I would
describe
to you
our position, but a saber-wound has stiff-
ened my hand.
our position, but a saber-wound has stiff-
ened my hand.
Abelous - Gustavus Adolphus - Hero of the Reformation
This double discouragement at the
very outset was of a nature to have troub-
led a soul less stable than that of Gustavus
Adolphus. Far from looking upon this as
a bad presage, as soon as he set foot on the
island of Riigen, a land under Austrian
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? 78 GusTAvus Adolphus.
rule, he threw Mmself upon Ms knees, and
in a transport of gratitude thanked God,
before Ms attentive and reverent army, in
these words :
"O Thou that rulest over the heavens
and the earth, over winds and over seas,
how can I worthily thank thee for the mar-
velous protection which thou hast shown
me during this perilous voyage. . . . My
heart is full of gratitude for thy favors.
O deign to favor my undertaking here, so
that it may turn out, not to my, but to thy
glory. Grant, through me, to deliver thy
oppressed Church, and to be to thy faith-
ful servants a source of great consolation.
Thou who triest the hearts and reins of
men, thou knowest the purity of my inten-
tions. Grant unto me favorable weather
and a prosperous wind, which may en-
courage my brave army, assure our hearts
that thou art with us, and permit me to
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 79
continue tlie sacred work that I have un-
dertaken. Amen. "
It was indeed sacred work, a war begun
with such sentiments and for such a noble
end. He was no ambitious one, greedy of
conquest and renown, this general, who
sanctified every act of his life by prayer,
and lived in constant communion with
God. So great a fervor is rarely met with,
especially among army officers -- more con-
fident in their own resources than in any
aid from on high. But Gustavus Adolphus
depended on aid from on high ; and this is
why he set out, without money and with a
mere handful of men, to combat with the
hosts of a great empire.
The debarkation of the Swedes took
place June 24, 1630. At Augsburg, just
one century before, to the month and da}^,
the Protestants had made that celebrated
Confession of Faith -- which now served
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? 80 GusTAvus Adolphus.
them as a sign for rallying -- in the presence
of the eroperor, Charles the Fifth, and the
princes, dukes, and Bishops of all Germany.
Now, it was at the moment, when the prin-
ciples which were proclaimed then, were
going to perish, that Gustavus Adolphus
hastened to their defense. This coinci-
dence doubtless struck him when he ren-
dered thanks to God for ha^dng preserved
him from the waves. The remembrance
of such an anniversary, in recalling to him
a past glory, was calculated to inflame his
zeal and to fill him with confidence in the
future. The faith of the founders of the
Reformation, the divine unction of the
author of the Confession of Faith, of Augs-
burg,^ lived again in the heart of the
Swedish hero, and so powerfully inspired
his prayers that his soldiers were moved
even to tears. "Weep not," said he to
* The gentle and devout Melanchtlion.
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? GusTAVus Adolphus. 81
them, "but pray without ceasing. The
more prayers the more victories. "
After having called down the benedic-
tion of Heaven upon himself and his army,
Gustavus Adolphus seized a sj)ade, and the
whole army, following his example, began
throwing up intrenchments to fortify their
camp against the enemy, stationed in great
numbers in their vicinity. As soon as
these works were finished, he addressed his
soldiers as follows: "Think not that I
undertake this war for myself or for my
kingdom. We go to succor our oppressed
brethren. By brilliant victories you can
accomplish this generous project, and ac-
quire for yourselves an immortal glory.
Fear not the enemy that we are going to
meet in battle ; they are the same that
you have already conquered in Kussia.
Your bravery has just compelled Poland
to conclude a truce of six years. If you
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? 82
GusTAvus Adolphus.
still show the same courage and persever-
ance, you will secure to the evangelical
Church and to our brethren in Germany
the peace and security for which they are
now suffering. "
This address was followed by a procla-
mation of the military rules and regula-
tions. According to their discipline, every
attempt against life or property was pun-
ished with death.
Without losing a moment, Gustavus
Adolphus brought under subjection the
island of Riigen, and then chased the im-
perial troops from the neighboring islands,
thus rendering communication with Swe-
den easy. He then advanced swiftly upon
Stettin, the capital of Pomerania, and
was ready to triumph, by force, over the
hesitations of the old Duke Bogisla, who
dared not choose between an alliance with
Sweden or Austria.
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? GusTAYus Adolphus. 88
Camped under the walls of the city,
which he had summoned to receive a
Swedish garrison, he received, while await-
ing a response from Bogisla, a visit from
a number of citizens devoted to the cause
of Protestantism, and desirous of seeing
the one who had volunteered to be its de-
fender. The king welcomed them with
great kindness. He conversed in friendly
words with them of their common faith, of
the misfortunes of their German brethren,
and of plans that he had formed for
their deliverance. His friendliness touched
them ; his eloquence persuaded them. The
charms of his person contributed not a little
to the sympathy and enthusiasm which he
awakened. His face was pale and some-
what long, but regular and expressive.
