their course this time to Tunis, hoping by gaining possession of that city
to cut off all communication between the Saracens of the East, and those of
Morocco and Spain.
As soon as they arrived before Tunis the enemy came in sight, as if they
were going to attack the camp, and then retired. Just as they were
vanishing in the distance two Spanish slaves came and told the king that
the Lord of Tunis had arrested all who were Christians amongst his troops,
and intended to cut off their heads directly the march should begin upon
Tunis. The next night three Saracens appeared before the advance guard of
the Christians, and touching their turbans in token of respect, made known
by signs that they demanded baptism.
The king did not know what to think of the matter, and ordered them to be
guarded in a tent; and a little while after a hundred more appeared, making
the same signs. Whilst they were amusing the soldiers by their odd
gestures, other Saracens rushed unexpectedly upon the camp, and after
killing many of the Christians, ran away before they could be captured. The
army thought to revenge the affront on the three men, but they began to
shed tears, and one of them declared that a captain of more than two
thousand men like himself wanted to ruin him by treachery, and if the king
would send one of the two others to the camp of the Saracens, the whole
army would pass over to the Christians. The king did not dare to trust him,
and thought it wisest to send them all away, for fear he should be guilty
of shedding innocent blood. As the Crusaders were making a very deep ditch
the next day all around the camp, the entire body of the Saracens came in
sight, spreading from the sea on one side, to the country on the other.
They meant to surround the army, but Louis rushing out upon them, a
skirmish ensued, and when a few of their number were slain, all the rest
took flight. Thus they kept on harassing and dodging the army; the
Christian warriors had no peace with them; and if ever they took off their
armour they had to put it on again directly for some fresh alarm, although
the Saracens never ventured to give them battle.
Louis was desirous of waiting before Tunis until the arrival of his brother
Charles, now king over Sicily; and he prepared meanwhile by sea and land
for the siege of the city, which was very strongly fortified. The delay
proved the source of misfortune; the Christians had worse evils to contend
with than those occasioned by the Saracens. The heat was intense, and the
reflection from the sunlit mountains caused a dazzling light which almost
blinded their eyes. When the wind blew it came loaded with burning sand,
and the plague broke out on the coast. Then the Crusaders drooped one by
one; the young Count de Nevers, the son whom Louis loved best of all, was
seized with the sickness and died, and on the day of his death the good
Saint Louis fell ill himself. When he felt that he should never rise from
his bed again, he set all his earthly affairs in order, and gave good
advice to his children, telling them always to love one another, and
maintain the peace of their country. For the rest of the time he lived he
prayed in patience, and praised God for all that had befallen him
throughout his life; and one night he uttered the word "Jerusalem," adding,
"Let us go to Jerusalem." It was to the heavenly Jerusalem the king was
going, the eternal city, where all weeping and sorrow and trouble should be
hushed for ever. Before he died he prayed long and earnestly for his
people, that they might be delivered from their enemies, and last of all,
with peace in his face, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Lord, I
will enter into Thy house; I will adore Thee in Thy holy temple, and I will
glorify Thy name."
When Charles of Anjou arrived at Tunis a little while after the king had
ceased to breathe, he was surprised to find that the camp was all silent,
and that no one had come to meet him on the shore. And hastening to the
royal tent, the sight that greeted him was the dead body of his brother
clad in a hair shirt, and stretched on a bed of ashes; for thus had Louis,
in his humility, desired to die. Charles shed many tears, and kissed the
feet of his dead brother again and again, and the whole camp was filled
with sorrowful faces, so dearly had the good king been loved by his
followers.
Louis, having reigned over France for nearly forty-four years, left the
kingdom to his eldest son Philip, who carried on the crusade for a while
with the other princes, and defeated the Saracens on several occasions. By
November, however, all the French Crusaders had quitted the East, and
Philip occupied himself in the affairs of his own country. His father
wrote him some instructions, which he was to read after his death, and
which have been carefully preserved. The following maxims were amongst
those they contained:--
"Dear son, the first thing I teach thee is to set thy
heart to love God, for without Him none can be saved.
