Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632)

A great Swedish military commander and one of the best battle tacticians of the 17th century, Gustavus Adolphus, when not engaged in warfare, used his time to completely reform the Swedish educational system. Most notably, he instituted grammar schools and upgraded the university at Uppsala, Sweden. He also founded many towns, one of which is now the city of Göteborg, Sweden.

King of Sweden from 1611, when he succeeded his father Charles IX. He waged successful wars with Denmark, Russia, and Poland, and in the Thirty Years' War became a champion of the Protestant cause. Landing in Germany 1630, he defeated the German general Wallenstein at Lützen, southwest of Leipzig 6 November 1632, but was killed in the battle. He was known as the ‘Lion of the North’.