John III of Sweden

John III was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomously, the Duke of Finland from 1556 to 1563. In 1581 he assumed the title Grand Prince of Finland. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Eric XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap between the newly established Lutheran Church of Sweden and the Catholic Church, as well as his conflict with and murder of his brother.

20 December 1537

Born on the same birth day (20 December): Anthony da Silva • Binali Yıldırım • Bob Morley • Bouabdellah Tahri • Cahit Külebi • Ferdinand Buisson • Fred Merkle • Ivana Kobilca • Jim Simpson (sportscaster) • Jorginho (footballer, born December 1991) • Matt Neal • Michael Rogers (cyclist) • Mitsuko Uchida • Mohamed Fouad • Peter Criss • Robeisy Ramírez • Robert Menzies • Sandra Cisneros

Born in the same month (December 1537): Albert, Count of Nassau-Weilburg • Ashikaga Yoshiaki • Willem IV van den Bergh