From Jakob Spens to Axel Oxenstierna

Axel Oxenstierna's works and letters

Contents

Contents Spens has sent the bearer of the letter to receive the money to be paid to him by Gustav II Adolf and his salary for the previous year. The unrest in France, Germany and the Netherlands does not allow him to leave court without furnishing the King and AO with information. – The Queen Mother and Louis XIII of France have the support of a great army in bringing about a marriage between Louis and the King of Spain’s daughter. The Prince of Condé and the Duke of Vendôme are trying to stop the marriage. The Protestants do not take sides. – The meeting at Wesel between the Elector of Brandenburg and the Duke of Neuburg did not lead to any results. Neuburg joined the Catholics and has the support of the Pope, Philip III of Spain, Archduke Albert, and the German Bishops and Catholic Princes, who have raised an army, but rather to assist the Queen Mother of France than to attack Jülich. The States General, who fear such neighbours, crowded the city with troops and moved their whole army to the boundaries of the Duchies of Jülich and Cleves to observe the movements of their adversaries. James I is sending his ambassador [Wotton] to negotiate with both sides for peace and is making preparations to support the Protestants. These troubles have kept down the antagonism between English merchants and the States General. – Spens assumes that Anders Bureus has informed AO about the Catholic conspiracy against James I and the whole realm, and told him that James has sent his ambassador [Merrick] to Russia to make peace between Gustav II Adolf and the Russians and that James will send someone else to Sweden if the Swedes find the ambassador biassed in favour of the Russians. Spens hopes that there will be peace with the Russians, which would frustrate the hopes of some neighbours who are said to hate this peace and hope that Sweden will be weakened by continuous wars and unable to pay the ransom [for Älvsborg]. A peace treaty would also mean that Gustav II Adolf could establish friendship with everybody, be free to choose his allies and strengthen Sweden’s power in the Baltic which, in Spens’ opinion, is the best protection for Sweden. – Spens asks AO to handle petitions from Viscount Haddington [Sir John Ramsay] and his brother, from Sir Richard Bingley, William Learmonth and Captain David Spens in a positive spirit. – Foreign and British merchants have made complaints to James I about their having been badly treated in Sweden owing to recent laws. James has asked John Coote to send him a report about the true details of the matter, and Spens asks for instructions about what to answer. – Since the Treasurer of England, the Earl of Suffolk, holds Coote in such high regard, Spens’ advice is that Coote be paid what is owed to him and that AO sends a letter to the Treasurer, who is very powerful, telling him what business he has entrusted to its bearer. – Spens deems it necessary to improve the means of communication, to enable him to be briefed more conveniently and quicker as to how he should act. – Spens has sent a book to AO about the English form of government. It proved difficult, however, to translate many words into Latin, but Coote can explain to AO in Swedish the function of all the offices and officials. Spens also send some gifts. – Christian IV has unexpectedly arrived in England and been received by Queen Anne, his sister. It is possible that he came to reach an agreement with James I about joining forces against the huge army, 66,000 strong, under Archduke Leopold (for the Emperor), the Marquis of Spínola (for Philip III of Spain) and the Count of Bucquoy (for Archduke Albert) that is threatening the city of Jülich, or possibly to prevent the marriage of Prince Charles with Louis XIII’s sister and promote a Spanish marriage instead to make a general peace, or, finally, to move the English market in Hamburg to Krempe, a city of his in Holstein, and levy new dues at the mouth of the Elbe. In an interview with Spens, Christian has declared his profound regard for Gustav II Adolf and his hope that lack of money for the liberation of the castle would not give rise to conflicts. – Spens stresses the importance of intelligence in dangerous times.

Contents

Spens has sent the bearer of the letter to receive the money to be paid to him by Gustav II Adolf and his salary for the previous year. The unrest in France, Germany and the Netherlands does not allow him to leave court without furnishing the King and AO with information. – The Queen Mother and Louis XIII of France have the support of a great army in bringing about a marriage between Louis and the King of Spain’s daughter. The Prince of Condé and the Duke of Vendôme are trying to stop the marriage. The Protestants do not take sides. – The meeting at Wesel between the Elector of Brandenburg and the Duke of Neuburg did not lead to any results. Neuburg joined the Catholics and has the support of the Pope, Philip III of Spain, Archduke Albert, and the German Bishops and Catholic Princes, who have raised an army, but rather to assist the Queen Mother of France than to attack Jülich. The States General, who fear such neighbours, crowded the city with troops and moved their whole army to the boundaries of the Duchies of Jülich and Cleves to observe the movements of their adversaries. James I is sending his ambassador [Wotton] to negotiate with both sides for peace and is making preparations to support the Protestants. These troubles have kept down the antagonism between English merchants and the States General. – Spens assumes that Anders Bureus has informed AO about the Catholic conspiracy against James I and the whole realm, and told him that James has sent his ambassador [Merrick] to Russia to make peace between Gustav II Adolf and the Russians and that James will send someone else to Sweden if the Swedes find the ambassador biassed in favour of the Russians. Spens hopes that there will be peace with the Russians, which would frustrate the hopes of some neighbours who are said to hate this peace and hope that Sweden will be weakened by continuous wars and unable to pay the ransom [for Älvsborg]. A peace treaty would also mean that Gustav II Adolf could establish friendship with everybody, be free to choose his allies and strengthen Sweden’s power in the Baltic which, in Spens’ opinion, is the best protection for Sweden. – Spens asks AO to handle petitions from Viscount Haddington [Sir John Ramsay] and his brother, from Sir Richard Bingley, William Learmonth and Captain David Spens in a positive spirit. – Foreign and British merchants have made complaints to James I about their having been badly treated in Sweden owing to recent laws. James has asked John Coote to send him a report about the true details of the matter, and Spens asks for instructions about what to answer. – Since the Treasurer of England, the Earl of Suffolk, holds Coote in such high regard, Spens’ advice is that Coote be paid what is owed to him and that AO sends a letter to the Treasurer, who is very powerful, telling him what business he has entrusted to its bearer. – Spens deems it necessary to improve the means of communication, to enable him to be briefed more conveniently and quicker as to how he should act. – Spens has sent a book to AO about the English form of government. It proved difficult, however, to translate many words into Latin, but Coote can explain to AO in Swedish the function of all the offices and officials. Spens also send some gifts. – Christian IV has unexpectedly arrived in England and been received by Queen Anne, his sister. It is possible that he came to reach an agreement with James I about joining forces against the huge army, 66,000 strong, under Archduke Leopold (for the Emperor), the Marquis of Spínola (for Philip III of Spain) and the Count of Bucquoy (for Archduke Albert) that is threatening the city of Jülich, or possibly to prevent the marriage of Prince Charles with Louis XIII’s sister and promote a Spanish marriage instead to make a general peace, or, finally, to move the English market in Hamburg to Krempe, a city of his in Holstein, and levy new dues at the mouth of the Elbe. In an interview with Spens, Christian has declared his profound regard for Gustav II Adolf and his hope that lack of money for the liberation of the castle would not give rise to conflicts. – Spens stresses the importance of intelligence in dangerous times.