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PART III.

DENMARK'S DECLINE.

Christian's Troubles.-In 1629 Christian IV. withdrew from the German war, and by the treaty of Lübeck he regained the lands which had been seized by the emperor's generals, pledging himself never again to take up arms for the German Protestant princes against the Imperial power. Denmark had suffered so severely in this war, and the finances were so thoroughly exhausted, that the king found it a hard task to try to restore order to his kingdom; and while he was struggling at home against his nobles, who always refused help when he most needed it, and thwarted all his measures, he had the mortification of seeing his rival, Gustavus Adolphus, winning renown abroad, and supported by the liberal aid of his subjects. After the glorious death of Gustavus at the battle of Lutzen in 1632, the fame of Sweden was gallantly maintained in Germany by his generals, and the welfare of his kingdom was well cared for by the regents who ruled during the minority of his infant daughter, Christina. These successes excited the jealousy of Christian, while they made the Swedish regents arrogant in their bearing towards him; and hence very slight causes proved sufficient to stir up a war between the northern kingdoms. Hostilities began in 1643 with an incursion of the Swedish troops, under Torstenson, into Slesvig, whence they spread themselves all over the peninsula on pretence of seeking winter quarters. King Christian had foreseen this attack, and repeatedly appealed to his Council of State for men and money to form an army of defence, but they would do nothing to help their king, and seemed only to care for their private interests. Christian was therefore forced to make peace on any terms, and in the year 1645 hostilities ceased in accordance with the treaty of Bromsebro, which gave to Sweden the islands of Gothland and Oesel and other Danish territories for thirty years, after which these lands might be redeemed for money by Denmark. At the same time the Swedes secured entire freedom from all the long-established tolls in the Sound, and

obtained so great a diminution of these dues for their allies, the Dutch, that the revenue lost more than 200,000 dollars from this source of income.

Christian's gallantry.-It was in this war that Christian, while commanding the fleet from his own ship Trefoldighed, or Trinity, lost his eye and was otherwise severely injured by the splinter of a mast, which struck him in the face as he was giving the word of command. The king, who was then upwards of seventy years old, continued to direct the movements of his fleet, and remained on deck till the increasing darkness forced the Swedes to take shelter in the Bay of Kiele off the island of Femern. The following day he drew a line of ships across the entrance of the bay, and leaving his admiral, Peder Galt, to watch the Swedish fleet, returned to Copenhagen to seek the rest which he so much needed. To Christian's great mortification, Galt allowed the Swedes to escape, an act of carelessness which the unfortunate admiral had to expiate with his life, for the king had him brought before a court-martial, by whose sentence he was condemned to death.1

Denmark was left in a miserable condition after the peace of Bromsebro, and when the old king in his perplexity tried to secure money by commuting for a fine the service with men and horses which the nobles owed to the crown, the Council of State threatened to pass over his sons in the succession, and elect a prince of the Holstein-Gottorp family to be his successor. Thus poor Christian's last days were clouded with many cares and troubles, and at his death in 1648 the kingdom bore very few marks of the care and ability which he had devoted to the government. After the loss of his first queen, Anna Katherina of Brandenburg, in 1612, Christian had married Kirstine Munk, a lady of noble family, to whom he gave the title of Countess of Slesvig-Holstein, as her want of royal birth prevented her being raised to the rank of his queen.

1 King Christian's personal valour in this engagement has been made the subject of a poem by J. Ewald, who died in 1781, and was one of the greatest Danish writers of lyrics. During the present century this song, beginning with the words Kong Christian stod ved haien mast, "King Christian stood beside the high mast," has been set to music and used as the national anthem of Denmark.

The king lived for many years happily with this lady, and showed great affection to their large family, but after a time he became distrustful of her, and caused her conduct to be made the subject of judicial inquiry before the Council, and banished her to Jutland, where she ended her days. The most highly gifted of their daughters was Eleanore Kirstine, who married a Danish nobleman, Korfitz Ulfeld, and, together with her ambitious young husband, exerted a very great influence over the king during his latter years, and thus excited the envy of her own relations, and the suspicions of the courtiers.

