Between the years 1560 and 1721, the Swedes endeavored to turn the Baltic Sea into a Swedish lake. Generations of young men perished in a seemingly end­less series of wars. How was it possible for an insignificant country on the outskirts of Europe, with small cities and a scant population, to de­velop into a great power?

Convinced that God was on their side, the army marched across the ice of a frozen sea to take the enemy by surprise. They challenged continental Europe’s greatest generals on the battlefield. In the end, the enemy’s superior numbers proved too great, and over one hundred years of empire building culminated in a long, desperate final battle.

• Cover
• Copyright
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Eternal Peace in Knäred
• Refurbishing the War Machine
• The Hour of Vengeance
• The Lion from the North
  • The Devastation of Magdeburg
  • The Battle of Breitenfeld
  • The Lion Falls
  • The Turning Point
• New War with Denmark
• An Angel of Peace Alighted on a Branch
• Crossing the Ice
• A Period of Peace
• Military Budget Cuts
• The Scanian War
  • War in the West
  • War in the South
• The King Seizes Power
• Famine, Fire, War and Plague
• The Crossroads
• The Russian Campaign
• The Third Redoubt
  • An Unprotected Country
• The King Returns
  • A Shot in the Night
  • Utter Ruin
• From XII to I
• Peace