141 
OXENSTIERNA. 
a vifit to moft of the German courts; and, being recalled 
in 1602, with all the other Swedifli nobility then in fo¬ 
reign countries, to take the oath of fidelity to Charles 
IX. he was foon after received into the fervice of that 
monarch ; who, in 1606, fent him as envoy to the court 
of Mecklenburg. In 1609, when he had completed the 
twenty-fixth year of his age, he was admitted a member 
of the fenate; being the'fourteenth of his family who, 
in uninterrupted fucceffion from father to fon, had fat in 
that affembly. The firft public buiinefs undertaken by 
him after this period, was the adjuftment of fome differ¬ 
ences which had arifen in Efthonia between the Livonian 
nobility and the city of Revel, and which he brought to 
a happy conclufiori. 
He had now given fuch a favourable difplay of his 
talents, that the king, finding the powers of his own 
mind weakened by the infirmity of years, made choice 
of Oxenftierna to be guardian to the royal family, 
and placed him at the head of the regency. On the 
acceflion of the new fovereign, Guftavus-Adolphus, 
he was promoted to be chancellor; and in 1613, when 
overtures were made for peace between Sweden and Den¬ 
mark, he was appointed chief negociator on the part of 
the former. Next year he accompanied the king on his 
expedition into Germany, and foon after had the fatisfac- 
tion of feeing an end put to hoftilities between Ruflia 
and Sweden by an honourable peace, concluded at Stol- 
born. In 1620, he conveyed the intended confort of his 
fovereign from Brandenburg; in 1622, he attended the 
king to Livonia ; and, being afterwards fent to Pruffia 
with feveral regiments, lie was nominated governor-ge¬ 
neral of all the diftrids in that country fubjeded to the 
Swedifh arms. 
When the imperialifts entered Pomerania, in order to 
make themfelves matters of the (hores of the Baltic, Ox¬ 
enftierna was difpatched to .the duke of Pomerania, to 
treat refpedling the admittance of a Swedifli garrifon into 
Stralfund, in room of the Danifli troops, which at that 
time were in poffeffion of the place ; he then proceeded 
to Denmark, to prevail on his Danifli majefty tofandion 
this arrangement; and afterwards, through the media¬ 
tion of the French and Englitti courts, brought the ne- 
gociation for peace with Poland to fuch a (late, that a 
fufpenfion of hoftilities for fix years was agreed upon. 
That Oxenftierna was now in high favour with his fo¬ 
vereign, appears by a letter which he wrote to him in 
1630, from Pomerania, when he was about to take the 
field againft the imperialifts. When the feat of the war 
was transferred farther towards the centre of Germany, 
Guftavus found the prefence of his chancellor neceflary, 
in order that he might profit by his talents and advice, 
tie was therefore inverted with full authority in all civil 
and military affairs on the Rhine ; and, the king having 
afterwards advanced into Bavaria and Franconia, Oxen¬ 
ftierna fixed his head-quarters at Mentz ; whence he pro¬ 
ceeded with the troops he had colleded to join his ma¬ 
jefty, and then took up his ftation with fome regiments 
in the upper part of Germany, while Guftavus advanced 
to Lutzen, where he fell glorioufly in the arms of victory, 
in the year 1632. Oxenftierna was much affeded, but not 
difpirited, by this melancholy event. He collected more 
troops for the defence of Sweden and the allies ; and un¬ 
dertook a journey to Drefden and Berlin, to concert mea- 
fures with the electors of Brandenburg and Saxony in 
regard to the profecution of the war. An unlimited 
commiflion was now given him by the Swedifli govern¬ 
ment to purfue fuch plans, both in regard to negociations 
and to the Swedifli army in Germany, as he might think 
moft conducive to the benefit of his country. In confe- 
quence of the power thus delegated to him, he entered 
into a correfpondence with different foreign ftates; pro¬ 
ceeded to the congrefs at Heilbrun, and was there ac¬ 
knowledged as diredor of the allied powers, diftinguiflied 
by the name of the Evangelic League. This elevation 
gave rife to much difcontent, and excited againft him no 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1230. 
