The Swedish Empire | Animated History

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The History of Sweden, History of the Swedish Empire

PRIMARY SOURCE:
Sweden, Enlarged Edition: The Nation's History ~ Franklin D. Scott

SOURCES:
Sweden, Enlarged Edition: The Nation's History ~ Franklin D. Scott
"A Warrior Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of Sweden 1611 to 1721"

MUSIC:

Breathing Planet by Doug Maxwell

9th Symphony, Finale by Beethoven

Antonio Salieri, Twenty six variations on La Folia de Spagna
London Mozart Players
Matthias Bamert, as conductor

[TheArmchairHistorian]

Corrections should be placed underneath this comment.

Thanks!
Griff

[umegadarkstar]

Europa Universalis 4 country colours are pretty much default for any historical maps at this point...

[TyphorT]

on the subject of Chales XI one shouldn't overlook that he completed a massive military reform that created the Swedish allotment system (Swedish: indelningsverket) a system that allowed for Sweden to have a professional army that was economically maintained in peacetime. The Allotment system that supplied the troops for the so called "Carolean Army" is one of the main reasons as to why sweden held out in the Great Northern War for 21 years, instead of the war just being a short invasion and rape of Sweden. The allotment system didn't only create a professional army for sweden, it also enabeled the swedish army to be roughly twice the size per capita of comparative european armies at the time, as well as being able to assemble and stand ready to march in about half the time as comparative european armies at the time.

[Caesar_Himself]

Really underselling the ability and victories of Charles XII here. The man absolutely thrashed far bigger enemy armies time and again. He was the greatest Swedish king since Gustavus Adolphus himself. His eventual defeat doesn't change that.

[Red]

Sweden didn't lose a square metre to the Danes in the great northern war, nor have I ever heard a Swedish historian ever call Charles X and XI incompetent

[theimperiumoftheamericas]

*I WAS CHOSEN BY HEAVEN!*
*SAY MY NAME WHEN YOU PRAY*
*TO THE SKIES*
*SEE CAROLUS RISE*

[timt]

Wouldn't call Karl X Gustav (Charles X in english) incompetent, he conquered Skåne (Scania) from Denmark, a region that is still to this day Swedish, our southern parts.

[TheMentalita]

Carl X Gustav (in this video being called incompetent) took control of Warsaw for a short period, walked with his army over the ice (twice) in Denmark and gained Scania/Skåne (south region of Sweden today). The Swedish empire have never been bigger than during this time. In my opinion he is a very underrated king. And he did all that in 6 years.

[zackgeorgly]

I find it annoying that in 6:50 Charles XII is shown to be shot in the chest, when he was legendarily shot in the head.

[jandeusvult]

Im a basic norwegian person, when I see a video about Sweden, I automatically dislike.

Jokes on you, we love our brothers and sisters in Sweden. ❤️

[TheFenderBass]

You overlooked Charles the 11th really much. It was due to his military reforms that sweden in the great northern war were so successful leading up til poltava despite them being outnumbered in every battle. Sweden basically dominated the battles until they got defeated at poltava.
And no the swedish empire did not decline because europeans adapted sweden tactics. (they obviously did, but that isnt why the empire fell) The great northern war is the reason why the swedish empire fell. Up until poltava sweden was at its strongest.
And since you disregard the reforms issued by Charles the 11th and the military tactics used during the great northern war by Charles the 12th its easy to miss that swedish tactics during this time were not like other european nations. Sure they all used line infantry, but sweden unlike many other nations fought higly aggressively and also fought very fast. I actually wrote a scientific essay on this topic if you are interested.
Otherwise pretty good video. (I am swedish so I learned alot of the swedish empire in school and on my freetime thats why I am nitpicking)

[jgripen]

Wait what? That last part. Completely wrong.

Despite the crushing defeat at Poltava, Sweden managed to muster new, green recruits and push off the attacking Danes, succesfully defending Scania and keeping it under Swedish rule. All this while the whole Swedish army was in ruins.

