Through-out history, the world has seen the rise and fall of hundreds upon hundreds of
empires, and in that history as well, nations that today are rather small and minor on a
global scale, may very well have been a great power in its history.
One such example is that of the Swedish Empire, an empire that lasted little more then a century,
reaching its epix in the middle of its existence, so, How did this small state, become one of
the strongest empires in Europe?
For that, we need some history.
Alright, before that.
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We'll start by looking at the Kalmar Union.
The Kalmar Union was a union between the crowns of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway from its establishment
in 1397 until disolvement in 1521.
This was supposed to be a personal, rather then a political union, but Norway and Sweden
were largely left to the whim of the Danish politically, as they were the strongest partner
of the union.
This was further compounded when the Norwegian nobility was largely wiped out by the black
death, and the power in the union was largely between Denmark and Sweden.
The Danish monarch often wanted to consolidate the nation making it more unified internally.
However, the nobility of each state wanted the opposite, so an internal struggle between
the wills of the nobility and the monarch undermined stability in the union.
This, combined with costly wars against trading partners in North Germany, which had the union
on the losing side, constant tax raises, diverging interests, and a shift towards Danish dominance,
set in motion a series of revolts by the Swedes which ended with full independence in 1523.
Soon after its independence, Sweden was able to gradually consolidate and centralize unlike
its neighbors.
Now, how were they able to do this?
Two reasons: First, Sweden had never been a feudal state.
At the turn of the 16th century, the free-holding Swedish peasants amounted to 62% of the population
and owned around 52% of the arable land.
The nobility held only 22% of this land, while the rest was largely split between Merchants,
clergy, and other classes.
Swedish peasants, compared to continental serfs were relativity well-off, as well as
motivated, and able to fight for their rights and violently resisted any attempt to enserf
them or encroach on their rights � this also included representation in the riskdag,
the Swedish estates parliament.
This was further helped by the Danes who, due to the actions known as the Stockholm
bloodbath, not only ended a century long civil war between the Swedish nobility, but largely
forced support towards Gustav Vasa.
Gustav was able to cancel a good portion of national debt, by taking the majority of the
churches tithes in the nation, while also slowly trying to implement the spread of the
reformation across Sweden, without officially breaking with Rome.
The tithes collecting and the slow spread of reformation.
Caused around a dozen peasant rebellions from the 1520's to the 1540's.
The largest of which being the Dacke War in 1542.
Sweden was also able to benefit from the weakening of it's immediate neighbors.
The Hansa was weakened from outside conflict and the Danish were embroiled in a civil war.
During this time, Gustav was able to develop a very effective administration, which would
stay a massive advantage for centuries.
Sweden is ahead of most of the world in using its resources effectively.
The nobility was not strong enough to resist, and became administrators and officers for
the state, rather than states within the state as in many other nations.
Gustav also forced through an inventory of all land in the nation I.E who owned it, how
productive it was and thus how much tax was owed on it.
This, combined with the nation being rich with natural resources, access to copper and
silver, and most of the peasants being well enough off and being able to grow some kind
of cash crops, allowed for a coin-based economy to replace bartering earlier than in other
nations, further increasing the effectiveness of the economy.
Sweden found itself surrounded by averse or hostile states.
Denmark-Norway, was understandablly, still a bit miffed at an independent Sweden, especially
once Danish attempts to gain influence in the Livonian Order were thwarted.
Russia the east had long fought over settlements in Finland against Swedish settlers, especially
once the Swedes got involved in Livonia and Estonia by the mid 1550's.
To the South.
Poland was eyeing the Swedish Baltic trade domination, and wished to take-over that profitable
market.
Potential allies in North Germany from the various duchies and free cities, also proofed
to be futile.
While still in a tense relation with the Danes, the waring between the new Danish union and
the North Germans had largely ended, and instead, the Swedes were in massive debt to many of
these states, with one in particular, the free city of Lubeck, Holding roughly 60% of
the remaining debt from the Liberation War, and they intended to make sure that the debt
was paid off.
To this end, the Danes, Lubeckians, and the Poles.
Allied together to try and take out Sweden once and for all.
This timing was perfect too, as war was raging over in Russia in the 30 year long Livonian
war, a war which surprisingly.
All of these combatants, as well as the swedes, were allies in.
After a seven year long war, the war ended with a status quo, but, officially dissolving
the Kalmar Union.
The first major action against Sweden had failed, and it would only get tougher from
this point on.
Sweden got Estonia from the crumbling Livonian Confederacy and gained the important trading
city of Reval, to go with Viborg on the opposing side of the Bay of Finland.
The nation would come under a personal Union with Poland near the end of the 16th century,
as Sigismund Vasa the third, being crowned as the king of Sweden in 1592, and has a regency
council, take his spot in ruling over Sweden itself.
Religious tensions would boil over shortly though, as Sigismund would try to force through
a number of Catholic churches and Catholic policies into Sweden, much to the agrin of
the Swedish nobility and general public.
Duke Charles would rage a rebellion, after Sigismund ended up pusedo-forcing him to resign
in 1597.
The rebellion again Poland would last for just a few months, with Sigismund losing the
war, largely due to the lack of noble support within Sweden.
Duke Charles would end up accepting the Swedish crown in 1604.
From here, Sweden would see a massive amount of military victories for the next number
of years.
In the Ingrian War against Russia in the early 17th century, Sweden captured Ingria and the
mouth of the Neva river, which meant that almost all trade to and from Russia had to
go through Swedish tolls, creating a major source of income for the Swedish state.
From Campaigns against the Poles and Russians through-out the early 17th century Gustav
Adolf the second adopted a new form of shock cavalry and created the first light mobile
artillery as well as refined infantry tactics.
After this, Sweden ran the rest of the 17th century nearly at constant war.
Using the loot, and pillaging enemy lands to keep its economy going.
This was helped by regular French subsidy, especially during the thirty years war.
The start of the Swedish Empire is generally created to this time, more so when they beat
the Danish and Norwegians in the Tostenson War in 1645 gaining the provinces of J�mtland,
H�rjedalen(Hay-ra-dol-in), Gotland, Saaremaa and Halland from the weaking nordic power.
And, following the end of the thirty years war in 1648, Silesia and Pomerania would be
added to the Swedish fold.
Yet.
The Swedes would not be done in their quest for expansion.
In 1655, the nation would wage a 5 year long war against the Poles, with it eventually
expanding to include most of Eastern Europe.
From this war, while the Swedish American colonies would be lost.
The Swedes would expand to their largest territorial apex that the nation would have.
Annexing the provinces of Scania, Halland, Blekinge, Bohusl�n and Ven.
Yet.