Donation helped ensure University’s freedom

On 31 August 1624, Gustaf II Adolf donated 378 estates and other assets to Uppsala University, which at that time was the only university in Sweden. The donation is unique in several regards, notes Carl Frängsmyr, author and university historian.

“The donation meant the University was self-sufficient for more than 200 years, and until the 1870s it covered more than half of the University’s expenses. The size of it was both extraordinary and unique.”

The new financial conditions improved Uppsala University’s ability to recruit and retain professors. The confidence of the University’s representatives also grew.

“This was part of Gustaf Adolf’s aim: for the University to become financially self-sufficient and thus able to maintain academic freedom in the classic old sense.”

Entirely independent of society

At that time, academic freedom meant that the University should be completely independent from the rest of society, with its own jurisdiction and separate from public laws. This elevated status as a free organisation was one result of the donation.

“In turn, this gave University’s representatives a whole new level of self-confidence and the conditions to represent the University to the church, to the nobility and, more recently, to the Riksdag and politicians in Stockholm,” Frängsmyr notes.

When Gustaf II Adolf took the throne in 1611, his royal pledge included a commitment to strengthen higher education in Sweden. In addition to the donation, he raised funds for a new university building, Gustavianum, and established the position of Academy Treasurer.

“Science had begun to advance in the 17th century, so the conditions were different from those of the older Vasa kings. There must also have been a personal desire on his part, however; partly an interest in science, but above all an ability to understand that what he wanted to build – a new Swedish superpower – would require officials to be able to be educated in Sweden.”

Donated by the king personally

A special aspect of the donation was that it was presented by the king personally. He had a large personal fortune in the form of thousands of estates inherited from the time of Gustav Vasa, meaning the donation was not a gift from the state. This is why these funds have been preserved at Uppsala University over the years, despite the fact that they have been questioned many times.

And it is in part thanks to the donation that the University has remained in Uppsala, explains Frängsmyr.

“During the 19th century, there was a lively debate for several decades in which many wanted Uppsala University to be moved to Stockholm and become a capital city university. The University’s main argument against a move was that the deed of donation clearly stated that this was a gift to the University in Uppsala. If it was moved to Stockholm, it would be obliged to repay the donation to the descendants of the Vasa family after 200 years.

No specific requirements

Other than the requirement that the University should be located in Uppsala, there were no specific requirements as to how the donation should be used. The king was careful to ensure, however, that the Academy Treasurer was to manage the money instead of an external party.

Since 1997, the Gustavian donation has been managed by Uppsala University Foundations Management of Estates and Funds, and currently comprises one and a half percent of Uppsala University’s total budget.

“In the big picture it is just a trickle, but it has been a hugely important trickle. It’s enough money for the University to have the freedom to make its own investments and to finance its own publishing, for example. This gives the University considerable freedom that has been extremely valuable, and remains so,” notes Frängsmyr.

Annica Hulth