OXENSTJERNA, COUNT BENGT OR BENEDICT GABRIELSSON (1623-1702) was the son of Axel Oxenst jerna's half-brother, Gabriel Bengtsson (1586-1656). After a careful education he began his diplomatic career at the great peace congress of OsnabrUck. During his stay in Germany he made the acquaintance of the count palatine, Charles Gustavus, after wards Charles X., whose confidence he completely won. Two years after the king's accession (1654), Oxenstjerna was sent to represent Sweden at the Kreistag of Lower Saxony In 1655 he accompanied Charles to Poland and was made governor of the conquered provinces of Kulm, Kujavia, Masovia and Great Po land. The firmness and humanity which he displayed in this new capacity induced the German portion of them, notably the city of Thorn, to side with the Swedes against the Poles. During Charles's absence in Denmark (1657), Oxenstjerna, in the most desperate circumstances, tenaciously defended Thorn for ten months; the terms of capitulation were made the basis of the subsequent peace negotiations at Oliva. During the domina tion of Magnus de la Gardie he played but a subordinate part in affairs. From 1662 to 1666 be was governor-general of Livonia.
In 1674 he was sent to Vienna to try and prevent the threatened outbreak of war between France and the empire, and he was one of the Swedish envoys to the Congress of Nijmwegen (1676). From 168o to 1697 he conducted the foreign relations of Sweden.
His leading political principles were friendship with the mari time powers (Great Britain and Holland) and the emperor, and a close anti-Danish alliance with the house of Holstein. Charles XI. appointed Oxenstjerna one of the regents during the minority of Charles XII. The martial proclivities of the new king filled the prudent old chancellor with alarm and anxiety. He advised Charles in vain to accept the terms of peace offered by the first anti-Swedish coalition. Oxenstjerna has been described as "a shrewd and subtle little man, of gentle disposition, but remarkable for his firmness and tenacity of character." See F. F. Carlson, Sveriges historia under Konungarne of Pfalziska huset (Stockholm, 1883, 1885) ; 0. SjOgren, Karl den elfte och Svenska folket (Stockholm, 1897) ; and Negotiations du comte d'Avaux Pendant les annees 1693, 1697-1698 (Utrecht, 1882, etc.). (R. N. B.; X.)