Johannes Magnus
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Johannes Magnus, (before 1530 Johannes Magni, a Latin translation of his birth name Johannes Store) was born March 19, 1488 in Linköping, Sweden and died March 22, 1544 in Rome, and was the son of Måns Petersson Store and Kristina Magnus. He was the last Catholic Archbishop in Sweden, and also a theologian, genealogist, and historian.
Magnus was selected by King Gustav I of Sweden (Vasa) to become Archbishop, in 1523. As he was about to travel to Rome to become ordained, a papal bull from Pope Clement VII was received, stating that the previous Archbishop Gustav Trolle, who was at the time in exile abroad, should be reinstated. The papal bull declared the deposing of Trolle unlawful.
However, Gustav Trolle was deemed traitor of the country, and Gustav Vasa could not reinstate him. Instead he ignored the papal bull and took it upon himself to instate Magnus without a papal acceptance. Before soon however, Johannes Magnus rebelled by declaring his discontent with the Lutheran teachings spread by the brothers Olaus and Laurentius Petri, under the superivision of King Gustav Vasa. The King then sent him off to Russia as a diplomat in 1526. Johannes Magnus was careful not to return home during that time, realizing that he was unwanted. Gustav Vasa appointed a new archbishop, Laurentius Petri, in 1531, and Johannes realized that his time as archbishop was due.
His brother, Olaus Magnus, had meanwhile travelled to Rome to explain the matters of Gustav Trolle to the Pope. In 1533 the Pope had finished investigating the matter of Gustav Trolle, and decided that Magnus was the most appropriate successor, and Magnus travelled to Rome to be ordained. However, as Sweden did now no longer take directions from the Vatican, both brothers remained in Rome for the remainder of their lives.
The remainder of Magnus life was spent in Venezia and Rome, where he wrote two historical works about Sweden: Historia de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus and Historia metropolitanæ ecclesiæ Upsaliensis, which are important for their historical information, but are also filled with tales that have no reliable foundation. After the death of Johannes in 1544, the line of archbishop consecrated by the Pope had ended.
