Gustaf VI Adolf
King of Sweden (1950–1973); anthropologist, art historian, collector and archaeologist

Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf Adolf acceded to the throne, he was crown prince for nearly 43 years during his father's reign. As king, and shortly before his death, he gave his approval to constitutional changes which removed the Swedish monarchy's last political powers. He was a lifelong amateur archeologist particularly interested in Ancient Italian cultures.
Birth
Gustaf Adolf was born on 11 November 1882, at Stockholm Palace. At birth he was made Duke of Scania. A patrilineal member of the House of Bernadotte, Gustaf Adolf was also descended from the House of Vasa through maternal lines. Through his mother, he was a descendant of Gustav IV Adolf of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. Gustaf Adolf was the eldest child of Crown Prince Gustaf, later Gustaf V, and Victoria of Baden.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Gustaf VI Adolf” as king of Sweden (1950–1973); anthropologist, art historian, collector and archaeologist. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as king of Sweden (1950–1973); anthropologist, art historian, collector and archaeologist. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q52878. VIAF identifies the subject as 75186314. The Library of Congress control number is n82001654. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1882, 1973 and 1950.
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This entry incorporates text from “Gustaf VI Adolf” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.