[POTN] 2.6 - Gustav Rudolf Vasa, Crown Prince of Sweden

By the start of the year 1654, the situation in Poland had worsened to a point where a Russian invasion was deemed a concrete possibility by the Sejm. However, the King, limited by the Sejm, was unable to exercise much power, and no adequate preparations were made to counter the Russian threat. In Sweden, the Riksdag was also increasingly supportive of an invasion, aiming to force the Polish King to renounce his Swedish claims. Nonetheless, Gustav did not believe the Russians would truly wage an all-out invasion just for the Cossacks, and deemed it unwise to fight Poland one-on-one if the Russians would not invade. Still, under pressure by the nobility, Gustav ordered Prince Karl to explore the feasibility of an invasion of Poland with the military, and to provide complete plans for such a large-scale mission.

The King himself, however, under the influence of Princess Kristina, was largely against a possible war. While he did not share the Princess' pacifist ideals, he still believed both the Swedish people and the finances needed a decade of recovery following the lengthy war in the Empire, and a war with the sizable Commonwealth would likely drain Sweden's manpower. Gustav tried to organise a meeting with the Polish King in Pomerania, but the invitation was rejected, as the Jan II would only send ambassadors to Stockholm for any negotiations.

Gustav then proposed to send Karl to Warsaw for negotiations as his personal envoy, but the offer was also turned down. Gustav did not receive it well, seeing the repeated refusals to negotiate as an insult from the Polish King, and almost decided to ask the Riksdag to go to war. It took Kristina quite some time to convince Gustav that the Polish King's arrogance didn't worth draining Sweden's manpower. Gustav then asked Kristina to convince the Riksdag herself, and went onto a trip in the periphery of the realm with Henrietta in March. The royal couple briefly visited Charles Stuart in Nyköping, before organising an occasion in Kalmar to speak with the commoners. From there, they set sail for Öland, Gotland, Åland, and eventually Finland, respectively.

They were welcomed by thousands of Swedes flooding the streets everywhere they went, owing to their immense popularity in the recent years. The reforms had improved the lives of many commoners, and many believed the King's reign brought stability to all Sweden. Gustav and Henrietta spent a lot of time together, conversing with many commoners and gentry alike. Still, Gustav received reports from Stockholm daily, as Kristina functioned largely as Regent, attempting to convince the Riksdag against war.

Back in Sweden, Kristina attended the Riksdag sessions almost every day, trying to convince the nobles, by appealing for the Swedes' well-being, to drop the proposal of the war against the Commonwealth. The nobles, despite knowing Kristina's influence, did not even pretend to agree to what she said. Several experienced noblemen attacked her mercilessly, claiming that her pacifist ideas would one day lead to Sweden's downfall as a power. Kristina then argued that a costly war against the Commonwealth would drain the Swedish treasury, but that was also not accepted by most of the Riksdag. Some of the nobility even retorted by citing Kristina's past spending habits, claiming that she had wasted tens of thousands of Riksdalers in the past, and was in absolutely no position to speak for Sweden's treasury.

The Riksdag argued that a war with Poland would actually benefit Sweden's financial situation, as the looting and spoils of war from the wealthy Polish cities would be more than enough to cover the costs of the war. Kristina was increasingly impatient with the pro-war Riksdag, but the pro-war faction only gained more and more traction among the nobles as the debate dragged on. A pro-war, aggressive speech by Prince Karl on 4th April only worsened the situation, with the Riksdag beginning to quote Karl in the later arguments against Kristina's pacifist cause.

Kristina, already angered by Karl's speech, became furious every time his speech was mentioned by the Riksdag. After some more angry debates, Kristina unexpectedly signed a decree on 11th April to dissolve the Riksdag indefinitely.

The nobles protexted immediately, refusing to leave the Riksdag building, before being forced out by Kristina's military units. They proceeded to sit outside the Tre Kronor Castle, demanding an acceptable answer from the Princess.

Gustav and Henrietta soon hurried back to Stockholm from Uppland after the unexpected development, sending notices for Kristina and Karl to pause what they were doing.

On 14th April, Gustav and Henrietta finally entered Stockholm, and were confronted by the protesting nobles. They accused Kristina of being an absolute tyrant, with some even suggesting dissolving the Riksdag without the King's consent could constitute high treason. Some noblemen also stood by Karl, arguing he would be a better choice than Kristina for Regent. Karl, meanwhile, retreated into his residence after the Riksdas was dissolved, unwilling to provoke Kristina further.

Gustav reversed Kristina's order that night, and re-opened the Riksdag the next day. In order to avoid chaos, Gustav sent Kristina as an envoy to the Papal State for a couple of months, as she had long wished to visit Rome in person.

Karl, meanwhile, was also sent away, so to be fair and avoid Kristina's wrath. Still unmarried at 32, he was sent to Holstein-Gottorp, to potentially seek a bride among the Duke's unmarried daughters. By late April, Gustav had become in control of the entire situation, and reinstated the royal power. While the Riksdag was still in favour of war, Gustav managed to ask them to be patient, after promising that he himself was also in favour of a war against the Commonwealth. In May, however, Henrietta was feeling unwell, and Gustav began spending more time taking care of her, while seeking for the best medical experts.

