Editing Monarchy of Sweden (section)

=== 16th- and 17th-century changes ===
{{Chart top|collapsed=yes|House of Vasa}}
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{{Tree chart|border=1| | | |  | | | | | | | | |A01  | | | | | 
A01=[[File:COA sv Kettil Karlsson (Vasa).png|75px]]|boxstyle_A01=border-width:0px
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{{Familytree | | | | | | | | | | | | | NIL | | | | | | | NIL = {{ill|Nils Kettilsson(Vasa)(sv)|sv|Nils Kettilsson (Vasa)|vertical-align=sup}}<br /><small>(† 1378)</small>}}
{{Familytree | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|-|.| | |}}
{{Familytree | | | | | | | | KRI | | | | | | | | RAM | | KRI = {{ill|Krister Nilsson (Vasa)(sv)|sv|Krister Nilsson (Vasa)|vertical-align=sup}}<br /><small>(† 1442)</small> | RAM = Ramborg Nilsdotter<br /><small>(m. {{ill|Tord Bonde (Röriksson)(sv)|sv|Tord Bonde (Röriksson)|vertical-align=sup}})[[Bonde family]]</small>}}
{{Familytree | | |,|-|-|-|-|-|+|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |! | |}}
{{Familytree | | KAR | | | JOH | |NIL | |KRI | |KNU | | 
KAR = {{ill|Karl Kristiernsson(Vasa)|sv|Karl Kristiernsson (Vasa)|vertical-align=sup}}<br /><small>(† 1440)</small> | 
JOH = {{ill|Johan Kristiernsson(Vasa)|sv|Johan Kristiernsson (Vasa)|vertical-align=sup}}<br /><small>(† 1477)</small> | 
NIL={{ill|Nils Kristiernsson (Vasa)|sv|vertical-align=sup}}<br/><small>(† 1464)</small> | 
KRI = Kristina Kristiernsdotter<br /><small>(ép. [[Bengt Jönsson Oxenstierna|Bengt Jönsson(Oxenstierna)]])</small> | 
KNU = Knut Tordsson<br /><small>(† 1413)</small>
}}
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{{Familytree | | KET | | | | ERI | | | | | | | | |CH8 | KET = [[Kettil Karlsson Vasa|Kettil Karlsson]]<br /><small>(v. 1433–1465)<br/> bishop of Linköping from 1459 to 1465 and Swedish regent in 1465.</small> | ERI = [[Erik Johansson Vasa]]<br /><small>(v. 1470–1520)</small> | CH8 ='''[[Charles VIII of Sweden|Charles VIII Bonde]]'''<br/>(1409–1470)<br/>{{R.|1448|1457|1464|1465|1467|1470}}
   |boxstyle_CH8=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px}}
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{{Familytree | | | | | | | |GU1 | | | | | | | | |A01 |GU1='''[[Gustav I of Sweden|Gustav I Eriksson Vasa]]'''<br/>(1496–1560)<br/>Regent 1521–1523<br/>{{R.|1523|1560}}|boxstyle_GU1=border-color:#F00; border-width:2px|A01=[[File:Blason de Charles VIII de Suède et de Norvège (1408-1470).svg|75px]]|boxstyle_A01=border-width:0px
}}
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{{Familytree | | | | | | | |A01| | | | | | | | | | |
A01=[[File:Arms of the House of Vasa.svg|75px]]|boxstyle_A01=border-width:0px
}}
{{Familytree | | |,|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|-|-|-|-|v|- |- |- |- |. | |}}
