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The House of Vasa was the Royal House of Sweden ( 1523- 1654) and of Poland ( 1587- 1668).

1 Kings and Queens of Sweden

• Gustav I ( 1523- 1560)
• Eric XIV ( 1560- 1568)
• John III ( 1568- 1592)
• Sigismund I ( 1592- 1599)
• Charles IXCharles IX or Karl IX ( 1550- 1611), king of Sweden, was the youngest son of Gustav I of Sweden and Margareta Lejonhufvud. By his father's will he got, by way of appanage, the Duchy of Sudermannia, which included the provinces of Nericia and Wermelandia; ( 1599- 1611Events November 1 At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeare's romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time. mo Gustavus Adolphus becomes king of Sweden Denmark attacks Sweden King James Version of the Bible first published in Engla)
• Gustav II AdolphGustav II Adolph ( December 9, 1594 November 6, 1632) (also known as Gustav Adolph the Great under the Latin name Gustavus Adolphus or the Swedish form Gustav II Adolf was a King of Sweden. He was born in Stockholm, the son of Charles IX of the Vasa dynas (Gustav the Great) ( 1611Events November 1 At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeare's romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time. mo Gustavus Adolphus becomes king of Sweden Denmark attacks Sweden King James Version of the Bible first published in Engla- 1632)
• Christina ( 1632- 1654)

In 1654 Christina, the daughter of Gustavus Adolphus, the Protestant Champion of the Thirty Years' War, abdicated, converted to Catholicism and left the country. The throne passed to her cousin Charles X of the House of Palatinate ( Pfalz- Zweibrücken), a cadet branch of the Wittelsbachs.

2 Kings of Poland

• Sigismund III ( 1589- 1632)
• Ladislaus IV ( 1632- 1648)
• John II ( 1648- 1668)

John III of Sweden married Catherine Jagiello, the sister of Sigismund II of Poland, and when Sigismund died without a male heir, their son was elected king of Poland as Sigismund III in 1587. On John's death Sigismund also gained the Swedish throne.

Sigismund was Catholic, however, which ultimately led to his losing the throne in Sweden. His uncle Charles IX succeeded him. We thus have two Houses of Vasa from this point onwards: the senior, Catholic branch ruling in Poland, and the cadet, Protestant branch ruling in Sweden. This arrangement led to numerous wars between the two states. After John, the Polish Vasa died out. See also Rulers of Poland.