The Rise and Fall of the Swedish Empire

The Rise and Fall of the Swedish Empire PDF Author: Patrik Nilsson
Publisher: Eken Press
ISBN: 1908233362
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 78

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Book Description
Between the years 1560 and 1721, the Swedes endeavored to turn the Baltic Sea into a Swedish lake. Generations of young men perished in a seemingly endless series of wars. How was it possible for an insignificant country on the outskirts of Europe, with small cities and a scant population, to develop into a great power? Convinced that God was on their side, the army marched across the ice of a frozen sea to take the enemy by surprise. They challenged continental Europe’s greatest generals on the battlefield. In the end, the enemy’s superior numbers proved too great, and over one hundred years of empire building culminated in a long, desperate final battle.

The Rise and Fall of the Swedish Empire

The Rise and Fall of the Swedish Empire PDF Author: Patrik Nilsson
Publisher: Eken Press
ISBN: 1908233362
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 78

Get Book Here

Book Description
Between the years 1560 and 1721, the Swedes endeavored to turn the Baltic Sea into a Swedish lake. Generations of young men perished in a seemingly endless series of wars. How was it possible for an insignificant country on the outskirts of Europe, with small cities and a scant population, to develop into a great power? Convinced that God was on their side, the army marched across the ice of a frozen sea to take the enemy by surprise. They challenged continental Europe’s greatest generals on the battlefield. In the end, the enemy’s superior numbers proved too great, and over one hundred years of empire building culminated in a long, desperate final battle.

A Warrior Dynasty

A Warrior Dynasty PDF Author: Henrik O. Lunde
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612002420
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
This book examines the meteoric rise of Sweden as the pre-eminent military power in Europe during the Thirty Years War during the 1600s, and then follows its line of warrior kings into the next century until the Swedes finally meet their demise, in an overreach into the vastness of Russia. A small Scandinavian nation, with at most one and a half million people and scant internal resources of its own, there was small logic to how Sweden could become the dominant power on the Continent. That Sweden achieved this was due to its leadership—a case-study in history when pure military skill, and that alone, could override the demographic and economic factors which have in modern times been termed so pre-eminent. Once Protestantism emerged, via Martin Luther, the most devastating war in European history ensued, as the Holy Roman Empire sought to resassert its authority by force. Into this bloody maelstrom stepped Gustav Adolf of Sweden, a brilliant tactician and strategist, who with his finely honed Swedish legions proceeded to establish a new authority in northern Europe. Gustav, as brave as he was brilliant, was finally killed while leading a cavalry charge at the Battle of Lützen. He had innovated, however, tactics and weaponry that put his successors in good stead, as Sweden remained a great power, rivaled only by France and Spain in terms of territory in Europe. And then one of his successors, Karl XII, turned out to be just as great a military genius as Gustav himself, and as the year 1700 arrived, Swedish armies once more burst out in all directions. Karl, like Gustav, assumed the throne while still a teenager, but immediately displayed so much acumen, daring and skill that chroniclers could only compare him, like Gustav, to Alexander the Great. This book examines thoroughly, yet in highly readable fashion, the century during which Swedish military power set an example for all Europe. While the Continent was most visibly divided along religious lines—Catholic versus Protestant—geopolitical motives always underlied the conflicts. Sweden’s reliance on its military skill was especially noteworthy, as it veritably founded the modern concept of making wars pay through conquest. Karl XII finally let his ambitions lead him too far, as did Napoleon and Hitler in following centuries, into the vastness of the nascent Russian Empire, where he was finally defeated, at Poltava in Ukraine. Thus the period of Swedish supremacy in Europe came to a close, albeit not without leaving important lessons behind. In this work, by renowned author Henrik O. Lunde, these are clearly to be seen.

