The Swedish Revolution Under Gustavus Vasa

CHAPTER I.. Childhood and Youth of Gustavus Vasa. 1496-1513.

CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH OF GUSTAVUS VASA. 1496-1513. PAGE Birth of Gustavus.--His Ancestors.--Anarchy in Sweden.--Its Causes: Former Independence of the People; Growth of Christianity; Growth of the Aristocracy; the Cabinet; Enslavement of Sweden; Revolt of the People against Denmark.--Christiern I.--Sten Sture.--Hans.--Svante Sture.--Sten Sture the Younger.--Childhood of Gustavus.--His Education at Upsala 1

CHAPTER II.. First Military Adventures of Gustavus;

FIRST MILITARY ADVENTURES OF GUSTAVUS; A PRISONER IN DENMARK. 1514-1519.

Description of Stockholm.--Christina Gyllenstjerna.--Hemming Gad.--Christiern II.--Gustaf Trolle.--Dissension between Sten Sture and Gustaf Trolle.--Siege of Staeket.--First Expedition of Christiern II. against Sweden.--Trial of the Archbishop.--Arcimboldo.--Second Expedition of Christiern II. against Sweden.--Capture of Gustavus Vasa.--Resignation of the Archbishop.--Hostilities of Christiern II.--Farewell of Arcimboldo. 28

CHAPTER III.. Flight of Gustavus; Uprising of the

FLIGHT OF GUSTAVUS; UPRISING OF THE DALESMEN. 1519-1521.

Escape of Gustavus from Denmark.--Lubeck.--Return of Gustavus to Sweden.--Excommunication of Sture.--Invasion of Sweden.--Death of Sture.--Dissolution of the Swedish Army.--Heroism of Christina.--Battle of Upsala.--Gustavus at Kalmar.--Fall of Stockholm.--Coronation of Christiern II.--Slaughter of the Swedes.--Flight of Gustavus to Dalarne.--Efforts to rouse the Dalesmen.--Gustavus chosen Leader. 59

CHAPTER IV.. War of Independence; Election of Gustavus

WAR OF INDEPENDENCE; ELECTION OF GUSTAVUS TO THE THRONE. 1521-1523.

Causes of the War.--Character of the Dalesmen.--Growth of the Patriot Army.--Didrik Slagheck.--Battle of Koeping.--Capture of Vesteras; of Upsala.--Skirmish with Trolle.--Skirmishes near Stockholm.--Siege of Stegeborg.--Norby.--Rensel.--Brask.--Progress of the War.--Coinage of Gustavus.--Christiern's Troubles in Denmark.--Siege of Stockholm.--Fall of Kalmar.--Diet of Strengnaes.--Fall of Stockholm.--Retrospect of the War. 90

CHAPTER V.. Beginnings of the Reformation. 1523-1524.

BEGINNINGS OF THE REFORMATION. 1523-1524.

Nature of the Reformation in Europe.--Cause of the Reformation in Sweden.--The Debt to Lubeck.--Riches of the Church.--Relations of Gustavus to the Pope.--Johannes Magni.--New Taxation.--Dissension among the People.--Opposition of Gustavus to the Pope.--Trial of Peder Sunnanvaeder.--Expedition against Gotland.--Repudiation of the "Klippings."--Berent von Mehlen.--Negotiations between Fredrik and Norby.--Congress of Malmoe.--Efforts to appease the People.--Lutheranism.--Olaus Petri.--Laurentius Andreae.--Brask's Efforts to repress Heresy.--Religious Tendencies of Gustavus.--Character of Brask. 118

CHAPTER VI.. Religious Discord and Civil War. 1524-1525.

RELIGIOUS DISCORD AND CIVIL WAR. 1524-1525.

Riot of the Anabaptists.--Contest between Olaus Petri and Peder Galle.--Marriage of Petri.--Conspiracy of Norby; of Christina Gyllenstjerna; of Mehlen; of Sunnanvaeder.--Attitude of Fredrik to Gustavus.--Proposition of Gustavus to resign the Crown.--Norby's Incursion into Bleking.--Surrender of Visby.--Flight of Mehlen.--Fall of Kalmar. 165

CHAPTER VII.. Dealings with Foreign Powers. 1525-1527.

