The great power called Sweden.

[Skarion]

I first posted this in the Europa Universalis II forum, but they told me to visit this thread, so we will see how it goes....

I'm a addictive Europa Universalis II player... Now I said that, I can begin to deal with these problems/questions I got.

It is so that I've got a school work on the swedish lessons to write a essay about Sweden from 1611-1718 (The time of the swedish superpower )

After some time and work, I began to think, "Hey, why not make something good about this?"

So, now I'm going to try to:

1) Collect information on this time from all of you that know history from this time (Pictures are highly appreciated =P )

So, please, HELP ME!

So, basicly, would anyone of you like to share your views and thoughts of the timeline between 1611-1718 in Sweden.

(I got help with the war part, so politic and culture part would be really nice!)

 

[unmerged(19542)]

Maps
http://www.tacitus.nu/historical-atlas/scandinavia/s3.htm

Hmm I am not good but somethings not war related

1640: Åbo Acatemie found
1649-50: Descartes was in Stockholm
1654: Kristina converts to Catholic and steps down from thrown
1668: Lund university found

 

[Skarion]

Thanks alot!

Should try to fit it in.

*Wonder why I only got one reply yet :wacko:

 

[unmerged(19542)]

I did remember something because Finnish history and that means also Swedish history (up to 1809) was required to get in History section in Helsinki University. (which I failed by 1 point, should learn again how to write essays. )

 

[unmerged(37264)]

I had to write essay about this one, I chose to write from a military perspective(listing the wars the effects etc), and of course my teacher didn't like that. Damn him.

 

[Skarion]

Yeah, can't see why teachers hate the military history part =/

But my teacher thought it would be a great idea if I could get in the culture, inventions etc at this time too.

 

[unmerged(589)]

I like to think that I know a lot about this era. But where to begin? If you have any specific questions I'm happy to try to answer them.

 

[Skarion]

One thing would be:

1) What was Europes opinion of Sweden between 1680-1718?

2) What sort of school eduction system was functioning at this time?

3) Famous swedish books except Atlantis?

4) Any culture big events happend between 1611-1718 except the bloodbath of rebells?

5) How was the relationship between Sweden, Poland, England, Netherlands, Austria, Spain and France between 1611-1718 (Dont put in war situations, rather add letters or speaches from person under this period)

etc.

 

[unmerged(3420)]

One thing would be:

1) What was Europes opinion of Sweden between 1680-1718?

Sweden was held to be a major military power. The Swedes were courted as allies and feared as enemies. Sweden began the War of the League of Augsburg (1689-1697) as a French ally, but later changed sides and backed the anti-French coalition. In 1700, Sweden's Baltic neighbors (Denmark-Norway, Poland-Saxony and Russia) banded together in the Great Northern War to try and reduce the Swedish Menace. Their early effort failed, and Swedish prowess was so great that the Maritime Powers (Britain/Netherlands) and Austria solicited Swedish help against France in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, Sweden wasn't much trusted due to its turncoat behavior during Augsburg

Later in the Great Northern War Sweden suffered major reverses. Turkey intervened briefly on Sweden's side, but was bought off by Russia. Brandenburg/Prussia came in against Sweden, and the Swedes were forced to sue for peace. At this point, Sweden's importance declined sharply.

2) What sort of school eduction system was functioning at this time?

3) Famous swedish books except Atlantis?

4) Any culture big events happend between 1611-1718 except the bloodbath of rebells?

Sorry, can't help.

5) How was the relationship between Sweden, Poland, England, Netherlands, Austria, Spain and France between 1611-1718 (Dont put in war situations, rather add letters or speaches from person under this period)

Sorry, but I don't know much about the speeches of the era. Wars are what I remember.

In 1611, Sweden and Poland were bitter enemies. This stemmed from the fact that both nations, besides being bitter rivals in the Baltic region, were both ruled by the same dynasty (the Vasas) but by branches that followed differing religions (Sweden was Lutheran, Poland Catholic). Early in this rivalry, Poland held the edge, but under Gustavus I Adolphus Vasa Sweden gained the advantage. During the "Deluge" (1655-1658) and the early part of the Great Northern War, Swedish forces overran all of Poland.

The Polish Vasa dynasty eventually died out, but the rivalry outlasted the Polish Vasas and didn't really end until Sweden was crushed in the Great Northern War.

