Eric XIV was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–35). He was also ruler of Estonia, after its conquest by Sweden in 1561. While he has been regarded as intelligent and artistically skilled, as well as politically ambitious, early in his reign he showed signs of mental instability, a condition which eventually led to insanity. Eric suffered from schizophrenia and some scientists claim that his illness burst out early during his reign time and others think that he became sick after the Sture murders. However the psychaiatrists who diagnosted him as schizophrenic did not question what the sources said about the king. When Eric XIV was deposed it was important to make sure everybody understood that he was not fit to be king. Today historians have questioned the truth of the sources of the slander of Eric XIV.... More • http://en.wikipedia. ... _of_Sweden View • Books • Images • Videos • Search Related • Royalty • December 13 • Estonia • Renaissance • Rulers • Sagittarius • Sweden • People