Gustavus Adolphus by Stevens John

Author:Stevens, John [Stevens, John]
Language: eng
Format: azw, epub
Publisher: Perennial Press
Published: 2016-04-06T16:00:00+00:00

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS PRECEDED IN GERMANY BY CHRISTIAN IV OF DENMARK - THE LATTER DEFEATED, AND COMPELLED TO MAKE PEACE WITH THE EMPEROR - SIEGE OF STRALSUND - WALLENSTEIN COMPELLED TO ABANDON THE SIEGE - DISCUSSION OF THE KING OF SWEDEN WITH OXENS

THE SUPERIOR QUALITIES AND rising fame of the king of Sweden early in his career awakened interest and hope among the supporters of the Reformed religion in Germany. The negotiations between the German princes and Gustavus began as early as 1614, when the latter received at Narva an envoy from the landgrave of Hesse-Cassel instructed to pray him to be ready for an event. A league was formed between several of the electors and estates of Germany against the Catholics for the defense of the free exercise of worship. England, the Dutch Republic, and Switzerland made a part of this Protestant combination. They avowedly wished to call Gustavus to that alliance. Soon after, they extended to him the invitation by an envoy from Heilbronn, where they had an assemblage. The letter of invitation was dated Feb. 25, 1614, and signed by Frederick, Elector of the Palatinate, by John II, Count Palatine of Deux Ponts, John Frederick, Duke of Wurttemberg, George Frederick, Margrave of Baden, Christian of Anhalt, and Joachim Ernest, Margrave of Brandenburg. The answer of the young Swedish king attests his good will, but clearly demonstrates the obstacles which would oppose their wishes so long as he should be involved in a war with Russia and Poland. In an ordinance of May, 1615, Gustavus prescribed certain days of prayer to his people: he urged them to pray for their brothers of the same belief in Germany. What especially wanted was harmony among those of like faith and interests. In the sketch already given in this volume of the principal facts and events in the Thirty Years War prior to the participation in it of Christian of Denmark, have been indicated this want of union among the Protestant princes and cities, the course of John George of Saxony, his betrayal of his co-religionists, the disasters of the Bohemians and of Frederick of Palatine, and the general march of events among the various parties and interests of the great German controversy. Gustavus Adolphus, engaged as he was in hostile relations with his neighbors, early in his career showed his sympathy with the cause of Frederick V and the Bohemian Protestants by sending them munitions of war, eight cannon and four thousand balls being his contribution.

The devastations and overturns operated in Germany by the united armies of Ferdinand of Spain and the Catholic League, the misfortunes of the Palatine house, and the dissolution of the Evangelical Union, caused all the hopes of the German Protestant princes and people to turn to the sovereigns of the North, especially as the two most powerful of the princes professedly Protestant—the electors of Saxony and Brandenburg—had assumed either a hostile or doubtful attitude : for the former took openly the side of the emperor; and the other, influenced by unfriendly counselors, showed little interest for the Protestant cause.

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