[POTN] 2.5 - Gustav, King of the Swedes

Following the cossack uprising led by Khmelnytsky in 1648 against the Commonwealth, the turmoil in the eastern provinces of the Polish state dragged on.

The government in Warsaw, now led by the new King, Jan II Kazimierz Waza, was unable to resume control over the entirety of the Commonwealth. Many nobles in Poland and Lithuania also did not fully commit to the King's cause, allying themselves with foreign powers for benefits.

With the fragility of the Commonwealth, tension brewed on her borders with Sweden and Brandenburg-Prussia. The Commonwealth had never truly recognised the Swedish control in Livonia, only treating it as a temporary occupation. The Polish King's claim to the Swedish throne and his unwillingness to forgo the claim had led many in the Rikdag to advocate for a war against Poland.

Brandenburg-Prussia, while compensated, was still bitter about Sweden taking the entirety of Pomerania in the Peace of Westphalia. The Elector, however, knew clearly that his realms were no match against the Swedish power, and thus refused to declare war over the maritime province. The Duchy of Prussia, however, was still a Polish fief, and the Elector sought to exploit the Commonwealth's weakness to free himself from loyalty to the Polish King.

Amidst rising tension, however, the Riksdag became increasingly concerned about the lack of heirs produced by the royal marriage. Four years following the wedding, not a single pregnancy was even rumoured, and some of the nobility began having serious doubts about the royal couple's fertility. The Riksdag was reluctant to go to war before the succession question had been dealt with. After all, King Gustav II Adolf did martyr on the battlefield back in 1632, and there were no guarantee that the same fate would not befall Gustav, especially given his past record in the Torstenson War.

Should Gustav pass away without a clear heir, Princess Kristina would become Queen Regnant per the succession laws passed in 1646. However, Kristina had basically announced publicly that she had no intent to ever marry, and thus the crown would pass to Prince Karl's line. Prince Karl and his brother, nonetheless, were both unmarried and had no legitimate heirs, leading to a potential succession crisis in the future not so far away. While many noble couples were childless because of their mutual neglect or extramarital affairs, it was apparently not the case for the King and the Queen. In fact, whenever in Stockholm, Gustav and Henrietta were almost always seen together, affectionate with each other.

Every night after dinner, the royal couple would leave the royal castle with minimal guards, and spent some private time together, walking around Stockholm. It was gossiped that the two were often very affectionate, even with commoners watching on the streets of the capital. Gustav, not a fan of frequent luxury banquets, often ordered his meals to be private - only accompanied by his wife, his sister, and a few individuals close to the family. The chefs were also hand-picked, often experienced men who had served Gustav and Kristina from their childhood. Henrietta was often caught leaning on Gustav during even state banquets, their hands clasped together, whispering at each other's ears, appearing entirely in love.

The Riksdag thus began doubting the fertility of the King and the Queen. However, Gustav dismissed all these kinds of implications as "ill-intentioned rumours", refusing to disclose any details about the bedchamber life between him and Henrietta. The only thing the nobles knew was that Gustav and Henrietta did sleep together every night, as told by the castle servants. The lack of a pregnancy was not explained, nor did Gustav intend to reveal anything more about their private lives.

Henrietta, however, was not too worried about the growing concerns. She simply stayed by Gustav's side every day, always close to him, whispering at his ear, and enjoying the genuine love and affection, so rarely seen among the nobility, shared between them.

On 16th June, 1653, a rare, luxurious party was thrown in the Tre Kronor Castle on Gustav's command, to celebrate the Chancellor's 70th birthday. By that point, Axel Oxentierna had already been Lord High Chancellor for over forty years, since 1612. He had reformed the administrative structure of the Swedish government, improved governance, and authored the Intrument of Government 1634, detailing the functions of different parts of the Swedisn government.

Since 1650, however, it became obvious that the Chancellor was no longer as energetic as before, and the King emerged as the chief decision maker for many important occasions. At the party, the Chancellor finally announced his long-anticipated retirement, effectively immediately. He declined a residence in Stockholm, instead opting to retire to his beloved Tidö Castle in Västmanland. Gustav created him the Duke of Svealand, an ancient title not used for centuries, reflecting his unmatched contribution to the Swedish state. The title was not inheritable, meant as a special tribute to the Chancellor for his decades of service for the nation. Still, his title as the Count of Södermöre could be inherited by his heir, just as other noble titles.

The Governor-General of Estonia, Erik Oxenstierna, 29, the Chancellor's youngest son, was named the new Lord High Chancellor as agreed by Gustav before. The old Chancellor left Stockholm the following day, with thousands of Stockholm residents congratulating him on his retirement. The old man, nonetheless, did not remain in Västmanland for too long. He did return to the capital every now and then, to visit his son, and also the royal family, providing his insights concerning ongoing events.

With the de facto ruler of Sweden for almost two decades retired, Gustav, now 25, became the undisputed head of the Swedish governance. He began occasionally disregarding the Intrument of Government 1634, making decision before "consulting" the Riksdag merely in name. Still, Gustav did not wish to alienate the Riksdag entirely, and continued attending most of the Riksdag sessions. He would still make important decisions in the Riksdag, thus asserting the authority of the "King in Riksdag", despite the Riksdag not really able to convince him concerning many policies.

Wary of the massive influence by the nobility, Gustav began initiating several reforms, aiming to build his own loyal forces in the political scene in Stockholm, while gradually reducing the influence of the most powerful noble families.

Princess Kristina was made the leader of the newly formed "Ministry of Education", reporting to the King directly. The Ministry was tasked to collaborate with the Lutheran Church to build schools for commoners across the realm, starting with Svealand and Götaland. Gustav wished to reduce illiteracy among the peasants, to improve productivity and also the military performances. Gustav believed that a literate peasant class, if achieved, would be an area where Sweden would be far above any other nations, providing a larger pool of talents where the next generation of leaders could come from.

Meanwhile, Gustav also began arranging regular visits to different parts of the nation, engaging with the common people, and allowing them to express grievances concerning the governance. Planning for military academies also began, aiming to provide the young men from the middle class an opportunity to enter the Swedish military as officers, potentially commanding armies on the battlefield someday. The King, with support from the Riksdag, also began dealing with the lingering influence of serfdom in the non-Swedish territories. With the exception of Pomerania, the King began abolishing serfdom in the other regions of the realm, diminishing the influence of land-owning non-Swedish noble families.

While serfdom persisted in Pomerania with the Imperial laws, the Swedish government also worked to free many serfs in the province, by installing laws against landowners owning serfs. These landowners were taxed at a particularly high rate for any income generated by the serfs they owned, while the government would use the extra profit to reward those who freed their serfs.

In late October, 1653, however, an unexpected update reached Stockholm. Gustav Vasaborg, the Duke of Bremen-Verden, passed away in Stade unexpectedly at just 37 years of age. His only son, Gustav Adolf, barely six months old, became Duke Gustav II Adolf of Bremen-Verden. His mother was made Regent, in charge of the affairs of the household, while Gustav sent an "ambassador" to Stade, taking charge of the affairs concerning the governance of the Duchies.

For the following years, Bremen-Verden was often administered as a province of Sweden, by representatives sent to the territory directly from Stockholm. Swedish merchants ulitised the territory as a foothold, trading across the North Sea without Danish interference. The city of Bremen was also put under increasing Swedish pressure, the mayors forced to cooperate with Stockholm, allowing Swedish merchants to trade tax-free in Bremen. While the Hanseatic City largely kept her autonomy, the diplomacy and military affairs were mostly taken over by Sweden, with the city's finance also tightly under Swedish monitoring.