An account of Sueden together with an extract of the history of that kingdom.

CHAP. XVII.

An Extract of the History of Sueden.

THE Original of the Suedish Nations which their Hi∣storians ascribe to Magog, Son of Iaphet, whose Expedition thither they placed in the Year 88, after the Flood, is built upon such un∣certain Conjectures, as neither de∣serves to be mention'd, nor cre∣dited any more than the Names of the Kings supposed to succeed him, invented by the Writers to fill up the Vacuities of those dark Times, of which other Countries, more likely to have been first

planted, can give so little account; therefore tho' the Country might possibly have been early inhabited, yet nothing of certainty can be known of it, till the coming of Othinus, or Woden, who was dri∣ven out of Asia by Pompey the Great, about Sixty Years before the Birth of Christ. From this Woden, who (as their Histories re∣port) conquer'd Moscovy, Saxony, Sueden, Denmark and Norway; all Northern Nations have been ambitious to derive their Extracti∣on; with him the Heathenish Re∣ligion, that afterwards prevail'd in the North, Witchcraft, and other like Arts were brought in; as also the Custom of raising great heaps of Earth upon the Graves of Per∣sons of Note, and Engraving of Funeral Inscriptions upon Rocks and Stones, which yet remain in all Parts of the Country.

To Woden, after his Death, Divine Honours were paid, as the God of War; and as the two first Days of the Week were named after the Sun and Moon, and Tues∣day after Tis or Disa, an ancient Idol, so Wednesday had its Name from him, as Thursday from Thor, and Friday from Frigga, which three last were long the chief Ob∣jects of the Northern Idolatry. The Succession of the Kings after Woden is full of confusion; the Nation being sometimes parcell'd into several little Kingdoms, some∣times into two, Sueden and Go∣thia; often subject to Den∣mark or Norway, and sometimes Master of those Countries, as also of others more distant, where the Goths, that forsook their Native Soil, happened to plant themselves; but when, or on what particular occasions, they made those Migra∣tions,

is not certainly known, nor how long they had been abroad when they first began to infest the Roman Empire, about 300 Years after Christ.

That the Saxons, who were cal∣led into England about the Year 450, were originally a Colony of Goths is conjectured from the A∣greement of their Language, Laws and Customs. But that the Suedes and Goths, joyned with the Danes and Norwegians in their Invasion of England, about the Year 800, we are assured from our own Hi∣storians, that expresly mention them, with the Character of Bar∣barous and Pagan Nations, as they then were; and the same may be concluded from the many Saxon Coyns, that are frequently found in Sueden, and in greater variety, than in England, which seem to have been the Dane Gilt, or

Tribute that the Nation then paid.

The Normans also, who about that time settled in France, were in part Natives of this Country, so that England, together with the Miseries that accompanied those Conquests, owes a great part of its Extraction to these People.

But to pass on to Times of more certainty, it was about the Year 830, that the Emperor Ludovicus Pius sent Ansgarius, afterwards Arch-bishop of Hamburgh, to at∣tempt the Conversion of the Suedes and Goths, who at first had little or no Success; but in his second Journey, some Years after, he was better received; and baptized the King Olaus, who was after∣wards martyred by his Heathen Subjects, and offered in Sacrifice to their Gods; nor did Christiani∣ty become the general Religion of

Sueden till about a Hundred Years after, when it was planted by the English Bishops formerly mention∣ed, sent for thither by another O∣laus; in whose time the Kingdom of Sueden, and that of Gothia were united, but became after∣wards to be separated again, and continued so near Two Hundred Years; when they were again joyn'd, on Condition that the Two Royal Families should suc∣ceed each other by turns, as they did for the space of One Hundred Years, but not without great Dis∣orders, and much Blood shed.

This occasion of Quarrel, which ended in the Extirpation of the Gothick Family, was succeeded by another; for Waldemer, Son of Berger, Ierle or Earl, who was descended from the Royal Family of Sueden, being at that time cho∣sen King, by his Father's Advice,

he created his Three Brothers Dukes of Finland, Sudermanland, and Smaland, with such a degree of Sovereignty in their respective Dukedoms, as enabled them to disturb their Brother's Govern∣ment; who was at last forced to resign the Kingdom to his Brother Magnus, which he left to his Son Berger, who lived in continual Dissention with his Two Brethren, Erick and Waldemar, till he took them Prisoners, and famish'd them to Death, upon which he was driven ont of the Kingdom, and succeeded by Duke Erick's Son

Magnus, who was perswaded to suffer his Son Erick to be cho∣sen King of Sueden joyntly with himself, as his other Son Haqui∣nus was of Norway.