Despite medical assistance, Henrietta's symptoms did not improve. The illness was nowhere fatal, but it affected her daily life seriously, with her often feeling dizzy and nauseous. For the majority of May and early June, Gustav only attended Riksdag sessions, cancelling most appointments to take care of Henrietta personally. By late June, the symptoms finally eased, but Gustav noticed some behavioral changes in his wife. Henrietta seemed to be sticking around him even more frequently, refusing to leave his side, and Gustav suspected something more than an illness.

In early July, with the increasingly clear baby bump, it became obvious that Henrietta was finally pregnant after over five years of waiting. Kristina, returning to Stockholm in mid-July, was notified of the pregnancy immediately. Following that, Gustav formally announced the pregnancy to the Riksdag in late July, and the nobility was relieved, with the fertility of the royal couple proven.

By that point, Russia had finally launched the long-anticipated invasion into the Commonwealth. The Riksdag argued for war, but Gustav managed to convince them to wait till the childbirth, after which he would be able to leave the capital and lead the armies himself. Still, arrangements were made for Sweden to be ready for war as soon as possible. Partial mobilisation was announced, with commoners encouraged to volunteer, while the authorities also hired many mercenaries around Pomerania.

Following Kristina's return, however, there were rumours around Sweden that the Princess had secretly converted to Catholicism in Rome. Gustav publicly dismissed the rumours as baseless slandering against the princess, but he also had his doubts in private. Gustav confronted Kristina in a September night, trying to ask for an honest answer concerning the rumours. Kristina, nonetheless, acted more defiantly than he expected.

Kristina claimed that she was merely following the "Church of Peter", accusing the Lutheran Church of betraying Christ's teachings by breaking away from the one and only Church. The two argued for hours, Kristina quoting the ancient saints she had always admired, while Gustav cited Luther's teachings he had always believed in from childhood. Still, the two could not arrive in any conclusions.

Gustav had long known about Kristina's interest in Catholicism, and was not too surprised about her conversion. Yet, he was upset with her choosing to convert at that moment, amidst Henrietta's pregnancy and also the rising tensions on the borders. After a few days of silent frustration, the two finally approached each other for peace one night. Just like when they had arguments back in their childhoods, they made a temporary truce, postponing the theological argument for later. Kristina agreed to be subtle about her conversion, keeping it a state secret for the time being. To the Riksdag and the public, Gustav would continue asserting that Kristina never converted and those rumours were mere slandering, while Kristina would be quiet about anything related to her faith in public.

By October, Karl had returned to Stockholm, with his new fiancée, Princess Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, 17. They were arranged to be married after her 18th birthday, with a grand celebration to ease the tension in Stockholm. They were officially married in Stockholm on 24th October, 1654, a day after the bride's 18th birthday. They resided in Stockholm from then on, with Karl continuing to be a prominent leader of the aggressive pro-war faction in the Riksdag.

By November, Henrietta had become heavily pregnant. Her pregnancy was not particularly easy, with symptoms often plaguing her at night, and Gustav always stayed by her side every night to support her. In late November, Henrietta began suffering from the pain more often. Gustav, worried about his wife, decided to stop attending the Riksdag sessions for a while, so he could stay by Henrietta's side every moment.

In the morning of 4th December, 1654, Friday, the pain came for Henrietta again, this time much worse than before. The midwives were summoned immediately, with a chamber in the Tre Kronor Castle ready for a childbirth.

Initially, the delivery was not smooth. While the infant's head was visible, Henrietta had a difficult time pushing it out, despite continously trying. Contrary to the usual practices, Gustav refused to leave the room. He stayed by Henrietta's bedside, holding her hand, whispering at her ear to try to ease her pain.

By noon, some progress could finally be seen. The infant's head finally emerged from Henrietta's body, and her pain finally eased slightly. Soon after 1pm, the infant finally left its mother's body entirely. Henrietta, exhausted, leaned on Gustav, squeezing his hand, before falling into a little nap.

The midwives and nurses examined the energetic infant, who had been crying from the moment it could breathe, kicking at everything in sight. "A healthy boy, Your Majesties!" confirmed the midwives. Henrietta smiled, still groggy from the exhaustion, leaning on Gustav who was grinning like an idiot.

The name of this potential future King of Sweden had been decided by Gustav and Henrietta together long before the childbirth, deemed suitable for a future King and also a man standing his own ground --

Gustav Rudolf Vasa, Crown Prince of Sweden.

The boy was purposefully baptised on Christmas Day in a semi-public ceremony, and was made the Duke of Uppland following the baptism. The entire realm rejoiced in the birth of the long-awaited heir apparent, and a wave of joy swept through all Sweden that winter. 4th December was thus made the Crown Prince's Day, as a day for Swedish families to take a break from work and come together, celebrating the Crown Prince's birthday.