Sweden 1654-1680 Era of Liberty 1718-1772









Sweden, 1680 - 1718



A.) Foreign Policy

Alliance treaties were frequently concluded, with the Netherlands in 1680 (which was joined by Spain in 1681), with Austria and Brandenburg in 1682 (all directed against France, to whom Sweden was indebted for a favourable peace in 1679), with Denmark in 1690 (being a renewal of the alliance of 1679), again renewed in 1693. In the late 17th century such alliances were of limited value, as they were frequently broken, if such a breach seemed opportune to the breaking side. The alliance with Denmark was particularly peculiar, as Sweden as late as 1689 applied pressure on Denmark to respect the integrity of tiny Holstein-Gottorp. It served the purpose of mutual assistance on the high seas, where the Anglo-Dutch fleets searched Danish and Swedish ships, at times confiscating goods, thus violating the principle that free ships make free goods held by the two Scandinavian kingdoms.
Sweden was surrounded by a string of potential enemies - Denmark, Brandenburg, Poland, Russia, waiting for an opportunity for taking a bite out of the Swedish Empire. France was a dubious ally, for it meant both French subsidies & diplomatic assistance and the Dutch, possibly the English as well, joining the ranks of the country's enemies.

When Charles XII. was crowned in 1697, he was merely 15 years old. In 1699, Denmark, Saxony and Russia signed an OFFENSIVE ALLIANCE directed against Sweden. Charles XII., with Swedish troops, crossed over to the Danish island of Sjaelland; in July Denmark signed the PEACE OF TRAVENTHAL and left the offensive alliance.
Im 1700 Charles XII. defeated a vastly superior Russian army at Narva, and then turned on Poland. Charles defeated and humiliated the Poles, deposing King August the Strong (1705), defeated and humiliated Saxony (PEACE OF ALTRANSTAEDT 1706). Meanwhile the Russians had succeeded in taking Narva, and the foundations for St. Petersburg were being laid.
In 1708-1709 Charles XII. campaigned in Russia. The Russian scorched earth policy took its toll on the Swedish army, which was defeated by the Russians under Czar PETER THE GREAT in the BATTLE OF POLTAVA. Charles went to Istanbul, where he convinced the Sultan to give him command over the Ottoman Army. Charles defeated the Russians once again (1711), which gained the Turks the city of Azov (1713).
Charles found his way back (1715), leading another Swedish army into Norway, where he met his death while besieging the Norwegian fortress of Frederikshold (1718).
Meanwhile, in 1715 both Hannover and Brandenburg-Prussia had declared war on Sweden; Denmark (1709), Saxony and Poland (1715) reentered the war. During the war, Sweden was regarded a French ally, France simultaneously facing an alliance consisting of the Dutch Republic, England, the Emperor and Savoy in the WAR OF SPANISH SUCCESSION (1700-1714); England and the Dutch Republic, though not at war with Sweden, were not at good terms with her. In 1717, Swedish government official Baron von der Goertz, while in the Netherlands to procure a credit for Sweden, was arrested and held for 6 months.
As Charles XII. had ruled absolute - the RIKSRAD had been dissolved - Sweden was not prepared for a situation. In 1718, Sweden was without a successor to the deceased king and without an administration capable of filling in.

Great Northern War
1699-1721



B.) Domestic Policy

However, the war has made it clear that Sweden under the present administration had greatest difficulties to maintain its position, and arch-enemy Denmark had proven that under absolute rule it had recovered from the severe losses of 1645 and 1658. The Riksdag of 1680 annulled the CHARTER OF ADMINISTRATION, thereby disempowering the Riksrad. In 1682 it conceded to king Karl XI. the right to raise additional taxes without asking the riksdag for approval, thus disempowering itself and so introducing absolutism in Sweden. Swedens position continued to be threatened.
The INDELNINGSVERK was introduced - the soldiers were given farmland, or groups of peasants supporting a soldier were freed from the obligation to pay taxes. Thus the Swedish king could dispose over a permanently available armed force without having to pay for its maintenance; the system was only abolished in 1901.
Another royal policy was REDUCTION, i.e. the crown claiming land back that once had been given away in return for service etc. In Sweden proper, the percentage of land held by the nobility fell from c. 72 % in 1652 to 33 % in 1700, at which time the Swedish crown held 35.5 % The reduction policy strengthened the royal treasury, but caused resistance, especially in Livonia; Livonian estate owner Johann Reinhold Patkul, spokesperson of the Livonian noblemen, was sentenced (in absence) of lese-majeste; he fled the country.
In 1680, Charles XI. founded a naval base at KARLSKRONA (Blekinge).
A policy to integrate the formerly Danish provinces (FOERSVENSKNING, Swedification) set in. Danish school books were replaced by Swedish ones.
In 1686 the CHURCH ACT was passed; the church was placed under royal authority. Non-Lutherans were banned from Sweden; among those who had to leave within two weeks was the country's small Jewish community.