He had light hair, a handsome beard, and
a piercing eye. Like his uncle, Gustavus
Vasa, he was of lofty stature, tidy, well
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? 84 GusTAvus Adolphus.
proportioned, and noble in all his manners
and actions. He loved music, and played
some instruments very vrell. The brill-
iancy of his victories, united to so many
admirable natural qualities, rendered him
very popular.
The gates of Stettin opened, and Bogisla
demanded the protection of Sweden in ex-
change for the aid that he lent the king.
In order not to burden the inhabitants,
Gustavus Adolphus camped his men under
tents. On Sunday he was present at three
Church services.
The Swedish army tarried here but a
little ; it left Stettin to conquer the rest of
Pomerania. The commander of the impe-
rial forces essayed in vain to hinder his
progress. One day, however, a betrayal
came near delivering him into the hands
of his adversary. Gustavus Adolphus, with
seventy of his cavalry, was scouting around
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 85
near the Austrian camp, in view of an at-
tack. Suddenly he was surprised and
surrounded by ^ve hundred of the ene-
my. In vain his Swedish dragoons ac-
complished prodigies of valor. They were
overwhelmed by numbers. The king had
his horse shot under him. He saw his
faithful followers falling all around him.
He was hemmed in on every side, and was
on the point of being made prisoner, when
two hundred Fins, who were awaiting his
return not far from there, warned of his
danger by the firing, precipitated them-
selves like lightning upon the assailants,
dispersed them, and saved their prince.
An Italian, named Quinti del Ponto,
who had deserted the flag of the emperor
for the Swedish camp, was suspected of
having informed the Austrians of the king's
departure and of his small escort. The
day after this affair this miserable creature
6
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? 86 GusTAvus Adolphits.
disappeared and was heard of no more.
Another Italian, who was a friend to the
other, was arrested, and he not only de-
nounced the former, but confessed com-
plicity with him. When questioned before
his condemnation, he said to the judges, " I
have often contemplated taking the king's
life, but my heart has ever prevented me,
and every time I have seized the murder-
ous weapon my hand has seemed par-
alyzed. " What a man must he have been
who inspired his most fierce enemies with
respect and affection !
All these attempts against the life of
Gustavus Adolphus were under the direc-
tion of the Jesuits, who used all means to
make away with this most powerful ob-
stacle which they had ever met with. At
least, this is the opinion of one of the
most learned and best esteemed among the
biographers of the great king of Sweden.
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 87
Gustavus Adolpbus never disquieted
himself about these base plots. Distrust
and suspicion had no access to this loyal
soul, and for a long time he had often said
to himself, with David, "I trust in God, I
fear nothing: what shall man do unto
me? "
Nothing could enervate his courage nor
disturb his serenity. He went on from
victory to victory. The greater part of
the Pomeranian youth gathered around
his triumphant standard, and the States,
happy to see the country delivered from
the insatiable avarice of Torquato Conti
and the excesses of the imperial troops,
unanimously voted him a voluntary con-
tribution. The moderation and humanity
of the Swedes gained for them the hearts
of the population, and they were received
every- where with joy. Toward the end of
the year 1630, a few months after his de-
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? 88 GusTAvus Adolphus.
parture from Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus
liad driven the imperials from the duchy
and commanded there as sovereign.
Notwithstanding his desire to penetrate
into Mecklenburg, he was forced simply to
surround it and to await the end of the
winter.
The emperor, after having made sport
of Gustavus Adolphus, calling him the
snow-king, destined to melt as he ap-
proached the south, began to perceive that
the Swedes were proof against all climates
and seasons, and that he would have to
assail them in earnest. He drew up an
army which he put under the command
of a companion of Wallenstein, General
Pappenheim, whose experience and valor
were equal. And the Catholic League,
alarmed at the rapid success of this most
terrible of all the champions of Protestant-
ism, had levied troops and placed at their
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 89
head the vanquisher of Mansfeld and the
Danes, Tilly, a general who had never lost
a battle.
? Since the disgrace of Wallen stein tht? re
had been no lack of mercenary soldiers
in Germany, who would serve all parties
without distinction, according to the re-
ward offei^ed. If Gustavus had been rich
he could have taken into his ser\dce the
greater part of these, and thus enlarged
his army, which was too weak in numbers
to combat two armies at once. He had
to maintain himself in Pomerania as best
he could, and seek, before going farther,
increased aid, both as to men and money.
A letter addressed to his faithful chancel-
lor, Oxenstiern, December, 1630, reflects
the difficulty of his situation, and his un-
alterable faith in God:
"May God, into whose hands I confide
all, help us through this winter. The
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? 90 GusTAvus Adolphus.
summer will go better, thanks to your care
and foresight.
