In his exile, the Prince Valdemar drifted closer to the Swedes, even attending King Gustav's wedding in 1649. This greatly worried King Frederik, who was concerned about the possibility of Valdemar revolting with Swedish support should there be a war between Denmark and Sweden again. Frederik sent Valdemar numerous letters in early 1649, urging the latter to return to Copenhagen and pledge his loyalty to his brother and King. Valdemar, however, believed that it was a delibera

Upon returning to the Hague by late November, Gustav stayed in the Dutch Republic for some time. A preliminary alliance pact was signed by Gustav and Prince Willem II on 2nd December, 1648. Seen as a way for the Prince to secure an ally to support the Orangist cause and transform the Republic into a monarchy, the alliance was not well-liked by the Dutch States Party, and many doubted whether Sweden could be trusted as a reliable ally of the Dutch. Privately, however, Gustav's

Following the peace at Brömsebro, the Swedish Army, led by the young King, Torstenson, and Horn, marched into Stockholm victoriously on 18th May, 1645. Thousands of Swedes flocked to the streets to see their army returning from victory, many welcoming their King with flowers, well-informed of his courageous near-sacrifice in the previous year. Kristina, however, was absent. Gustav asked about her, but the guards told him that she refused to leave the Tre Kronor Castle and joi

Following the campaigns in Jutland and Scania, King Christian IV felt that Copenhagen was increasingly threatened, and ordered for Norwegian units to invade Sweden, opening new fronts. The Norwegians, in general, were vehemently against the idea. For them, it was a war about Scania, Sound Dues, and the Baltic dominance, and they were very reluctant to leave themselves open to further invasions by the militarily superior Sweden by initiating attacks. However, Torstenson's armi

Chapter 1 - The Undying Viking 1.3 The Undying King News about Field Marshal Torstenson's campaign in Jutland spread like wildfire across Stockholm. From castles to taverns, Swedes were celebrating the unprecedented triumph, seeing an opportunity to finally subdue their historic rivals. Facing little resistance, Torstenson's men moved north swiftly, occupying all Jutland by the end of January 1644. Another snowy morning in Stockholm unfolded amidst the jubilant atmosphere of