Both these Brothers made War upon their Father, who thereup∣on caused the Eldest to be poyson∣ed,

the other Haquinus, being re∣conciled to his Father, married Margaret, the Daughter Walde∣mar, King of Denmark, in whose Person the Three Northern King∣doms were afterwards United. This Magnus being deposed for his ill Government made place for his Sister's Son

Albert, Duke of Mechlenburgh, of whom the Suedes were soon weary, and offered the Kingdom to Margaret, whose Husband Ha∣quinus had left her Norway, and her Father Denmark. King Albert, therefore being beaten in a pitch'd Battle, was taken Prisoner by this

Margaret, who succeeded him, and enacted the Vnion of the Three Crowns into a Law; which was ratified by the States of those Kingdoms, but proved much to the Prejudice of Sueden, and to

the Advantage of Denmark, which People had always the Art or Luck to get their King's Favour, and render the Suedes and Norwegians suspected; conformable to Queen Margaret's Advice to her Succes∣sor.

Sueden shall feed you, Norway shall cloath you, and Denmark shall defend you. At her request the Three Nations chose her young Nephew

Erick of Pomerania, reserving to her self the Government during his Minority which she out-lived, and had time to repent; at last she died of the Plague, in the Year 1412. This Erick married Phillippa, the Daughter of Henry the 4th. of England: of her their Histories relate, that Copenhagen being besieged, and King Erick in despair retreating to a Monastery, she took the Command of the

City, and beat the Besiegers, but afterwards having in the King's ab∣sence fitted out a Fleet that was unsuccessful, at his return he so beat and abused her, that she there∣by miscarried, and retiring into a Cloyster died soon after.

The Oppression the Suedes lay under from Strangers, and to whom the King committed the Government of Provinces, and the Custody of all Castles, contrary to the Articles of the Vnion, made them at last throw off the Yoke, and renounce their Allegiance to King Erick, in whose place they substituted the General of the Kingdom, Carl Knuteson; with the Title of Protector, which he held about Four Years, till they were perswaded to accept

Christopher of Bavaria, whom the Danes and Norwegians had al∣ready chosen; his short Reign

gave the Suedes new Disgusts to the Vnion, so that upon his Death, they divided themselves and chose

Carl Knuteson to be their King, who had before been their Pro∣tector, and remains a memorable Example of the Vicissitude of Fortune; for after he had Reign∣ed Ten Years he was driven out by a Danish Faction, and retiring to Dantzick was reduced to great want.

Christian of Oldenburg, King of Denmark and Norway, succeeded him, and renewed the Vnion which was soon dissolved; Christian af∣ter a Reign of Five Years being turn'd out,

Carl Knuteson was restored to the Crown, which he held only Three Years, being over-power'd by a Faction of the Clergy; and forced to forswear the Crown,

and retire into Finland, where he again fell into want; upon his Deposition his Daughter's Hus∣band

Erick Axelton was made Go∣vernour of the Kingdom, which was miserably shattered by Facti∣ons, of which the Bishops were the greatest Ring-leaders; in Favour of Christian of Denmark, whom they endeavoured to restore, but their Party being worsted,

Carl Knuteson was the third time received King of Sueden, and con∣tinued so till his Death, upon which

Steno Sture, a Noble Man of ancient Family, was made Pro∣tector of the Kingdom, which he defended a long time against King Christian, and his Successor, to the Crowns of Denmark and Nor∣way, but was at last forced to give place to

Iohn, who again restored the Vnion of the Three Crowns, but pursuing his Predecessors steps in oppressing the Nation, and im∣ploying of Strangers, he was soon expell'd the Kingdom,

And Steno Sture was again made Protector; and he dying,

Suanto Sture succeeded in the same Quality. He had continual Wars with King Iohn all the time of his Government, which at his Death was conferred on his Son