DEALINGS WITH FOREIGN POWERS. 1525-1527.

Negotiations between Fredrik and Gustavus.--Treachery of Norby.--Sunnanvaeder and the Cabinet of Norway.--Overthrow and Death of Norby.--Trial and Execution of Knut and Sunnanvaeder.--Debt to Lubeck.--Treaty with Russia; with the Netherlands.--Dalarne and the Lubeck Envoys.--Swedish Property in Denmark.--Province of Viken.--Refugees in Norway. 190

CHAPTER VIII.. Internal Administration. 1525-1527.

INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION. 1525-1527.

Nature of the Period.--Translation of the Bible.--Quarrel between the King and Brask.--Opposition to the Monasteries.--High-handed Measures of the King.--Second Disputation between Petri and Galle.--Opposition to Luther's Teaching.--Banishment of Magni.--Further Opposition to the Monasteries.--Revolt of the Dalesmen.--Diet of Vesteras.--"Vesteras Recess."--"Vesteras Ordinantia."--Fall of Brask; his Flight; his Character. 220

CHAPTER IX.. Coronation of the King. 1528.

CORONATION OF THE KING. 1528.

Reasons for Delay of the Coronation.--Preparations for the Ceremony.--Consecration of the Bishops.--Coronation Festival.--Retrospect of the Revolution.--Character of Gustavus. 268

BIBLIOGRAPHY 277

INDEX 293

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE Seal of Bishop Brask. Bears the inscription: S[IGILLVM] IOHIS DEI GRA EPI[SCOPI] LINCOPENSIS 103

"Klipping" issued by Gustavus Vasa in 1521 or 1522. On one side, the bust of a man in armor. On the other, crowns and arrows, with the inscription: ERISO 107

Medal struck in commemoration of the deliverance of Sweden in 1522. On one side, a half-length figure of Gustavus Vasa, with the date 1522 and the inscription: GVSTAF ERICSEN G[VBERNATOR] R S[VECIAE]. On the other, crowns and arrows, with the inscription: PROTEGE NOS IESV 116

Coin issued in Stockholm in 1522. On one side, the inscription: GOSTA ERI SO 1522, and in the centre, G[VBERNATOR]. On the other, a crown, with the inscription: MONET STOKHOLM[ENSIS] 122

Coin issued in Stockholm in 1522. On one side, a full-length figure, with the inscription: S[ANCTVS] ERICVS REX SWECIEI. On the other, crowns and arrows, with the inscription: MONE STOKHOLM[ENSIS] 1522 122

Coin issued in Stockholm in 1522 or 1523. On one side, three crowns, with the inscription: S[ANCTVS] ERICVS REX SVE. On the other, the inscription: MONETA STOCHO[LMENSIS] 122

Coin issued in Upsala in 1523. On one side, a bust with arrows and sheaves of corn, and the inscription: S[ANCTVS] ERICVS REX SWECIE. On the other, three crowns, with the inscription: MONE NOVA VPSAL[ENSIS] 1523 123

Coin issued in Vesteras in 1523. On one side, a crown, with the inscription: GOST REX SWECIE. On the other, three crowns, with the inscription: MONE NOVA WESTAR[OSIENSIS] 123

Coin issued at the coronation of Gustavus Vasa in 1528. On one side, a full-length figure of the king, with crown, sword, and sceptre, and the inscription: GOSTAVS D G[RACIA] SVECORVM REX. On the other, the inscription: MONET NOVA STOKOL[MENSIS] 1528 272

THE SWEDISH REVOLUTION.

CHAPTER I.. Childhood and Youth of Gustavus Vasa. 1496-1513.

CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH OF GUSTAVUS VASA. 1496-1513.

Birth of Gustavus.--His Ancestors.--Anarchy in Sweden.--Its Causes: Former Independence of the People; Growth of Christianity; Growth of the Aristocracy; the Cabinet; Enslavement of Sweden; Revolt of the People against Denmark.--Christiern I.--Sten Sture.--Hans.--Svante Sture.--Sten Sture the Younger.--Childhood of Gustavus.--His Education at Upsala.