I would describe to you
our position, but a saber-wound has stiff-
ened my hand. Let it suffice you to
know that the enemy has great advantages
for establishing winter-quarters, since the
w^hole of Germany is its prey. If I had
more troojDS with me on the banks of the
Oder I would advance. But if all things
do not go according to our desires, this is
no reason why we should be discouraged.
I recommend to your care, my family ; for
many reasons it is worthy of interest. The
mother has need of counsel ; the daughter,
a tender child, will be exposed to many
tribulations if she ever knows how to
reign, to many perils if others wish to
reign. I confide them both, their future,
my life, and all that I possess in this
world, into the sacred and powerful guar-
dianship of God, who has given me all
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 91
things. I am persuaded that all which
may happen to me here on earth will al-
ways be that which is best for me; and
after this life, I hope to enjoy eternal peace
and joy. "
In suspending the course of his victories,
Gustavns Adolphus did not, however, re-
main inactive. He completed the con-
quest of Pomerania, in which two or three
fortresses had refused to surrender, and
advanced into Brandenburg, the key of
Mecklenburg. Whenever he encountered
the imperial troops he fought them, and
so well maintained his positions, that Tilly,
who h^d come hither to attack, drew back
upon the Elbe, without daring to defend
Frankfort-on-the-Oder, which the Swedes
took by assault, toward the middle of
winter, after a siege of three days.
About this time Gustavus Adolphus,
uncertain of the support of the Protestant
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? 92 GusTAvus Adolphus,
princes of Germany, who feared for Ms in-
fluence over their subjects, and looked upon
him as a rival more than a friend, decided
to accept of an alliance with France. The
treaty was concluded, January 16, 1631,
at Berwald in Brandenburg. Gustavus
engaged to hold in Germany an army of
thirty-six thousand men, destined to re-
establish the Germanic empire upon the
same footing as before the revolt of Bohe-
mia and the Edict of Restitution. France,
thereby hoping to put a boundary to the
ever-increasing ambition of Austria, and to
take from it the preponderance in Europe,
gave an annual subsidy, and, wlat was
worth more, the support of its name.
In the meantime, Tilly, ashamed of hav-
ing retreated from the Oder withom com-
bat, had gone to besiege Magdeburg, vhich
had already made common cause with
Sweden. Gustavus Adolphus was not far
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? GusTAVus Adolphus. 93
from this city, and longed to fly to its
rescue ; but his brother-in-law, the Elector
of Brandenburg, and also the Elector of
Saxony, ruled by selfish and jealous con-
siderations, remained deaf to all the repre-
sentations which he could make to them
in the name of the liberties of Germany,
of religion, and of humanity, and refused
him a passage through their States.
The King of Sweden hesitated to em-
ploy force with two Protestant princes, one
of whom, John George, Elector of Saxony,
had instituted the formation of a new
league in order to demand the revocation
of the Edict of Kestitution, and while
hesitating, Magdeburg, after a heroic resist-
ance, fell under the power of the number
of Tilly's men, re-inforced by Pappenheim's
troops, and aided by traitors. This city,
the richest of Germany, was delivered
over to pillage, and was inundated in the
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? 94
GusTAvus Adolphus.
FALL OF MAGDEBURG.
blood of its citizens.
The scenes of carnage
and barbarity enacted
there have acquired
in history a sad ce-
lebrity. Schiller says,
'^ Women were dishonored in the presence
of dying husbands and fathers, . . . fifty-
three young girls were beheaded in one
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 95
church, whither they had fled for refuge.
The Croatians laughed aloud as they cast
little children into the midst of the flames,
even while they stretched out to them
their suppliant hands. The Walloons
made sport of thrusting through the body
nursino; babes, snatched from their moth-
er's arms ! Twenty women cast themselves
into the Elbe to escape the brutality of the
soldiers. "
An eye-witness reported that several
officers, horrified at the sight of so many
atrocities, went and besought Tilly to put
an end to them. He replied, "I have
promised three days for pillaging and slay-
ing. The soldiers must have some amuse-
ment after so many fatigues. " To crown
these horrors, weary of their own excesses,
the victors set fire to the houses, and, says
the same eye-witness, "twelve hours had
scarcely passed, when there remained no
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? 96 GusTAvus Adolphus.
more of the vast and opulent city than
two churches, a few huts, and smoldering
ashes. . . . More than six thousand dead
bodies were cast into the Elbe, and a still
larger number must have been devoured
by the flames ; for the total number of vic-
tims sacrificed was over thirty thousand. "
This frightful tragedy petrified with
fear the whole of Protestant Germany.
The Jesuits, always ready to profit by cir-
cumstances, tried to direct all the prejudice
of it against Gustavus Adolphus, whom
they accused of having abandoned Magde-
burg, and of having sacrificed an important
and devoted city to some special plan of
a campaign. They hoped thus to with-
draw from the King of Sweden the confi-
dence and esteem of the Protestants. But
Gustavus Adolphus had no difficulty in
disproving these accusations. The facts al-
ready mentioned sufficiently justified him.