* * * * *
"If God send thee adversity, receive it with patience,
and thank the Lord for it, and think that thou hast
deserved it, and that it will turn to thy profit. If He
give thee prosperity, thank Him for it humbly, so as
not to lose by pride or otherwise what ought to render
thee better; for one ought not to abuse the gifts of
God."
"Be kind and charitable to the poor, the weak, and
those who are in trouble, and aid them according to thy
power."
"Maintain the good customs of thy country, and destroy
the bad ones. Only have in thy company prudent and
unambitious men. Flee and avoid the company of the
wicked."
"Listen willingly to the word of God, and keep it in
thy heart. Let no one be so bold as to speak a word
which might lead to sin in thy presence."
GUSTAVUS VASA, KING OF SWEDEN.
There was once a princess named Margaret, daughter of Waldemar, King of
Denmark, who on her father's death married Haquin, king of Norway. When her
husband died she reigned over Norway alone; and when her son Olaus died she
reigned over Denmark too. Margaret governed her people well, but she dearly
loved power, and was not content with the countries she already possessed;
so she went to war with her near neighbours, the Swedes, and defeated and
captured Albert, their king. Margaret kept him in prison seven years, and
then only released him when he had agreed to give up his crown as the price
of his liberty. In the year 1397 a great meeting of the States General of
the three countries was held at a place called Calmar, and there it was
settled that Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, should all be governed by one
sovereign. After Margaret's death the Swedes were very unhappy for many
years, because they were so sorely oppressed by the Danes: they did not
submit tamely, and a long series of troubles and wars ensued.
When Gustavus Vasa, the great hero of the North, was born in the year 1490,
Sweden had in some measure freed itself from the Danish yoke, and was
governed by Sten Sture, a Swede, who had the title of Adminstrator. Sture
was a man of firm and upright character, who had never suffered the Danes
to triumph over him, although they were always trying to regain full power
over his country, and had made a solemn vow with the Russians to subdue it
entirely.
Gustavus Erickson, commonly called Gustavus Vasa, was born at the Castle of
Lindholm, near Stockholm. His father, Erick Johannson, was descended from
the royal houses of Vasa and Sture, both of which came from the Old
Norwegian kings, and were connected with many of the royal families of
Europe. They had always been renowned for their love of freedom, their
steadfast spirit, and their valour. Sten Sture had given to Erick Johannson
a beautiful estate, called Castle-holm, and the Island of Aland, in the
Gulf of Bothnia. He loved to have him with him at his court, and took
charge of his little son Gustavus, because he wanted to see him grow up
worthy of his royal birth, and to teach him to love his unhappy country
with all his heart; hoping that he might one day restore to it the freedom
it had enjoyed before it was overcome by the ambitious Northern queen.
The boy was brought up simply and without luxury; he ate coarse food, and
learned to hunt, and was allowed to climb about the mountains around
Lindholm as much as he liked, so that he grew very strong, and could endure
great fatigue without a murmur, whilst he thoroughly enjoyed his sports and
his liberty in the keen, fresh air. When John, the reigning king of Denmark
came in State to visit Sture at Stockholm, he was struck by the spirited
bearing, and free, open nature of Gustavus; and fearing that when he was
older he might prove the source of danger to himself, he asked Sture to let
him take care of him, and bring him up at the Danish court. Sture, however,
wisely declined his offer, and sent the child to Aland to be out of danger,
and watched over him until his death, when Svante Sture governed Sweden in
his place. Gustavus was treated with great kindness by the new
Administrator, who loved peace, and only suffered good men to be around
him, thus making his Court a school for all knightly virtues. Gustavus
remained with him until he was eighteen, and then went to Upsal to attend a
school which had been founded there by the elder Sture. A story is told of
him which shows how deeply the teaching of his friend had taken root in his
heart. In one of the divisions of the school he was accustomed to read the
classics with a Dane, who once happened to let fall some remarks against
Sweden. In a moment, the Swedish youth drew his sword, plunged it through
the book which was open before him, and rushed out of the place, never to
return to it again. For all this, he was very happy at Upsal, and they were
merry days when a flock of students, in their red gowns, rushed out of the
city gates to enjoy a holiday in the open country beyond. Gustavus studied
with great diligence, and was more learned than most of the other noble
youths of his time, for in general they were quite content if they knew how
to handle their weapons, and cared very little for learning out of books.
