GUSTAVUS III, king of Sweden: b. Stockholm, 24 Jan. 1746; d. there, 29 March 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Holstein, who had been called to the Swedish Crown in 1743, and succeeded his father on 12 Feb. 1771. He found the country divided between two aristocratic factions, the adherents of France and Russia, known respectively as the Hats and Caps, He resolved to give the country a new constitution and to increase the power of the Crown. He instituted a new military order of Vasa in order to gain the good-will of the officers, and ef fected his. purpose by means of a sham revolt, which enabled him to assemble troops, where with he surrounded the assembly of the states general and forced them to accept his constitu tion, which, as it only circumscribed the privi leges of the nobility, was generally popular. In 1788, when war had broken out with Russia, the nobles revenged themselves by inducing the states-general to refuse him supplies. The fidelity of the Dalecarlians enabled him to re pulse the enemy. To free himself from the
hostility of the nobles he determined on another coup d'etat, which he executed on 3 April 1789, by causing the leaders of the opposition to be arrested and then passing a law extending the royal prerogative. He concluded peace, with Russia by the Treaty of Varela in August 1790. The Swedes were opposed to an alliance with Russia, and a diet which Gustavus assembled at Gefle for the purpose of procuring supplies, though surrounded with troops, proved so re fractory that he was obliged to dismiss it. The nobles long before this had formed a conspiracy against him and resolved on his death. Three of them took an oath to murder him, and drew lots which should carry out their intention. The lot fell on Captain Ankarstrom, who shot the king in the back at a masquerade given at the opera house at Stockholm, 16 March 1792. Gustavus was distinguished as an author. Con sult Bain, 'Gustavus III and his Contempo raries' (1895).