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Gustav V (Oscar Gustav 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

Gustav V was born in Drottningholm Palace 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 Gustav 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

Gustav 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. Gustav V was also the last Swedish king to be Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces (between 1907 and 1939).

Gustav V was considered to have German sympathies during World War I. His political stance during WWI was highly influenced by his domineering wife, who felt a strong connection to her German homeland. On the 18th December 1914 he sponsored a meeting with the other two kings of Scandinavia to demonstrate unity within and between the Scandinavian countries. Another of Gustav 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.

Both the king and his grandson Prince Gustav Adolf, had socialized with certain Nazi leaders before World War II, though arguably for diplomatic purposes. Gustav V attempted to convince Hitler during a visit to Berlin to soften his persecution of the Jews, according to historian Jörgen Weibull. (Weibull, Bernadottes on Sweden's Throne) [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, Gustav 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, Gustav 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".(Dagens Nyheter 070729)[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.

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 (Engelbrecht mountain ranger 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, according to Hansson (Wahlbäck, Regeringen och kriget. Ur statsrådens dagböcker 1939-41). [5] According to Ernst Wigforss, both Gustav 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. [6]

Personal life

Gustav V was tall and thin. He wore pince-nez eyeglasses and sported a pointed goatee and mustache for most of his teen years. It was an official secret that the king was homosexual, and in his old age, he did not bother to hide it. An alleged sexual affair with a man Kurt Haijby led to the Haijby affair, where the court paid Haijby large sums of money, but where Haijby was also for no good reason committed to psychiatric care twice and sent to Nazi Germany where he was put in prison by the Gestapo. The king was probably not aware of these events, or at least not instrumental. This first came to public notice through the investigative journalism of Wilhelm Moberg and of Herbert Tingsten, editor-in-chief at Dagens Nyheter.

Gustav 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, Gustav was often seen playing on the Riviera. On a visit to Berlin, Gustav went straight from a meeting with Hitler to a tennis match with the Jewish player Daniel Prenn. [7] 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.

Gustav 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.

King Gustav V died in Stockholm in 1950.

Portrait Crown Prince Gustav and Crown Princess Victoria in the early 1880s
Portrait Crown Prince Gustav in his 20s
Gustav V making his famous Courtyard Speech at Stockholm Palace in 1914
Speaking with Hjalmar Branting around 1920

Prince Gustav Adolf, Göring and Gustav V in Berlin 1939.
Gustav V, Crown Prince Gustav Adolf and Prince Bertil published in 1943
Gustav V accepting flowers

Issue

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden	11 November 1882	15 September 1973	married 1) Princess Margaret of Connaught (1882-1920), had issue (four sons, one daughter) , married 2) Lady Louise Mountbatten (1889-1965), had issue (a stillborn daughter)
Prince Vilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland	17 June 1884	5 June 1965	married Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1890-1958), had issue
Prince Erik of Sweden, Duke of Västmanland	20 April 1889	20 September 1918	died unmarried of the Spanish Flu, no issue

Ancestors

16. Jean Henri Bernadotte

8. Charles XIV John of Sweden

17. Jeanne de Saint Vincent

4. Oscar I of Sweden

18. François Clary

9. Désirée Clary

19. Françoise Rose Somis

2. Oscar II of Sweden

20. Alexandre, vicomte de Beauharnais

10. Eugène de Beauharnais

21. Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie

5. Josephine of Leuchtenberg

22. Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria

11. Princess Augusta of Bavaria

23. Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt

1. Gustav V of Sweden

24. Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilburg

12. Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg

25. Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau

6. William, Duke of Nassau

26. Wilhelm Georg, Burgrave of Kirchberg

13. Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg

27. Princess Isabella Auguste of Reuss

3. Sofia of Nassau

28. Frederick I of Württemberg

14. Prince Paul of Württemberg

29. Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

7. Princess Pauline of Württemberg

30. Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

15. Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen

31. Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Notes

Opener of the 1912 Summer Olympics

External links

Regnal titles
Gustav V House of Bernadotte Born: 16 June 1858 Died: 29 October 1950
Preceded by Oscar II	King of Sweden 1907-1950	Succeeded by Gustav VI Adolf
Preceded by Carl Adolf	Duke of Värmland 1858-1907	Vacant Title next held by Carl Philip of Sweden

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-Gustav V was tall and thin. He wore [[pince-nez]] eyeglasses and sported a pointed [[goatee]] and mustache for most of his teen years. It was an official secret that the king was homosexual, and in his old age, he did not bother to hide it. An alleged sexual affair with a man Kurt Haijby led to the '''[[Haijby affair]]''', where the court paid Haijby large sums of money, but where Haijby was also for no good reason committed to psychiatric care twice and sent to Nazi Germany where he was put in prison by the [[Gestapo]]. The king was probably not aware of these events, or at least not instrumental. This first came to public notice through the investigative journalism of [[Wilhelm Moberg]] and of Herbert Tingsten, editor-in-chief at [[Dagens Nyheter]].
+Gustav V was tall and thin. He wore [[pince-nez]] eyeglasses and sported a pointed [[goatee]] and mustache for most of his teen years. It was an official secret that the king was homosexual, and in his old age, he did not bother to hide it. An alleged sexual affair with a man [[Kurt Haijby]]  led to the '''[[Haijby affair]]''', where the court paid Haijby large sums of money, but where Haijby was also for no good reason committed to psychiatric care twice and sent to Nazi Germany where he was put in prison by the [[Gestapo]]. The king was probably not aware of these events, or at least not instrumental. This first came to public notice through the investigative journalism of [[Wilhelm Moberg]] and of Herbert Tingsten, editor-in-chief at [[Dagens Nyheter]].
 Gustav 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, Gustav was often seen playing on the [[Riviera]]. On a visit to Berlin, Gustav went straight from a meeting with Hitler to a tennis match with the Jewish player Daniel Prenn. [http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustaf_V#_note-18] 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.