4.29 Europe: a.d. 1501 to 1600  (Page 26/29)

In 1544 the crown's status was changed from elective office to an hereditary monarchy so that Vasa's sons succeeded him, Eric XIV (1560-68) and John III (1568-92). During this period Reval, a previously independent Hanseatic port, now threatened on all sides put itself under Swedish protection, but by 1563 the entire area burst out in the Seven Years' War of the North. Sweden generally held pretty well in this struggle, although she had to pay ransom to Denmark for the return of Alvsborg and by 1581 she was becoming a significant factor far beyond the Baltic. John III married a Polish princess and his son ascended the Polish throne in 1587 as Sigismund III only to also become King of Sweden upon his father's death in 1592. He was deposed from the latter job, however, in 1599 with his Lutheran uncle taking the crown as Karl (Charles) IX. In the meantime, at the final settlement of the Seven Years' War of the North, in the Peace of Teusina, Sweden added Narva and almost all of the country of Estonia. The Gulf of Finland thus was a Swedish waterway. (Ref. 34 , 237 , 222 )

Denmark (please read the remarks about sweden, above, also)

Although Denmark's Christian II lost Sweden, he had a constructive reign within his own country. The Reformation movement there was led by the monk Poul Helgeson and was approved by Christian. Certain nobles and clergy rebelled, however, dethroned the king, made Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein monarch for while, but finally, after much fighting for the throne, in 1536 the National Assembly crowned Christian III, established a Lutheran State Church and confiscated all episcopal and monastic properties for the king. Norway and Iceland accepted Christian III and his Protestant legislation and the triumph of Lutheranism in Scandinavia was complete. Later in the century King Frederick II attacked Sweden and their then King Eric XIV and this war went on again as the Seven Years' War of the North.

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), the famous astronomer of this period, was given an island in the sound off Denmark for his home and laboratory. About 1600 Denmark exported some 100,000 cattle each year through Lubeck and Hamburg. (Ref. 117 , 260 )

Finland

Finland, as a part of Sweden, was given the Lutheran faith by Gustavus I Vasa. 79% of Finns today are still, at least nominally Lutherans. Helsingfors (Helsinki) was founded in 1554. (Ref. 292 )

Overseas scandinavian centers

The Norwegian settlement of Iceland in this 1 6th century took the brunt of what has been referred to as the "Little Ice Age", with Atlantic ice sheets extending well south of that island, interrupting shipping and destroying the Icelanders agricultural base in Greenland. In Iceland proper, the previous wheat-based economy gave way to sheep and cattle and life became very hard. Between 1500 and 1800 there were 37 years of famine in that country. Very important to Iceland is the physical fact that a mean annual temperature drop of only two degrees Fahrenheit reduces the growing season by 40 days or 25% and the drop in the average temperature during the growing days further reduces the crop. (Ref. 237 )