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 97
If the city was destroyed, the hinderances
and unjust distrusts of the Electors of
Brandenburg and Saxony were the princi-
pal causes.
The innocence of Gustavus Adolphus
shines out clearly in a letter sent to the
Elector of Saxony at the moment when the
city was threatened. " I see myself forced,"
wrote he, " to draw in my sails and to risk
myself no further. It would be against
aU military art, to put myself between two
undecided powers, or abandon the streams
by which my supplies arrive. However,
I wish to show my solicitude for Magde-
burg, and even at the sacrifice of my life,
I wish to do all in my power for her deliv-
erance. May God aid me by his grace,
in making my perseverance triumph over
you. I declare myself, before God and
before men, innocent of that which may
happen. I cast the responsibility upon
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? 98 GusTAvus Adolphus.
those who, when Christianity is in dan-
ger, have experienced no compunctions in
abandoning me. "
The terror which the ruin of Magde-
burg at first caused was not long in chang-
ing into a legitimate indignation. Exas-
perated by the ever-increasing rigors of the
emperor, whose band became daily more
cruel and oppressive, the Protestant princes
saw no other means of escaping their mis-
erable fate than by casting themselves into
the arms of Gustavus iVdolphus. Most of
them entered into an alliance with him.
But the Elector of Brandenburg persisted
in a neutrality too favorable to Austria to
be long tolerated. The King of Sweden,
after having exhausted all means of con-
ciliation, camped his army before Berlin,
declaring that the elector was no longer
any thing but an enemy to him. At the
sight of Swedish cannon, George William
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? GusTAYUs Adolphus. 99
consented to make a treaty with his broth-
er-in-law. He consented to all the condi-
tions that were proposed to him without
modification. Gustavus was allowed to
dispose of the fortresses as he wished, acd
received also a contribution in money.
During this time the hordes that had
destroyed Magdeburg invaded Hesse Cas-
sel and began similar works. The Thu-
ringian country was also devastated by
imperial troops, who seemed ever more and
more devoured by the thirst for plunder
and pleasure. Nothing could satiate so
many brutal passions. The people near
whom such soldiers were to pass were in
consternation.
Gustavus Adolphus, assured of the as-
sistance of Brandenburg, no longer hesi-
tated to advance. He rescued the Hessian
territory, and found, in the prince who
governed it, one of his best and most faith-
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? 100 GusTAvus Adolphus.
ful allies. Without risking a decisive bat-
tle with an enemy so superior in numbers,
he, nevertheless, remained master of the
ground.
Tilly, after having wasted his time and
forces before the Swedish camp, beat a
retreat, and directed himself toward the
territory of the Elector of Saxony, whose
attitude and levying of troops were dis-
approved of by Austria. Saxony was a
rich bait for the imperials. Up to this
time, she had been spared on account of
the attachment of her prince to the house
of Austria, and of the need Ferdinand had
of retaining her on his side. And so it
was with the avidity of a bird of prey,
that Tilly and his bands lighted down on
the Saxons.
The frightened elector then sought a
refuge under the powerful wing of the
King of Sweden. He besought him to
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? GusTAVus Adolphus. 101
come to his aid. " I deplore," said Gus-
tavus Adolphus, "the fate of the elector,
liut he can accuse no one but himself for
it. If he had sooner placed confidence in
me, this thing would not have happened
and Magdeburg would not have fallen. I
am not now disposed to sacrifice the other
German States to succor him. I cannot
trust myself to a prince whose counselors
are all in league with the emperor, and
who will abandon me as soon as Austria
flatters hira, or as soon as the imj^erial
army shall have left his States. "
The marshal of the Elector of Arnheim,
an able and cunning man, had been charged
to make this delicate negotiation. He had
orders to succeed at whatever price, and
so, in spite of the severe and discouraging
response which had just been given him,
he redoubled his solicitations and obtained
his wish, but under the hardest conditions.
1.
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? 102 GusTAvus Adolphus.
The elector must deliver up the fortress of
Wittenberg, which would put Gustavus
in possession of the Elbe; he must ad-
vance three months' pay for the Swedish
soldiers; give over into his hands his coun-
selors, and send his eldest son to him as
a hostage. The elector granted all. Gus-
tavus Adolphus, who only wished to prove
his sincerity and the firmness of his resolu-
tions, then suddenly changed his language.
"Tell your master," said he to Arnheim,
" that his distrust of me when I wished to
succor Magdeburg liad awakened in me
distrust of him; that the confidence he
places in me to-day makes me forget the
past. I ask of him only one month's pay
for my troops, and I will soon make
amends to him for this little sacrifice. "
The two princes finally signed a treaty
of alliance and united their two armies.
