Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-12-22
SWEDEN'S GREAT KING
Sustavuo AdOlphus and the Gre az
Work He Wrougu&
Che rh-cc tiundrcdth Anniversary Of Tits
Dirth to- lie Celebrated In al PARTS Of
the World with Much fomp
and Circumstance.


This being an era Of hero worship IL |
q not surprising that great prepare
ions are being made in sweden. Ger
many. England aud other Protestant
countries to celebrate the 3ooth ami.
rcrsary Of the birth Of Gustavus Adol.
ohus, king of Sweden. which occurs De.
.ember of this year. This monarch.
Familiarity knt wn as the Lion of the
North" was without doubt one Of the
greatest soldiers and leaders In the his
tory of the world, and has we'll earned
the sobriquet of defender Of the
faith." bestowed on him by the Prot
estant church.
Gustavus Adolphus was born at
Stockholm December 0. 1894; and sue
seeded his father. Charles IN, Novem-
Ter 8. 1911. Although but seventeen
years Of age when assuming the
throne, the young king was not UNI
prepared for the performance Of his
heavy duties. Since the tenth year of
his life he had attended the royal
cabinet councils, and the most famous
generals had instructed him In the art
Of warfare. His accession found
Sweden Mt war with Denmark, Poland
and Russia. BY diplomacy he detached
Denmark from the tripartitc alliance
In 1913: then he invaded Russia and
forced the car to sue for peace in 1917;
and finally inveigled Poland into maxi.
Ing an advantageous truce for six
years.
The thirty-years' war was in full
blast when the victorious Swedish king
returned from his foreign campaigns.
In 1917 Ferdinand Of Syria was
crowned king Of Bohemia, and immc.
diately began his ill-advised pcrsecu.
ton Of Protestants. Two years later,
In spite Of emphatic protests, Ferdinand
was elected emperor Of Germany, and
secured the active support Of Maxi.
milan, duke Of Bavaria, and the Holy
League, Q federation Of Catholic princes
and mobiles. And then the great war,
which began In 1918 and ended In l64s,
was inaugurated in earnest. The
Protestant army, which stood before
the walls of Prague, was completely
routed November 9, 1920, by Catholic
army under the command Of lilly, o
Bavarian general. Frederick, clector
Of the Palatinate and leader Of the
Protestant cause, was disheartened
after this blow and sued for peace. In
compliance with . request from En-.
peror Ferdinand he dissolved the rem.
nants Of his army. This foolish action
gave lilly an opportunity to invade
The Palatinate, and ut the diet Of Re.
gensburg. In 1923. poor Frederick was
placed in ban, bereft Of all his posses.
sions, and the palatinate given to Ba.
varia, to which state It belongs at tho
present day. At this stage the disas.
trous war might have come to an end,
but Ferdinand, not content with the
humiliation OF his enemies. was de.
tarmincd to restore Catholicism to its
antc-reformation power. This led to
the formation Of q league among the
princes OF North Germany, under the
leadership Of the king Of Denmark.
Christian w.. the Danish king. sup
ported by English and Dutch iniiu.
ences, entered German territory In
1925; but was defeated by lilly, Aug
ust %, 1926. This general afterward
carried the war into Denmark and
forced Christian, In 1920, to withdraw
from interference In German affairs.
The Protestant princes, Inundated
~
jealousy, were ready TO make peace or
any terms; and the hostiliies would
have ceased, had not Emperor Fcrdi'
nnnd issued his famous rcdict Of resti
tuition" This document was dated
March O, 1929, and ordered that all
ecclesiastical estates secularizcd since
155? should be returned to the Church
OF Rome. In spite Of the protest Of q
number Of Protestant princes and o
majority Of the rich free cities, the
edict was carried out to the letter by
IN imperial army under lilly, who
devastated the already poverty-stricken
country with recklessness that would
have put to shame horde Of Scythians
Professionalism seemed doomed. The
,elector Of Saxony, most powerful OF
Lutheran princes, vacillated and tried
to carry water on both shoulders. The
other members OF the league had
neither monev nor man. Rnt In ths
sOur OF greatest need appeared the
Hoses Of the reformation, the man who
Was destined to lead the Protestant
losts out Of the wilderness OF defeat
md misery.
The arrogance Of Austria had be.
vOt11C uuoCoSoOlCs ETouCo bIuoTtco
ander countless insults, yet could
lot at that time take up arms against
Ferdinand. In this emergency Cardi.'
AL Richelieu, premier Of France and
prince Of the church, made overtures to
the warrior king Of Sweden who had
lust returned from victorious wars
against Russia and Poland. Gustavus
Adolphus, most Jealous Protestant OF
his time, listened to the offers Of Rich.
ellen, and In June, 1880, landed In tho
island Of Usedom with fifteen thousand
picked soldiers. He drove the i'm
,perial garrisons from Pomerania and
Necklenburg, reinstated the expelled
princes, and formed alliances with
France and other countries.
Meanwhile Tilly invested and took
the rich city of Magdeburg, at the
same time committing such atrocities
that public opinion compelled the
slector OF Ssxony to support the
Swedish king. On September II. 1881,
Gustavus Adolphus met lilly al
Breitenfeld, near Leipsic, and defeated
the imperial forces in murderous
battle. On April Is, 1882. lilly was
defested again in the battle on the
Lech, and on May II the Swedish king
made his triumphant entry into Munich
the capital Of Bavaria.
In less than two years the man from
A. n. l. ka1ur hy.Vva