With the Danish people the memory of Christian IV. has been cherished with devoted loyalty from one generation to another, and they look upon him as the greatest king they have had since the time of the Valdemars, ascribing the good of his reign to himself, and the evil to the nobles by whom he was held in such galling bondage.

CHAPTER XIX.

SWEDEN BETWEEN 1568 AND IбII.

Johan, son of Gustaf Eriksson Vasa, crowned king on the forced abdication of his brother, King Erik XIV.-Johan's suspicion of his brother, Duke Karl-Karl's superior abilities-His zeal for Protestantism-Johan's learning-His religion and bigotry--His methods and devices for spreading Catholicism-Jesuits aid him-Pope's condemnation of their conduct-His liturgy, known as Roda Boken-His terms of reproach against the Reformers-His second marriage with the young Gunilla Bjelke-His change of views-The many miseries of his reign-His wars-His son Sigismund succeeds to the Polish crown-Sigismund's wish to return to Sweden--Conduct of Council-Johan and Duke Karl reconciled-Johan's death-bed penitence and resolution-His deathThe Queen's conduct-Karl's anger at her avarice-He conducts the government-Summons the Assembly at Upsala-Resolutions to uphold Lutheran faith-Importance of Upsala Resolutions - The Russians and their barbarism-Sigismund's arrival in Sweden- His conduct-Quarrels with his uncle, but has to submit to his terms-Religious dissensions-The coronation--Sigismund returns to Poland-Karl's rule -The Duke's subjection of Finland, and cruelty to nobles--- Civil warSigismund's abdication-Claims of young Duke Johan put aside voluntarily Karl, or Charles, as he is called, is crowned king-His learning, character, and conduct to the nobles and the lower classes in his kingdom -His zeal for Protestantism-His internal improvements-His constant wars abroad-His effort to establish friendly relations of policy with other States-His will-His two wives-His daughter-Her learning -Her marriage-She becomes ancestress of future kings of Sweden-King Charles's friendship with Henry of Navarre.

PART I.

THE SONS OF GUSTAF VASA.

Johan, 1568-1592: His zeal for Catholicism.-IN Chapter xvii. we followed the history of Sweden from the time that the power of the Danes under their king Christian II. was entirely crushed, and the Swedish monarchy was raised to the

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rank of an independent and prosperous state under its great deliverer, Gustaf Eriksson Vasa. We shall now have to take up the thread of the narrative from the year 1568, when Gustaf Vasa's son and successor, Erik XIV., was deposed by his brothers Johan and Karl, the former of whom was crowned King of Sweden under the title of Johan III., while the unhappy Erik, after nine years' cruel captivity, was, as we have seen, murdered at Oerbyhus in the winter of 1577.

In all the proceedings carried on by the dukes against their elder brother, the name of Karl had always been associated with that of Johan; but when the insane king was securely set aside, Duke Johan asserted his right to be crowned sole king, and began at once to show a suspicion of his younger brother Karl, which compelled that prince to exercise great caution in his conduct. Duke Karl was the ablest of Gustaf Vasa's sons; and as he was a zealous Protestant, a large portion of the nation who were opposed to the re-establishment of the Catholic faith looked to him as a champion in the cause of their religion, and made his dominions of Södermanland, Närike, and Värmland a centre of opposition against the arbitrary power of King Johan. But in spite of his own ambition and the many opportunities presented to him of gaining the goodwill of the people, Duke Karl remained loyal both to his brother and to his nephew Sigismund. Johan, like King Erik, was a learned man, and during his imprisonment he had devoted himself to study. He had, however, at the same time been induced by his wife, Katerina Jagellonica, who shared his prison with him, to renounce Protestantism and declare himself a Catholic, and during her lifetime he never ceased his labours to re-establish the power of the Romish church in Sweden. The death in 1573 of Laurentius Petri, the first Lutheran archbishop of Sweden, gave Johan the opportunity of testifying publicly the views which he had long been trying secretly to promote, and the new primate, Gothus, a weak and visionary man, was easily persuaded to give his sanction to a church law for the restoration of monasteries, the worship of saints, prayers for the dead, and the use of various ceremonies. Jesuits were sent for to lecture in Stockholm, but were ex

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