On the morning of September 16, 1631,
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very outset was of a nature to have troub-
led a soul less stable than that of Gustavus
Adolphus. Far from looking upon this as
a bad presage, as soon as he set foot on the
island of Riigen, a land under Austrian
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? 78 GusTAvus Adolphus.
rule, he threw Mmself upon Ms knees, and
in a transport of gratitude thanked God,
before Ms attentive and reverent army, in
these words :
"O Thou that rulest over the heavens
and the earth, over winds and over seas,
how can I worthily thank thee for the mar-
velous protection which thou hast shown
me during this perilous voyage. . . . My
heart is full of gratitude for thy favors.
O deign to favor my undertaking here, so
that it may turn out, not to my, but to thy
glory. Grant, through me, to deliver thy
oppressed Church, and to be to thy faith-
ful servants a source of great consolation.
Thou who triest the hearts and reins of
men, thou knowest the purity of my inten-
tions. Grant unto me favorable weather
and a prosperous wind, which may en-
courage my brave army, assure our hearts
that thou art with us, and permit me to
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 79
continue tlie sacred work that I have un-
dertaken. Amen. "
It was indeed sacred work, a war begun
with such sentiments and for such a noble
end. He was no ambitious one, greedy of
conquest and renown, this general, who
sanctified every act of his life by prayer,
and lived in constant communion with
God. So great a fervor is rarely met with,
especially among army officers -- more con-
fident in their own resources than in any
aid from on high. But Gustavus Adolphus
depended on aid from on high ; and this is
why he set out, without money and with a
mere handful of men, to combat with the
hosts of a great empire.
The debarkation of the Swedes took
place June 24, 1630. At Augsburg, just
one century before, to the month and da}^,
the Protestants had made that celebrated
Confession of Faith -- which now served
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? 80 GusTAvus Adolphus.
them as a sign for rallying -- in the presence
of the eroperor, Charles the Fifth, and the
princes, dukes, and Bishops of all Germany.
Now, it was at the moment, when the prin-
ciples which were proclaimed then, were
going to perish, that Gustavus Adolphus
hastened to their defense. This coinci-
dence doubtless struck him when he ren-
dered thanks to God for ha^dng preserved
him from the waves. The remembrance
of such an anniversary, in recalling to him
a past glory, was calculated to inflame his
zeal and to fill him with confidence in the
future. The faith of the founders of the
Reformation, the divine unction of the
author of the Confession of Faith, of Augs-
burg,^ lived again in the heart of the
Swedish hero, and so powerfully inspired
his prayers that his soldiers were moved
even to tears. "Weep not," said he to
* The gentle and devout Melanchtlion.
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? GusTAVus Adolphus. 81
them, "but pray without ceasing. The
more prayers the more victories. "
After having called down the benedic-
tion of Heaven upon himself and his army,
Gustavus Adolphus seized a sj)ade, and the
whole army, following his example, began
throwing up intrenchments to fortify their
camp against the enemy, stationed in great
numbers in their vicinity. As soon as
these works were finished, he addressed his
soldiers as follows: "Think not that I
undertake this war for myself or for my
kingdom. We go to succor our oppressed
brethren. By brilliant victories you can
accomplish this generous project, and ac-
quire for yourselves an immortal glory.
Fear not the enemy that we are going to
meet in battle ; they are the same that
you have already conquered in Kussia.
Your bravery has just compelled Poland
to conclude a truce of six years. If you
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? 82
GusTAvus Adolphus.
still show the same courage and persever-
ance, you will secure to the evangelical
Church and to our brethren in Germany
the peace and security for which they are
now suffering. "
This address was followed by a procla-
mation of the military rules and regula-
tions. According to their discipline, every
attempt against life or property was pun-
ished with death.
Without losing a moment, Gustavus
Adolphus brought under subjection the
island of Riigen, and then chased the im-
perial troops from the neighboring islands,
thus rendering communication with Swe-
den easy. He then advanced swiftly upon
Stettin, the capital of Pomerania, and
was ready to triumph, by force, over the
hesitations of the old Duke Bogisla, who
dared not choose between an alliance with
Sweden or Austria.
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? GusTAYus Adolphus. 88
Camped under the walls of the city,
which he had summoned to receive a
Swedish garrison, he received, while await-
ing a response from Bogisla, a visit from
a number of citizens devoted to the cause
of Protestantism, and desirous of seeing
the one who had volunteered to be its de-
fender. The king welcomed them with
great kindness. He conversed in friendly
words with them of their common faith, of
the misfortunes of their German brethren,
and of plans that he had formed for
their deliverance. His friendliness touched
them ; his eloquence persuaded them. The
charms of his person contributed not a little
to the sympathy and enthusiasm which he
awakened. His face was pale and some-
what long, but regular and expressive.
