PERSONAL INFLUENCE OP GREAT COMMANDERS IN THE PAST. 75 



however, with the Calvinists, who bitterly opposed both the 

 others), but on the election of the Emperor Ferdinand in 1618, 

 a series of bitter persecutions were enacted against such of his 

 subjects as disagreed with him. But admittedly the spirit of 

 mutual forbearance was absent on both sides. Yet the war 

 was not entirely rehgious, indeed the Pope refused to give his 

 sanction to it. It was largely the endeavour of the Hapsburg 

 dynasty to rule Germany absolutely, from the Baltic to the 

 Adriatic and from the Rhine to the Oder. Now a powerful 

 German Empire under Roman Catholic rulers on the Baltic 

 would be a serious menace to the independence and commerce 

 of Sweden, and this was, from the purely Swedish point of view, 

 a reason for her entry into the war. It was not, however, until 

 1630 that Gustavus took an active part. Meantime Denmark 

 had tried, and failed, to drive back the Imperiahsts under 

 Wallenstein. The Protestant electors of Brandenburg and 

 Saxony were supine and treacherous. The military leaders of 

 the Imperialists, Wallenstein, Tilly, and Pappenheim, were 

 far superior to any of those on the Protestant side. Except the 

 fortresses of Stralsund and Stettin and some of the Hanseatic 

 towns, all Germany was under the heel of the Hapsburgs. Then 

 Gusta\ais came in. He was the leader of a cause which seemed 

 hopeless. He was incurring tremendous risks, for to the west 

 the Danes were his ancient enemies, and to the east was Poland 

 smarting under defeat. His country was poor, and, as he had 

 laid down as a cardinal principle in his wars that under no cir- 

 cumstances should the cost fall on the innocent people of the 

 country, but all suppHes must be honestly paid for, so he needed 

 ready funds for his operations ; but his confidence in the somid 

 disciphne, stout hearts and moral ascendancy of his troops never 

 wavered, and he felt confident that he could and would lead them 

 to victory. Thus he started with the immense power of moral 

 influence, and in two years drove his armies, like an iron wedge, 

 through the heart of Germany, from the Baltic to the Danube. 

 He had behind him the unanimous weight of pubHc opinion 

 in his own country which, from experience of his personal rule 

 during eighteen years, had learnt to admire the man for his noble 

 and lofty private character, and for the wisdom and courage he 

 had evinced in all his public actions. 



His mihtary operations were not on the same brilhant scale 

 of successive victory and advance as those of Alexander, for 

 these indeed are unique in the woild's history. But they were 