{{Familytree | |E14 | |JN3 | | | | | |CH9 | | |MAG | E14 = '''[[Eric XIV of Sweden|Eric XIV]]'''<br/>(1533–1577)<br/>{{R.|1560|1568}}
   |boxstyle_E14=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
| JN3 = '''[[John III of Sweden|John III]]'''<br/>(1537–1592)<br/>{{R.|1569|1592}}
   |boxstyle_JN3=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
| CH9 = '''[[Charles IX of Sweden|Charles IX]]'''<br/>(1550–1611)<br/>Regent 1599–1604<br/>{{R.|1604|1611}}|boxstyle_CH9=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
|MAG='''[[Magnus Vasa|Magnus]]'''<br/>(1542–1595)<br/>[[Duke]] of [[Östergötland]]
}}
{{Familytree | | |F |~ |~ |J |!| | | | | |,|-|^|-|v|~ |~ |~ |7 |}}
{{Familytree | |GYL | |SI3 | | | | CAT | |GU2 | |CGYL || SI3 = '''[[Sigismund III Vasa]]'''<br/>(1566–1632)<br/>{{R.|1592|1599}}
   |boxstyle_SI3=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
| CAT = [[Catherine Vasa|Catherine]]<br /><small>(1584–1638)</small> 
| GU2 = '''[[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustav II Adolph]]'''<br/>(1594–1632)<br/>{{R.|1611|1632}}
   |boxstyle_GU2=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
|GYL='''{{ill|Julius Gyllenhielm|sv|vertical-align=sup}}  {{interlanguage link|Gyllenhielm|sv}}'''<br/>(1560–1581)
|CGYL='''[[Carl Gyllenhielm]]  {{interlanguage link|Gyllenhielm|sv}}'''<br/>(1574–1650)<br/>[[List of Swedish field marshals|Swedish Field Marshal]]
}}
{{Familytree | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | |!| | | |!|L |~ |~ |7|}}
{{Familytree | | | | LA4 | | J2C | |C10 | |CHR | |CCV| LA4 = '''[[Władysław IV Vasa]]'''<br/>{{small|(1595–1648)<br/>[[List of Polish monarchs|King of Poland, GD of Lithuania]]<br/>{{R.|1632|1648}}}}
| J2C = '''[[John II Casimir Vasa]]'''<br/>{{small|(1609–1672)<br/>[[List of Polish monarchs|King of Poland, GD of Lithuania]]<br/>{{R.|1648|1668 (abdicated)}}}}
| C10='''[[Charles X Gustav of Sweden|Charles X Gustav]]'''<br/>(1622–1660)<br/>{{R.|1654|1660}}
   |boxstyle_C10=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
| CHR = '''[[Christina, Queen of Sweden|Christina]]'''<br/>(1626–1689)<br/>{{R.|1632|1654}}
   |boxstyle_CHR=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
|CCV='''[[Gustav of Vasaborg|Gustaf Gusstafsson]] ({{ill|Gustaf Gustafsson af Vasaborg|sv}})'''<br/>(1616–1653)<br/>[[Vasaborg|af Vasaborg]],1637 ({{ill|Vasaborg (ätt)|sv}}), Count of Nystad, 1647
}}
{{Familytree/end}}
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[[File:Gustav Vasa.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Gustav I of Sweden|Gustav I]], portrayed here in 1542 by [[Jakob Binck]], legally created the hereditary monarchy and organized the Swedish [[unitary state]].]]