In 1700, Stockholm had a population of about 60,000; by 1718, it had shrunken to 45,000, partially due to the bubonic plague which hit Sweden in 1710.

Livonia 1621-1721 Estonia 1660-1721



C.) The Economy

The policy of REDUCTION had greatly increased the royal domain and revenue; yet Sweden suufered from high debt. The INDELNINGSVERK was an ingenious solution, providing for a defensive force without having to raise money to pay for it; on the other hand, a considerable number of peasants were freed from taxation when taking on the obligation to support a soldier.
In 1685, COFFEE was first introduced to Sweden.
Sweden's iron industry flourished in the later part of the 17th century, which was a period of peace. BERGSLAGEN became the center of the iron industry, as the region could supply sufficient wood. Ironworkers from Wallonia immigrated, bringing valuable skills.
After the defeat in the Battle of Poltava (1709) the situation in Sweden deteriorated fast. In 1716 Charles XII. appointed Baron VON DER GOERTZ with the administration of Sweden's economy. He introduced an emergency copper coinage (1716). On a journey to the Netherlands, where he intended to procure a badly needed credit for Sweden, he was arrested, held for 6 months (1717). England imposed a ban on trade with Sweden, as Sweden did not permit any trade with the (now Russian-occupied) Baltic provinces.


D.) Intellectual Life

In 1684 efforts were undertaken to prepare the codification of a new civil law; royal authority was derived from God's grace.
In 1686 work on a new bible translation was begun, to replace the edition of 1612; it was published in 1703. In 1695 a Swedish psalm book was published.
In 1697 Sweden's first technical school was established by Christopher Polhem. The same year, TRE KRONOR, the royal castle in Stockholm, burnt down.
In 1710 the Kongliga Vetenskaps-Societeten i Uppsala (Royal Society of Science in Uppsala) was founded.


EXTERNAL
FILES 		Biography of Charles XII., by Urban Swahn; from WebChron at North Park Univ.
Swedish Wars, from Hans Högman, table of Swedish wars 1521-1814, maps, links
A Guide to the Armies of the Great Northern War, by Nick Dorell
Chronology of Swedish History, 1650-1699, 1700-1749,by Ken Polsson
The Decline of the Great Power, from UBoraas
History of the Swedish Jews, from Judiska Museet (Stockholm's Jewish Museum
Karl XI. Indelningsverk, from Ryttmaestarbostället
Chronicle of Scholarly Societies founded from 1700 to 1739, from Scholarly Societies Project
DOCUMENTS Jean Dumont: Nouveau recueil de traitez... (Amsterdam, 1710) vol. 1 only (1647 to 1694), toc
May 2nd 1682 Acte par lequel l'Espagne entre dans le Traite de Garantie conclu le 30. Sept. 10. Octob. 1681. entre la Couronne de Suede & les Etats Generaux des PROVINCES-UNIES. pp.242ff
Sept. 12th 1688 Conventio super sex Legionibus Militum a S. R. M. SUECI¨ˇ ORDINIBUS GEN. concessis ann. 1688. pp.255ff
Images from Chronik 2000 Bilddatenbank : Charles XII.
Portrait of Charles XII. by Johan David Swartz, early 18th c., from Treasures from Europe's National Libraries
Documents on the Great Nordic War 1700-1721, from Svensk Krighistoria, 10 documents in old Swedish, posted by Bengt Nilsson
REFERENCE Franklin D. Scott, Sweden : The Nation's History, Univ. of Minnesota Press 1977
Jerker Rosen, Svensk Historia Vol.1, Stockholm : Esselte (1962) 1983, in Swedish [G]
Lis Granlund, Queen Hedwig Eleonora of Sweden : Dowager, Builder, and Collector, pp.56-76 in : Clarissa Campbell Orr, Queenship in Europe, 1660-1815. The Role of Consort, Cambridge : UP 2004, KMLA Lib.Sign. 940.09 076q


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2000, last revised on February 22nd 2006

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