Podbit · Fin vs History
After the Thirty Years' War, Sweden was the most modern and feared military force in Europe. They controlled Finland, Estonia, Livonia, and northern Germany — making the Baltic effectively a Swedish lake. It was short-lived, and almost nobody remembers it.
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At 48:10 · chapter starts 41:21
With the domestic politics settled, Fin fills in the European context. Peter's wife Eudoxia is sent to a nunnery — not quite a formal divorce, but close enough — while his German mistress Anna Mons receives all the attention. More importantly, the Swedish Empire is now the dominant force in Northern Europe, holding Finland, Estonia, Livonia and northern Germany and making the Baltic effectively a Swedish lake. Peter, who spent his Grand Embassy obsessing over shipyards, stares at this maritime empire with barely concealed longing. Horatio notes that it was short-lived and almost nobody remembers it today — which makes it all the more extraordinary that Sweden was, briefly, the most terrifying military force in Europe. [1] — Horatio Gould "After the Thirty Years' War, Sweden was the most modern and feared military force in Europe. They controlled Finland, Estonia, Livonia, and…" 48:10
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