GUSTAVUS ADOLPH US. or GUSTAVUS II., King of Sweden, was born on December 9, 151)1. He was the sixth monarch of the dynasty of Vasa, which, tines the liberation of Sweden, in 1520, by its founder, Gustavus Erickson, reigned over the kingdom.
Gustavus' Adolphus was the son of Charles, the youngest son of Oustaros Van. Ills father, Charles, had been declared king of Sweden to the exclusion of Sigismund, the heir of the elder line of the house of Vasa. Charles died October 30, 1611, leaving the Swedish sceptre to his son, then in his seventeenth year. Imme diately on his accession the young king had sufficient opportunity for displaying. his talents for government. Sigismund, whoso father John, as the elder son of Gustavo' Vasa, had occupied the throne of Sweden, had been elected king of Poland in his father's lifetime. On accepting the Polish crown, :aigismund abjured the Lutheran faith. This cireumstaoce had offended the States of Sweden. and in consequence in the year 1599 he was declared to have forfeited his right of succes sion, and his uncle Charles, duke of Sudennauin, was called to the throne. As long as Charles lived Sigismund never veutnrod to renew hie claims to the throne of Sweden ; but, upon his death, when he saw a youth of eaveriteen upon the throne, he thought that ho should have an easy game against so inexperienced an adversary. Accord ingly ho invaded Sweden, and laid claim to the crown for his son Ladislaus, then a minor; but this war only served to develop the brilliant qualities of Gila:WU& lie fought successfully against the Czar of Russia. the ally of Sigismund, and also against Sigismund himself, until, by the mediation of England and lIollaud, a peace was concluded in 1629, upon the most advantageous terms for Adolphus. A great part of Livonia, and the important town of Riga, were on this occasion annexed to the territory of Sweden. Those warlike exploits of the youthful king had drawn upon him the attention of all Europe, and it is not surprising that the eyes of the persecuted Protestants of Germany, who sighed under the tyranny of Ferdi nand II. and the barbarous sword of his field-marshal Tilly, should have been directed towards the Swedish monarch for help and protec tion. The zeal of Gustavus Adolphus for the Protestant religion, and hie compassion, excited by the almost unparalleled cruelties perpe trated upon the persecuted Protestants of Bohemia, were powerful motives for inducing him to aid the German Protestants in their resistance to Austria. But Gustavus felt the truth of the principle, that foreign intervention in the affairs of a country, though certainly welcome in it time of need, is, on that very account, ultimately diugrecable and oven hateful. For this reason he printed a declara tion, in which he eudeavoured to prove to all Europe that he was not moved to the invasion of Germany by ally improper desire to inter meddle in German affairs, but on account of the enmity already shown towards himself on the part of Austria. In particular he instanced the assistance given by this power to his enemies during the Polish war, and maintained that Austria had violated the territories of Sweden by entering them wall hostile troops.
In pursuance of this declaration of war Gustavus Adolphus lauded in Pomerania on the 24th Juno 1630. When he entered the mouth of the Oder his little squadron bore only sixteen troops of cavalry and a few regiments of foot, which altogether amounted to not more than 8000 men. With this small force however he made himself master of the islands of Usedom and Wollin, and pressed Bogislav, the duke of Pomerania, so warmly, that he was compelled to agree to a treaty by which the town of Stettin was put in possession of the conqueror, and the whole country placed at his disposal.
The army of Guetavus was reinforced by the arrival of six English (or rather Scottish) regiments, under the conduct of the Doke of Hamilton, and he provided himself with money by raising a contri bution of 50,000 rix-dollars in Pomerania. The fortress of Wolgast,
which fell into his hands, furnished him with arms and ammunition, of which latter be began to be in much want.. He next made himself master of the towns of Ancient and Stolpe, and thus opened for him self a road into the province of Mecklenburg. The attack of the Austrians under General Glitz on the Pomeranian town of Pascwalk, and the frightful cruelties perpetrated upon the inhabitants so near the Swedish army, exasperated the troops to the highest degree. Gustavus now resolved to prosecute his cautpaigu with increased vigour. lie divided his force into four parts. One division, under the Duke of Lauenbnrg, was ordered to the relief of Magdeburg ; General Bauditz was sent to make an attack upon Kolberg ; Horn was left with • garrison in Stettin; and Gustavus Adolphus himself encamped at Ribbenitz in the duchy of Mecklenburg. While lying there he received a letter written by the Emperor Ferdinand, coutain ing proposals for peace, in which he made the most advantageous offers to the Swedish king, including the possession of Pomerania. Gustavus however replied that he had not entered Germany for his own aggrandisement, but to protect his fellow-Proteetants. Ile there fore rejected these proposals and continued to make himself master of the towns, and fortresses of Pomerania and Mecklenburg. By the end of February 1631, in the course of only eight months, he had already taken eighty fortified places; but the towns of Rostock and Wismar yet remained in the hands of his enemies. The emperor beginning to feel the danger which threatened hint from Pomerania, sent against him Field-Marshal Tilly, at the head of the Imperial army. With varying fortunes Gustavus and Tilly struggled for vie tory ; the Swedes suffered many defeats ; yet the success which usually attended the arms of Tilly seemed to abaudou him after he had delivered up the inhabitants of the town of Magdeburg to be plundered and murdered by his infuriated soldiers. The army of Gustavus pressed forward into the heart of North Germany. His forces continually increased, and the persecuted Protestants hastened to join his staudard. Ilia generals also, who had been acting sepa rately, were victorious. Colberg, Werben, Kiiuigeberg, fell into the hands of the Swedes; General Pappenhoim, whom Tilly had despatched with four regiments to protect Prussia, suffered a decisive defeat near 3Iagdeburg ; and Gustavus, collecting all his forces together, marched into the territories of the Elector of Saxony. On the 1st of August 1631, the Swedish army encamped near \Yittemberg, where Gustavus received Count Arnheim, the ambassador of the elector. Through him a treaty was quickly concluded, by which the Saxon dominions were opened to the king of Sweden, and the whole military power of the electorate placed under his command; while nt the same time the elector promised to provide the army with ammunition and provision, and to conclude no peace with Austria without the consent of the king of Sweden. Immediately on concluding this treaty Gustavua prepared to encounter Tilly, who had advanced agaiust him to Eil maraehen. On the 7th of September 1631 they met on the plains of Leipzig. The collected force of the king of Sweden, to which the Saxou troops under Arnheim were joined, nmouuted to about 40,000 men ; Tilly's army was somewhat more numerous. The victory was long doubtful between the two contending armies, led by two of tho greatest military commanders of their time ; but the enthusiasm of the Swedes, animated by the eloquence as well as the example of their heroic king, at length overpowered the Imperial troops, who fought only for fame or plunder. Tilly's defeat was complete; more than a third of his army remained upon the field of battle, and the remainder owed their safety to his firmness and military talents, which were displayed in a most difficult and admirably conducted retreat.