Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 48. (2000)

LAVERY, Jason: Emperor Maximilian II. and the Danish-Swedish Struggle for Baltic Hegemony 1563–1576

Jason Lavery

kowitz, on 22 May.34 Over the next two months, other representatives of the Imperial court, invited Imperial princes, and Sweden’s enemies arrived. The presence of ambassadors from France and the Spanish Netherlands underscored the conflict’s European significance.35 In spite of this impressive assembly of representatives, it did not induce the Swedes to join the meeting. In May 1564, a Swedish delegation used the safe passage offered by King Frederik to cross the Baltic. Instead of traveling to Rostock, the Swedes instead sought to reach the Polish court and open negotiations on a separate peace.36 King Erik then on 9 June 1564 informed von Biinau that Danish refusal to grant his ambassadors safe passage prevented him from participating in the Rostock conference.37

The Danes as well did their part to damage the peace process. In the early hours of 11 July, a Danish naval force under Peder Huitfeldt attacked a Swedish war ship off the coast of Rostock. During the same day, the delegates at Rostock convened to issue a statement condemning the attack. The Danish action was seen by the mediators as an attack on the Empire itself.38 The Imperial Vice Chancellor Johan Baptist Weber explained to the Duke of Bavaria that the Danish action had caused ’’harm and ridicule [harm und spott]“ to the emperor.39 While the Imperial court wanted to prevent a Swedish victory, it had a larger overriding concern of protecting the Empire’s integrity and stability. The Empire’s tilt toward Denmark in the war was not an acceptance of all Danish actions.

34 HHStA, Dänemark 1, fols. 87'-92v, Rostock, 31 May 1564, Hassenstein to Ferdinand (rec. Ina 21 June 1564) (or). Boguslav Felix von Hassenstein und Lobkowitz represented the Imperial court in many matters concerning its Baltic interests. His role in the internal politics of Bohemia is mentioned in Pánek, Jaroslav: Maximilian II. als König von Böhmen. In: Edelmayer, Friedrich - Kohler, Alfred (eds ): Kaiser Maximilian II. Kultur und Politik im 16. Jahrhundert. Wien- München 1992, pp. 55-69, cited here p. 63.

35 Jensen: Danmarks konflikt, pp. 112-114; La v er y : Holy Roman Empire, pp. 132-135.

36 Elector Joachim’s representative Levin von der Schulenburg composed a long and detailed report of the event. See Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin [hereafter: GSPK], Hauptabt. I, Rep. 50, Nr. 25a, unfol., Rostock, 19 July 1564, Schulenburg to Joachim (ndr) (or); HHStA, Dänemark 1, Konv. 1564, fols. 121r 121v, Rostock, 11 July 1564, condemnation of Rostock delegates (ndr) (or); Jensen, Danmarks konflikt, pp. 114-115. West ling, G.O.F. Det nordiska sjuárskrigets historia, part 1. In: Historiskt bibliotek 6 (1879), pp. 421-601, cited here p. 504.

37 HHStA, Schweden 1, Konv. 1545-1580, fols. 19r—26v, Stockholm, 9 June 1564, Erik to Ferdinand (rec. Ina 5 August, 1564) (or). StAM Best. 311 Akten des Landgrafen Wilhelm 1564 Sachsen- Albertiner unfol., Salltza 16 August 1564 Erich Volkmar von Berlepsch to Wilhelm (rec. Kassel 19 August 1564) (or). Berlepsch was one of Elector August's representatives at the Rostock meeting.

38 HHStA, Dänemark 1, Konv. 1564, fols. 121r— 121v, Rostock, 11 July 1564, condemnation of Rostock delegates (ndr) (or).

39 Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Munich [hereafter: BHStA], Kurbayem, Äußeres Archiv [hereafter: ÄA], 4 921, fols. 315r 316V, Vienna, 31 July 1564, Weber to Duke Albrecht (ndr) (or).

206