Under Gustavus I Vasa, Sweden became embroiled in the Thirty Years War. This war was a struggle by Spain and Austria to impose political and religious dominance over Germany, a dominance contested by France and the German Protestant princes. In 1630 Sweden intervened on the Protestant side, rescuing it from looming disaster. As a result, Sweden gained several important possessions along the northern coast of Germany. This war established an alliance between France and Sweden that lasted up until the French Revolution. (The only exception being Sweden's brief adherence to the anti-French League of Augsburg, noted above).

Sweden's military success could not obscure the fact that Sweden is a poor and thinly populated kingdom. Sweden relied heavily on foreign money to pay for its military. The French alliance provided such funding. Sweden also received occasional subsidies from the Netherlands and Britain. The Dutch and the English resented Denmark's pretension to controlling access to the Baltic Sea, and during Sweden's numerous wars with Denmark the Dutch and the English would provide Sweden with occasional naval and financial aid.

Again, during the Great Northern War, when Sweden's military reputation was at its peak, it was solicited for military aid by the British and Dutch against the French during the War of the Spanish Succession. Sweden was under fierce pressure from its neighbors, and declined to get involved.

 

[unmerged(589)]

2) What sort of school eduction system was functioning at this time?

3) Famous swedish books except Atlantis?

4) Any culture big events happend between 1611-1718 except the bloodbath of rebells?

Whoa! I'd have to open a book to answer these with any kind of certainty. Sorry! I suck.

One thing you should know about though is Stiernhielm's poem Hercules. http://www.kb.se/F1700/GS58.htm A milestone in the history of Swedish literature.

 

[Arilou]

2) What sort of school eduction system was functioning at this time?

Very little, although I believe some kind of order went out to the local parishes to teach the children to at least write their name and read the catachesis. (Swedish peasants did have a higher literacy than was usual)

Sweden started out with one university and ended up with five (Åbo was founded in Finland, Greifswald was conquered with Pommern, Dorpat was founded in Livonia, Lund in Skåne)

3) Famous swedish books except Atlantis?

Stierhielm wrote some poetry/plays, a few diaries are sort-of renowned, but I can't really remember any other great literary work.

4) Any culture big events happend between 1611-1718 except the bloodbath of rebells?

There was no bloodbath of rebels, curiously enough the swedish peasantry remained incredibly placid, with only a few attempts at rebellion and none serious. Situation was different in newly conquered territories (like Skåne) of course.

 

[Skarion]

First, I enjoyed your replys, but I must say I disagree with some of them

Gustavus I Vasa, Sweden became embroiled in the Thirty Years War.

Gustav II Adolf (Gustavus II Adolphus) Vasa you mean?

Gustav I Vasa were Gustav Ericsson 1521, the young aristocrat who rebelled against the danish tyrants.

Very little, although I believe some kind of order went out to the local parishes to teach the children to at least write their name and read the catachesis. (Swedish peasants did have a higher literacy than was usual)

If you read Svensk lärdomshistoria, Sten Lindroth, claims that under this period the swedish schoolsystem flourished in a way that havent happend before and havent happend yet. The swedish culture boom you could see most changes in the school systems.

A change in the way of thinking and inventions. A burning affection for nature science.

3 new universitys were built, Dorpat-Pernau, Lund and Åbo by money from the state.

And most work in Sweden under this period needed academical studies.

But he also claims that most of it had collapsed by 1700 and that the school got less and less money as the swedish empire collapsed.

There was no bloodbath of rebels, curiously enough the swedish peasantry remained incredibly placid, with only a few attempts at rebellion and none serious. Situation was different in newly conquered territories (like Skåne) of course.

The first finnish major rebellion and a smaller attack of citizens against policemen in Stockholm I think was the majority of the rebellions under this time (Krig och krigsmakt under Sveriges stormaktstid, Lars Ericson.)

 

[unmerged(5459)]

If you want to know about why Gustaf II Adolf entered the Thirty Years War, I could be happy to oblige

But a book I'd like to recommend:
-‘Northern Europe in the Early Modern Period: The Baltic World 1492-1772’ David Kirby, 1998, Addison Wesley Longman Inc. New York
As one would guess, it not only covers Sweden, but Denmark and the Baltic littoral, but Sweden dominates naturally. A lot on socio-economic history and the like.