littlejealoufy, which was greatly fomented by the French ; 
but the efforts of his enemies were ineffedual, and were 
not able to leflen his confideration, nor to prevent the 
flattering mark'of refped offered to him by the evangelic 
ftates, of being created eledor of Mentz. In the mean¬ 
time, he undertook a journey to France and Holland, in 
order to gain over thefe two powers to the evangelical 
party; but, on his return to Saxony, he was much mor¬ 
tified to find every thing in the utmoft diforder. The fo¬ 
reign generals were wavering in their attachment to Swe¬ 
den ; the foldiers, difcontented on account of their pay 
being in arrears, manifefted a mutinous fpirit; a great 
part of the allies had become diflieartened, in confequence 
of the blow given to their caule by the unfortunate battle 
of Norlingen ; and, to complete this difaftrous ftate of af¬ 
fairs, the eledor of Saxony had declared in favour of the 
enemies of Sweden. Oxenftierna, however, by his pru¬ 
dent and judicious condud, found means to revive the 
drooping fpirits of his party, and to furmount all- thefe 
difficulties. 
Having thus retrieved the affairs of Germany, and 
placed them on a more fecure footing, he was recalled to 
Sweden in 1636, after being abfent from it about ten 
years; and, as he now wiflied to retire from the more 
bufy fcenes of life, he refigned the authority with which 
he had been inverted, and took his feat in the fenate as 
chancellor of the kingdom, and as one of the five guard¬ 
ians of the queen. His chief care, after this period, was to 
inftrud the queen in every thing that related to the art 
of government. With this view, he communicated to 
her the beft rules and moft ufeful maxims for the regula¬ 
tion of her condud; and, as he had nothing fo much at 
heart as to bring the German war to a happy termination, 
he difpatched, as plenipotentiary, his fon, John Oxen¬ 
ftierna, to co-operate for that purpofe; and peace was at 
length concluded by the famous treaty of Weftphalia. 
Oxenftierna aflifted at Bromfebo at the negociation with 
Denmark, in 164.5 ; and, on his return, queen Chriftina 
conferred on him the title of count. At the fame time 
he was chofen chancellor of the academy of Upfal; an 
office which he difcharged with great zeal for the fuccefs 
and profperity of that ieminary. 
When Chriftina made known her refolutionof naming 
a fucceflor to the Swedifli throne, Oxenftierna was one of 
thofe members of the fenate who ftrongly oppofed this 
meafure: he however fliowed a much greater oppofi- 
tion to the fteps which the queen took to abdicate the 
crown; and, when the ad of abdication was difcufled, 
he feigned indifpofition, that he might avoid the mortifi¬ 
cation of being prelent at the debates on a meafure which 
he conceived to be fraught with fo much evil. From 
that day he became more and more diflatisfied with pub¬ 
lic affairs, but without deferting his duty, which he con¬ 
tinued to difcharge with credit to himfelf and advantage 
to his country. To add to his uneafinefs, he found that 
the finances of the kingdom were in a deranged ftate, and 
that the national debt amounted to feveral millions : a 
circumftance which gave him more pain, as the Swedifli 
territories had been confiderably enlarged during the 
courfe of the preceding years, and as trade and the pub¬ 
lic revenue, in confequence of his judicious meafures, 
had been more improved in the reign of Guftavus-Adol¬ 
phus than they had been in thofe of his predeceflors. In 
the latter part of his life he was fubjed to frequent fits 
of weaknefs, which often threatened his diffolution. 
With one of thefe he was one day feized in the king’s 
apartment; and, being unable to go home without affift- 
ance, he began ferioufly to prepare for that awful change 
which he expeded, and which took place foon after, in 
the month of Auguft 1654. 
Oxenftierna was undoubtedly a man of great talents. 
His charader may be put in competition with that of the 
moft celebrated men who have aded a diftinguiflied part 
on the grand theatre of the world ; and his name will, at 
all times, be clafled among thofe of the immortal geni- 
O o ufes 