[Baxel]

Charles the 12th actually died while inspecting the trenches at the siege of fredrikshalm and he was shot in the head

[napoleonibonaparte]

0:11 You hear a Partisan in Mount and Blade. You sense a trap. You ready your weapon and prepare for an ambush...

[napoleonibonaparte]

So much EUIV and Mount and Blade sfx.




Still waiting for Bannerlord.

[octodaddy]

Im Swedish and it's a pleasure to see videos of our old empire.

Fun fact:
During the later stage of the Great Northern War, thousands of swedish soldier surrendered and were held in Russian POW camps until the war ended. After the defeats at Poltava and Perevolochna there were about 20, 000-25, 000 Swedes that capitulated Individual surrenders were uncommon, usually a large unit surrendered all its men. Most of them were put to work in Ukraine, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Another large group was moved into Siberia and Ural, where they start to work in mining under command of Vasily Tatishchev.

About 8, 000 Swedes joined the Russian Army to survive, so Peter I put them in Astrakhan Garrison and on Ural Cossack Line to protect Russian land against Kazakhs and Kirgizian raiders, where they joined the military expeditions of Bekovich-Cherkassky to Khiva, Swedes quickly turned into Eastern Orthodox Christians and got under linguistic assimilation with the local Russians. So, many Russians have Swedish roots both from Rus vikings and from later encounters.

Another fun fact:
After Poltava a couple of hundred swedish soldiers deserted and ended up in Hungary and by that time Hungary was in a war that was called ''Rákóczi's War of Independence'', it was a part of the '' Spanish Succession'' most of these Swedish soldiers conscripted as mercenaries. So In 1710 Rákóczi admitted the Swedes into the demoralized Kuruc army. The army was close to victory against the Austrians in the Battle of Romhány, but the last of Rákóczi's forces was crushed in the course of a Austrian counterattack.

[sebastiantiainen]

Didn't know I wanted this but I'm glad this video exist

Edit: watched the video an it was great, thank you

[lukejohns]

I WAS CHOSEN BY HEAVEN
SAY MY NAME WHEN YOU PRAY

[ilyaelric]

A time of religion and war,
Legends tell the tale of a lion
This beast in the shape of a man
With a dream to rule sea and land
And all those who stand in his way,
Die by God and victorious arms
With the righteous that follows him south,
Once more set ashore to war
Legends have taught, battles fought,
This lion has no fear at heart
Lion come forth, come from the north,
Come from the north
Gustavus Adolphus
Libera et impera!
Acerbus et ingens
Augusta per augusta!
A storm over Europe unleashed,
Dawn of war, a trail of destruction
The power of Rome won't prevail,
See the Catholics shiver and shake
The future of warfare unveiled,
Showed the way that we still walk today
Der Löwe aus Mitternacht comes,
Once more he is here for war
Stories of old, truth unfold,
Control over Europe he holds
Freedom he'll bring,
Lion and king, lion and king
Gustavus Adolphus
Libera et impera!
Acerbus et ingens
Augusta per augusta!
Gustavus Adolphus go forth, libera, impera!
(Gustavus Adolphus
Libera et impera!)
Acerbus et ingens, go forth, libera, impera!
(Acerbus et ingens
Augusta per augusta!)
Mighty eagle rule alone
Liberator claim the throne
Lion from the northern land
Take the scepter from its hand
Mighty eagle rule alone
Liberator claim the throne
Lion from the northern land
Take the scepter from its hand
Oh, you lion from the north,
(Mighty eagle rule alone
Liberator claim the throne)
Oh, you lion from the north
(Lion from the northern land
Take the scepter from its hand)
Mighty eagle rule alone
Liberator claim the throne
Lion from the northern land
Take the scepter from its hand
Legends have taught, battles fought,
This lion has no fear at heart
Lion come forth, come from the north,
Come from the north
Gustavus Adolphus
Libera et impera!
Acerbus et ingens
Augusta per augusta!
Gustavus Adolphus go forth, libera, impera!
Acerbus et ingens, go forth, libera, impera!

[Sara-owhz]

At 0:21 I can only hear "Kasta juice!" which means "Throw juice!" and it's making me crack up