Gustav III - Bl

The royal court of Gustav III was distinguished by its luxury in the spirit of French Rococo and early classicism.
Halls with mirrors and golden stucco.
Marble columns, white and gold colors dominated the decoration.
The ceilings are decorated with paintings with antique scenes.
Everywhere there are portraits of the king himself in theatrical costumes, busts of Voltaire and other idols of the Enlightenment.
The light from hundreds of candles is reflected in the mirrors - it creates the feeling of an endless sparkling perspective. If you were at the court of Gustav III, you would see a sparkling space where everything is thought out for beauty: from silk wallpaper to the pattern of the parquet.
It was a court-performance, a court-opera, where the king is the main character, and the courtiers are actors who were supposed to play along with him.

Liked:
France - a cultural ideal for him.
Sympathized with Prussia (through his mother's family ties).

Disliked:
Russia — considered Sweden a threat.
Denmark - there were tense relations (both personal and political).

That he was homosexual and avoided women.
That he was impotent and the conception of an heir was organized "under control".
That he was "too French" and did not love his people.
That he surrounded himself with "minions" - handsome young men (like Henry III in France). But only the rumors about men seemed to be true

Born in 1746 in Stockholm.
He was the favorite child of his parents, he was brought up in the spirit of enlightened absolutism.
He was very involved in the arts, studied French, Latin, history.
From a young age he showed a passion for the theater.
His mother (Louise Ulrika of Prussia, sister of Frederick the Great) had a strong influence on his character - she instilled in him a love for French culture and contempt for weak rulers.

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark.
The marriage was political.
There were no warm personal feelings between them.
The wife was withdrawn, religious, modest and did not like the brilliant court society.
They had one son - Gustav IV Adolf (born 9 years after the wedding, which in itself caused a lot of talk and rumors).

An aristocracy that limited the power of the monarch. He fought against the rights of the nobility and strengthened absolutism.
Rudeness and barbarity. He tried to make Sweden more "civilized", in his opinion - closer to French standards.
A rough soldier society (unlike his father, King Adolf Frederick).
He could not stand political intrigues against him, but he himself did not disdain to intrigue.

— Theatre, opera, music — he founded the Royal Swedish Opera and the Royal Theatre, patronized composers and playwrights.
French culture - he adored France, spoke French better than Swedish, imitated the French kings.
Education and reforms — he was an admirer of Voltaire's ideas, tried to reform laws, improve education, weaken the power of the aristocracy.
Masquerades and balls - that was his passion

Gustav III was intelligent, artistic, charismatic, but also vain and proud.
He was a passionate admirer of art and theater, and acted in plays himself.
He loved to be the center of attention, sometimes even deliberately shocking the public.
He was distinguished by his decisiveness: he was not afraid to stage a coup d'état in order to strengthen the power of the monarch.
He was quite lonely: he had few close friends, and many of them were more like courtiers and flatterers.

Gustav had curly brown hair, he usually dressed quite elegantly for the court, but at training he also showed up in just a shirt and trousers. I guess you could consider him quite handsome, by today's standards. He was tall and had a fit physique