Charles IX was the youngest son of Gustav Vasa and Margareta Leijonhufvud. He was left parentless and thrown into power politics at an early age. Charles had inherited his father’s violent temper, as his aristocratic opponents, not least, were to discover. On the other hand, he has been called the “peasant king”, as he relied for tactical reasons on the peasant estate. Here the sturdily built king is portrayed with a strange hairstyle with small plaits in the shape of a cross and wearing a gold-braided black costume.