Sweden 1611-1654 Sweden 1680-1718









Sweden 1654-1680



A.) Foreign Policy

Christina's successor, KARL X. GUSTAV (of Pfalz-Zweibrücken), after a fruitless campaign in Poland (First Northern War, 1655-1660), in which the Poles avoided an open battle, the Swedes commanded much of the country but suffered setbacks such as at CZESTOCHOWA, Denmatk entered the war by attacking Bremen (1657). Karl X. took the Swedish army to Jutland, crossed over the frozen Belt to Sjaelland. As Copenhagen had barely any landside defenses, Denmark had to sue for peace; Sweden gained BLEKINGE, SCANIA, BORNHOLM, the STIFT DRONTHEIM (Trondhjem) as well as a share in the SOUND LEVY (1658). Sweden had reached the peak of her power.
The turn of events brought the Danish state to the brink of collapse, but alarmed the Dutch and the English. They joined forces, dispatched their navies and defeated Sweden, forcing it to cede Bornholm, Stift Drontheim and it's share in the Sound Levy back to Denmark (Treaty of Copenhagen, 1660). In the PEACE OF OLIVA (1660), King Johann II. Casimir Wasa of Poland (-1668) dropped his claim to the Swedish throne.In the Treaty of Kardis (1661) Russia agreed to return to Sweden the territories occupied by her.
Sweden found itself surrounded by states which had seen some of it's provinces conquered by the Swedes, and which waited for an opportunity to take revenge - Denmark, Brandenburg, the Emperor, Poland, Russia.
Karl X. had died in 1660. Chancellor MAGNUS DE LA GARDIE, responsible for Sweden's foreign policy, signed trade treaties with England (1661), France (1662), the Dutch Republic (1667). France continued to pay subsidies to Sweden, and Sweden's foreign policy in these years was generally pro-French. In 1674 France demanded a Swedish army to be shipped across the Baltic Sea to Swedish Pomerania; Sweden complied.The Scanian War (1675-1679) broke out, in which Sweden faced a coalition consisting of Denmark, Brandenburg and Russia. Sweden suffered a defeat from the Brandenburgians in the BATTLE OF FEHRBELLIN (1675), Brandenburgian troops occupied Hither Pomerania and even appeared outside Riga, the capital of Livonia. Danish troops occupied Gotland (1676-1679). Due to diplomatic pressure from France (Sweden was excluded from participation in the peace negotiations), the peace treaty of St. Germain was signed following which almost all occupied territories were returned to Sweden.


B.) Domestic Policy

As Karl X. Gustav was campaigning abroad for most of his reign, government of Sweden was entrusted to RIKSRAD.
In Scania the UNIVERSITY OF LUND was established (1668). Lund thereby was compensated for the loss of Denmark's archbishopric. In 1662 the Scanian estates were granted representation in the Swedish Riksdag.
Other steps taken in order to develop Sweden were the introductioin of a POSTAL SYSTEM (1638/1663).
From 1660 to 1672, chancellor Magnus de la Gardie and Drots Gustav Bonde were the most influential politicians. In 1672, Karl XI. was declared of age.
During the SCANIAN WAR (1675-1679) it turned out that the population still felt Danish; Scanians, irregular fighters, who supported the Danish side by attacks on Swedish posts etc. were referred to as SNAPPHANES.


C.) The Economy

When Karl X. acceded to the throne, most crown lands had bren alienated, either sold under Gustav Adolf to pay for the 30 years war, or domated to novles under Christina. Karl X. implemented the policy of REDUCTION - the crown reclaiming alienated lands from the nobles, with some success (the policy was later pursued with much more success by Karl XI. after 1680). Drits Gustav Bonde, in the years of Karl XI.'s minority, reduced state expenses in order to cut down on the nation's debt, which amounted to 10 million Riksdalers in 1660.
In 1661, Sweden signed a trade treaty with England, in 1662 one with France, in 1667 with the Dutch Republic, based on the principle free ships make free goods.
In 1668 the Swedish state acquired Johan Palmstruch's bank, renaming it Riksens Staenders Bank, the predecessor of the Riksbank - Europe's first national bank. Sweden engaged in colonial policy as well. In 1637 the colony of NEW SWEDEN was established at Delaware, in 1652 another colony at CABO CORSO at the Bay of Guinea (Africa) by the AFRICA COMPANY founded by Dutch immigrant Louis de Geer. New Sweden was conquered by the Dutch West Indian Company in 1655, Cabo Corso in 1659, terminating the project of a Swedish colonial empire at that time.