Catholic bishops had supported the [[Monarchy of Denmark|King of Denmark]], [[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]], but he was [[Swedish War of Liberation|overthrown in a rebellion]] led by nobleman [[Gustav I of Sweden|Gustav Vasa]], whose father had been executed at the [[Stockholm bloodbath]]. Gustav Vasa (hereinafter referred to as Gustav I) was elected King of Sweden by the [[estates of the realm]], assembled in [[Strängnäs]] on 6 June 1523.

Inspired by the teachings of [[Martin Luther]], Gustav I used the Protestant [[Reformation]] to curb the power of the Roman [[Catholic Church]]. In 1527 he persuaded the [[estates of the realm]], assembled in the city of [[Västerås]], to confiscate church lands, which comprised 21% of the country's farmland. At the same time, he broke with the [[Pope|papacy]] and established a reformed [[state church]]: the [[Church of Sweden]].{{#tag:ref|A complete Lutheran church ordinance was not presented until the [[Swedish Church Ordinance 1571]], with a [[statement of faith]] finalized by the [[Uppsala Synod]] in 1593.|group=n|name=n2}} Throughout his reign, Gustav I suppressed both aristocratic and [[Dacke War|peasant opposition]] to his ecclesiastical policies and efforts at centralisation, which to some extent laid the foundation for the modern Swedish [[unitary state]]. Legally Sweden has only been a [[hereditary monarchy]] since 1544 when the [[Riksdag of the Estates]], through ''Västerås arvförening'', designated the sons of King Gustav I as the heirs to the Throne.{{#tag:ref|The powers of the king were originally regulated by a section of the written legal code called ''Konungabalk'' (''Kings' partition'') from medieval times until 1734, when [[Civil Code of 1734|a new law code]] of Sweden was adopted and that section was removed. The new law code of Sweden was adopted after a long period of inquiries by [[royal commission]]s since the days of [[Charles IX of Sweden|Charles IX]] (late 16th/early 17th century)|group=n|name=n3}}

Tax reforms took place in 1538 and 1558, whereby multiple complex taxes on independent farmers were simplified and standardised throughout the district{{clarify|what district?|date=October 2014}} and tax assessments per farm were adjusted to reflect ability to pay. Crown tax revenues increased, but more importantly the new system was perceived as fairer. A war with [[Lübeck]] in 1535 resulted in the expulsion of the [[Hanseatic League|Hanseatic traders]], who previously had had a monopoly on foreign trade. With its own burghers in charge, Sweden's economic strength grew rapidly, and by 1544 Gustav controlled 60% of the farmlands in all of Sweden. Sweden now built the first modern army in Europe, supported by a sophisticated tax system and an efficient bureaucracy.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Glete|first=Jan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hI5agv3IDGIC&q=questia+Glete,+War+and+the+State|title=War and the State in Early Modern Europe: Spain, the Dutch Republic and Sweden as Fiscal-military States, 1500–1660|date=2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-22644-8}}</ref>

At the death of King Gustav I in 1560, he was succeeded by his oldest son [[Eric XIV of Sweden|Eric XIV]]. His reign was marked by Sweden's entrance into the [[Livonian War]] and the [[Northern Seven Years' War]]. The combination of Eric's developing [[mental disorder]] and his opposition to the aristocracy led to the [[Sture Murders]] in 1567 and the imprisonment of his brother [[John III of Sweden|John (III)]], who was married to [[Catherine Jagiellon]], sister of King [[Sigismund II of Poland]].<ref>Article "Johan III", from [[Nordisk familjebok]]</ref> In 1568 Eric was dethroned and succeeded by John III. In domestic politics John III showed clear [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] sympathies, inspired by his queen, creating friction with the Swedish clergy and nobility. He reintroduced several Catholic traditions previously abolished, and his foreign policy was affected by his family connection to the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]], where his eldest son had been made King [[Sigismund III Vasa|Sigismund III]] in 1587.{{#tag:ref|No [[regnal number]]{{snd}}just ''Sigismund''{{snd}}is used when referring to [[Sigismund III Vasa]] as King of Sweden.|group="n"|name="n20"}} Following the death of his father, Sigismund tried to [[Polish–Swedish union|rule Sweden from Poland]], leaving Sweden under the control of a [[regent]] – his paternal uncle (Gustav I's youngest son) [[Charles IX of Sweden|Charles (IX)]] – but was unable to defend his Swedish throne against the ambitions of his uncle. In 1598 Sigismund and his Swedish-Polish army were defeated at the [[Battle of Stångebro]] by the forces of Charles, and he was declared deposed by the [[Riksdag of the Estates|Estates]] in 1599.

