I was recently reading a historical fiction that involved the 30 Years War (Called "1632" by somebody with the last name of Flint), and I was astounded at how little I knew about one of its most central characters: King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden. As you learn about the man, he is one of the greatest warrior kings in the history of the world.

True America's treatment of this war is absolutely lousy for one very important reason: There is no possible way to discuss the 30 Years War without a lot of discussion about the greatest controversy of all: Religion! Oh the scandal!! Oh the horror!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_II_Adolph_of_Sweden
What does everyone else know of him? Think of him? Ever heard of him?

In courses on military history I've had from officer training, King Gustavus Adolphus (as he's also known) was credited as the "father of modern warfare". It was he who among many other concepts created the use of firing in ranks. One rank fires, reloads and while doing so the next rank fires and reloads and so on thus keeping a continuous volume of fire on the enemy. Seems simple to us now but at the time it was revolutionary. He also used the latest weaponry and conceived new mobile tactics. He should've quit the field when he was wounded at Lützen, but felt his presence was necessary when the battle had reached its height and victory was at hand. His death at the hands of the Croatian cuirassiers was nothing less than the murder of a wounded defenceless man.

I'm sure the Europeans here can tell you more about him, especially the Swedes of course.

The Lion of the north killed by the army of Gustavos Adolphas.

Originally Posted by Whispering Death

The Lion of the north killed by the army of Gustavos Adolphas.

did you mean Gustavus Adolphus? do you suggest that he was killed by his own people? buahahahahahaaa

Ha ha ha oops I meant to say General Von Wallenstein

Sometimes all them Scandanavian/German names get me all switched around.

Originally Posted by Whispering Death

Ha ha ha oops I meant to say General Von Wallenstein

Sometimes all them Scandanavian/German names get me all switched around.

you realy have no idea what are you talking about, the guy was czech.

His daughter and successor was both brilliant and nuts. She was only 6 or 7 when her father, Gustav II Adolf died in battle. Her mother ... didn't handle her husband's death very well, so it is understandable that she was a little bit off. And despite that, she still managed to rule effectively at first. Later, she gave up the throne, converted to Catholicism and moved to Rome. The Roman Catholic Church loved her!!

Originally Posted by serbianpower

you realy have no idea what are you talking about, the guy was czech.

Yeah but he fought for the Holly Roman Empire and czechs germans poles scandanavians, all have similar sounding names

We in Finland have one course of history in (volunteer) high school about our time under Sweden. Still my knowledge about King Gustav is such little that may I just say few words. He became King of Sweden(-Finland) in year 1611. Many finns fought during that war for Swedish cause.

King Gustav II Adolph (Kustaa II Adolf in Finnish by the way) was certainly best Swedish military leader ever. Under his leadership Protestant armies in Germany managed to take foothold and defeated Catholic armies in major battles at the beginning of war after Sweden had joined into it in year 1629. After death of King Gustav Sweden military victories and defeats fallowed each other, but in year 1648 pact of Westfalen was made, which granted Sweden place as a major power of Europe, position which one was lost at the beginning of 18th century.

King Gustav is also remembered as an able administrator. He was also first major king after Gustav Wasa and his three sons (Karl, Juhana (Johan) and Erik).

The then Kingdom of Denmark-Norway had a war with him called the Kalmar War in 1611-1613. Sweden wanted taxation rights in the north of Norway, as well as access to the sea.

The war started when Sweden was still under the rule of Karl IX, who demanded tax from the "sea-samii" people in Eastern Finnmark (Finnmark is Norways most northern county), he built churches and consructed forts in the area.

He gave priveleges to Gothenburg to bypass Danish taxes at Øresund. The Danes where supperior at sea, and took Kalmar after hard fighting, and continued to take Alvsborg, and Gothenburg. The plan was to that conscripted soldiers from Norway was to attack Sweden, but the untrained, ill equipped farmers that they really where, where not willing or usable. And their contrbution was of no consequense.

But the Norwegian farmers did stop a unit of Swedish mercenaries led by the Scottish Leutenant Cournal Alexander Ramsey, who was captured and taken to Copenhagen. His unit was completely annihilated. Of 350 men, only 18 survived.

Another Swedish Unit, led by Cournal Munchaven marched trough Stjordalen (in Norway) and arrived complete to Harjedalen, but had no impact on the war.

Gustav II Adolf, took the crown of Sweden after his father in 1611, and took Kristianopel by Kalmarsund. But when he recieved no help from mercenaries, and Danish troops marched in from Blekinge towards Kalmar, and from Halland towards Jonkping, treathening his position, he gave up and peace was settled in Knared on the 20th January 1613. Sweden relented their claims in Finnmark, else the Borders remained the same. Finnamrk was secured for Norway.

Sweden had to pay 1 million "riksdaler" (the currency of the time) in war retributions, with the town of Alvsborg as security, further they had to decline on giving privileges to Gothenburg.

In Norway the farmers where punished for pasitivity, and a Norwegian land and sea deffence was established within a few years...

My comment: Well, the farmers of Norway, was our army back then. They would fight, but not for a Danish king in a foreign country...defending the homeland against a plundering invader was a comepletely different story.

Anyway, I think that was our only encounter with the famous Gustav II Adolf. I guess we were lucky he was distracted elsewhere for the rest of his reign. We fought 10 wars against those swedes in that period...10 - 0 to Norway...except they came 11 times...