The influence of the Swedish Empire on Europe

16 18 ~ 1648 The Thirty Years War was a landmark international war, which spanned Europe from the Middle Ages to the modern society, from feudalism to capitalism. During these 30 years, wars have spread all over Germany, and there have been expeditions between Protestant rulers and Catholic countries. At the same time, European countries from Iberia to Scandinavia, from the British Isles to the Apennines were directly or indirectly involved in this war. Sweden, located on the Baltic coast of northern Europe, as a pivotal country at that time, failed to stay out of it and actively participated in this vigorous European civil war.

Sweden's involvement in this religious war from Germany has profound and complicated roots, Gustav? Sweden under Adolf II has its own established strategic goals and specific practical needs. Sweden's participation in the war, especially its accession to the Protestant League, has had a significant effect and far-reaching influence on the deductive situation of the battlefield and the development trend of the war. The post-war pattern adjustment and benefit distribution also show the great value and long-term significance of Sweden's participation in the war for its own national development and changes in regional international relations.

I. Thirty Years' War and Swedish Intervention

16 ~ 17 century, the most important and influential event in European political trend, social development and historical interpretation was the religious reform. Indeed, it originated from Martin? The vibration of Luther 15 17' s arm turned Europe upside down, and the unity of Roman Catholicism ceased to exist. Protestantism sects known as "heresies" have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and Lutheranism, Calvinism and Baptistism all appear in black and pink, eager to seek a place in the "changed world". This caused extremely serious sectarian disputes in the following centuries, especially the confrontation, contradiction, friction and conflict between Protestantism, which represents the religious reform forces, and Catholicism, which symbolizes the anti-religious reform forces, and ruled the European world after16th century.

What is striking and impressive is that in Germany, the birthplace of the religious reform, religious disputes are extremely fierce, mixed with the competition for economic interests and the game of political power. Long-term conflicts and struggles have made Protestantism and Catholicism tend to collectivize, which has intensified the opposition and hostility between the two sides. First, 1608 In May, the German Protestant vassal states such as Wü rttemberg, Baden and ansbach formed a Protestant Union, and elected Friedrich IV der Aufrichtige, the elector of Baladin, as the leader. This is a political and military alliance composed of public funds and the army, trying to consolidate its independent position and safeguard its territory occupied in the process of religious reform. It is supported by Britain, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, the Netherlands and France. Correspondingly, in July of 1609, the Catholic League headed by maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria, was established to confront the Protestant League as a close political and military alliance. It was supported by the Holy See and the Habsburg Empire of Spain.

The confrontation between the two groups is not only reflected in the corner of the situation in Germany, but also in all aspects of European political development, and finally leads to the bottomless abyss of violence and the fanaticism of war. 16 18 in may, with the sound of "throwing out the window" coming from Prague, the sound of gunfire and killings in Germany and continental Europe lasted for 30 years. Ferdinand II, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and a fanatical Catholic, seized the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and took the lead in launching the war. His goal is very clear, that is, to restore the unity of the Roman church, get rid of Protestantism, and establish the empire's dominant position over the central European princes. [2] This is not allowed by Protestantism in any case, so war is inevitable.

The war first started in Bohemia plain, and then went deep into every corner of Germany, and the spillover effect gradually appeared. With the continuous military victory of the Catholic League and the restoration of politics and religion, the war finally became "Europeanized" and became an international war. The landmark event was 1624, when Danish troops crossed the border into Germany. The Thirty Years' War was actually a religious war between Catholicism and Protestantism all over Europe, and it was also a political power war that swept through most European countries. [3] Denmark participated in the war with the ardent expectations of German Protestant governors, financial subsidies from Protestant countries such as Britain, and strong support from France, which is committed to anti-Habsburg hegemony. But the commander-in-chief of Denmark, Christian IV, is no match for the excellent commander-in-chief of the Catholic League, wallenstein and Tilly. After all, the Danish army is not an equal opponent of the imperial army. 1in June, 629, the tactics of "Lubeck Peace Treaty" sent the Danish army and their king back to jutland.