Warrior Kings of Sweden

Warrior Kings of Sweden PDF Author: Gary Dean Peterson
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476604118
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
For a hundred years, Sweden was the international military power of Northern Europe, in control of the entire Baltic region and among the first to colonize in Africa and America. But the history of Sweden, Finland, the Baltic States, Poland, and Prussia is largely neglected in American classrooms and scholarship. This book fills a large void in European history as it is generally presented to the American student and reader. This narrative covers Sweden's Age of Greatness (1632-1718) and the warrior-kings who governed that age. It chronologically describes the political and religious events of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and reveals how these events produced the climate for European global expansion, including the exploration and colonization of the New World. The story traces history through the reigns of Sweden's ambitious rulers, beginning with the presumably Swedish Goths who ravaged the Roman Empire in the 2nd century CE and continuing through the end of the empire in the early eighteenth century. A thorough epilogue documents the cultural flowering in the arts and sciences that commenced in the Age of Greatness and continued to blossom in the centuries that followed. This final section of the book pays special attention to the personalities that drove Sweden's far-reaching cultural progress.

Charles XII and the Collapse of the Swedish Empire, 1682-1719

Charles XII and the Collapse of the Swedish Empire, 1682-1719 PDF Author: Robert Nisbet Bain
Publisher: New York, G.P. Putnam's sons
ISBN:
Category : Sweden
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description


Sweden in the Seventeenth Century

Sweden in the Seventeenth Century PDF Author: Paul Lockhart
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350317373
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
The history of Sweden in the seventeenth century is perhaps one of the most remarkable political success stories of early modern Europe. Little more than a century after achieving independence from Denmark, Sweden - an impoverished and sparsely-populated state - had defeated all of its most fearsome enemies and was ranked amongst the great powers of Europe. In this book, which incorporates the latest research on the subject, Paul Douglas Lockhart: - Surveys the political, diplomatic, economic, social and cultural history of the country, from the beginnings of its career as an empire to its decline at the end of the seventeenth century - Examines the mechanisms that helped Sweden to achieve the status of a great power, and the reasons for its eventual downfall - Emphasises the interplay between social structure, constitutional development, and military necessity Clear and well-written, Lockhart's text is essential reading for all those with an interest in the fascinating history of early modern Sweden.

Gustavus Adolphus, Sweden and the Thirty Years War, 1630–1632

Gustavus Adolphus, Sweden and the Thirty Years War, 1630–1632 PDF Author: Lars Ericson Wolke
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526749629
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
The little-known story of the Swedish king and military commander who conquered much of Germany in the early seventeenth century. As one of the foremost military commanders of the early seventeenth century, Gustavus Adophus, king of Sweden, played a vital role in defending the Protestant cause during the Thirty Years War. In the space of two years—between 1630 and 1632—he turned the course of the war, winning a decisive victory at the Battle of Breitenfeld and conquering large parts of Germany. Yet remarkably little has been written about him in English, and no full account of his extraordinary career has been published in recent times. That is why this perceptive and scholarly study is of such value. The book sets Gustavus in the context of Swedish and European dynastic politics and religious conflict in the early seventeenth century, and describes in detail Swedish military organization and Gustavus’s reforms. His intervention in the Thirty Years War is covered in graphic detail—the decision to intervene, his alliance with France, his campaigns across the breadth of Germany, and his generalship at the two major battles he fought there. His exceptional skill as a battlefield commander transformed the fortunes of the Protestant side in the conflict, and he had established himself as a major European figure before his death on the battlefield. Lars Ericson Wolke, one of the leading experts on the military history of the Baltic and the Thirty Years War, offers a fascinating insight into Gustavus the man and the soldier.

The Battle That Shook Europe

The Battle That Shook Europe PDF Author: Peter Englund
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
ISBN: 9781780764764
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
'This victory', exulted Peter the Great, 'has laid the final stone in the foundations of St Petersburg!' The Battle of Poltava, 1709, marks the birth of the Tsar's vast Russian Empire. In 1700, seeking to open Russian trade routes to the West, the Tsar combined with Denmark, Saxony and Poland to attack Swedish hegemony in the North. Against the odds, King Charles XII of Sweden subdued the hostile coalition for nearly a decade, but in 1708 took his fatal decision to march for Moscow. His defeat at Poltava, in the Ukraine, proved the turning-point of the Great Northern War, heralding the collapse of the Swedish Empire and the rise of Russia, the effects of which would be felt for almost three hundred years. Swedish historian Peter Englund's vivid account of the three violent days of battle is an internationally acclaimed classic of military history, admired by scholars and the lay reader alike.