[[File:Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle at Breitenfeld.jpg|thumb|upright|''The Lion of the North'': King [[Gustavus Adolphus]] depicted at the turning point of the [[Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)]] against the forces of [[Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly]]]]

In 1604, the Estates finally recognized the regent and de facto ruler as King Charles IX. His short reign was one of uninterrupted warfare. The hostility of Poland and the breakup of Russia involved him in overseas contests for the possession of [[Duchy of Livonia (1629–1721)|Livonia]] and [[Duchy of Ingria|Ingria]], the [[Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611)]] and the [[Ingrian War]], while his pretensions to claim [[Laponia (historical province)|Lapland]] brought on a war with [[Denmark]] ([[Kalmar War]]) in the last year of his reign.{{#tag:ref|The war against Denmark was concluded in 1613 with a peace treaty, which did not cost Sweden any territory, but Sweden was nevertheless forced to pay a heavy indemnity to Denmark ([[Treaty of Knäred]]) in order to regain control of [[Älvsborg Fortress]].|group=n|name=n1}}

[[Gustavus Adolphus]] inherited three wars from his father when he ascended to the throne. From 1612, when Count [[Axel Oxenstierna]] was appointed [[Lord High Chancellor of Sweden|Lord High Chancellor]], which he remained until Gustavus Adolphus's death, the two men struck a long and successful partnership and complemented each other well: In Oxenstierna's own words, his "cool" balanced the King's "heat".<ref name="Trettioåriga kriget">{{cite book|last1=Ericson Wolke|first1=Lars|last2=Larsson|first2=Villstrand|title=Trettioåriga kriget|editor=Historiska Media|year=2006|pages=145–148|publisher=Historiska media|isbn=91-85377-37-6|language=sv}}</ref><ref name="Nordisk Familjebok - Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna">{{cite web|url=https://runeberg.org/nfbt/0622.html|title=Nordisk Familjebok – Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna|year=1914|work=Nordisk Familjebok at runeberg.org|language=sv|access-date=23 October 2014|archive-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020093126/https://runeberg.org/nfbt/0622.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The war against Russia (the [[Ingrian War]]) ended in 1617 with the [[Treaty of Stolbovo]], which excluded Russia from the Baltic Sea. The final inherited war, the [[Polish–Swedish War (1600–1629)|war against Poland]], ended in 1629 with the [[Truce of Altmark]], which transferred the large province of [[Swedish Livonia|Livonia]] to Sweden and freed the Swedish forces for subsequent intervention in the [[Thirty Years' War]] in Germany, where Swedish forces had [[Siege of Stralsund (1628)|already established a bridgehead in 1628]]. [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] was torn apart by a quarrel between the Protestants and the Catholics. When Gustavus Adolphus [[Treaty of Stettin (1630)|began his push]] into northern Germany in June–July 1630, he had just 4,000 soldiers. But he was soon able to consolidate the [[Protestant]] position in the north, using reinforcements from Sweden and money supplied by France at the [[Treaty of Bärwalde]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Prinz|first=Oliver C.|title=Der Einfluss von Heeresverfassung und Soldatenbild auf die Entwicklung des Militärstrafrechts|volume=7|series=Osnabrücker Schriften zur Rechtsgeschichte|year=2005|publisher=V&R unipress|isbn=3-89971-129-7|location=Osnabrück|language=de|pages=40–41}} Referring to {{cite book|last=Kroener|first=Bernhard R.|chapter=Militärgeschichte des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit bis 1648. Vom Lehnskrieger zum Söldner|editor-last=Neugebauer|editor-first=Karl-Volker|title=Grundzüge der deutschen Militärgeschichte|volume=1|location=Freiburg|year=1993|publisher=Rombach|language=de|page=32}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Meanwhile, a [[Catholic League (German)|Catholic army]] under Tilly was laying waste to [[Saxony]]. Gustavus Adolphus met Tilly's army and crushed it at the [[Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)|First Battle of Breitenfeld]] in September 1631. He then marched clear across Germany, establishing his winter quarters near the [[Rhine]], making plans for the invasion of the rest of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In March 1632, Gustavus Adolphus invaded [[Bavaria]], a staunch ally of the [[Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor]]. He forced the withdrawal of his Catholic opponents at the [[Battle of Rain]]. In the summer of that year, he sought a political solution that would preserve the existing structure of states in Germany, while guaranteeing the security of its Protestants. But achieving these objectives depended on his continued success on the battlefield.|group="n"|name="n17"}} Gustavus Adolphus was killed at the [[Battle of Lützen (1632)|1632 Battle of Lützen]]. Queen [[Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg|Maria Eleonora]] and the [[Privy Council of Sweden|king's ministers]] took over the government of the Realm on behalf of Gustavus Adolphus' underage daughter [[Christina I of Sweden|Christina]], until she reached the [[age of majority]]. Gustavus Adolphus is often regarded by military historians as one of the greatest military commanders of all time, with innovative use of [[combined arms]]. {{#tag:ref|In Chapter V of [[Carl von Clausewitz]]' ''[[On War]]'', he lists Gustavus Adolphus as an example of an outstanding military leader, along with: [[Alexander the Great]], [[Julius Caesar]], [[Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma|Alexander Farnese]], [[Charles XII]], [[Frederick the Great]] and [[Napoleon]] Bonaparte. |group=n|name=n8}}

