughter of the Duke of Connaught, died on on the 1st of May 1920; she had won the love of the Swedish people, and when she died a fund of nearly 1,500,000 kronor was quickly subscribed to consecrate her memory. King Gustavus’s brother, Prince Karl (b. 1861), was president of the Swedish Red Cross; and another brother, Prince Eugene, became known as a painter of much distinction.
