Gustav II Adolf 1594-1632
Gustav's Latin name was Gustavus Adolphus. He was king of
Sweden from 1611 until 1632.
Gustav's father was
Charles IX,
who was king of Sweden 1604 - 1611. His mother was
Christina of
Holstein.
In 1630 and as part of the
Thirty
Years' War, Gustavus Adolphus marched into Germany to the assistance of
the Protestants, who were nearly crushed by the Austrian armies.
![Map of the Thirty Years War: Swedish Invasion 1630](../images/gustav_adolf_map.jpg)
Thirty Years War: Swedish Invasion 1630
He
gained several great victories, for example at the
Battle of
Breitenfeld, which was fought on September 17, 1631.
![Map of the Battle of Breitenfeld - September 17, 1631 - Initial Dispositions](../images/breitenfeld_01_map.jpg)
Map of the Battle of Breitenfeld - Initial Disposition
![Map of the Battle of Breitenfeld - September 17, 1631 - Opening Moves](../images/breitenfeld_02.jpg)
Battle of Breitenfeld - Opening Moves
![Map of the Battle of Breitenfeld - September 17, 1631 - Stopping the Attack](../images/breitenfeld_03.jpg)
Battle of Breitenfeld - Stopping the Attack
![Map of the Battle of Breitenfeld - September 17, 1631 - Final Moves](../images/battle_of_breitenfeld_map.jpg)
Battle of Breitenfeld - Final Moves
At the Battle of Lützen on November 16, 1632, Gustav
lost his life. The Swedes, however, won the battle.
![Map of the Thirty Years War: 1630-1632](../images/thirty_years_war_map.jpg)
1630-1632 Thirty Years War - Prelude to the
Battle of Lutzen
![Map of the Battle of Lützen (Lutzen) - November 16, 1632](../images/battle_lutzen.jpg)
Map of the Battle of Lützen (Lutzen)
Here is Charles Montague Shaw as
Gustav II Adolf, dying at the
battlefield.
![Gustav II Adolf's Last Breath on the Lutzen Battlefield, Germany](../images/gustav_ii_adolf_kicking_bucket.jpg)
Gustav II Adolf's Last
Breath on the Lutzen Battlefield, Germany
Go here for more on the movie
Queen Christina.
Even after Gustav's death, Sweden, under
his statesmen and generals, continued to take a leading part in the
war.
Gustav's successor was his daughter
Christina.
Here is a map of Gustav's acquisitions
![Sweden 1524-1660](../images/maps/sweden_1524.jpg)
SWEDEN 1524-1660
Click map to enlarge
Here is a map of Gustav's campaigns:
![Principal Seats of War in Europe, 1618-1660](../images/maps/seats_of_war_1618.jpg)
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS CAMPAIGNS 1630-1632
Click map to enlarge
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