Gustav IV Adolf

Gustav IV Adolf refused to comply with Napoleon's Continental System, which aimed to blockade Britain. This decision led to a French alliance with Russia and Denmark-Norway against Sweden, isolating the country diplomatically and contributing to the disastrous Finnish War.

During the Finnish War, Sweden was decisively defeated by Russia. The Treaty of Fredrikshamn ceded the entire Grand Duchy of Finland to the Russian Empire. This loss ended Sweden's status as a major Baltic power and marked the greatest territorial reduction in Swedish history.

Following the loss of Finland and his unpopular rule, Gustav IV Adolf was arrested and deposed in a coup by a group of army officers and nobles. The Riksdag formally declared him unfit to rule and forced him to abdicate. He and his family were exiled from Sweden.