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Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: ORC-PAI |
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OXENSTJERNA , an ancient Swedish senatorial family, the origin of which can be traced up to the middle of the 14th century, which had vast estates in Sodermanland and Uppland, and began to adopt its armorial designation of Oxenstjerna (" Ox-forehead ") as a personal name towards the end of the 16th century. Its most notable members were the following. 1. COUNT AXEL GUSTAFSSON (15831654), chancellor of Sweden, was born at FonO in Uppland, and was educated with his brothers at the universities of Rostock
An oligarchy guiding a limited monarchy was ever his ideal government, but the genius of the young king was not to be fettered, so Oxenstjerna was content to be the colleague instead of the master of his sovereign. On the 6th of January 1612 he was appointed chancellor. His controlling, organizing hand was speedily felt in every branch of the administration. For his services as first Swedish plenipotentiary at the peace of Knared, 1613, he was richly rewarded. During the frequent absences of Gustavus in Livonia and Finland (16141616) Oxenstjerna acted as his vice-regent, when he displayed manifold abilities and an all-embracing activity. In 162o he headed the brilliant embassage despatched to Berlin to arrange the nuptial contract between Gustavus and Mary Eleanora of Brandenburg. It was his principal duty during the king's Russian and -Polish wars to supply the armies and the fleets with everything necessary, including men and money. By this time he had become so indispensable that Gustavus, in 1622, bade him accompany him to Livonia, where Oxenstjerna was appointed governor -general and commandant of Riga
governor -general of the newly-acquired province of Prussia. In 1629 he concluded the very advantageous truce of Altmark with Poland. Previously to this (September 1628) he arranged with Denmark a joint occupation of Stralsund, to prevent that important fortress from falling into the hands of the Imperialists. After the battle of Breitenfeld (September 7th, 1631) he was summoned to assist the king with his counsels and co-operation in Germany. During the king's absence in Franconia and Bavaria in 1632 he was appointed legatus in the Rhine lands, with plenipotentiary authority over all the German generals and princes in the Swedish service. Although he never fought a battle, he was a born strategist, and frustrated all the efforts of the Spanish troops by his wise regulations. His military capacity was strikingly demonstrated by the skill with which he conducted large reinforcements to Gustavus through the heart of Germany in the summer of 1632. But it was only after the death of the king at Lfitzen that Oxenstjerna's true greatness came to light. He inspired the despairing Protestants both in Germany and Sweden with fresh hopes. He reorganized the government both at home and abroad. He united the estates of the four upper circles into a fresh league against the common foe (1634), in spite of the envious and foolish opposition of Saxony. By the patent of the 12th of January 1633 he had already been appointed legate plenipotentiary of Sweden in Germany with absolute control over all the territory already won by the Swedish arms. No Swedish subject, either before or after, ever held such an unrestricted and far-reaching authority. Yet he was more than equal to the extraordinary difficulties of the situation. To him both warriors and statesmen appealed invariably as their natural and infallible arbiter. Richelieu himself declared that the Swedish chancellor was " an inexhaustible source of well-matured counsels." Less original
drawn
postulated an uninterrupted series of triumphs, whereas a single reverse was likely to be fatal to it. Thus the frightful disaster of Nordlingen (September 6th, 1634; see SWEDEN: History) brought him, for an instant, to the verge of ruin, and compelled him, for the first time, so far to depart from his policy of independence as to solicit direct assistance from France. But, well aware that Richelieu needed the Swedish armies as much as he himself needed money, he refused at the conference of Compiegne (1635) to bind his hands in the future for the sake of some slight present relief. In 1636, however, he concluded a fresh subsidy-treaty with France at Wismar. The same year he returned to Sweden and took his seat in the Regency. His presence at home overawed all opposition, and such was the general confidence inspired by his superior wisdom that for the next nine years his voice, especially as regarded foreign affairs, was omnipotent in the council of state. He drew up beforehand the plan of the Danish War of 16431645, so brilliantly executed by Lennart Torstensson, and had the satisfaction of severely crippling Denmark by the peace of Bromsebro (1645). His later years were embittered by the jealousy of the young Queen Christina, who thwarted the old statesman in every direction. He always attributed the exiguity of Sweden's gains by the peace of Osnabruck to Christina's undue interference. Oxenstjerna was opposed at first to the abdication of Christina, because he feared mischief to Sweden from the unruly and adventurous disposition of her appointed successor, Charles Gustavus. The extraordinary consideration shown to him by the new king ultimately, however, reconciled him to the change. He died at Stockholm on the 28th of August 1654.See Axel Oxenstjernas skriften och brefvexling (Stockholm, 1888 et seq.) ; A. de Marny, Oxenstjerna et Richelieu d Compiegne (Paris, 1878). 2. COUNT JOHAN AXELSSON (161I-1657), son of the foregoing, completed his studies at Upsala in 1631, and was sent by his father on a grand tour through France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. He served under Count Gustavus Horn in the Thirty Years' War from 1632, and was subsequently employed by his father in various diplomatic missions, though his instructions were always so precise and minute that he was little more than the executor of the chancellor's wishes. He was one of the commissioners who signed the truce of 1635 with Poland, and in 1639, much against his father's will, was made a senator. Along with Salvius he represented Sweden at the great peace congress of Osnabruck, but as he received his instructions direct from his father, whereas Salvius was in the queen's confidence, the two " legates " were constantly at variance. From 165o to 1652 he was governor-general of Pomerania. Charles X. made him earl
3. GABRIEL GUSTAFSSON (1587-1640), brother of (1), was from 1612 to 1618 the chief
special
See Gabriel Gustafssons beef till Riks Konsler Axel Oxenstjerna, 1611164o (Stockholm, 1890). 4. COUNT BENGT Or BENEDICT GABRIELSSON (16231702), was the son of Axel Oxenstjerna's half-brother, Gabriel Bengtsson (15861656). After a careful education and a long residence abroad, he began his diplomatic career at the great peace congress of Osnabruck. During his stay in Germany he made the acquaintance of the count palatine, Charles Gustavus, after-wards Charles X., whose confidence he completely won. Two years after the king's accession (1654), Oxenstjerna was sent to represent Sweden at the Kreistag of Lower Saxony. In 1655 he accompanied Charles to Poland and was made governorof the conquered provinces of Kulm, Kujavia, Masovia and Great Poland. The firmness and humanity which he displayed in this new capacity won the affectionate gratitude of the inhabitants, and induced the German portion of them, notably the city of Thorn, to side with the Swedes against the Poles. During Charles's absence in Denmark (1657), Oxenstjerna, in the most desperate circumstances, tenaciously defended Thorn for ten months, and the terms of capitulation ultimately obtained by him were so advantageous that they were made the basis of the subsequent peace negotiations at Oliva, between Poland and Sweden, when Oxenstjerna was one of the chief
house
See F. F. Carlson, Sveriges historia under Konungarne of Pfalziska huset (Stockholm, 1883, 1885); O. Sjogren, Karl den elfte och Svenska folket (Stockholm, 1897) ; and Negotiations du comte d'Avaux pendant les annees 1693, 16971698 (Utrecht, 1882, &c.). (R. N. B.) End of Article: OXENSTJERNA If you wish, you can link directly to this article.
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