Steno Sture the younger, who withstood the Danish Faction which the Arch-bishop of Vpsall head∣ed; till dying of a Wound he received in a Skirmish against the Danes,

Christiern, or Christian, the II. King of Denmark and Norway, was advanced to the Crown of Sueden, but behaved himself so tyrannical∣ly,

and shed so much innocent Blood, especially of the Nobility, which he design'd utterly to root out, that his Reign became into∣lerable, and the whole Nation conspired against him under the Conduct of

Gustavus the First, descended from the ancient Kings of Sueden, whose Father had being beheaded, and his Mother had two Sisters imprison'd by Christiern: He was at first received Governour of the Kingdom, and two Years after had the Regal Dignity conferr'd on him; and as the Danes and Norwegians had also expell'd King Christiern, who had married Charles the 5th's Sister, and repaired to the Imperial Court for Succour, which he could not obtain to any purpose, being upon his Landing in Norway defeated, and taken

Prisoner; in which State he con∣tinued to his Death: Therefore Gustavus was freed from all further trouble, on that account; and at liberty to redress the Disorders of the Kingdom, which were great: His first Contest was with the Clergy, who had been the Authors of much Confusion in former Reigns; to prevent which for the future, he took all occasions to diminish their Revenues, reuniting to the Crown all the Lands that had been given to the Church the last Hundred Years; which together with the Reformation of Religion disquieted the first Ten Years of his Reign, and occasioned frequent Commotions: Which being over, the remainder of his time pass'd without any disturbance at home, or Wars abroad; save only with Lubeck, and sometimes with Mos∣covy.

Hitherto the Kingdom of Sue∣den had for several hundred Years been Elective, but was at this time made Hereditary to the Male Issue of Gustavus, in a right Line of Succession; with reservation, that in default of such Issue the Right of Election should return to the Estates. Gustavus by his three Wives had four Sons, and several Daughters; his eldest Son, Erick, was to succeed to the Crown; Iohn was made Duke of Finland; Magnus, Duke of Ostrogothia; and Charles, Duke of Sudermanland; whereby those Provinces were in a manner dismembred from the Crown: An Error in Policy that Sueden has so oft smarted for, that they have since made solemn Resolutions never to be guilty of it again; thus having in his Reign of Thirty six Years brought the

Kingdom into such a flourishing Condition, as it had not seen in many Ages, and entail'd a Crown upon his Family, in which it still continues: He left it to his Son

Erick, who was thereby hin∣dred from prosecuting his intend∣ed Voyage to England, with hopes to marry Queen Elizabeth: He Reigned Nine Years, Five of which he kept his Brother Iohn close Prisoner, upon Suspicion of his designing to supplant him, as he finally did, but not before Erick his making a Peasant's Daughter his Queen, and by several cruel and dishonourable Actions had lost the Affections of all his Subjects; so that he was with∣out much difficulty deposed, and condemned to a perpetual Prison, where he ended his Life. Upon

his Deposition, the Crown came to

Iohn III. notwithstanding the States of the Kingdom had enga∣ged their future Allegiance to King Erick's Son, that he had by the Queen before Marriage. The War with Moscovy, which be∣gan in King Erick's time, about Liefland, was carried on by this King with good Success, and se∣veral Places taken; to which not only Muscovy, but Poland and Denmark also pretended; for as the Knights Templers had trans∣ferr'd their Right to Liefland up∣on Poland; so the Muscovites had agreed to deliver it to Magnus, Duke of Holstein, the King of Denmark's Brother; in considera∣tion of a small Acknowledgement to the Czar of Muscovy, as the Supream Lord: So that Four

great Nations claimed this Coun∣try at once, which possibly might facilitate the Suedish Conquests.

This Prince's Reign was disquiet∣ed by his Attempt to alter the E∣stablish'd Religion, in which he made considerable progress; but was sometimes in doubt, whether he should endeavour an Vnion with the Latin or Greek Church; to the former of which he at last declared himself; but could not prevail with his Subjects to follow his Example. He kept his Bro∣ther Erick Ten Years in Prison, and then thought it necessary for Safety to have him poyson'd, ac∣cording to the Advice which it is said the States of the Kingdom had given.

