Gustav II Adolf was popular by his Latin name ‘Gustavus Adolphus Magnus’. He served as a king of Sweden from 1611 – 1632 who laid the foundation of the modern Swedish state. Gustav II Adolph is also remembered as the founder of Sweden with Great Power, that titled him ‘Gustavus Adolphus the Great.' His predecessor was Charles IX and Christina became his successor after Gustavus died on November 1632.
Background
Gustav II was the eldest son of Duke Charles (Charles IX). Charles belonged to Vasa dynasty and his second wife, Christina of Holstein-Gottorp gave birth to Gustav Adolph in Stockholm. After the death of his father in October 1611, a sixteen-year-old boy had taken the responsibility to led his troops. Since it was too early for anyone to lead, Gustav inherited the throne when he was a seventeen-year boy only, and he became the King on 16 December 1611 on his birthday.
This ongoing succession was occasionally interrupted by the hostile dynasty disputes. His Polish cousin, Sigismund III tried to oppress Gustav II for renouncing the title and regain the throne of Sweden. Gustav led his army with much power and ruled over his kingdom to expand Sweden as the third biggest nation in Europe. Russia and Spain were at the top two positions during his reign above Sweden.
Gustav II invaded Livonia, which resulted at the beginning of Polish-Swedish War in 1625. The war continued till 1629, and he was just 31 only. Sigismund III, who was the king of Poland, was his main rival. The young prince Gustavus was taught by Johan Skytte to make him capable of dealing with his people and troops.
Education
He was highly intelligent and had excellent knowledge of Classics, History, Law and Theology. He knew different foreign languages with fluency in German language. He used to attend council meetings from the age of 10.
At the time of his inherit; he had already acquired formidable knowledge related to affairs of the state. Perhaps, Gustavus learned the use of modern artillery and logistics to run his troop with new strategies.
He founded the University of Tartu as the first educational center for higher education in Baltic province.
Career
Gustavus Adolphus was set to command his troops at the age of 17. His tactics and integration of new modern artillery titled him 'Father of Modern Warfare'. His battle strategies and styles were shown in the 'Thirty Years' War, which he led with bravery to give his nation, a great prestige.
Legacy as a General:
Gustavus was a dominant military commander. His tactics and style in the battlefield were one of the integrations of armed forces. He inspired several future commanders in which there are Carl von Clausewitz of Russian Empire and Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte) of France. He was famous for his legacy of consistent performance with no part of his armies was considered weak.
He has a line-up of army-troop personals which consists of firefighters, infantrymen, and gunners who were taught that how to ride whenever needed. In this regard, it is important to mention that his admirals also followed most of his innovative tactics to lead their troops.
His actions became famous and intervened in Prussia on behalf of Lutherans. When he died in 1632 in the Battle of Lutzen, it proved as a significant loss in the history of Sweden. But the battle has titled him with 'Lion of the North' title.
Gustavus Adolphus had 4,000 troops when he began to move towards northern Germany in mid-1630. In the First Battle of Breitenfeld, he defeated a Catholic army and consolidated his position. Gustavus had a plan to invade rest of the Holy Roman Empire. With the thought of this in his mind, he invaded Bavaria in the 'Battle of Rain' in 1632.
During his tenure, Gustavus was considered to be one of the greatest European kings. The Italians referred him as 'The Golden King' of Sweden. His contribution in the army and battlefield were considered as the greatest military battles as a general in the history.
Gustavus had already boosted up his countrymen with lots of confidence so that they must not fear from any given scenario or invasion. Now this helped the newly crowned queen of Sweden – Christina.
Gustavus also laid a solid foundation with his innovative ideas and skills. He flourished economy of Sweden with safe and secure borders with an increase in responsibility towards the welfare of those who lived over there.
Resolution of Internal disputes:
Gustav II had inherited several reforms to resolve the internal problems within his kingdom. He was crowned just at an age of 17 which drawn the chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna as the closest collaborator. The king had observed the spirit of charter and enlisted numerous economic benefits along with him. The first decade of Gustav's reign saw a creation of Supreme Court in 1614. In 1618, he established Treasury and Chancery departments as permanent administrative boards. In addition to that, the leadership of Gustav II also created Admiralty and War Office with great officers of the state.
In 1617, some estates were fixed to four in the Riksdag that was offered by an ordinance includes nobles, burghers, clergy and peasants. This made him an orator of such extraordinary force with both Riksdag and Council. The year 1620 is recorded as the creation of Gymnasia for the first time in Sweden. With the immigration of Louis de Geer, who came from Belgium, Netherlands made the crucial contribution to Sweden economy and also founded 'Swedish Arms Industry'.
His daughter took over his legacy in 1634 and she retained the same form of government which was by her father reformed with a new central administration that was efficient and modern than any other European country. These were seemed to be Gustav's best gift to his kingdom where the Council of State became permanent for the first time.
Achievements
Religion
His religion was Lutheran, and it is believed that Gustavus was a complete religious personality.
Politics
His reign was considered as the rising success of Sweden in Europe because of his Swedish system of government including the way he led his military with brilliance.
Views
The German Socialist Franz Meharring who wrote Gustavus Adolphus's biography has mentioned that 'Thirty Years' war of this Swedish king had been fought over trade and economics rather than religion.
Personality
Gustavus Adolphus was described as lofty stature at the age of 17. With an immense appearance, his hair was golden in color and beard seemed to be reddish.
He was active, energetic and love to do spontaneous actions in achieving his goals. The trust in God and unexpected vision to show interest in battlefields led himself to reach the level of resurgence. One of the factors is that he was nearsighted which is termed as the cause of his defeat in the Battle of Lutzen in 1632.
Connections
He was married to Maria Eleonora. She was the daughter of John Sigismund, the Elector of Brandenburg. Christina had succeeded the early death of Gustavus, and she was then titled with 'Queen of Sweden'. She never got married and led the empire from 1632 - 1654.
Gustav II Adolf | king of Sweden | Britannica.com
King of Sweden (1611–32) who laid the foundations of the modern Swedish state and made it a major European power. Early years of reign Gustav was the eldest son of Charles IX and...
The Lion of the North, a Tale of the Times of Gustavus Adolphus
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A Warrior Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of Sweden as a Military Superpower, 1611-1721
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The Lion of the North A tale of the times of Gustavus Adolphus
Excerpt: ... and knew that the regiment which formed the rear guard was passing. It was bitterness indeed to know that his friends were within sound of a call for aid, and that he was bound and helpless.
History of Gustavus Adolphus
This biography of the famous Swedish leader is a must-read for those interested in learning about one of history's most effective military commanders. From the preface: "Among the persons whose genius, heroism and force of character influenced events, and won commanding game, in the seventeenth century, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden is justly regarded of the first.