1560
- June
- The riksdag meets. King Gustav announces that on his death, his son Erik would be king, Johan would be duke of Finland, other sons would be dukes of certain provinces, and each daughter would receive 100,000 daler. [48.141]
- September
- King Gustav dies in Stockholm. His son becomes King Erik XIV. Son Johan is given duchy of Finland and the Åland Islands. Son Magnus given duchy of most of southern Sweden. Son Karl given duchy of provinces of Värmland, Närke, and Södermanland. [1.138,143] [47.76] [48.141,142,150] [267.42,45]
- (month unknown)
- Landholders: crown 28.5%, nobility 21.4%, free-tax peasant-proprietors 50.1%. [1.216]
1561
-
- King Erik calls a riksdag in Arboga. New regulations, the Arboga Articles, establish royal oversight of duchies, and forbid diplomacy by the dukes. [48.142] [267.46]
- June
- A coronation ceremony in Uppsala is held, in which Erik is crowned King. The nobility becomes formally hereditary with creation of titles of Count (greve), and Baron (frigerre), and untitled nobility (obetitlad adel). [267.46] [376.16]
- (month unknown)
- King Erik agrees to help Reval, a harbor town near the Finnish border, if they agree to be incorporated as Swedish territory. [1.144] [48.150] [267.47] (1560 [47.77])
- King Erik sends troops to help town of Reval, and blockades Narva. [47.77]
- Duke Johan agrees to loan money to the king of Poland. In return, as a security, he is granted a small principality in Livonia. (This unauthorized action leads King Erik to imprison him.) [48.150]
1562
-
- Duke Johan marries Katarina Jagellonica, sister of the king of Poland, without the permission of King Erik. [48.142] (daughter of king [267.48])
- King Erik dictates restrictive trade edicts at the Gulf of Finland, antagonizing his Baltic neighbors. [48.150]
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- King Erik has his brother Johan arrested, and imprisoned in Gripsholm castle. [47.77] [48.142]
1563
-
- The alliance of Denmark, Poland, and Lübeck declare war on Sweden. [48.150] [267.48] [268.104]
- September
- Danish forces conquer Älvsborg, cutting Sweden off from the North Sea. [1.145]
1564
-
- Swedes invade central Norway, capturing Trondheim. [48.150]
- Danes recapture Trondheim. [48.150]
1566
-
- Twelve Danish and three Lübeck warships are caught in a storm off Visby, Gotland, driving the ships to the shore, wrecking them, with the loss of 6000-8000 men. This is the biggest sea disaster ever known in the Baltic. [120.74,160]
- Uppsala university reopens. [47.86]
1567
- May
- Four members of the Sture family nobles is brought before the Royal High Court on charges of high treason, and condemned to death. King Erik personally stabs Nils Svantesson Sture with a dagger. [1.148] [47.78] [48.142]
- (month unknown)
- King Erik is mentally incapacitated; the council takes over government operations. [48.143]
- The council releases Johan and Katarina from prison. [48.143]
- The council holds Jöran Persson, head of the King's espionage organization, accountable for the crown's treatment of the nobility, and sentences him to death. [48.143]
- King Erik secretly marries Karin Månsdotter, daughter of a soldier. [48.143] [267.50]
- December
- The King's marriage to Karin Månsdotter is made public knowledge. [267.50]
1568
- January
- King Erik regains his mental health, and resumes control. He reinstates Jöran Persson. [48.143]
- King Erik and Karin have a baby boy, Gustav. [48.143] [267.50]
- (month unknown)
- A coronation is held to crown Karin as Queen. [267.50]
- Johan and Duke Karl join a rebellion against the King, with the support of many nobles. [1.146,149] [47.78] [48.143]
- September 29
- King Erik is seized in Stockholm. [1.146,149] [267.50]
- October
- Duke Johan is proclaimed king. [267.50]
1569
- January
- The riksdag meets. Erik is deposed, and Duke Johan is proclaimed King. [1.146,149] [47.78] [48.143,150]
- (month unknown)
- A royal warrant decrees that the yellow cross should always be borne on Swedish battle standards and banners. [145.20]
- The king of Poland, brother-in-law to King Johan III, withdraws from the war on Sweden. [48.150]
1570
-
- The Peace of Stettin with Denmark is reached. Sweden agrees to pay a heavy ransom for Älvsborg. Both kings renounce claims on the other's territory. [1.146] [47.78] [48.151] [120.160] [267.51] [268.104]
