[POTN] 3.2 - Karl Johan Vasa, Duke of Södermanland

The banknotes issued by Stockholm Banco in early 1661 immediately proved to be a great success for the Swedish economy, with transactions more convenient than ever before. Many other European nations soon issued banknotes of their own, transforming the continent's economy forever.

Princess Kristina's passion to transform Stockholm into the cultural capital of the North had also yielded some success after years of effort. Intellectuals from all over Europe were invited by Kristina to be her guests, and often also to be guest lecturers for the new universities built and headed by Kristina. By 1661, three brand-new universities had been established by Princess Kristina following the Peace of Westphalia, including the University of Stockholm in 1652, the University of Kalmar in 1659, and the University of Riga in 1661. Institutions for education were also founded in Göteborg and Stettin.

In Finland, many schools had been founded in the countryside since 1649, significantly improving the literacy levels in the province. The schools also acted as a way to teach the Finnish commoners the Swedish language, which was itself a requirement for all civil servants and most governmental posts. Under Princess Kristina's influence, the elimination of serfdom in Estonia and Livonia accelerated significantly. Despite nominally banned by the King in 1649, these practices still persisted for some years, but Kristina's further reforms in the late 1650s meant that it became no longer profitable for the local Baltic German nobility to own serfs. The same situation was also applicable to Pomerania, albeit to a lesser extent. Still, Stockholm's opposition to serfdom meant that the taxation on major serf owners became increasingly harsh, and by 1661, many landowners chose to free their serfs, in exchange for a substantial sum awarded by Stockholm.

Meanwhile, following the war with Denmark and Norway, King Gustav began to consider assimilation policies targeting the annexed Dano-Norwegian territories.

After all, the Swedes met staunch resistance when entering Bohüslan, Scania, and even the isle of Bornholm, while parts of Norway even managed to arm themselves and fought the Swedes off supposedly ceded territories.

Although Bohüslan and Scania were eventually annexed as planned, many in the Riksdag and the government were wary of a possible pro-Danish revolt should war with Copenhagen break out again. This prompted several ministers to draft a plan in mid-1661 for assimilation of the new territories. After reviewing the plan, Gustav modified several details, making the plan even harsher than originally intended to be. The Act of the Swedish Language and Culture was passed in August 1661, particularly targeting the ethnically Danish and Norwegian territories in the Kingdom.

The Act detailed several measured to be implemented in the concerned provinces, and were largely meant to eradicate the Danish and Norwegian languages and cultures in the areas. Swedish was declared the sole official and working language in the regions, and officials were banned from speaking Danish or Norwegian while at work. Children in the provinces were also to be given mandatory Swedish lessons, and Swedes from other provinces were also provided incentives to move to the regions, in order to promote the Swedish language and culture.

Following the passing of the Act, King Gustav began to withdraw more and more from the politics, in order to spend more time with his pregnant wife. Queen Henrietta, at 35, was discovered in May to be pregnant for the third time. Nonetheless, this pregnancy seemed to be rather difficult, with harsh pregnancy symptoms draining the Queen of her energy almost every day in the first two months.

By October, with the Queen heavily pregnant, Gustav withdrew from most public events, choosing to spend his days with his wife most of the time. While he still maintained executive powers, the Riksdag was more than often attended by Princess Kristina, with the royal couple and their children mostly in the Castle or travelling to the coast. By early November, the Queen largely stayed in bed, with Gustav tending to her, their children taken care of by governesses. The cold Swedish weather caused Henrietta to catch a cold in mid-November, and made the pregnancy even more difficult despite the cold itself not exactly serious.

The last week before the birth of the child was a week of difficulty for Henrietta. The recurring cold meant that she never truly had a day without being ill, while the contraction pains from the pregnancy made her days in the brutal winter even harder. Gustav ordered for midwives and nurses to be around every single minute of the day, always prepared for childbirth anytime. Still, the child inside Henrietta seemed to grow bigger and bigger, yet without any signs of childbirth.

In the evening of 27th November, 1661, the contraction pain reached the peak for Henrietta. After almost passing out due to the intense pain, the midwives were finally able to wake her, in order for the childbirth to proceed smoothly. A rather large boy was finally born after much difficulty, but the boy didn't seem energetic at all. While not exactly dying, the boy still lacked the vigour of a healthy newborn, and the midwives considered him rather unlikely to survive, given how fragile infants were. After the childbirth, Henrietta was also throughly exhausted. For days, she slept almost all day long in Gustav's arms, only staying awake for a few hours every day for meals.

The continuously cold weather in Stockholm also meant that Henrietta and the newborn boy both remained rather out of energy for quite some time, with recovery slowed. Still, newborns often defy expectations, and the royal boy managed to survive despite the odds being against him at the beginning. By mid-December, the boy finally gained some vigour, and began to act more energetically like most newborns. Henrietta, while recovering, was still physically weak, and largely stayed in the Tre Kronor with Gustav through the winter.

The boy was baptised Karl Johan Vasa on Christmas Day, 1661, and was simultaneously created the Duke of Södermanland by his father. Prince Karl and his wife were made the young prince's godparents, and it seemed to many that, as the second-in-line to the throne, the young prince could very well have a military career in the future, like that of his godfather.