Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. Continuation of the reign of Charles the Ninth—Swedish Conquest! in Livonia—Condition of Muscovy, and successive revolutions in that country—The Oar Basil Ivanovitz Zuski invokes the assistance of Sweden—Jacques de la Gardie takes the city of No- vosrorod by assault—Jealousy of Christian the Fourth of Denmark at the Swedish successes—He declares wnr and lays siege to Calmar—The King of Sweden marches toils relief—Surrender of Calmar to the Danes, and singular correspondence between Charles and Christian—First military exploits of Gustavus Adolphus—Death of Charles the Ninth—Council of Regency— Assembly of the States General at Ny-Koping—Law respecting theatre of succession to the throne abrogated in favour of Gustavu Adolphus, ulni is declared King—His address to the States on that occasion. Although the accession of Charles IX. seemed to promise an end to the continual dissensions which had so repeatedly and calamitously distracted the kingdom of Sweden, the aspect of affairs with respeet to surrounding nations was far from being such as to encourage the hope of a tranquil reign. War, indeed, had, for some time previously, been carried on in Es- thonia and Livonia, and it was evident that its flames would not long be confined to these districts alone. The latter province, while forming the last possession of importance, retained by the Knights of the Teutonic Order, had been incessantly ravaged by the armies of Sweden, Muscovy, and Poland, until it was ceded by Goddart Kettler, the last Grand Master of Livonia, to the Poles, in exchange for the duchy of Courland. It was afterwards rendered tributary to the crown of Sweden, and continued in that condition until the contentions between Sigismond and his subjects afforded it an opportunity of again returning under ...