He had light hair, a handsome beard, and
a piercing eye. Like his uncle, Gustavus
Vasa, he was of lofty stature, tidy, well
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? 84 GusTAvus Adolphus.
proportioned, and noble in all his manners
and actions. He loved music, and played
some instruments very vrell. The brill-
iancy of his victories, united to so many
admirable natural qualities, rendered him
very popular.
The gates of Stettin opened, and Bogisla
demanded the protection of Sweden in ex-
change for the aid that he lent the king.
In order not to burden the inhabitants,
Gustavus Adolphus camped his men under
tents. On Sunday he was present at three
Church services.
The Swedish army tarried here but a
little ; it left Stettin to conquer the rest of
Pomerania. The commander of the impe-
rial forces essayed in vain to hinder his
progress. One day, however, a betrayal
came near delivering him into the hands
of his adversary. Gustavus Adolphus, with
seventy of his cavalry, was scouting around
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 85
near the Austrian camp, in view of an at-
tack. Suddenly he was surprised and
surrounded by ^ve hundred of the ene-
my. In vain his Swedish dragoons ac-
complished prodigies of valor. They were
overwhelmed by numbers. The king had
his horse shot under him. He saw his
faithful followers falling all around him.
He was hemmed in on every side, and was
on the point of being made prisoner, when
two hundred Fins, who were awaiting his
return not far from there, warned of his
danger by the firing, precipitated them-
selves like lightning upon the assailants,
dispersed them, and saved their prince.
An Italian, named Quinti del Ponto,
who had deserted the flag of the emperor
for the Swedish camp, was suspected of
having informed the Austrians of the king's
departure and of his small escort. The
day after this affair this miserable creature
6
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? 86 GusTAvus Adolphits.
disappeared and was heard of no more.
Another Italian, who was a friend to the
other, was arrested, and he not only de-
nounced the former, but confessed com-
plicity with him. When questioned before
his condemnation, he said to the judges, " I
have often contemplated taking the king's
life, but my heart has ever prevented me,
and every time I have seized the murder-
ous weapon my hand has seemed par-
alyzed. " What a man must he have been
who inspired his most fierce enemies with
respect and affection !
All these attempts against the life of
Gustavus Adolphus were under the direc-
tion of the Jesuits, who used all means to
make away with this most powerful ob-
stacle which they had ever met with. At
least, this is the opinion of one of the
most learned and best esteemed among the
biographers of the great king of Sweden.
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 87
Gustavus Adolpbus never disquieted
himself about these base plots. Distrust
and suspicion had no access to this loyal
soul, and for a long time he had often said
to himself, with David, "I trust in God, I
fear nothing: what shall man do unto
me? "
Nothing could enervate his courage nor
disturb his serenity. He went on from
victory to victory. The greater part of
the Pomeranian youth gathered around
his triumphant standard, and the States,
happy to see the country delivered from
the insatiable avarice of Torquato Conti
and the excesses of the imperial troops,
unanimously voted him a voluntary con-
tribution. The moderation and humanity
of the Swedes gained for them the hearts
of the population, and they were received
every- where with joy. Toward the end of
the year 1630, a few months after his de-
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? 88 GusTAvus Adolphus.
parture from Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus
liad driven the imperials from the duchy
and commanded there as sovereign.
Notwithstanding his desire to penetrate
into Mecklenburg, he was forced simply to
surround it and to await the end of the
winter.
The emperor, after having made sport
of Gustavus Adolphus, calling him the
snow-king, destined to melt as he ap-
proached the south, began to perceive that
the Swedes were proof against all climates
and seasons, and that he would have to
assail them in earnest. He drew up an
army which he put under the command
of a companion of Wallenstein, General
Pappenheim, whose experience and valor
were equal. And the Catholic League,
alarmed at the rapid success of this most
terrible of all the champions of Protestant-
ism, had levied troops and placed at their
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 89
head the vanquisher of Mansfeld and the
Danes, Tilly, a general who had never lost
a battle.
? Since the disgrace of Wallen stein tht? re
had been no lack of mercenary soldiers
in Germany, who would serve all parties
without distinction, according to the re-
ward offei^ed. If Gustavus had been rich
he could have taken into his ser\dce the
greater part of these, and thus enlarged
his army, which was too weak in numbers
to combat two armies at once. He had
to maintain himself in Pomerania as best
he could, and seek, before going farther,
increased aid, both as to men and money.
A letter addressed to his faithful chancel-
lor, Oxenstiern, December, 1630, reflects
the difficulty of his situation, and his un-
alterable faith in God:
"May God, into whose hands I confide
all, help us through this winter. The
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? 90 GusTAvus Adolphus.
summer will go better, thanks to your care
and foresight.
