Page 22 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Stockholm

20  INTRODUCING ST OCKHOLM

Sweden’s Era as a Great Power

For more than a century (1611–1721) Sweden was the
dominant power in northern Europe, and the Baltic was
effectively a Swedish inland sea. The country was at its most
powerful after the Peace of Roskilde in 1658, when Sweden
acquired seven new provinces from Denmark and Norway.
Outside today’s frontiers the Swedish Empire covered the
whole of Finland, large parts of the Baltic, and important Swedish Empire
areas of north ern Germany. Over 111 years as a great power Sweden’s empire after the
Peace of Roskilde, 1658
Sweden spent 72 of them at war, with many treasures
brought back to the new palaces. It was also an era of
cultural development and efficient government.

The Tre Kronor Castle
Built as a defensive tower in the 1180s, the Tre Kronor castle was
the seat of Swedish monarchs from the 1520s and became the
administrative centre of the Swedish Empire. It was named after
the three crowns on the spire, which burned down in 1697.

The columns of troops ride
out over the shifting ice
towards Danish Lolland.

The Thirty Years’ War
A major European war raged between 1618–48, largely on
German soil. Sweden entered the war in 1631 in an alliance
with France. Gustav II Adolf was a fine military leader and had
modernized the Swedish army, which immediately had major
successes at the battles of Breitenfeld (1631) and Lützen (1632),
where the king, however, was killed. Later, the Swedes pressed
into south ern
Germany and also
captured and
plundered Prague
(1648). Some rich
cultural treasures
were brought back to
Sweden from the war.
In 1648 the Peace of
Westphalia gave
Sweden several Stockholm in 1640
important posses­ The city’s transformation from a small
The death of Gustav II Adolf at the sions in northern medieval town into a capital city can
Battle of Lützen in 1632 Germany. be seen in the network of straight
streets, similar to the present layout.

020-021_EW_Stockholm.indd 20 19/09/17 12:00 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight history template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1)
Date 26th July 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm