Sweden on the World Stage: The Foreign Policy of Gustav II Adolf

Sweden had been an imperial power, intentionally or not, ever since it acquired Estonia during the reign of Johan III. It was the reign of Gustav II Adolf, however, that marked the point at which Swedish foreign policy actively sought the creation of a Baltic empire, and at which the Vasa state first demonstrated the capability to pursue such an aim with success. It was also the point at which Sweden became a great power in contemporary estimation. Prior to this, in the eyes of European statesmen, other states had held the honor of being perceived as the primary Baltic power: first Poland-Lithuania, then Denmark. By 1629, Denmark’s star had fallen visibly; by 1632, Gustav Adolf would be hailed as the new champion of Protestant Europe; by 1644, there was no question that Sweden ruled the northeast. The groundwork for this latter development can be attributed directly to Gustav Adolf and Axel Oxenstierna.