74 MAJOR-GENERAL SIR GEORGE K. SCOTT-MONCRIEf F, ON THE 



had causes of irritation and quarrel. The personality and energy 

 of Charles IX had to some extent held back these pubhc enemies, 

 but on his death it appeared that with a young lad on the 

 throne there might be a weakness which would serve as an 

 opportunity for his foes to gain their ends. Moreover, the country 

 was poor, and torn by factions between the Crown and the 

 nobihty. On the other hand, there was a very sound system of 

 mihtary organisation bequeathed by the late king, a warm 

 attachment to the young ruler by the masses of his people, and 

 a disciphne founded on moral teaching and on Christian principles. 

 For Gustavus was as careful of the rehgious training of his people 

 as he was of any other phase of national life. He appointed 

 chaplains to his regiments, assembled the men daily to morning 

 and evening prayer, knelt himself with them and frequently 

 addressed them with stirring exhortation. He had, like Alex- 

 ander, to begin his reign by consolidating his position at home. 

 In the first two years, before he was twenty, he had freed Sweden 

 from the Danish invaders, and secured terms with Christian IV, 

 giving Sweden an honourable independence. In the next four 

 years, warring with Kussia, he had secured for Sweden the whole 

 of the Eastern shores of the Baltic, and consohdated the hold 

 on Livonia and Finland. Then followed campaigns with Poland, 

 in which frequently he endeavoured to secure peace on honourable 

 terms, but though this did not come for some ten years he had 

 at least arranged freedom from Catholic aggression for Sweden, 

 and free commerce between the two countries, and freedom of 

 conscience for all the Baltic regions. 



We have seen how Alexander took up the great cause of liberty 

 which his father had bequeathed to him, and after securing his 

 position at home, at once proceeded to wage battle against over- 

 whelming odds. This was not quite the case of Gustavus, 

 for though his father had been one of the foremost champions 

 of rehgious liberty, he had not bequeathed to his son any definite 

 charge of waging war against the Emperor of Germany. Essen- 

 tially, however, the causes for which these two great captains 

 fought were similar. In the one case liberty against the en- 

 croaching tide of Oriental despotism, in the other freedom of 

 conscience, and the right to worship, unfettered by priestly 

 intolerance. 



The Thirty Years War was partly religious, partly secular. 

 •Germany had, in the Treaty of Augsburg in 1555, arrived at a 

 modus Vivendi between the Cathohcs and the Lutherans (not, 