I would describe to you
our position, but a saber-wound has stiff-
ened my hand. Let it suffice you to
know that the enemy has great advantages
for establishing winter-quarters, since the
w^hole of Germany is its prey. If I had
more troojDS with me on the banks of the
Oder I would advance. But if all things
do not go according to our desires, this is
no reason why we should be discouraged.
I recommend to your care, my family ; for
many reasons it is worthy of interest. The
mother has need of counsel ; the daughter,
a tender child, will be exposed to many
tribulations if she ever knows how to
reign, to many perils if others wish to
reign. I confide them both, their future,
my life, and all that I possess in this
world, into the sacred and powerful guar-
dianship of God, who has given me all
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 91
things. I am persuaded that all which
may happen to me here on earth will al-
ways be that which is best for me; and
after this life, I hope to enjoy eternal peace
and joy. "
In suspending the course of his victories,
Gustavns Adolphus did not, however, re-
main inactive. He completed the con-
quest of Pomerania, in which two or three
fortresses had refused to surrender, and
advanced into Brandenburg, the key of
Mecklenburg. Whenever he encountered
the imperial troops he fought them, and
so well maintained his positions, that Tilly,
who h^d come hither to attack, drew back
upon the Elbe, without daring to defend
Frankfort-on-the-Oder, which the Swedes
took by assault, toward the middle of
winter, after a siege of three days.
About this time Gustavus Adolphus,
uncertain of the support of the Protestant
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? 92 GusTAvus Adolphus,
princes of Germany, who feared for Ms in-
fluence over their subjects, and looked upon
him as a rival more than a friend, decided
to accept of an alliance with France. The
treaty was concluded, January 16, 1631,
at Berwald in Brandenburg. Gustavus
engaged to hold in Germany an army of
thirty-six thousand men, destined to re-
establish the Germanic empire upon the
same footing as before the revolt of Bohe-
mia and the Edict of Restitution. France,
thereby hoping to put a boundary to the
ever-increasing ambition of Austria, and to
take from it the preponderance in Europe,
gave an annual subsidy, and, wlat was
worth more, the support of its name.
In the meantime, Tilly, ashamed of hav-
ing retreated from the Oder withom com-
bat, had gone to besiege Magdeburg, vhich
had already made common cause with
Sweden. Gustavus Adolphus was not far
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? GusTAVus Adolphus. 93
from this city, and longed to fly to its
rescue ; but his brother-in-law, the Elector
of Brandenburg, and also the Elector of
Saxony, ruled by selfish and jealous con-
siderations, remained deaf to all the repre-
sentations which he could make to them
in the name of the liberties of Germany,
of religion, and of humanity, and refused
him a passage through their States.
The King of Sweden hesitated to em-
ploy force with two Protestant princes, one
of whom, John George, Elector of Saxony,
had instituted the formation of a new
league in order to demand the revocation
of the Edict of Kestitution, and while
hesitating, Magdeburg, after a heroic resist-
ance, fell under the power of the number
of Tilly's men, re-inforced by Pappenheim's
troops, and aided by traitors. This city,
the richest of Germany, was delivered
over to pillage, and was inundated in the
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? 94
GusTAvus Adolphus.
FALL OF MAGDEBURG.
blood of its citizens.
The scenes of carnage
and barbarity enacted
there have acquired
in history a sad ce-
lebrity. Schiller says,
'^ Women were dishonored in the presence
of dying husbands and fathers, . . . fifty-
three young girls were beheaded in one
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 95
church, whither they had fled for refuge.
The Croatians laughed aloud as they cast
little children into the midst of the flames,
even while they stretched out to them
their suppliant hands. The Walloons
made sport of thrusting through the body
nursino; babes, snatched from their moth-
er's arms ! Twenty women cast themselves
into the Elbe to escape the brutality of the
soldiers. "
An eye-witness reported that several
officers, horrified at the sight of so many
atrocities, went and besought Tilly to put
an end to them. He replied, "I have
promised three days for pillaging and slay-
ing. The soldiers must have some amuse-
ment after so many fatigues. " To crown
these horrors, weary of their own excesses,
the victors set fire to the houses, and, says
the same eye-witness, "twelve hours had
scarcely passed, when there remained no
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? 96 GusTAvus Adolphus.
more of the vast and opulent city than
two churches, a few huts, and smoldering
ashes. . . . More than six thousand dead
bodies were cast into the Elbe, and a still
larger number must have been devoured
by the flames ; for the total number of vic-
tims sacrificed was over thirty thousand. "
This frightful tragedy petrified with
fear the whole of Protestant Germany.
The Jesuits, always ready to profit by cir-
cumstances, tried to direct all the prejudice
of it against Gustavus Adolphus, whom
they accused of having abandoned Magde-
burg, and of having sacrificed an important
and devoted city to some special plan of
a campaign. They hoped thus to with-
draw from the King of Sweden the confi-
dence and esteem of the Protestants. But
Gustavus Adolphus had no difficulty in
disproving these accusations. The facts al-
ready mentioned sufficiently justified him.