D.) Intellectual Life

In 1668 the UNIVERSITY OF LUND was established.







EXTERNAL
FILES 		Swedish Wars, from Hans Hogman, table of Swedish wars 1521-1814, maps, links
Battle of Lund 1676, by Urban Swahn
Biography of Queen Christina, from Dr. Pavlac's Women's History Site at Kings College
Witch processes at Torsaker, 1675, by Hans Hoegman, in Swedish
Taget over Belt, 1658, from Sverige som Stormakt, in Swedish
Chronology of Swedish History, 1650-1700, by Ken Polsson
Biography of Karl X. Gustav, from Anettes Hemsida om Kungar, in Swedish, another one by Eric Armfelt, in Swedish, from BBKL, in German, from Wer war wer im Dreissigjaehrigen Krieg ?, in German, from Svenska Kungar/Drottningar fran Vasa och framat, in Swedish
Biography of Karl XI., from Anettes Hemsida om Kungar, in Swedish, from Svenska Kungar/Drottningar fran Vasa och framat, in Swedish
Snapphanar - frihetskaempar eller skurkar ?, from Skaanelands Historia, in Swedish and Danish (Snapphanes - freedom fighters or criminals ?)
"Snapphane"-Kriget 1675-1679, by Gunnar Olsson
Friskytter og Snaphaner, from http://www.skaanskfremtid.dk/hist/skfri.html, in Danish
DOCUMENTS English Treaties with Sweden (Chalmers, Vol.1) : 1654 Treaty of Peace, pp.20ff
July 16th 1656 The Treaty of 1656 confirming that of 1654, pp.29ff
July 16th 1656 The Convention, pp.43f
Oct. 21st 1661, The Treaty, pp.44ff
Jean Dumont: Nouveau recueil de traitez... (Amsterdam, 1710) vol. 1 only (1647 to 1694), toc, Dec. 23rd 1658 Puncta Transactionis inter Sac. Reg. Maj. POLONI¨ˇ, & S. R. M. SUECI¨ˇ Deputatos, ratione deditionis Urbis Thorunensis. pp.59ff
May 24th 1661, Traite d'Alliance entre CHARLES XI Roi de Suede, & CHRISTIAN ALBERT Eveque de Lubeck & Duc de Sleswick-Holstein. A Gottorp le 24 Mai 1661. En Allemand. pp.84ff
1668 Foedus defensivum intersacram CAESAREAM Majestatem & sacram Regiam Majestatem Regnumque SUECI¨ˇ. pp.173ff
Perelle, Adam: Stockholmia, Metropolis Regni Sueci©ˇ, et Sedes Regia qua parte Occidentem spectat (after a drawing by Erik Dahlberg). 1669. (view of Stockholm 1669), from Treasures from Europe's National Libraries
Swedish Imprints before 1700, from Kungliga Bibliotheket
Portrait featuring Karl X. Gustav, from Skrufsen
Medal : Karl Gustav, from Historical and Commemorative Medals, Collection Benjamin Weiss
REFERENCE Franklin D. Scott, Sweden : The Nation's History, Univ. of Minnesota Press 1977
Jerker Rosen, Svensk Historia Vol.1, Stockholm : Esselte (1962) 1983
Selma Stern, The Court Jew, A Contribution to the History of Absolutism in Europe, NY (1950) : Transaction Books 1985, especially pp.105-114 (on the financial aspects of Christina's abdication; Diego Texeira)
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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