[[Christina, Queen of Sweden|Christina]] succeeded her father aged six. A regency government ruled in her name until she turned 18 years of age. During the regency, Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna wrote the [[1634 Instrument of Government]], which although never approved by any monarch, continued to have an important normative role in the state administration. Christina early on showed an interest in literature and the sciences and famously brought [[René Descartes]] to Sweden. Sweden continued to be involved in the Thirty Years' War during reign of Christina and that conflict was settled at the 1648 [[Peace of Westphalia]], and the Swedish monarch received representation at the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] due to the German conquests ([[Bremen-Verden]] and [[Swedish Pomerania]]) that were made.{{#tag:ref|Although the local conflict with Denmark-Norway, as part of the Thirty Years' War was settled at the Second Treaty of Brömsebro (1645), in which the Danes ceded the Norwegian provinces of [[Jämtland]], [[Härjedalen]] and [[Älvdalen Municipality|Idre & Särna]] as well as the Danish [[Baltic Sea]] islands of [[Gotland]] and [[Saaremaa|Ösel]]. Sweden was furthermore exempted from the [[Sound Dues]] and received the Danish province of [[Halland]] for a period of 30 years as a guarantee of these provisions.|group=n|name=n10}} Having decided not to marry, Christina abdicated the throne on 5 June 1654 in favor of her cousin [[Charles X Gustav]], went abroad, and converted to [[Roman Catholicism]].

{{Chart top|collapsed=yes|[[House of Wittelsbach]] (Palatine-Zweibrucken branch) on the Swedish Throne}}
{{Familytree/start |style=font-size:89%; |align=center}}

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{{Tree chart|border=1| |A01 | |Sig| |Gu2| |Cat|y|Joc| | | | | | Fr3H-G | 
 |A01=[[File:Sigismund Vasa arms.png|75px]]|boxstyle_A01=border-width:0px
 |Sig='''[[Sigismund III Vasa]]'''<br/>(1566–1632)<br/>{{R.|1592|1599}}
   |boxstyle_Sig=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
 |Gu2='''[[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustav II Adolph]]'''<br/>(1594–1632)<br/>{{R.|1611|1632}}
   |boxstyle_Gu2=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
 |Cat=[[Catherine of Sweden, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg|Princess Catherine]]<br/>(1584–1638)
 |Joc=[[John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg]]<br/>1589–1652 |Fr3H-G=[[Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp]]<br/>(1597–1659)
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | |,|-|^|-|.| | |!| | | | |,|^|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | |`|-|-|-|.| 
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{{Tree chart|border=1| | |LAD | |CAS | |Chr| |C10| |A01 | |Chm|y|Fre| |!| 
 |A01=[[File:Armoiries Suède Palatinat1.svg|75px]]<br/>'''{{Small|{{Color| #00008B |[[House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken|House of Sweden—Palatine-Zweibrücken]]}}}}'''|boxstyle_A01=border-width:0px
 |Chr='''[[Christina, Queen of Sweden|Christina]]'''<br/>(1626–1689)<br/>{{R.|1632|1654}}
   |boxstyle_Chr=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
 |C10='''[[Charles X Gustav of Sweden|Charles X Gustav]]'''<br/>(1622–1660)<br/>{{R.|1654|1660}}
   |boxstyle_C10=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
 |Chm=[[Christina Magdalena of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken]]<br/>(1616–1662)
 |Fre=[[Frederick VI, Margrave of Baden-Durlach]]<br/>(1617–1677)
 |LAD = '''[[Władysław IV Vasa]]'''<br/>{{small|(1595–1648)<br/>[[List of Polish monarchs|King of Poland, GD of Lithuania]]<br/>{{R.|1632|1648}}}}
 |CAS = '''[[John II Casimir Vasa]]'''<br/>{{small|(1609–1672)<br/>[[List of Polish monarchs|King of Poland, GD of Lithuania]]<br/>{{R.|1648|1668 (abdicated)}}}} 
}}

