Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Jacob Johan Anckarström
References
Britannica AI Icon

Jacob Johan Anckarström

Swedish assassin
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Jacob Johan Anckarström was a Swedish captain who assassinated King Gustav III of Sweden. The king was shot by Anckarström on March 16, 1792, while attending an opera in Stockholm. Gustav III died from his wounds two weeks later.1

The assassination stemmed from a conspiracy among Swedish nobles who were opposed to Gustav III's policies. The king had reasserted royal power over the Riksdag (parliament) and pursued an aggressive foreign policy, including a war with Russia. Anckarström was a member of the nobility and carried out the assassination as a political act. He was subsequently executed for his crime.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. Carl Henrik, Count Anckarsvärd
  2. Gustav IV Adolf
  3. Gustav III

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.