A Study Of Sweden-Brandenburg Relations During The Thirty Years’ War

The Thirty Years’ War was the beginning of modern international relations.The war was protracted and spread to many countries in Europe.This war also profoundly affected the relationship between Sweden and Brandenburg.Sweden,as a power in the Baltic,and Brandenburg,one of Seven Electors of Holy Roman Empire,formed an alliance in the war against Catholic forces headed by the Habsburg Emperor.Based on the background,process and break-up of Sweden-Brandenburg Alliance in the Thirty Years’ War,the aim of this paper is to analyze the factors that influence the trend of Sweden-Brandenburg relationship.The thesis consists of five parts and the conclusion:The first part mainly reviews the development of Sweden-Brandenburg relations before the Thirty Years’ War.Sweden and Brandenburg maintained a marginal relationship for most of the 16th century,and the potential for cooperation was untapped.After Swedish Revolution at the end of 16th century,their relationship was often influenced by Poland.The marriage of Sweden-Brandenburg in the early 17th century not only reflected the growing connection between the Vasa family and the Hohenzollern family,but also increased the possibility that they would regard each other as natural allies.The second part focuses on the origins and obstacles of the Sweden-Brandenburg Alliance.From the outbreak of the war to the intervention of Sweden,Brandenburg and Sweden at different times considered each other as allies to intervene the Thirty Years’War.In 1624,Brandenburg invited Sweden to form the Protestant National League to intervene in the war.After Denmark intervened,the plan failed.In 1630,Sweden intervened the Thirty Years’ War and included Brandenburg in the alliance plan.However,Sweden’s military operations in the Baltic seriously threatened Brandenburg’s traditional interests and greatly increased the resistance to the alliance.The third part focuses on the establishment and crisis of the Sweden-Brandenburg Alliance.In 1631,Sweden and Brandenburg formed an alliance,but the alliance was not stable and Sweden received limited alliance conditions.After the Battle of Lüzen,Sweden was in disadvantage.Brandenburg tried to evade the Alliance’s obligations and vacillated between Sweden and the Emperor.At the Frankfurt Conference,Sweden’s declaration on permanent possession of Pomerania not only extinguished Brandenburg’s hopes of joining the Heilbronn Alliance formed by Sweden,but the Sweden-Brandenburg Alliance has also been in jeopardy since then.The fourth part mainly discusses the collapse of the Sweden-Brandenburg Alliance and the relaxation of the Sweden-Brandenburg relationship.The Emperor seized the opportunity of Sweden’s defeat in the Battle of Nordlingen and proposed reconciliation with the Protestant princes.Saxony and the emperor signed Peace of Prague and decided to unanimously go abroad.Brandenburg chose to join Peace of Prague and the Sweden-Brandenburg Alliance ended.After that,Sweden and Brandenburg entered a state of war.Frederick Wilhelm changed his father’s policy after succeed to the throne,and shifted his diplomatic focus to the Swedish side.The fifth part mainly analyzes the characteristics and significance of the relationship between Sweden and Brandenburg during the Thirty Years’ War.During the Thirty Years’War,Sweden-Brandenburg’s relations were full of instability,Sweden was dominant,and their diplomatic relations were significantly affected by religion.After the Thirty Years’War,the possibility of cooperation between Sweden and Brandenburg has greatly increased.But at the same time,a series of leftover issues from the war also led to a new round of competition between the two in the Baltic Sea region.