Count Bengt Gabrielsson Oxenstierna (1623–1702) was a Swedish soldier and statesman who served as Foreign Minister from 1680 to 1697. He ensured Sweden's neutrality during this period and moved the country away from its traditional alliance with France.

Life

Bengt Gabrielsson Oxenstierna was born in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

on 16 July 1623. He was the eldest surviving son of Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1586–1656) and Anna Gustafsdotter Banér (1585-1656) and had ten brothers and sisters. He was married twice to Eva Juliana Wachtmeister (1639-1666), then Magdalena Stenbock (1649-1727); the two marriages produced 18 children in all, but only nine of them lived to maturity. His marriage to Eva Juliana connected Oxenstierna to Hans and Axel Wachtmeister, senior Swedish noblemen who were both anti-French. His second wife, Magdalena, came from one of the leading families of Sweden. She was an intelligent and influential individual in her own right and often acted as his political colleague.

Career

After being educated abroad, Oxenstierna began his diplomatic career at the discussions which led to the 1648

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...

that ended the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. During this time, he became a trusted confidant of the future Charles X of Sweden. Two years after Charles became king in 1652, Oxenstierna represented Sweden at the Kreistag of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

. When the

Second Northern War The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of ...

began in 1655, he took part in the Swedish invasion of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

and became governor of the newly-conquered

Duchy of Lithuania The Duchy of Lithuania (; ) was a state-territorial formation of ethnic Lithuanians that existed from the 13th century to 1413. For most of its existence, it was a constituent part and a nucleus of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Other alternative ...

. In July 1658, he commanded the garrison of Thorn, now Toruń when it was besieged by an Imperial/Polish force, surrendering in December; he later helped negotiate the peace of Oliva that ended the war. Uppsala Cathedral - Grave of Bengt Oxenstierna

Uppsala Cathedral - Grave of Bengt Oxenstierna

Oxenstierna generally supported closer relations between Sweden and the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, placing him in opposition to the pro-French faction headed by Magnus de la Gardie. When Charles X died in 1660, his son

Charles XI of Sweden Charles XI or Carl (; ) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of History of Sweden, Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). He was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden ...

was four years old and ruled through a regency; Oxenstierna was sidelined by De la Gardie and served as governor-general of

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

from 1662 to 1666. He recovered some influence when Charles XI attained his majority in 1672 and was ambassador to Austria from 1674 to 1676. While there, he presented a 'Memorial' or paper to Emperor Leopold titled ''The case of the persecuted and oppressed Protestants in some parts of Germany and Hungary,'' which was later published in London. During the 1675 to 1679

Scanian War The Scanian War (; ; ; ) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and Swedish Empire, Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish ...

, most of Swedish Pomerania was captured by Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Norway. Oxenstierna helped negotiate the 1679

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

, which restored most of these losses. When his chief minister Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna died in 1680, Charles appointed Oxenstierna President of the Court of Chancery, a position that traditionally controlled foreign policy. A contemporary observed that their personalities were very different, describing Oxenstierna as 'sluggish and formal' but that both shared a passion for horses. They also believed Sweden needed peace to restore its economy and society, a guiding principle followed for 17 years. Oxenstierna moved Sweden away from its traditional pro-French alliance, instead following a policy of friendship with

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

and the

. This policy ensued in the 1681 Treaty of the Hague between Sweden, the Dutch Republic and Emperor Leopold, although he ensured Sweden remained neutral from 1688 to 1697 Nine Years War. As President of the Court of Chancery, he was also de facto Minister of Culture, approving all publications; author and military engineer Erik Dahlbergh (1625-1703) dedicated several books to him. When Charles XI died in 1697, Oxenstierna was one of the regents during the minority of his son

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

, a talented soldier of great energy and ambition. Charles launched the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

in 1700, and Oxenstierna retired from office; he died in July 1702 and was buried in

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral () is a cathedral located between the University Hall (Uppsala University), University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in t ...

. The 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' describes him as "a shrewd and subtle little man, of gentle disposition, but remarkable for his firmness and tenacity of character."

References

Sources

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External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oxenstierna, Bengt Governors-general of Sweden 17th-century Swedish nobility Bengt 1623 births 1702 deaths 17th-century Swedish politicians People from Stockholm