SWEDEN 



5651 



SWEDENBORG 



esfcant faith drew him into the war in Germany. 

 The policy of Gustavus Adolphus was con- 

 tinued after his death; new territory was ac- 

 quired, and for some years Sweden was recog- 

 nized as a great power, but in 1675 its forces 

 were completely defeated by Frederick William 

 of Brandenburg, its sea power was lost, and ruin 

 was only averted by the treaty of peace. 



The eyes of all Europe were again turned on 

 Sweden during the reign of Charles XII, who 

 invaded Denmark, Poland, Russia and Norway. 

 Following his death Sweden was weakened by 

 political struggles, and even Gustavus III 

 (1771-1792), who wiped out the factions and 

 increased the royal power, was unable to re- 

 store Sweden to its former prosperity. 



Relations with France. Charles XIII (1809- 

 1818), having no heir, chose Bernadotte, one 

 of Napoleon's marshals, as crown prince. Ber- 

 nadotte joined the allied powers in the final 

 overthrow of Napoleon, and as a reward for 

 this support, Norway in 1814 was transferred 

 to Sweden from Denmark, for the latter coun- 

 try had united with Napoleon. Bernadotte 

 came to the throne in 1818 as Charles XIV 

 John, and during his reign and those of the 

 succeeding kings Sweden prospered. 



Recent History. In 1905 King Oscar II re- 

 fused to give Norway a separate consular serv- 

 ice, and Norway declared its independence but 

 preserved friendly relations with Sweden. Two 

 years later Gustaf V succeeded to the throne. 

 Sweden remained as neutral, during the War 

 of the Nations as its position made possible, 

 although its commerce and industry suffered, 

 and its neutral rights on the sea were violated. 

 In 1915 Sweden prohibited the export of arms 

 and munitions to the belligerent nations and 

 protested against Germany's submarine warfare 

 and England's use of neutral flags. In June, 

 1915, friendly relations were established be- 

 tween Sweden and its old enemy, Russia, with 

 regard to financial, commercial and industrial 

 interests. In September, 1917, its neutrality 

 was questioned by the entente allies upon dis- 

 covery that its diplomatic agents were permit- 

 ting dispatches to reach Germany through its 

 Foreign Office. 



Other Items of Interest. The chain of islands 

 along the coast of Sweden is commonly known 

 as the "skerry fence." 



The shortness of the northern summers is in 

 a measure compensated for by the length of the 

 days and the many hours of sunshine. At the 

 very northernmost point the sun may be seen 

 continuously from May 26 to July 18, and at 



Stockholm it is visible for eighteen and one- 

 half hours each day during that period. 



In the southern part of the country there are 

 more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, 

 while in the northern regions fewer than 200 

 species are found. 



The wild reindeer is found, though it is rare, 

 but large herds of the domesticated reindeer are 

 kept by the Lapps. 



One of the outstanding things the visitor to 

 the northern forests notices is the impression 

 of emptiness and lifelessness. Even in summer 

 there are almost no animals to be seen, and 

 very, very few birds. 



In most countries the taking of the census 

 is a government affair, but in Sweden the cen- 

 sus is drawn up by the clergy an official report 

 every ten years and an estimate every year. 



One of the most universally observed and 

 most elaborately celebrated of the national 

 holidays is Midsummer, which falls on June 23 

 and 24. E.B.P. 



Consult Barnes's Things Seen in Sweden; Ken- 

 nedy's Thirty Seasons in Scandinavia. 



Related Subjects. The reader who wishes 

 more detailed information will find it in the fol- 

 lowing articles in these volumes : 



Gothenburg 

 Malmo 



Baltic Sea 

 Bothnia, Gulf of 



CITIES 



Stockholm 



COAST WATERS 



Cattegat 

 Skagerrack 



HISTORY 



Charles IX, X, XI and Norway, subtitle Gov- 



XII eminent and History 



Denmark, subhead Oscar I and II 



History Thirty Years' War 



Gustaf V War of the Nations 

 Gustavus I, II, III and 



IV 



LEADING PRODUCTS 



Herring Lumber 



Iron Rye 



SWEDENBORG, swe ' den bawrg, EMANUEL 

 (1688-1772), a Swedish scientist and inventor 

 and the founder of a religious sect known as 

 the Swedenborgians, or New Jerusalem Church. 

 He was the son of a Lutheran bishop, and was 

 educated at the University of Upsala, going 

 afterward to England to pursue further the 

 study of the sciences. Returning) he published 

 a volume of poems, edited a mathematical 

 journal and at the age of twenty-eight wrote 

 the first algebra ever produced in Sweden. He 

 studied especially the science of mining, and 

 was called by Charles XII to a chair in the 

 Royal College of Mines. In 1718, his family 