With the failure of Denmark, this is a great declaration of unity initiated by Catholic groups, and it is also an aggressive hegemonic frenzy set off by the Habsburg Empire in Europe. Looking at the European political situation at this time, the German Protestant Union is dying, Denmark is dying, and the Netherlands is unable to cope. Britain, which is alone outside the mainland, is busy with complex domestic affairs, and France, which actively supports the fight against the Habsburg Empire, is also facing domestic and foreign troubles and has no time to take care of it. In this case, the Protestant countries in Germany can only regard Sweden in northern Europe as their only hope. [4]48 At this time, Sweden had just finished its long-term war with Poland and Lithuania. (1) Gustav, who is known as the "Northern Lion"? Adolf II led the well-equipped, well-trained and brave Swedish army into Germany.

Sweden sent troops to intervene, which greatly changed the situation on the German battlefield and saved Protestantism from extinction. The war is repeated, and the situation is even more ups and downs. First of all, Sweden won a series of victories on the battlefield, and the German Protestant rulers also actively supported the actions of the Swedish army. So, in 1632, Gustav? Adolf II was killed in the battlefield of Luzen, and dramatic events emerged one after another. However, until 1635, the war was still in a stalemate, and the actions of the Swedish army did not change the situation on the German battlefield. They fell into a helpless situation-at this time, most German Protestant governors publicly betrayed Sweden.

In the face of this unfavorable situation, France, which has always supported the Protestant Alliance behind its back, has come to the front openly. 1635, successively allied with Protestant countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden, and sent troops against the Catholic Union. After more than ten years of fighting and confrontation, we finally defeated the Catholic League and signed the Treaty of Westphalia, and the Thirty Years' War finally came to an end.

Second, the reasons why Sweden participated in the Thirty Years' War

The dispute and conflict between the Protestant League and the Catholic League in Germany, which was originally an internal affair of Germany, caused international intervention and the intervention of external forces. Fundamentally speaking, it is a strategic investment made by countries based on their own political calculations, religious pursuits, economic considerations and other interests. As one of the intervening countries, Sweden's participation in the Thirty Years' War also has its universality and particularity, including religious fastidiousness, political imagination and pursuit of commercial interests. (1) Save the "great cause" of Protestantism and promote Sweden's participation in the war.

The Thirty Years' War was originally caused by sectarian disputes between Protestantism and Catholicism in Germany, and it was very religious. As a Protestant country, Sweden decided to send troops to Germany to save its Protestant companions after seeing the fiasco of the German Protestant Union and the slaughter and slavery of Protestants.

In the historical period before 1 1 century, Sweden believed in the ancient primitive fetishism in northern Europe. Later, with the introduction of Christianity, the whole country gradually realized Christianization, and primitive religion was also banned. 1523, Sweden, which was independent from Denmark, decided to get rid of Catholicism, convert to Lutheran Protestantism, and expel the archbishop of Swedish Catholicism. 1527, Sweden completely confiscated all the property of Catholicism, destroyed the economic pillar of the church and eliminated its political radiation and powerful influence. 1544, Sweden established Protestantism as the state religion, which led to fundamental changes in the national historical development process, domestic religious layout, ideological trend and lifestyle of Sweden. The restoration conspiracy, subversion and destruction of Catholicism have been going on, which has also led Sweden to decide to completely eliminate the existence and influence of Catholicism. From 1607, King Carl IX of Sweden issued an order prohibiting people from believing in Catholicism. Offenders will be severely punished and the ban will last for more than 200 years.

It can be said that Protestantism is the foundation of Swedish national independence, existence and maintenance, and it is a major source of legitimacy for Sweden's founding. The European Catholic Union's attack on Protestantism, especially the Habsburg Empire's plan to restore Catholic unity in an all-round way and its military forces pushing in the direction of Northern Europe, posed a great threat to Sweden. 1629, Ferdinand II promulgated the Restoration Act, which stipulated that Protestant governors should return all the religious property occupied after 1552 to the Catholic Church. [5] The strong religious restoration is a pressure and threat to Sweden, a devout Protestant country, in terms of belief system, living environment and power system. Moreover, it is a natural strategic choice to shut the threat out of the country. What's more, this international strategic action will also receive material and spiritual support from Protestant countries in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as strong assistance from Catholic France.

(b) The strategic vision of Baltic political hegemony is helpful for Sweden to participate in the war.

