Johan Skytte

Johan Skytte (1577, in Nyköping – 15 March 1645, in Söderåkra, Sweden) was a Swedish statesman, and the founder of the Academia Gustaviana (today's University of Tartu in Estonia), in 1632. He was a son of the mayor of Nyköping, Bengt Nilsson Skräddare, and Anna Andersdotter. While attending school in his hometown and for the nine years he was studying at foreign universities, he used the surname Schroderus, a Latinized derivation from his paternal German surname Schröder, as did also his elder brother, Ericus Schroderus (Erik Benedict Schröder) (c. 1575 – summer of 1647), a publisher, translator and pioneer on the written standard Swedish language. In 1602, at his return from his foreign studies, Skytte was hired as tutor for the seven years old Prince Gustavus Adolphus, the future king who reigned in 1611–1632 and is credited for turning the kingdom into a "Great Power", and founding the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). In 1603, Skytte was ennobled, and acquired the family-name Skytte, after an extinct noble family from which he claimed descent on his maternal side. His noble family members have used the family-names Skytte af Duderhof (also: Duderhoff), Skytte af Sätra, and Skytte, and some also Scott in Canada and the United States. In 1607–1611, Skytte had the Grönsö Castle (old spelling: Grönsöö) built for his personal use. It is located on the island of Grönsö in Enköping, Sweden.