Eric

Eric, the name of many kings of Sweden, the last of them being the son of Gustavus Vasa. He succeeded his father in 1560, but his tyranny, and his marriage to a peasant girl, led to a rising headed by his two brothers, John and Charles.

Eric was deposed, and died in prison in 1577. His tyrannical habits apart, he seems to have been a patriotic ruler, who did much for law, commerce, art, and religious freedom, and created a new Swedish nobility.