His Brother Magnus did not Minister any Cause of Suspicion, being disturbed in his Brain, and

uncapable of having any De∣sign.

But his Brother Charles gave him sufficient occasion of Jealousie, and it was not without great diffi∣culty, that things were kept from coming to an extremity between them.

After a Reign of Thirty six Years King Iohn died by the Fault of an ignorant Apothecary, there being then no Physicians in Sueden; to him succeeded his Son

Sigismund, whose Mother was Catharine, a Princess of the Ia∣gellan Family in Poland: To which Crown, Sigismund had been Elect∣ed Five Years before his Father died: His Brother Iohn was in his Minority; so that his Uncle Charles had the Government of the Kingdom, till Sigismund came

from Poland to be Crowned in Sueden; which was not till about a Year after his Fathers decease. His Coronation was retarded some Months, by the Difficulties that arose about the Points of Religi∣on, and the Confirmation of Pri∣viledges: All which were at last accommodated, and the King af∣ter a Years stay in Sueden, return∣ed to Poland, leaving the Kingdom in great Confusion, which daily encreas'd.

So that at his return some Years after, he was met by his Uncle at the Head of an Army, which defeated the Forces the King brought with him. Whereupon an Accomodation being patched up, he returned to Poland, leaving his Uncle to manage the Go∣vernment. Which Post he held, till the States being weary of Sigis∣mund,

and having in vain brought him to consent to his Son's Ad∣vancement to the Crown, which his Brother Iohn also refused: They conferr'd it upon his Uncle Charles the 9th, who thereby be∣came engaged in a War with Po∣land, as he was already with Mus∣covy; the Scene of both being in Liefland, where the Suedes lost Ground, till the Affairs of Muscovy fell into such Confusion, that they were forced to give Sue∣den a Peace, that they might have its Assistance against the Poles and Tartars; which was granted upon Terms very advantageous for Sue∣den, and sent under the Conduct of Count Iacob de la Gardie, who did Muscovy great Service; but the Muscovites failing to perform the Conditions stipulated, he broke with them, and took the

City of Novogrod, and disposed the Inhabitants, with others of the Neighbouring Provinces, to desire Prince Charles, (Phillip, the King's younger Son) to be their Czar; which was so long in treating about, that the Opportunity was lost.

The Year before this King's Death a War broke out with Denmark; in which State he left the Kingdom to his Son

Gustavus Adolphus, who ha∣ving ended the War with Den∣mark, by the Mediation of Iames the 1st, of England, applied him∣self to that in Leifland and Mus∣covy: To the Borders of which he sent his Brother, not with an In∣tention to procure his Establish∣ment in that Throne, which he ra∣ther aimed at for himself; But to in∣duce the fortified Places adjacent to

Finland and Liefland, to accept of Suedish Garisons in Prince Charles Phillip's Name, which succeeded in a great measure, till another was chosen Czar; with whom, af∣ter various Success on both sides, a Peace was concluded by the Me∣diation of England and Holland; by which Sueden, besides part of Liefland, got the Country of Inger∣manland, and the Province of Kex∣holm, with several fortified Places, and wholly shut out the Muscovites from the East Sea.

The Polish War, that had some short Intervals of Truces, was of a longer continuance, and no less beneficial to Sueden; which, in the Course of it, took Riga, and all other Places the Poles had in Liefland, except only one Fort, and thence carried the War into Prussia with the like Success, till

at last by the Interposition of England, France, &c. a Truce was concluded for six Years.

This gave Gustavus leisure to engage in the German War, to which he was both provoked by the Emperour, and encouraged by others. The Year following he began that Expedition, and on Iune 24. arriving in the Mouth of the Odor, he Landed his little Army that consisted of Sixteen Troops of Horse, and Ninety two Companies of Foot, making a∣bout Eight Thousand Men, which, besides other Additions, was aug∣mented by Six Regiments of Eng∣lish and Scotch under Duke Hamil∣ton, but more by the King's incre∣dible Success.