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 97
If the city was destroyed, the hinderances
and unjust distrusts of the Electors of
Brandenburg and Saxony were the princi-
pal causes.
The innocence of Gustavus Adolphus
shines out clearly in a letter sent to the
Elector of Saxony at the moment when the
city was threatened. " I see myself forced,"
wrote he, " to draw in my sails and to risk
myself no further. It would be against
aU military art, to put myself between two
undecided powers, or abandon the streams
by which my supplies arrive. However,
I wish to show my solicitude for Magde-
burg, and even at the sacrifice of my life,
I wish to do all in my power for her deliv-
erance. May God aid me by his grace,
in making my perseverance triumph over
you. I declare myself, before God and
before men, innocent of that which may
happen. I cast the responsibility upon
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? 98 GusTAvus Adolphus.
those who, when Christianity is in dan-
ger, have experienced no compunctions in
abandoning me. "
The terror which the ruin of Magde-
burg at first caused was not long in chang-
ing into a legitimate indignation. Exas-
perated by the ever-increasing rigors of the
emperor, whose band became daily more
cruel and oppressive, the Protestant princes
saw no other means of escaping their mis-
erable fate than by casting themselves into
the arms of Gustavus iVdolphus. Most of
them entered into an alliance with him.
But the Elector of Brandenburg persisted
in a neutrality too favorable to Austria to
be long tolerated. The King of Sweden,
after having exhausted all means of con-
ciliation, camped his army before Berlin,
declaring that the elector was no longer
any thing but an enemy to him. At the
sight of Swedish cannon, George William
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? GusTAYUs Adolphus. 99
consented to make a treaty with his broth-
er-in-law. He consented to all the condi-
tions that were proposed to him without
modification. Gustavus was allowed to
dispose of the fortresses as he wished, acd
received also a contribution in money.
During this time the hordes that had
destroyed Magdeburg invaded Hesse Cas-
sel and began similar works. The Thu-
ringian country was also devastated by
imperial troops, who seemed ever more and
more devoured by the thirst for plunder
and pleasure. Nothing could satiate so
many brutal passions. The people near
whom such soldiers were to pass were in
consternation.
Gustavus Adolphus, assured of the as-
sistance of Brandenburg, no longer hesi-
tated to advance. He rescued the Hessian
territory, and found, in the prince who
governed it, one of his best and most faith-
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? 100 GusTAvus Adolphus.
ful allies. Without risking a decisive bat-
tle with an enemy so superior in numbers,
he, nevertheless, remained master of the
ground.
Tilly, after having wasted his time and
forces before the Swedish camp, beat a
retreat, and directed himself toward the
territory of the Elector of Saxony, whose
attitude and levying of troops were dis-
approved of by Austria. Saxony was a
rich bait for the imperials. Up to this
time, she had been spared on account of
the attachment of her prince to the house
of Austria, and of the need Ferdinand had
of retaining her on his side. And so it
was with the avidity of a bird of prey,
that Tilly and his bands lighted down on
the Saxons.
The frightened elector then sought a
refuge under the powerful wing of the
King of Sweden. He besought him to
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? GusTAVus Adolphus. 101
come to his aid. " I deplore," said Gus-
tavus Adolphus, "the fate of the elector,
liut he can accuse no one but himself for
it. If he had sooner placed confidence in
me, this thing would not have happened
and Magdeburg would not have fallen. I
am not now disposed to sacrifice the other
German States to succor him. I cannot
trust myself to a prince whose counselors
are all in league with the emperor, and
who will abandon me as soon as Austria
flatters hira, or as soon as the imj^erial
army shall have left his States. "
The marshal of the Elector of Arnheim,
an able and cunning man, had been charged
to make this delicate negotiation. He had
orders to succeed at whatever price, and
so, in spite of the severe and discouraging
response which had just been given him,
he redoubled his solicitations and obtained
his wish, but under the hardest conditions.
1.
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? 102 GusTAvus Adolphus.
The elector must deliver up the fortress of
Wittenberg, which would put Gustavus
in possession of the Elbe; he must ad-
vance three months' pay for the Swedish
soldiers; give over into his hands his coun-
selors, and send his eldest son to him as
a hostage. The elector granted all. Gus-
tavus Adolphus, who only wished to prove
his sincerity and the firmness of his resolu-
tions, then suddenly changed his language.
"Tell your master," said he to Arnheim,
" that his distrust of me when I wished to
succor Magdeburg liad awakened in me
distrust of him; that the confidence he
places in me to-day makes me forget the
past. I ask of him only one month's pay
for my troops, and I will soon make
amends to him for this little sacrifice. "
The two princes finally signed a treaty
of alliance and united their two armies.
On the morning of September 16, 1631,
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