CHARLES X., or CHARLES-GUSTAVUS, king of Sweden, was b. at Nykaping, 8th Nov., 1622. After studying at the university of Upsala, he traveled through France, Germany, and Switzerland, joined the army of Torstensohn (q.v.) in 1642, fought at the battles of Yankovitz and Leipzig; and at the close of the war was the representative of queen Christina at the conferences which were held for giving effect to the treaty of Westphalia. On the abdication of Christina, Charles-Gustavus, who was the son of Gustavus Adolphus' eldest sister Catharine and John Casimir, the palatine of Zwey bruck in Clerburg, succeeded as next heir, 17th June, 1654, to the throne of a kingdom which, after his accession, he discovered to be in an almost bankrupt condition. There was a debt of 10,000,000, while the revenue did not amount Lo 800.000 crowns, out of which one fourth was granted as a pension to the ex-queen, whose carelessness and extravagance had brought about this deplorable state of matters, and who, in the words of the aged chancellor Oxeustierna, had cost Sweden dearer than ever an enemy did." She had taken away everything belonging to the royal residences which was portable; and C. was forced at first to borrow even a set of kitchen utensils. C. was the second of the three great warrior-monarchs of Sweden, but unlike his uncle, who could plead religious grounds, and his grandson, who was at first forced to tight for self-preserva tion, C. seemed to make war principally for war's sake. First, he attacked Poland in
July, 1635, because the Polish monarchs had not resigned their claim to the Swedish throne; captured in the same year Warsaw, Cracow, `Thorn, Elblag, Posen, and Kaliez; and drove the king to take shelter in Silesia; he then assailed the Danes, who had declared war against him, crossed the belts on the ice, and speedily made himself mas ter of all the continental possessions of Denmark. Next marching from isle to isle over the frozen sea, he ultimately, by menacing Copenhagen, compelled the treaty of Ros kild (7th Mar., 16.58), which gave to Sweden, Holland, Scania, Bleckingen, Bornholm, and the other Danish possessions beyond the sound, and emancipated Sweden from the sound dues. Charles, however, still cherished enmity against the Danes; and after fruitlessly proposing to the Dutch and English, a partition of Denmark, he invaded CopenhagenZeeland, and attacked Copenhagen in 1639. The capital, however, defended itself vali antly, aided by succor from the Prussiaus and Dutch; and the Swedish monarch was compelled to abandon the siege. Soon after, while laboring to effect a complete recon ciliation with Poland in order to be free to attack the Danes in Norway, he died suddenly at Gothenburg, Feb. 23, 1660.