The Baltic Sea is a semi-closed marginal sea in northern Europe, connecting a series of countries in Central Europe, Northern Europe and Eastern Europe respectively, and its strategic position is extremely important. During most of the 15 ~ 17 century, the countries along the Baltic Sea, mainly Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Russia and North Germany, fought for the dominance and control of the Baltic Sea.

As a Nordic power, Sweden naturally regards Baltic hegemony as an important goal of its national strategy. This hegemonic position means Sweden's first-class political and military position, superior commercial advantages and religious discourse right in the Baltic region. /kloc-At the beginning of the 0/7th century, the actual situation was that Sweden's hegemonic position was far from being obtained, and it was facing a more sinister geopolitical situation. Denmark in the west blocked its access to western Europe, Russia threatened its expansion from the east, and Poland put pressure on Sweden from the south. [1] 38161~1613 Sweden was forced to give up part of its territory because of the unfavorable war. 1614 ~1615 won a great victory in the war with Russia, which blocked Russia's dream of going west to the Baltic Sea.

After the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, Sweden is still competing with Denmark, Poland and other countries for land along the Baltic Sea. With the deepening of the Thirty Years' War, especially with the continuous victory of the Habsburg Empire, Sweden, which gained some gains in the Baltic War, signed an armistice agreement with Poland and other countries to fully cope with the Thirty Years' War. This is because if Sweden wants to achieve Baltic hegemony, it must bring the northern part of Germany on the south bank of the Baltic Sea into its sphere of influence and push eastward to the Polish border. The victory of the Catholic League and its wanton northward advance dealt a heavy blow to Sweden's hegemonic conspiracy. It has become an important part of Sweden's strategic policy to contain and defeat the pace and plan of Habsburg Empire's northward advance. Therefore, from the point of view of competing for hegemony in the Baltic Sea, Sweden's participation in the Thirty Years' War has its offensive and aggressive side. (2)

(c) Commercial interests prompted Sweden to participate in the war.

The Thirty Years' War was a religious war, but it was by no means just a religious war. With the evolution and development of the war, the religious color in the early war gradually faded, and the secular considerations gradually overwhelmed the religious and spiritual elements at this time. [6] The consideration of commercial and trade interests played an important role in the international behavior and diplomatic planning of various countries, and had an important impact on Sweden's participation in the Thirty Years' War.

First of all, foreign trade plays an important role in Sweden's national economic life, and the role of the Baltic Sea in foreign trade is obvious. After the victory of one war after another, the Habsburg Empire became more arrogant and ambitious, and put forward the Habsburg maritime design with the intention of monopolizing all trade and commercial privileges in the Baltic region. If this plan is implemented, Sweden's foreign trade will be blocked or controlled by the Habsburg Empire, and its domestic economic life will be in disorder and chaos, even threatening Sweden's survival and independence.

Secondly, the Habsburg Ocean Plan will also threaten Sweden's fishery interests in the Baltic Sea. As a marginal sea, the Baltic Sea is rich in fishery resources and is an important livelihood of coastal countries. Sweden's fishery interests in the Baltic Sea are great, and fishery has always been an important part of Sweden's national economic life, accounting for a large proportion of national output. This marine plan of Habsburg Empire is bound to have a strong impact on Sweden's fishery in the Baltic Sea and affect Sweden's related economic interests, which Sweden cannot tolerate.

In addition, Britain, the Netherlands and other western European trading powers cannot tolerate the implementation of the Habsburg Ocean Plan. Commercial trade between Britain, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe is mainly conducted through the Baltic Sea. In the face of the maritime plan of Habsburg Empire, the consensus of all countries is to ensure the opening of the Baltic Sea and free trade in coastal areas. [7] Therefore, the alliance of Protestant countries was formed on the basis of religious identity and trade consistency, and finally buried the arrogant Habsburg Ocean Plan.

Third, the influence of Sweden's participation in the Thirty Years' War.

Sweden's participation in the Thirty Years' War played an important role in the development and deduction of this war, and Sweden's participation in the war also had a far-reaching impact on Sweden's post-war national status and European pattern. It can be said that Sweden's participation in the war is of great significance and pluralistic value to Sweden, the Baltic region and even the whole European international relations.

(1) Sweden's participation in the war changed the deduction situation and development trend of the German battlefield.