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{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | |C11| |Jof|y|Joa| |Fmb| |CA-HG|
 |C11='''[[Charles XI of Sweden|Charles XI]]'''<br/>(1655–1697)<br/>{{R.|1660|1697}}
   |boxstyle_C11=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
 |Fmb=[[Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach]]<br/>(1647–1709)
 |Joa=Johanna Elisabeth of Baden-Durlach<br/>(1651–1680)
 |Jof=[[John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]<br/>1654–1686 |CA-HG=[[Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp]]<br/>(1641–1695)
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | |,|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|(| | | |,|-|'| | | | | |!| | | |!| 
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{{Tree chart|border=1| |HED | |Fr1|~|Ule| |C12| |Dor|y|Jor| |Alf|y|Cha
 |HED='''[[Hedvig Sophia of Sweden]]'''<br/>{{Small|'''[[List of Swedish monarchs|hieress of Sweden]]'''<br/>'''eldest sister of [[Charles XII of Sweden]]'''<br/>1681–1708}}|boxstyle_UE=border-width:2px; border-color:#00008B
 |C12='''[[Charles XII of Sweden|Charles XII]]'''<br/>(1682–1718)<br/>{{R.|1697|1718}}
   |boxstyle_C12=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
 |Ule='''[[Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden|Ulrika Eleonora]]'''<br/>(1688–1741)<br/>{{R.|1718|1720}}
   |boxstyle_Ule=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
    |Fr1='''[[Frederick I of Sweden|Frederick I]]'''<br/>(1676–1751)<br/>{{R.|1720|1751}}
   |boxstyle_Fr1=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
 |Alf=[[Margravine Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach]]<br/>(1682–1755)
 |Cha=[[Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin]]<br/>(1673–1726)
 |Dor=[[Dorothea Friederike of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]<br/>(1676–1731)
 |Jor=[[Johann Reinhard III, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg]]<br/>(1665–1736)
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | |! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|'| | | | | |,|-|'| 
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{{Tree chart|border=1| |CFR |y |APET | | | | | |Lou|y|Chl| | | | | |Adf
 |CFR='''[[Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp|Charles Frederick]]'''<br/>{{Small|'''[[Duke of Holstein-Gottorp|Duke of Schleswig-<br/>Holstein-Gottorp]]'''<br/>'''r. 1702–1739'''<br/>1700–1739}}|boxstyle_A02=border-width:2px; border-color:#00008B
 |APET='''[[Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia]]'''<br/>{{Small|'''daughter & eventual heiress of [[Peter the Great]]'''<br/>'''r. 1725–1728'''<br/>1708–1728}}
 |Chl=[[Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg]]<br/>(1700–1726)
 |Lou=[[Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt]]<br/>(1691–1768)
 |Adf='''[[Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden|Adolf Frederick]]'''<br/>(1710–1771)<br/>{{R.|1751|1771}}
   |boxstyle_Adf=border-color:#C00; border-width:2px
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| |A02 |! | | | | | | | | | |,|-|'| | | | | | | |,|-|'|A01 | 
 |A01=[[File:Blason dynastie Holstein-Gottorp (branche suèdoise).svg|75px]]<br/>'''{{Small|{{Color| #00008B |[[House of Holstein-Gottorp (Swedish line)]]}}}}'''|boxstyle_A01=border-width:0px
 |A02=[[File:Arms of the House Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov.png|50px]]<br/>[[House of Romanov#House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov|'''{{Small|{{Color|#006600|House of Holstein-<br/>Gottorp-Romanov}}}}''']]|boxstyle_A02=border-width:0px
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | |PET3 | | | | | | | |Geo| | | | | | | | |!| 
 |PET3='''[[Peter III of Russia|Peter III]]'''<br/>{{Small|'''[[Emperor of all the Russias|Emperor of Russia]]'''<br/>'''r. 1762–1762'''<br/>1728–1762}}|boxstyle_PET3=border-width:2px; border-color:#FFD700
 |Geo=[[Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt]]<br/>(1722–1782)
}}

