still united to him: and Philip, that he might not seem to have abandoned the English queen, insisted, that the treaty of peace between Henry and Elizabeth should be concluded in form, before that between France and Spain20. The treaty between Henry and Elizabeth contained no article of importance, except that which respected Calais. It was stipulated, that the king of France should retain possession of that town, with all its dependencies, during eight years, at the expiration of which term he should restore it to England. But as the force of this stipulation was made to depend on Elizabeth's preserving inviolate, during the same number of years, the peace both with France and Scotland, all men of discernment saw, that it was but a decent pretext for abandoning Calais; and, instead of blaming her, they applauded her wisdom, in palliating what she could not prevent. The expedient which Montmorency employed in order tő facilitate the conclusion of peace between France and Spain, was the negociating two treaties of marriage; one between Elizabeth, Henry's eldest daughter, and Philip II. the other between Margaret, Henry's only sister, and the duke of Savoy. The principal articles of the treaty of peace were, That all conquests made by either party, on this side of the Alps, since the commencement of the war in 1551, should be mutually restored; that the duchy of Savoy, the principality of Piedmont, the county of Bresse, and all the other territories formerly subject to the dukes of Savoy, should be restored to Emanuel Philibert, immediately after the celebration of his marriage with Margaret of France (a few towns excepted, which Henry should retain, till his claims on that prince were decided in a court of law); that the French king should immediately evacuate all the places which he held in the duchy of Tuscany and the territory of Siena, and renounce all future pretensions to them; that he should receive 20. Strype's Annals, vol. i. Forbes's Full View, vol. i. VOL. II. 3 F the the Genoese into favour, and give up to them the towns which he had conquered in the island of Corsica. But he was allowed to keep possession of Metz, Toul, and Verdun, because Philip had little at heart the interests of his uncle Ferdinand. All past transactions, either of princes or subjects, in was agreed, should be buried in oblivion. Thus the great causes of discord that had so long embroiled the powerful monarchs of France and Spain, seemed to be wholly removed, or finally annihilated by this famous treaty, which re-established peace in Europe; almost every prince and state in Christendom being comprehended in the treaty of Chateau Cambresis, as allies either of Henry or of Philip. affairs. Among these contracting powers were included the kings of Denmark, Sweden, and Poland. This circumstance naturally leads us to cast an eye on those countries, which we have not for some time had an opportunity of noticing, as they had no connection with the general system of European Meantime I must observe, for the sake of perspicuity, that Henry II. being killed in a tournament, while celebrating the espousals of his sister with the duke of Savoy, his son Francis II. a weak prince, and under age, already married to the queen of Scots, succeeded to the crown of France. A few weeks after, Paul IV. ended his violent and impious pontificate:-and thus, as a learned historian observes22, all the personages who had long sustained the principal characters on the great theatre of Europe disappeared nearly at the same time. At this æra, my dear Philip, a more known period of history opens. Other actors appeared on the stage, with different views and passions; new contests arose; and new schemes of ambition, as we shall have occasion to see, occupied and disquieted mankind. But, before we enter on that period, we must take a view of the state of the North. 21. Recueil des Traitez, tom. ii. 22. Robertson, Hist. Charles V. book xii. LETTER LETTER LXIV. SWEDEN, DENMARK, AND NORWAY, FROM THE UNION OF THESE KINGDOMS, UNDER MARGARET WALDEMAR, SURNAMED THE SEMIRAMIS OF THE NORTH, TO THE DEATH OF GUSTAVUS VASA; TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE STATE OF RUSSIA, POLAND, AND PRUSSIA, IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. THE kingdoms of the north of Europe, that great store-house of nations, I have hitherto chiefly considered as dependencies on the German empire, to which they long continued to pay some degree of homage. In what manner they were subjected to that homage, we have already had occasion to observe, and also to notice the union of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, the ancient Scandinavia, under Margaret Waldemar, surnamed the Semiramis of the North. Margaret was daughter of Waldemar III. king of Denmark. She had been married to Hacquin, king of Norway, and son of Magnus III. king