ake
war grand, it is yet instructive if not interesting in its results. The
struggle at the beginning was against overwhelming odds. The patriots
had neither ammunition nor resources, and their leader was without
prestige. On the other hand the Danes were well supplied with men and
arms, and were led by one of the powerful monarchs of Europe backed by
all the authority and influence of Rome. In spite of all this, the
patriots grew in numbers day by day, while the Danish forces steadily
declined. The patriots succeeded in obtaining rich supplies of men and
arms from abroad, while Christiern was scarce able to keep his army from
starvation. One by one the strongholds which he had seized surrendered,
till finally his entire army was forced to yield, and Sweden, from her
place as a weak and down-trodden Danish province, attained an enviable
position among the great monarchies of Europe. The key to this
marvellous transformation in the two parties can be found only in the
characters of their respective leaders. The people were horrified by the
brutal cruelties of Christiern, while allured by the evident sincerity
and enthusiasm of Gustavus. In all history there is no more striking
example of the far-reaching influence which individual characters
sometimes exert upon a nation's growth.

FOOTNOTES:

[56] Svaning, _Christ. II._, pp. 432-433; Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp.
17-18 and 20-21; Ludvigsson, _Collect._, pp. 86-87; and _Sver. trakt._,
vol. iv. pp. 1-5.

[57] Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp. 18-19 and 21-23; _Christ. II.'s
arkiv_, vol. iv. pp. 1340-1348; and _Dipl. Dal._, vol. i. pp. 237-238.

[58] Rensel, _Beraettelse_, p. 19; Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, p. 26;
_Christ. II.'s arkiv_, vol. iv. pp. 1338-1339 and 1353-1356; and _Dipl.
Dal._, vol. i. pp. 240-241.

[59] Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp. 25-26; and _Christ. II.'s arkiv_,
vol. iv. pp. 1349-1350 and 1352-1353.

[60] Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp. 24 and 26-30.

[61] Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp. 31-34.

[62] Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp. 35-37; and _Sver. trakt._, vol. iv.
pp. 7-15.

[63] Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp. 37-39.

[64] Svart, _Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp. 30 and 42-43.

[65] Rensel, _Beraettelse_, pp. 22-23; _Diar. Vazsten._, p. 217; Svart,
_Gust. I.'s kroen._, pp. 39-41 and 43-46; _Christ. II.'s arkiv_, vol. iv.
pp. 1356-1369 and 1374-1375; _Dipl. Dal._, vol. i. pp. 240-241, and
Suppl. p. 30; _Nya Kaellor till Finl. Medeltidshist._,