Upon his first approach Stetin and all Pomerania fell into his Hands. The Year following ha∣ving joyned the Elector of Saxony, he gave the Emperour's Army under General Tilly, a total Overthrow near Liepsig: Whence he traver∣sed Franconia, the Palatinate, Ba∣varia, &c. till the next Year at the Battle of Lutzen (where his Army was again victorious) he was treacherously kill'd, (as 'tis believed) by Francis Albert, Duke of Saxon Lawemburgh; not only to the great Joy of the Imperia∣lists, but of France and other his Friends, who envied and feared the farther Encrease of his Great∣ness. By his Death the Crown fell to his Daughter,

Christina, a Princess of Five Years old, in whose Favour her Father had gained the States of the Kingdom to alter the Heredi∣tary Vnion, as 'tis stiled, which restrained the Succession to the Male Line. In her Minority the Chancellor Axel Oxenstiern had the Direction of the Suedish Af∣fairs in Germany; where the War was prosecuted with variety of Success, but much to the Advan∣tage of Sueden; which was possest of above a Hundred fortified Places, and had an Army exceed∣ing 100000 Men, when Prince Charles Gustave was Generalissimo. A little before the Conclusion of the Treaty of Munster, by which Sueden obtained for its Satisfacti∣on, the Dukedoms of Pomerania, Bremen and Verdeu, with the City of Wismar, and a Right of Session,

to Vote in the Diets of the Empire, and Circle of Lower Saxony, as al∣so the Sum of five Millions of Crowns. The Queen had for se∣veral years entertained a Resolu∣tion to quit the Crown, which she at last effected, and after ha∣ving procured Prince Charles Gu∣stavus, to be declared Hereditary Prince (whom the States would gladly have had the Queen mar∣ried, but neither he nor she were inclined to it) with much Solem∣nity she divested her self of the Crown, and released her Subjects from their Allegiance, which the same day was conferred up∣on

Charles' Gustavus, who the year following made War upon Poland, to revenge the Affront done to him, in protesting against his Ad∣mission to the Crown; his Pro∣gress at first surprized not only

Poland, but alarm'd all Europe; for in three Months time he had taken all Prussia, except Dantzick; a great part of Lithuania, the Ci∣ties of Warsaw, Cracaw, and other places in the Greater and Lesser Poland. Most of the People of those Provinces swearing Allegi∣ance to him, as being Deserted by King Casimir, who was fled into Silesia, but this Career of Prosperity did not long conti∣nue; the first Consternation be∣ing over, the Poles were as ready to fall from him, as they had been to embrace his Party; besides, the Emperour, Moscovy, and Hol∣land, became his Enemies, as also Denmark; which gave the King of Sueden an honourable Occasi∣on of quitting Poland, where he could not long have subsisted; having therefore left his Brother, Prince Adolph, Governour of Prussia,

he hastened to Denmark, which he soon reduced to a necessity of Buy∣ing Peace at the price of the Pro∣vinces of Schonen, Halland, and Bleaking, which was concluded in the following Spring, but broke out again in few Months.

The King of Sueden unexpect∣edly Landing an Army the fol∣lowing Summer in Seelandt, where he took the Castle of Cronenburgh at the Entrance of the Sound, but had not the like Success at Copen∣hagen, which was besieged and stormed in vain; and being the following Summer relieved by a Fleet from Holland, the Siege was turn'd into a Blockade, and con∣tinued so till Charles Gustave, having by his bold and successful Attempts in six years time drawn upon Sue∣den the Enmity of almost all Europe, was taken away by a Feaver, and left the Crown to his Son

Charles XI. the present King, whose Ministers obtain'd Peace with Poland, Moscovy, the Emperour, Brandenburgh, Holland, and Den∣mark, upon Honourable Condi∣tions, which continued till it was interrupted by the late War; of which an Account has been given already.

FINIS.

Notes

• 1250.
• 1279.
• 1290.
• 1319.
• 1363.
• 1388.
• 1396.
• 1440.
• 1448.
• 1458.
• 1463.
• 1468.
• 1471.
• 1497.
• 1501.
• 1504.
• 1512.
• 1521.
• 1559.
• 1568.
• 1592.
• 1598.
• 1604.
• 1611.
• Sept. 7. 1631.
• Jan 6. 1654.
• 1658.
• 1660.