of Sweden. On the death of her son Olaus, the first male heir of the three northern crowns, (which were, however, more elective than hereditary) she succeeded, by the consent of the states to the Danish throne. She was elected soon after queen of Norway, which she had governed as regent; and the Swedes being oppressed by Albert of Mecklenburg, whom they had chosen king, made Margaret a solemn tender of their crown. She marched to their assistance, expelled Albert, and assumed the reins of government'. A. D. 1388. Margaret's ambition, however, was not yet satisfied. The three northern crowns were no sooner seated upon her head, than she laboured to render their union perpetual. For this purpose, after taking preparatory measures, she convoked the states of all the three kingdoms to A. D. 1399. 1. Puffend. Fontan. meet meet at Calmar; where it was established as a fundamental law of the whole, that Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, should thenceforth have but one and the same sovereign, who should be chosen successively by each of these kingdoms, and then approved by the other two; that each nation should retain its own laws, customs, privileges and dignities; and that the natives of one kingdom should not be raised to posts of honour or profit in another, but should be reputed foreigners, except in their own country2. But this union, seemingly so well calculated for the tranquility as well as security of the North, proved the source of much discontent, and of many barbarous wars. The national antipathy between the Swedes and Danes, now heightened by national jealousy, was with difficulty restrained by the vigorous administration of Margaret, whose partiality to the natives of Denmark is said to have been but too evident; and under her successor Eric, still more unjustly partial to the Danes, the Swedes openly revolted, chusing their grand marshal, Charles Canutson, descended from the illustrious family of Bonde, which had formerly given kings to Sweden, first regent, and afterwards king. The Swedes, however, returned to their allegiance under Christian I. of Denmark. But they again revolted from the same prince; again renewed the union of Calmar, under John his successor; revolted a third time; and were finally subdued by the arms of Christian II. who reduced them to the condition of a conquered people3. The circumstances of this last revolution are sufficiently singular to merit our attention; and the consequences by which it was followed, render a recapitulation necessary. A. D. 1442. A. D. 1448. The Swedes on revolting from Christian I. had conferred the administration of the kingdom on Steen Sture, whose son of the same name, succeeded him in the regency. The authority of young Sture was acknowledged by the body of 2. Meurs. lib. v. 3. Vertot, Revolut. Swed. the the nation, but disputed by Gustavus Trolle, archbishop of Upsal, and primate of Sweden, whose father had been a competitor for the administration, and whom Christian II. of Denmark had brought over to his interest. Besieged in his castle of Stecka, and obliged to surrender, notwithstanding the interposition of the Danish monarch, the archbishop was degraded by the diet, and deprived of all his benefices. In this distress he applied to Leo X. who excommunicated the regent and his adherents, committing the execution of the bull to the king of Denmark. Pursuant to this decree, the Nero of the North, as Christian II. is deservedly called, invaded Sweden with a powerful army; but being worsted in a great battle, he pretended to treat, and offered to go in person to Stockholm, in order to confer with the regent, provided six hostages were sent as a pledge of his safety. The proposal was accepted, and six of the first nobility (among whom was Gustavus Vasa, grand-nephew to king Canutson) were put on board the Danish fleet. These hostages Christian carried prisoners to Denmark. Next year he returned with a more formidable armament, and invaded West Gothland; where Steen Sture advancing to give him battle, fell into an ambuscade, and received a wound, which proved mortal. The Swedish army, left without a head, first retreated, and afterwards dispersed. The senate was divided about the choice of a new regent, and the conqueror allowed them no leisure to deliberate. He immediately marched toward the capital, wasting every thing before him with fire and sword. Stockholm surrendered; and Gustavus Trolle, resuming his archiepiscopal function, crowned Christian king of Sweden. A. D. 1520. This coronation was followed by one of the most tragical scenes in the history of the human race. Christian, affecting clemency, went to the cathedral, and swore that he would govern Sweden, not with the severe hand of a conqueror, but with the mild and beneficent disposition of a prince raised to the throne by the universal voice of the people; |