Gustavus made himself perfect in all knightly accomplishments, and could
play on several musical instruments, which were all kept long afterwards,
hung up in the Castle of Stockholm, in remembrance of the happy days of his
youth. He never touched them after he had once given his whole thought to
the rescue of his country, but I dare say, when his great work was done,
and Sweden was free and happy once more, and he looked at them as they hung
on the walls, he seemed to hear all the old tunes which had gladdened his
youth, and thought kindly of the companions of his early years, who had
many of them died, or passed out of his sight.
Gustavus was tall, slender, and fairhaired; his countenance was open and
expressed kindness; his temper was cheerful, and his courage could never be
daunted: he had a wonderful memory to the very last hours of his life. When
he had been in Upsal six years he came back to the Court of Stockholm,
where he went on with his studies, and lived until he was twenty-five years
of age, beloved by his friends, and esteemed by all for his upright
conduct.
In the meantime a change had taken place in the affairs of Denmark. King
John was dead, and his son Christiern the Second had come to the throne.
The new king suffered himself to be advised by his mother-in-law Sigbritt,
a spiteful and meddling Dutchwoman; and he began his reign with many unjust
actions towards the Swedes, which provoked them to fight once more for
their freedom. Sten Sture the younger had succeeded his father Svante; he
resolved to free his country from the bondage of Denmark, and he spoke
earnest words in the Council House.
"We must be firm," he said. "We must offer up our blood, and show the
people who come after us, how dear to us was our freedom, rather than sit
still with a weight upon our shoulders, which crushes us to the ground."
And very soon the war began. King Christiern came himself to the scene of
action, and lay siege to Stockholm. Sture and Gustavus Erickson, who bore
the banner of Sweden, gained two victories over the Danes; the king was in
danger, being nearly surrounded by his enemies, and was obliged to think of
returning to his own country. He made it appear as if he wished for peace,
and agreed to meet Sture in order to treat for terms, provided hostages
were sent to his quarters in the persons of Gustavus and five Swedish
statesmen of high rank. It was arranged that when these hostages reached
his vessel at a place called Krongshamm, he should present himself in the
quarters of Sture, and that when he returned to his vessel the Swedes
should be free to depart.
Although it was well known that the promises of Christiern were not to be
trusted, the six hostages set out in a boat with a crew of twelve men, but
they had hardly got half-way when a Danish vessel, having a hundred men on
board, met them, and closed their path. The captain told them that the king
wished to meet them at a place called Elfsnabbe, where he had some
important matters to discuss with them. Gustavus replied with spirit that
they had simply come as hostages, and had no power to transact business;
they would therefore either await the king at Krongshamm or return at once
to their own quarters.
The Swedes soon found, however, that it was of no use to resist, and they
were forced on board the Danish vessel, and thus conveyed to the king. The
tyrant rejoiced that he had Gustavus Vasa, the most dreaded of his enemies
in his power, and without taking any heed of his promise, sailed with his
booty to Denmark as quickly as he could. The people of Sweden were very
sorrowful, and angry too when they knew Gustavus had been thus captured,
for his brave conduct and his success had already made them hope that
better days were in store for them. Sture also was grieved at Christiern's
breach of faith--the more so that he had been too generous to suspect him
of such deceit--and only a short time before, when the king had been
brought very low by sickness and famine, had sent him succour, and cared
for him as if he had been his warmest friend instead of his most bitter
foe.
When the Swedes arrived in Denmark they were shut up in the citadel of
Copenhagen, and it was decided that they should be put to death at once.