- Ivan the Terrible massacres many thousands in Novgorod. His son is the last of the Rus dynasty. [50.303]
- Population of Sweden: about 750,000. [48.156]
- Population of Stockholm: under 9,000. [48.156]
1571
-
- A church Ordinance is approved by King Johan, codifying past developments and laying down rules for continuing Protestant organization. [1.151] [48.154]
1576
-
- King Johan issues his "Red Book", a new church liturgy. [48.154]
- King Johan's ship Lybska Ornen with 33 iron guns and 23 bronze guns sinks near Utö Island, about 30 miles due south of Stockholm. [301.7]
1577
-
- Former king Erik dies in prison. (There is suspicion that he was poisoned.) [1.149] [47.78] [267.50]
1578
- May
- King Johan accepts the Roman Catholic faith. [48.154]
- (month unknown)
- Swedish forces defeat the Russian army at Wenden. [270.152]
1579
- July
- King Johan returns to Lutheran faith, due to Rome's refusal to meet his demands regarding the reintroduction of Catholocism into Sweden. [48.155]
1580
-
- Uppsala university closes again, due to opposition of professors to Johan's Red Book. [47.86]
1581
-
- A mercenary army of Germans, English, Scots, and Swedes under Swede Pontus de la Gardie captures Narva from Russia. An armistice is declared. [1.146] [47.78] [48.151] [267.51]
1583
-
- Russia makes a treaty with Sweden. [270.152]
- Queen Katarina dies. [48.144]
1585
-
- King Johan marries Gunilla Bielke, of Swedish nobility. [48.144]
1587
-
- King Johan forces brother Karl to agree to limitations on his independence. [47.80]
- Sigismund, son of Swedish King Johan III and Polish Princess Katarina, is elected King of Poland. [1.147] [47.80] [48.144] [267.52]
- King Sigismund of Poland promises Swedes he would never cede Estonia to Poland. [48.152]
1590
-
- The truce with Russia is broken. [47.81]
1592
- December
- King Johan III dies. Sigismund in Poland becomes new King of Sweden. [1.153] [47.80] [267.52]
1593
- March
- Over 300 Lutheran clergy attend a Church assembly at Uppsala, to organize resistance to a return to Catholicism. [1.153]
- (month unknown)
- Poles force King Sigismund to promise to cede Estonia from Sweden to Poland. [48.152]
- Uppsala university reopens. [48.252]
- September
- King Sigismund arrives in Stockholm from Poland. [1.153]
1594
- February
- A coronation parliament is held in Uppsala; Sigismund is crowned King of Sweden. [1.154] [48.144] [267.52]
- December 9
- Gustav Adolf is born to Duke Karl, in Stockholm castle. (He will be come king in 1611.) [35.39] [48.162] [302.16]
1595
-
- Uppsala university reopens. [47.86]
- The Riksdag acknowledges Duke Karl as Regent. [1.155] (1594 [48.144])
- May
- Peace with Russia is reached at Teusina, near Narva. Estonia and Narva are ceded to Sweden. [1.155] [47.81] [48.151]
1596
-
- Late spring floods and rains in summer and autumn cause a general crop failure. [327.43]
- Peasants of Österbotten rise up against Klas Fleming, Governor of Finland. [1.155]
1597
-
- Duke Karl rebels against the King, and seizes ports of Kalmar and Älvsborg. [47.80]
- Sweden suffers a general crop failure. [327.43]
1598
-
- King Sigismund returns to Sweden from Poland with an army, to counter the efforts of Duke Karl. Kalmar is recaptured. [1.156] [48.144] [267.53]
- Arvid Stålarm, Governor of Finland, attacks the Uppland coast in support of King Sigismund. [1.156]
- Duke Karl's forces defeat King Sigismund's troops in the Battle of Stångebro, in Östergötland. [1.xxiii] [267.53]
- September 25
- The forces of Duke Karl defeat the royal army of King Sigismund near Linköping. [47.80] [267.53] [302.14]
- September 26
- The Treaty of Linköping is signed, ending the dispute with King Sigismund, who returns to Poland. [1.156] [47.80] [302.14] (September 28 [48])
- (month unknown)
- Sweden suffers a general crop failure. [327.43]
1599
- July
- King Sigismund is declared deposed. Duke Karl is appointed Protector of the Realm until Sigismund's half-brother Johan or his own son Gustav Adolf comes of age. [47.80] [267.53] [302.14] (1598 [48.144])
- Year
- Ownership of land in Sweden: nobility 25%, crown 30%, peasants (almost) 45%. [267.56]
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