96 SWEDEN. 



set upon his head. The Danish soldiers were sent in pursuit of him ; 

 but by his dexterity and address he eluded all their attempts, and 

 escaped under the disguise of a peasant to the mountains of Dale- 

 earlia. After undergoing innumerable dangers and fatigues, and 

 working in the brass mines to prevent being discovered, he was be- 

 trayed by those in whom he reposed his confidence ; but at length, 

 surmounting a thousand obstacles, he engaged the savage, but warlike 

 inhabitants of Dalecarlia to undertake his cause, and assist him to 

 oppose and conquer his tyrannical oppressor. Sweden by his means 

 again acquired independence. The ancient nobility were mostly des- 

 troyed ; Gustavus was at the head of a victorious army, who admired 

 his valour, and were attached to his person : he was created there- 

 fore, first, administrator, and afterwards king of Sweden, by universal 

 consent, and with the shouts of the whole nation. His circumstances 

 were much more favourable than those of any former prince who had 

 possessed this dignity. The massacre of the nobles had freed him 

 from those proud and haughty enemies, who had so long been the 

 bane of all regular government in Sweden. The clergy, indeed were 

 no less powerful than dangerous ; but the opinions of Luther, which 

 began at this time to prevail in the North, and the credit which they 

 had acquired among the Swedes, gave him an opportunity of chang- 

 ing the religious system of that country ; and the exercise of the 

 Roman-catholic religion was prohibited in the year 1544, under the 

 severest penalties. Instead of a Gothic aristocracy, the most turbu- 

 lent of all governments, and, when empoisoned by religious tyranny, 

 of all governments the most wretched, Sweden, in this manner, be- 

 came a regular monarchy. Some favourable effects of this change 

 were soon visible ; arts and manufactures were established and im- 

 proved ; navigation and commerce began to flourish ; letters and civil 

 improvements were introduced ; and a kingdom, known only by name 

 to the rest of Europe, began to be formidable by its arms, and to have 

 a certain weight in all public treaties and deliberations. 



Gustavus died in 1559, while his eldest son Eric was preparing to 

 embark for England to marry queen Elizabeth. 



Under Eric, who succeeded his father Gustavus Vasa, the titles of 

 count and baron were introduced into Sweden, and made hereditary. 

 Eric's miserable and causeless jealousy of his brothers forced them 

 to take up arms ; and the senate siding with them, he was deposed in 

 1566. His brother John succeeded him, and entered into a ruinous 

 war with Russia. John attempted, by the advice of his queen, to re- 

 establish .the catholic religion in Sweden ; but though he made strong 

 efforts for that purpose, and even reconciled himself to the pope, he 

 was opposed by his brother Charles, and the scheme proved ineffec- 

 tual. His son Sigismund was chosen kingtof Poland in 1587 ; upon 

 which he endeavoured again to restore the 'Roman-catholic religion 

 in his dominions ; but he died in 1592. 



Charles, brother to John, was chosen administrator of Sweden ; and 

 being a strenuous protestant, his nephew Sigismund endeavoured to 

 drive him from the administratorship, but without effect ; till at last 

 he and his family were excluded from the succession to the crown, 

 which was conferred upon Charles in 1599. The reign of Charles, 

 through the practices of Sigismund, who was a powerful prince, and 

 at the head of. a great party both in Sweden and Russia, was tur- 

 bulent ; which gave the Danes encouragement to invade Sweden. 

 TheiF conduct was checked by the great Gustavus Adolphus, heir- 