Only, as they had been guilty of no crime, it was not easy to find a
pretence for passing sentence upon them. Whilst their fate was pending,
Sigbritt urged the king to spare their lives, saying, that so long as he
had them in his power, he could impose upon the Swedes laws more and more
severe, with the threat of putting their countrymen to instant death if
they did not obey them. Christiern, as usual, followed the advice of his
mother-in-law, which for once proved the source of blessing to Sweden, and
Gustavus and his companions were only shut up in prison.
Gustavus had a kinsman at Copenhagen of the name of Banner, who was much
attached to him, and feared that if he lived solely under the eye of the
tyrant he would be exposed to many insults. So he prevailed with Christiern
to let him keep him in his castle of Calloe, a strong fortress in Denmark,
and made himself a surety for him to the amount of six thousand dollars.
In the early part of the year 1520 Christiern declared war. The Swedes were
prepared to resist him, for the peasants had come down from the mountains,
and had flocked to the standard of Sture until the army was increased to
the number of 10,000 men. The cause of the king of Denmark was strongly
favoured by the Pope and Trolle, Archbishop of Upsal, who were both very
angry because the Protestant faith was daily gaining ground in Sweden.
Trolle came of an ancient house, only second in rank and dignity to that of
Sture, and a long standing quarrel between these two houses served at the
present moment to widen the breach between them.
The Swedes fought bravely, but they were soon overcome, and in a battle at
Bogisund, Sture received a wound in the head, of which he died a few days
after. The state of the country now seemed hopeless; its regular army only
numbered 500 men; those who had crowded its ranks when the war began were
brave-hearted men, eager to defend the right, but they were not trained and
skilful soldiers. Sture dead, and Gustavus Vasa in prison, there was
neither ruler in the land nor leader in strife. The Swedes began indeed to
be disheartened; a few of the bravest clung to the hope that a fresh
attempt might yet be made to resist the tyrant's power; some, less
hopeful, thought it best to lay down their swords and submit; others again,
said that they would rather die first. Sture's widow, Christina--herself of
royal birth--and a woman of great spirit, came forward to revenge her
husband's death, and to implore the Swedes not to desert the cause of
freedom. She sent her little son Nil Sture to Dantzig to be out of danger,
and went to Stockholm, where she made the people swear rather to bury
themselves beneath the ruins of the city, than become the slaves of the
Danish king.
For a short time a little gleam of hope broke over the land, but Christiern
feeling assured that he could not really call himself King of Sweden until
he had Stockholm in his power, resolved to come in person with a great
fleet and besiege the capital.
In the meantime Gustavus was sorrowing for the troubles of his fatherland,
and his face was clouded and sad when he followed his kinsman Banner to the
gay festivals of the Danish court, and heard people tell how the king had
triumphed over his countrymen, and was bending by degrees their proud
spirit. He was heartily tired, too, of his prison, although he was guarded
less strictly now than he had been at first, and was allowed to wander
about by himself within one mile of the castle. During his lonely walks he
revolved many plans in his mind, and at last one morning at sunrise he put
on the disguise of a peasant, and made his escape from Calloe. The first
day he wandered about a part of the country unknown to him, and the next
day at noon he reached the town of Flensburg, where he feared he should
have been betrayed. But outside the town, for his good fortune, he found a
number of Saxon merchants who had been buying oxen in Jutland, and were on
their way back to Germany; without much trouble he entered their service,
and thus got safely out of Denmark.
In the September of the year 1519 he came to the free city of Lubeck, where
he made himself known at the Council House, and asked to be received as a
guest, secure from the tyranny of the Danish king. Soon after he arrived,
Banner came in search of him. He was very angry with Gustavus for having
escaped out of his hands, and exposed him to the king's wrath, and wanted
him to return with him to Denmark. Gustavus promised to refund the six
thousand dollars Banner would be obliged to forfeit, but it was not likely
that he would agree to go back to his gloomy prison. So he remained some
months at Lubeck, and heard there of the death of Sture and the defeat of
his countrymen. It was at this time, when Martin Luther, the great
Reformer, came to visit the city of Lubeck, that Gustavus Vasa declared
himself a convert to the Protestant faith.