The manor of Lindholm lies in the centre of a smiling district about twenty miles north of the capital of Sweden. Placed on a height between two fairy lakes, it commands a wide and varied prospect over the surrounding country. The summit of this height was crowned, at the close of the fifteenth century, by a celebrated mansion. Time and the ravages of man have long since thrown this mansion to the ground; but its foundation, overgrown with moss and fast crumbling to decay, still marks the site of the ancient structure, and from the midst of the ruins rises a rough-hewn stone bearing the name Gustavus Vasa. On this spot he was born, May 12, 1496. The estate was then the property of his grandmother, Sigrid Baner, with whom his mother was temporarily residing, and there is no reason to think it continued long the home of the young Gustavus.

The family from which Gustavus sprang had been, during nearly a hundred years, one of the foremost families of Sweden. Its coat-of-arms consisted of a simple vase, or bundle of sticks; and the Vasa estate, at one time the residence of his ancestors, lay only about ten miles to the north of Lindholm. The first Vasa of whom anything is definitely known is Kristiern Nilsson, the great-grandfather of Gustavus. This man became noted in the early part of the fifteenth century as an ardent monarchist, and under Erik held the post of chancellor. After the fall of his master, in 1436, his office was taken from him, but he continued to battle for the cause of royalty until his death. Of the chancellor's three sons, the two eldest followed zealously in the footsteps of their father. The other, Johan Kristersson, though in early life a stanch supporter of King Christiern, and one of the members of his Cabinet, later married a sister of Sten Sture, and eventually embraced the Swedish cause. Birgitta, the wife of Johan Kristersson, is said to have been descended from the ancient Swedish kings. The youngest son of Johan and Birgitta was Erik Johansson, the father of Gustavus. Of Erik's early history we know little more than that he married Cecilia, daughter of Magnus Karlsson and Sigrid Baner, and settled at Rydboholm, an estate which he inherited from his father. To this place, beautifully situated on an arm of the Baltic, about ten miles northeast of the capital, Cecilia returned with her little boy from Lindholm; and here Gustavus spent the first years of his childhood.

Sweden at this period was in a state of anarchy. In order to appreciate the exact condition of affairs, it will be necessary to cast a glance at some political developments that had gone before. Sweden was originally a confederation of provinces united solely for purposes of defence. Each province was divided into several counties, which were constituted in the main alike. Every inhabitant--if we except the class of slaves, which was soon abolished--was either a landowner or a tenant. The tenants were freemen who owned no land of their own, and hence rented the land of others. All landowners possessed the same rights, though among them were certain men of high birth, who through their large inheritances were much more influential than the rest. Matters concerning the inhabitants of one county only were regulated by the county assemblies, to which all landowners in the county, and none others, were admitted. These assemblies were called and presided over by the county magistrate, elected by general vote at some previous assembly. All law cases arising in the county were tried before the assembly, judgment being passed, with consent of the assembly, by the county magistrate, who was expected to know and expound the traditional law of his county. Questions concerning the inhabitants of more than one county were regulated by the provincial assemblies, composed of all landowners in the province, and presided over by the provincial magistrate, elected by all the landowners in his province. The power of the provincial magistrate in the province was similar to that of the county magistrate in the county; and to his judgment, with consent of the assembly, lay an appeal from every decision of the county magistrates. Above all the provinces was a king, elected originally by the provincial assembly of Upland, though in order to gain the allegiance of the other provinces he was bound to appear before their individual assemblies and be confirmed by them. His duty was expressed in the old formula, "landom rada, rike styre, lag styrke, och frid halla," which meant nothing more than that he was to protect the provinces from one another and from foreign powers. In order to defray the expense of strengthening the kingdom, he was entitled to certain definite taxes from every landowner, and half as much from every tenant, in the land. These taxes he collected through his courtiers, who in the early days were men of a very inferior class,--mere servants of the king. They lived on the crown estates, which we find in the very earliest times scattered through the land. Besides his right to collect taxes, the king, as general peacemaker, was chief-justice of the realm, and to him lay an appeal from every decision rendered by a provincial magistrate. Such, in brief, was the constitution of Sweden when first known in history.

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