Gustaf V of Sweden

1858–1950

Born: 16 Jun 1858, Drottningholm Palace
Country of birth: Sweden
Died: 29 Oct 1950, Drottningholm Palace

facts: 16
sources: 1
images and files: 0

Facts and their sources

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Birth16 Jun 1858, Drottningholm PalaceProbable1 source
Titlecrown prince, 1872–1907Confirmed2 competing claims1 source
Titleheir apparent, 1872–1907Confirmed2 competing claims1 source
TitleMonarch of Sweden, 1907–1950Confirmed2 competing claims1 source
EventCourtyard Crisis, 1914Confirmed4 competing claims1 source
EventPeasant armament support march, 1914Confirmed4 competing claims1 source
EventCourtyard Speech, 1914Confirmed4 competing claims1 source
EventMidsummer crisis, 1941Confirmed4 competing claims1 source
EventKing Gustaf V's funeral, 1950Confirmed4 competing claims1 source
Death29 Oct 1950, Drottningholm PalaceProbable1 source
ParentSophia of NassauConfirmed1 source
ParentOscar II of SwedenConfirmed1 source
UnionVictoria of BadenConfirmed1 source

A life in time

16 Jun 1858
Born · Drottningholm Palace
Birth, Drottningholm Palace
1872–1907
Event · crown prince
Event
1872–1907
Event · heir apparent
Event
11 Nov 1882
Child born: Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
Birth, Stockholm Palace
17 Jun 1884
Child born: Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland
Birth, Tullgarn Palace
20 Apr 1889
Child born: Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland
Birth, Drottningholm Palace
1907–1950
Event · Monarch of Sweden
Event
1914
Event · Courtyard Crisis
Event
1914
Event · Peasant armament support march
Event
1914
Event · Courtyard Speech
Event
1941
Event · Midsummer crisis
Event
1950
Event · King Gustaf V's funeral
Event
29 Oct 1950
Died · Drottningholm Palace
Death, Drottningholm Palace

What was it like?

The world around Drottningholm Palace, 1858: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Gustaf was born the same year as Selma Lagerlöf, Giacomo Puccini, and Eleonora Duse.

Known for

Titles held

crown prince1872–1907
heir apparent1872–1907
Monarch of Sweden1907–1950

In their life

Courtyard Speech1914
Courtyard Crisis1914
Peasant armament support march1914
Midsummer crisis1941
King Gustaf V's funeral1950

Born the same year

Selma Lagerlöf
Swedish writer (1858–1940)
Giacomo Puccini
Italian opera composer (1858–1924)
Eleonora Duse
Italian stage actress (1858-1924)
Ethel Smyth
English composer and suffragette (1858–1944)
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909 (1858–1919)
Max Planck
German theoretical physicist (1858–1947)

Fashion

Aprons as mandatory social attire

In parts of Sweden like Dalecarlia, women were expected to wear an apron at all times outside the farm; failing to do so or wearing the wrong one could be seen as immoral or inappropriate, even leading to being barred from church.

Festive red shirts with luxury buttons

In the Lule region, men would sometimes wear a special red shirt or jersey known as a "kreop" on the first day of a church feast, which featured shiny, expensive metal buttons.

Music

Fiddles on every farm

During the mid-1800s, the fiddle was the most common folk instrument, and it is believed there was a fiddle on every farm by the end of the century.

The dominant polska dance

The polska was the dominant and most characteristic dance music style for fiddlers during the mid-19th century.

Getting around

Horse-drawn posting and boat transport

In the mid-19th century, travelers used the government-organized posting system (skyssvesenet) to hire horses and carriages from designated farms, with a boy accompanying them to return the equipment. Along the coast, travelers relied on boat transport (båtskyss) where routes were not connected by road.

Around 1825–1849

Horse-drawn post transport and equipment

Travelers often hired horse-drawn transport at regulated post stations spaced approximately 11 km apart, and they were advised to carry their own whip, as it was rarely provided.

Daily life

Homes and heating with cast-iron stoves

In many rural homes, the main room served as a multi-purpose living space where the family gathered around a hearth or, increasingly, a cast-iron stove, which was considered a luxury item. Kitchens began to separate from the living area, though in many homes, the stove remained the primary source of heat for the entire household.

Around 1825–1849

Fetching and heating water

Water for the household had to be fetched from a spring before dark, as it was considered unlucky or unsafe to do so at night. If water needed to be warmed for tasks, a glowing ember was sometimes dropped directly into the bucket.

Food

Eating sour milk from common troughs

Peasant families often ate sour milk, known as fillebunke, from a large common wooden trough using individual wooden spoons. They would decorate the surface with ginger and brown sugar before eating.

Around 1825–1849

Blanda: Everyday Rural Drink

Blanda, a mixture of sour whey or milk with water, served as the everyday drink for common people in northern regions.

Prices and wages

Around 1830–1849

Clothing payments for servants

Beyond their wages, farmhands often received a clothing allowance that included two pairs of Swedish shoes and one pair of fine German calfskin shoes for holidays.

Around 1830–1849

Holiday and dance money

Farm workers were often allowed one market day and one dance day per year, and they usually received an extra riksdaler to cover expenses for the dance.

Work

Agriculture as the primary occupation

In 1870, two-thirds of the population worked in agriculture, making small-scale subsistence farming the most common practice.

Around 1825–1849

Frequent job changes on Moving Day

October 24 was officially Moving Day, when servants frequently changed employers, moving on average eight times between the ages of 15 and 30.

During their lifetime

1860
Passport requirement for travel abolished (1860)
The requirement for passports for travel between Sweden and Norway was abolished in 1860, facilitating labor migration.
1868
Crop failure and famine (1868)
In 1868, Sweden suffered a general crop failure and famine, which led to an increase in emigration.
1873
Introduction of the gold standard (1873)
Sweden adopted the gold standard in 1873 and replaced the riksdaler with the krona, minted at 1 krona per 100 öre.
1880
First telephone network established (1880)
The first telephone network in Stockholm was built in 1880, following earlier demonstrations of the technology in 1877.
1909
Suffrage reform enacted in 1909
In 1909, Sweden enacted a major suffrage reform that expanded voting rights.
1918
Spanish Flu pandemic strikes in 1918
The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic caused 34,378 deaths in Sweden within one year, the country's highest mortality rate since 1880.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Victoria of Baden1862–1930Confirmed

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.