Also, this segment from a letter by Sir Thomas Roe, famed English ambassador (attached to Gustaf 1629-30) on Gustaf's intentions may interest you:

"I have resolved that the King of Sweden did intend conquest and enlargement of his dominion, but especially to be master of this sea [the Baltic], the ports and trade therein, and from thence to rayse himselfe a revenew, to maynteyne the one without charge of the crowne of Swede and to serve him for subsidye in any other war, and in the meane tyme to entertayne an opinion that he would in the end doe great matters for the common cause, under which shadow he hath well done his owne business… The King of Sweden is grown already too great, and there is more cause to balance than to increase him."

[Found in - ‘Documents and Debates: Seventeenth Century Europe’ Gary Martin Best, 1982, Macmillan Education Ltd. London]

 

[Skarion]

Wow, thanks!!!

By the way, do you know how I can get that book you mentioned? I would like to own it (Got my own little library of swedish history books :rofl: )

Is it possible to order it or something?

 

[ale]

Amazon

and

akademibokhandeln

are both pretty good

 

[Arilou]

If you want to know about why Gustaf II Adolf entered the Thirty Years War, I could be happy to oblige

But a book I'd like to recommend:
-‘Northern Europe in the Early Modern Period: The Baltic World 1492-1772’ David Kirby, 1998, Addison Wesley Longman Inc. New York
As one would guess, it not only covers Sweden, but Denmark and the Baltic littoral, but Sweden dominates naturally. A lot on socio-economic history and the like.

Also, this segment from a letter by Sir Thomas Roe, famed English ambassador (attached to Gustaf 1629-30) on Gustaf's intentions may interest you:

"I have resolved that the King of Sweden did intend conquest and enlargement of his dominion, but especially to be master of this sea [the Baltic], the ports and trade therein, and from thence to rayse himselfe a revenew, to maynteyne the one without charge of the crowne of Swede and to serve him for subsidye in any other war, and in the meane tyme to entertayne an opinion that he would in the end doe great matters for the common cause, under which shadow he hath well done his owne business… The King of Sweden is grown already too great, and there is more cause to balance than to increase him."

[Found in - ‘Documents and Debates: Seventeenth Century Europe’ Gary Martin Best, 1982, Macmillan Education Ltd. London]

Seems pretty likely, Gustav could do what he considered to be "the right thing", helping the protestants, while at the same time serving his own interests...

 

[unmerged(8399)]

Swedish army

According to Chandler, Marlborough had the Swedish army in rather low regard, not being on an equal to the English or Dutch and nor much helpful as an allied against the French

 

[Arilou]

According to Chandler, Marlborough had the Swedish army in rather low regard, not being on an equal to the English or Dutch and nor much helpful as an allied against the French

Not strange at all, the swedish army *wasn't* much helpful as an ally against the french.

 

[N Katsyev]

An interesting angle that you could include, and that i've read elsewhere is that in many ways Sweden was like a Russia in miniature. Her core population on the edge of Europe expanded from a poor central resource base into adjacent areas with more primitive levels of organization in which her core population did considerable colonization. This period of expansion and colonization only ended with the end of the period you mention.

What I have here isn't much, but there are ideas that can be expanded upon and I think in the very least it is probably an idea that sees little exploration. Ideas of greater novelty are certainly appreciated, especially if they are clearly well thought out.

 

[Arilou]

An interesting angle that you could include, and that i've read elsewhere is that in many ways Sweden was like a Russia in miniature. Her core population on the edge of Europe expanded from a poor central resource base into adjacent areas with more primitive levels of organization in which her core population did considerable colonization. This period of expansion and colonization only ended with the end of the period you mention.

What I have here isn't much, but there are ideas that can be expanded upon and I think in the very least it is probably an idea that sees little exploration. Ideas of greater novelty are certainly appreciated, especially if they are clearly well thought out.

Interesting, but I don't think it's particularly true.

For starters, swedish "colonization" wasn't particularly intensive (very few swedes except the administrators actually moved to settle in the conquered areas) With the exception of baltic grain not much resources where won either, what WAS won was control over trade-routes (Sweden actually had quite a lot of natural resources, the only thing being scarce being really good farmland) Note that the same might apply to Russia of course, just that the terms you use feel a bit... Weird?