{{Familytree/end}}
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[[File:Charles XI of Sweden.jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[Charles XI of Sweden|Charles XI]] at the [[Battle of Lund]] in 1676. Painting by [[David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl]].]]
The Estates elected [[Charles X Gustav]] as their new King, and his short reign is best characterized by [[Second Northern War|foreign wars]]: [[Deluge (history)|first a lengthy campaign within Poland]] and then with Denmark. In the latter case, the risky 1658 [[March across the Belts]] which resulted in the [[Treaty of Roskilde]], would prove to be the largest permanent territorial gain Sweden ever had: [[Skåne]], [[Blekinge]] and [[Bohuslän]] now became Swedish provinces and have remained so ever since. Charles X Gustav was not satisfied, as he wanted to crush Denmark once and for all, but the [[Assault on Copenhagen (1659)|1659 Assault on Copenhagen]] did not prove successful for the Swedes, largely due to the Dutch [[Battle of the Sound|naval intervention]] to the aid of the Danes.

Charles X Gustav died in [[Gothenburg]] in 1660 and as the Crown passed to his five-year-old son [[Charles XI of Sweden|Charles XI]], a new regency government would assume the responsibilities of the state. The regency government, composed of aristocrats and led by Chancellor Count [[Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie]], was more interested in feathering their own nests rather than working in the interest of the country at large. When Charles XI came of age in 1672, the effectiveness of the armed forces had seriously deteriorated and the country was ill-prepared as the King of Denmark, [[Christian V of Denmark|Christian V]], [[Scanian War|invaded to settle old scores]]. The Danes were [[Peace of Lund|ultimately unsuccessful]] in their attempts, and Charles XI undertook several measures to prevent what had just almost happened from occurring again: reducing the influence of the aristocracy by [[Reduction (Sweden)|nationalizing estates and properties]] which had been handed out to them by his predecessors, introducing the [[Allotment system]] ({{langx|sv|indelningsverket}}) which would form the basis of the armed forces until the 20th century, and with the support of the Estates he was declared in 1680 an [[absolute monarch]].

Charles XI was succeeded by his son, [[Charles XII of Sweden|Charles XII]], who would prove to be an extremely able military commander, defeating far larger enemies with the small but highly professional Swedish army. His defeat of the Russians [[Battle of Narva (1700)|at Narva]] when just 18 years old was to be his greatest victory. However his campaigning at the head of his army during the [[Great Northern War]] would ultimately lead to catastrophic defeat at the [[Battle of Poltava]] after which he spent several years in [[Moldova|Turkey (now Moldova)]]. Some years later he was killed at the [[Siege of Fredriksten]] during an attempt to invade Norway. The Swedish Age of Greatness ({{langx|sv|stormaktstiden}}) had ended.{{#tag:ref|Sweden ceded its Baltic provinces and parts of Finland to Russia in the 1721 [[Treaty of Nystad]].|group="n"|name="n18"}}