Monday, November 6, 2023

It is the 6th of November, 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

No mailbag today as I have collected a number of emails and will run through them this coming Weekend Edition- you’ve sent enough questions to merit one- and keep sending them to Danv@1517.org.

So- back in September, I was walking around Stockholm, Sweden with my pal Doug. We go into a church, and as we approach the altar and look left, there is a large sarcophagus/coffin shaped like a bathtub- I look in to read:X Gustavus Adolphus Magnus.

“Holy Cow!” I exclaim to Doug- “that there is maybe the most famous Swede of them all!” And then I probably talked about the 30 Years War, his use of light infantry, and the wheellock mechanism on his muskets and the like, as you do. And I wasn’t lying. In fact, today, the 6th of November, is GustavAdolfsdagen- or Gustalf Adolf’s Day! All over Sweden today, they are eating a special marzipan pastry with a picture of the famous king on top. So- who was he, and why does he matter to this, the Christian History Almanac? 

He was the son of Charles IX, King of Sweden, who usurped the throne from his nephew, the very Catholic Sigismund. But Charles was a mess- starting wars in Denmark, Poland, and Russia, upsetting Catholics by usurping from a Catholic king, and upsetting Lutherans by being a little too fond of the Calvinists. So, when Gustav ascended the throne as a teenager, he had fires to put out. He ceded land to the Danes and stayed around in Russia long enough for the Romanov family to ascend to the throne instead of his Polish catholic cousins.

Back at home, he modernized the state- implemented modern administrative boards and councils, supported secondary education, and made the University of Uppsala one of the great European Universities.

When he turned his attention back to the Poles, he began to take on the religious significance, which would be one of his main legacies until recent reinterpretations (some of which are appropriate in countering some hagiography). So, Gustav is responsible for one of the great military innovations of the modern era- the use of light cavalry- the wheellock musket, which reloaded faster and allowed him to use lines only three deep instead of as many as 10. This gave him the ability to outflank the opponent. He used a national conscription service that limited the use of mercenaries, and his Articles of War ushered in modern rules of ethics amongst combatants. He would be successful in routing the Poles, which not only helped him and the Swedes but also the Protestant Dutch as they needed Baltic shipping lands for their war with the Spanish Catholic Hapsburgs (seriously, the 17th century is one big game of Reformation era Risk). But more important than the Spanish-Dutch war was the 30 Years War to his south. This, in large part on account of the Reformation, would be the religious war to end all religious wars in Europe (in fact, its end in 1648 marks the end of the Reformation era and the beginning of the Modern era- at least as the *best* historians attest).

The Imperial Hapsburgs were on a roll from Central Europe into the German territories. They had the use of brilliant tactician mercenaries Count Tilly and Count Wallenstein. Using his new model army, he swept across the Empire, winning decisive victories for the Protestant cause. It was, however, his daring in leading his own forces that led to his death at the battle of Lützen on this, the 6th of November, a day which would be forever linked to him in posterity.  

Modern assessments of him focus on his administrative and military reform and the economic reasons for his going to war. All of this is appropriate to note- as is the fact that for many Early Modern rulers, religious motivation was important. A Protestant Sweden and Protestant European allies were of great concern for the so-called Lion of the North- a man commemorated now with Marzipan on this GustavAdolfsdagen November 6th.

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary benediction to the Thessalonians, and for you today:

13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 6th of November 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite marzipan desserts include the Gustav Adolfsba’kelse, a Stollen, and the Dominostein but is weirded out by the Scandinavian Marzipan Christmas pigs. He is Christopher Gillespie. 

The show is written and read by a man who is generally weirded out whenever offered something to eat with a human face on it… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be OK.