The Council at last promised to assist him with men and money, and granted
him a merchant's vessel in which he reached the coast of Sweden towards the
end of May in the year 1520. As he approached Stockholm, he found its haven
filled by the Danish fleet, and not caring to show himself yet, he landed
at a promontory a short distance from Calmar. Stockholm was now possessed
by the Danes, King Christiern had taken up his abode in one of the palaces,
and Christina had been forced to retire to the castle, which was strongly
guarded, and still held out against the Danes. Gustavus entered the city
secretly and found his way to the castle, where he was welcomed and
received with great honour by Sture's widow. He then went to the market
place, and made himself known to the people who had assembled there in
crowds, and he told them what a disgrace it was for them to be in bondage
to Christiern. The people listened in silence and hung their heads; it
seemed as if all spirit had been crushed within them. So Gustavus went back
to the castle to see if he could arouse a better feeling there, but the
German soldiers who were employed to guard it broke out into fury at the
very idea of fighting, they were so utterly tired of all the misery of war,
and they would have murdered Gustavus on the spot if Christina had not been
there to protect him.
He now saw that his only safety would be at the head of an army: the Danes
were all ready to besiege the castle, and it was therefore no longer a
place to shelter him; but the moment for action was not yet come, and he
roamed about in the country around Stockholm in disguise, now in the
forests and now in the fields, hiding by day and travelling by night, and
mingling sometimes with the Danes for the purpose of gaining news. And on
Sundays, when the peasants were in the churches, he would stand amongst
them, and try to cheer them by telling them that happier days were in store
for them when they should be free once more. Still the people did not care
to listen: they said that so long as they obeyed the King of Denmark, they
had salt and herrings in plenty; what more did they want? And sometimes
when Gustavus had turned away from them they would shoot after him with
their arrows. Such was the abject state they had been brought to by
long-continued insult and oppression. Besides this Christiern had spies in
all parts, and had set a heavy price upon the head of Gustavus, and
threatened all persons who should attempt to conceal him with the
punishment of death.
After escaping from many dangers, he came through Ludermannland to the
house of Joachim Brahe, a noble councillor of Sweden, who had married his
sister Margaret. The meeting between brother and sister was full of joy,
and Gustavus hoped that Brahe would have been prevailed upon to take up
arms in the defence of his country, but the prudent statesman was not to be
enticed. Christiern, whose presence had for a time been required in
Denmark, was now on his way to Stockholm, and Brahe was one of the guests
invited thither to behold the crown of Sweden placed upon his head. He
could see nothing but rashness and certain failure in the project of taking
up arms against so powerful a foe. Gustavus, therefore, bade his sister
farewell with a heavy heart, and went on his way once more, and after
wandering about some time longer in disguise, he retired to a country house
at Rafnaes, which belonged to his father, to think over in solitude what
was best to be done.
King Christiern arrived in Stockholm with his wife, leaving Sigbritt to
manage the affairs of Denmark. With the help of the Pope, and the
Archbishop of Upsal, he had himself declared heir to the Swedish throne
before an immense concourse of people, and was crowned in their presence.
Before this he promised to release all captives, and conferred many marks
of royal favour upon the chief men of Stockholm. The first days after he
was crowned were given up to knightly sports, and feasting, and merriment.
But before three days had passed, the king's cruel temper got the better of
him, and he withdrew from the scene of rejoicing to a secret council
chamber, where he sat thinking over the best means of getting rid of the
bishops and senators, and all men of high estate in Sweden, that his own
position on the throne might be quite secure.
Soon it appeared as if a shadow of gloom had fallen over the city, where
all had been noisy mirth: the castle was suddenly filled with prisoners;
bishops and statesmen were alike consigned to its dark dungeons; in all the
market places scaffolds were erected; and the unhappy captives were told
that they must die.