Black Cabbage Blog

During the 17th century Sweden emerged as a great European power. Previously, Sweden was a poor, sparsely populated, undistinguished country in northern Europe without any significant influence or recognition. Suddenly it became one of Europe’s leading powers due to the genius of Axel Oxenstierna, and King Gustavus Adolphus. As a result of acquiring territories seized from Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but also due to its involvement in the Thirty Years’ War, Sweden found itself transformed into the leader of Protestantism. During the Thirty Years’ War, Sweden managed to conquer approximately half of the States of the Holy Roman Empire. Gustav Adolphus hoped to become the new Holy Roman Emperor of Scandinavia and unite it with the Holy Roman Empire; his death at the Battle of Lützen (1632) ended that dream.