Sweden, Dying to Be Multicultural

Sweden, Dying to Be Multicultural PDF Author: Pelle Neroth Taylor
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781549809095
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Sweden, Dying to be Multicultural is the book based on the best-selling documentary available on Amazon Prime. It looks at the effects of the current large wave of Middle Eastern and African immigration into Sweden. The book looks at the way out-of-control immigration affects tax solidarity, free speech and the sustainability of the welfare state. Since opening its borders a few years ago. Sweden has been getting a lot more than what it bargained for. Spread of Muslim networks under the cover of being human rights organisations. Hostility from disenfranchised working class communities who have borne the brunt of the refugee arrivals, many of whom are boys claiming to be under 18, but who in some cases have grey hair. Rumours have it that Isis is spreading activists through the refugee movements. Swedish openness was about providing atonement for the West's sins in the Middle East as well as rebalancing a population pyramid, heavily tilted towards the over 65's. But economic immigration only works if the arrivals get into employment quickly; for various reasons, including the Swedish high skills economy and the informally networked nature of Swedish life, means that the often undereducated arrivals live on social benefits and so are a burden, displacing benefits that native pensioners would have had. Immigration has steadily polarised Swedish society and this is an insider's account of every aspect of the issue from the history of the Sweden Democrat anti-immigrant party to the Stockholm-versus-rural polarity that means the elites find it hard to keep tabs on what's going on in the public mind. The terrorist attack in Stockholm in April 2017 showed that Sweden is not immune to the political and religious pressures that have affected the rest of Europe. An adjunct to the documentary of the same name, this book is your essential guide to the migration crisis that is forever transforming a formerly utopian society in northern Europe.

The Swedish Empire

The Swedish Empire PDF Author: Hourly History
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
Discover the remarkable history of the Swedish Empire...When historians discuss the great European empires of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Sweden is sometimes not included in their conversations. Despite this omission, Sweden amassed a wealthy, prosperous empire during these years. Their territory spanned several regions of Europe and even included colonies in North America, Africa, and the Caribbean. They defeated some of the greatest militaries of their time and were widely recognized around the world by their allies and adversaries alike as an immense power and threat. The age of the Swedish Empire also left a powerful impact on Swedish history well into the twentieth century and even to the present day. Discover a plethora of topics such as The Age of the Vikings and Beyond The Emergence of the Swedish Empire Sweden in North America and the World The Swedish Revolution and Charles XI The Great Northern War The Birth of Modern Sweden And much more! So if you want a concise and informative book on the Swedish Empire, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!

The Swedish Imperial Experience 1560-1718

The Swedish Imperial Experience 1560-1718 PDF Author: Michael Roberts
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521278898
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
In his Wiles Lectures for 1977 Professor Roberts examines some of the problems raised by Sweden's brief career as a great power, and seeks to answer some of the questions that flow from them. Were the underlying considerations which prompted the unexpected development geopolitical, or social, or economic? How was it possible to produce the financial resources and the manpower which the enterprise demanded? How far was seventeenth-century Sweden a militarized society? What importance had official propaganda and national myths? Did the constitutional situation help to make an expansionist foreign policy easier? The structure of the empire is next examined: its administration, the ties that held it together, the differing interests of the provinces, the varying responses of the metropolitan power was there, in fact, anything deserving the name of an imperial policy? How did the provinces view the Swedish connexion? In a final chapter the author tries to answer the question why, if Sweden could acquire an empire without undue strain, she could not retain it; why the collapse was so rapid and so total; and whether her career as a great power had real relevance to the country's subsequent history. On almost all these topics little information is available in English, and no comparable treatment of them on this scale exists in any language.