1629 defeated Denmark, which indicates that the power of the Catholic League has reached its peak and the balance of power in Germany has collapsed. The intervention of Sweden and the landing of Swedish troops changed all this. As the most advanced military power in Europe at that time, Sweden's participation in the war directly affected the course of the Thirty Years' War. [4]50

First of all, during the period of 1630 ~ 1635, Sweden alone supported the important task and great cause of the Protestant world against the Catholic League and the Habsburg Empire. 1630, Denmark retreated to jutland, Britain and the Netherlands were powerless, France fell into domestic political chaos, and the Protestant countries in the German world were silent. The Catholic army led by Tilly and Wallenstein is invincible, and it seems invincible. Sweden's participation in the war changed this development trend, Gustav? Adolf II's army wiped out Tilly's army, 183 1, in September, and then swept the Rhine River valley and captured most of the northwestern part of Germany. Sweden's action prevented the Catholic army from advancing northward and kept Protestant territory in northern Europe. Secondly, during the period of 1635 ~ 1648, Sweden went to war with France, persisted in fighting against the Catholic Habsburg Empire, and finally won. 1635, France, which had been holding a wait-and-see attitude before, officially entered the war when Sweden was unable to overwhelm the Catholic League alone. Sweden and France cooperated with each other and adhered to the principle of confrontation. After a series of battles and hardships, they finally defeated the troops of the Catholic Union at 1648 and won the final victory of this long war.

It can be said that Sweden's participation in the war was an important factor in the development of the thirty-year war situation and the victory of the anti-Habsburg alliance. Although like Alexander and Gustav? Adolf II died before his great achievements were realized. [8] But the great cause of Protestantism has been saved after all, and Sweden's major interests and specific goals have also been realized.

(B) the huge impact of Sweden's participation in the war on the post-war regional pattern

Sweden participated in the 30-year war and finally won the war. In the Peace Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the war, Sweden, as a victorious country, won quite a lot of trophies, which profoundly affected Sweden's national development and the change of power pattern in the Baltic region.

On the territorial boundary, Sweden acquired the whole of West Pomerania and part of East Pomerania, as well as two parishes of Szczecin, Bremen and Feilden, controlled the most important ports along the Baltic Sea and North Sea, such as Hamburg, and occupied the estuaries of all navigable rivers in northern Germany, such as Elbe River, Wesee River and Oder River. This makes the Baltic Sea become the "inner lake" of Sweden, and Sweden has also become the hegemon of the Baltic Sea, and neighboring countries such as North Germany, Denmark, Russia, Poland and Finland are all under its influence.

On the political and diplomatic level, Sweden, as one of the major wars, has become the main guarantor of the Peace Treaty of Westphalia, and its international status and influence have been greatly improved. Through this guarantor status, Sweden actively intervened in European international politics, and then continuously intervened in international disputes in Europe and participated in various national wars in Western Europe. In this process, Sweden's status as a powerful country has been recognized by other countries, and its role as a powerful country has been valued by other countries.

On the economic level, Sweden, as the victorious party, obtained certain war compensation and promoted the national economic development. The Peace Treaty of Westphalia stipulated that the defeated country should pay 5 million calendar years of military compensation to Sweden, which became an emergency fund for Sweden after a long war. At the same time, Sweden has carried out various reforms after the war, and the country's economic outlook has undergone great changes. The cultivated land area has increased rapidly, taking Narcay Province as an example, which can increase by about 4% ~ 5% every year. With the further development of industry and mining, the output of iron has more than doubled from 1940s to 1980s. [9]

Four. conclusion

Thirty years is the first international war involving many European countries in Europe, which lasted for many years and had far-reaching influence. Sweden took the initiative to intervene in this war for many reasons. As a Protestant country, Sweden cannot tolerate the arbitrary persecution and unreasonable oppression of Protestant clansmen by the Catholic Habsburg Empire. As a Baltic country, Sweden must eliminate all actions and policies that threaten its hegemonic dream, including the attempts of the Habsburg Empire. As a sea power country, Sweden regards trade as the foundation of the country and commerce as the lifeline, and the Habsburg Ocean Plan has become a stumbling block to free trade. Sweden's participation in the war also greatly changed the development trend of the war and changed the state that was not conducive to the Protestant Union. At the same time, Sweden's participation in the war and its complete victory have also had a great impact on its international status, national strength and regional pattern changes.