The Association

It was early morning in Stockholm, December 9th 1594. At thirteen minutes past seven, the first cry of protest was heard from the newly born. At the castle, important men waited in suspense; is it a boy ?

When the message reaches them, they are rejoicing. A son is born.

By the same hour the gentlemen compose a writ where they stake:

"God almighty has given His almighty affirmation that our Noble Mistress has to Her Noble Master, the noble house and others in the Realm of Sweden, given joy, wealth and prosperity, since at this hour, the seventh and thirteen minutes past it, has given birth although in hardship, with happiness, to a healthy son which will by Holy christening bear the name Gustavus Adolphus."

So begins the era of Swedish history that our association has chosen to study and demonstrate.

Gustav II Adolfs Fotfänika is a non-profit and non-political association that has taken upon itself to spread knowledge of the way of life in the early 17th century Sweden. We are all volunteers interested in Nordic history.

Men, women and children are all welcome. We find that there’s strength in being able to engage whole families.

Twelve persons that were members of other historical associations founded the association in the summer of 1996. By now we’ve grown to become some 50 members (women and children included).

Shortly we hope to see all of our members with authentic clothing, weaponry and equipment. We strive to develop and increase the engagement and knowledge of this period in history.

(A “fotfänika” was a part of an infantry regiment. It included some five hundred men who stood under their own colors. Since Gustav II Adolf completely reorganized the military structure, by the end of his reign, this older denomination disappeared.)