Tag Archives: 1605

8 April 1605

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The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden

Charles IX of Sweden, also known as Karl IX in Swedish, was born on October 4, 1550, and he passed away on October 30, 1611. He belonged to the House of Vasa, a royal house that played a significant role in Swedish and Polish history during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Charles IX is primarily known for his reign as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death in 1611. He was the youngest son of Gustav I of Sweden, also known as Gustav Vasa, who is credited with establishing the modern Swedish state. Charles IX’s elder brother, Eric XIV, had previously been king but was deposed due to mental instability.

During his reign, Charles IX pursued various policies aimed at strengthening the Swedish monarchy and expanding its influence. He sought to consolidate power by centralizing administration and reducing the influence of the nobility. He also initiated significant reforms in the military and taxation systems, which helped to modernize the Swedish state and increase its military capabilities.

One of the most notable events during Charles IX’s reign was the end of the Kalmar Union, a political union that had linked Sweden, Denmark, and Norway since the late 14th century. In 1611, Charles IX’s forces invaded Norway, which was then part of the union under Danish rule. This marked the beginning of the Kalmar War, which aimed to assert Swedish independence from Danish control. However, Charles IX died later that year, and the conflict continued under his son and successor, Gustavus Adolphus.

Charles IX is also remembered for his patronage of the arts and sciences. He supported the establishment of the Uppsala University in 1595, which remains one of Sweden’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning. He was also interested in architecture and commissioned several notable buildings during his reign.

8 November 1605

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The ringleader of the Gunpowder Plotters, Robert Catesby, is killed.

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The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.

The plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of England’s Parliament on 5 November 1605, as the prelude to a popular revolt in the Midlands during which James’s nine-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was to be installed as the Catholic head of state. Catesby may have embarked on the scheme after hopes of securing greater religious tolerance under King James had faded, leaving many English Catholics disappointed. His fellow plotters were John Wright, Thomas Wintour, Thomas Percy, Guy Fawkes, Robert Keyes, Thomas Bates, Robert Wintour, Christopher Wright, John Grant, Ambrose Rookwood, Sir Everard Digby and Francis Tresham. Fawkes, who had 10 years of military experience fighting in the Spanish Netherlands in suppression of the Dutch Revolt, was given charge of the explosives.

The plot was revealed to the authorities in an anonymous letter sent to William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, on 26 October 1605. During a search of the House of Lords at about midnight on 4 November 1605, Fawkes was discovered guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder—enough to reduce the House of Lords to rubble—and arrested. Most of the conspirators fled from London as they learned of the plot’s discovery, trying to enlist support along the way. Several made a stand against the pursuing Sheriff of Worcester and his men at Holbeche House; in the ensuing battle, Catesby was one of those shot and killed. At their trial on 27 January 1606, eight of the survivors, including Fawkes, were convicted and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.