Johan Adler Salvius

Johan Adler Salvius

Johan Adler Salvius (* 1590 in Strängnäs ; † August 24, 1652 in Stockholm ) was a Swedish baron, imperial councilor and diplomat who represented Sweden in the negotiations that led to the Peace of Westphalia .

Life

After beginning his studies in Uppsala in 1612 , the bishop and the Swedish king soon became aware of his talents. With royal support he soon began a study trip to Germany, where he visited the universities in Rostock and Helmstedt and received his doctorate in philosophy. He also studied medicine in Marburg . After he had returned briefly in 1616, he went on to further study trip to Germany, Italy, Netherlands and France, where he in Montpellier Doctor Juristik was.

When he returned in 1619 he quickly gained Gustav Adolf's trust . He worked out a plan for the redesign of Gothenburg and was appointed assessor at the highest Swedish court. Soon he switched to the diplomatic line. After he was raised to the nobility in 1624, he added an eagle to the previously adopted name Salvius and mainly carried out power-political missions in Poland and Germany. In 1625, after negotiations in Selburg (today: Sēlpils ) , Salvius was imprisoned by Cossacks for several weeks .

As early as 1629 he was supposed to take part in peace negotiations for Sweden in Lübeck , but the other side refused his presence. From 1630 he served as General War Commissioner in Germany, based in Hamburg . Salvius stayed there until 1634, when he was called to Sweden. As court chancellor in Axel Oxenstierna's absence, he led the establishment of a new form of government. When the Chancellor returned home in 1636, Salvius was sent back to Germany to lead the Swedish group in peace negotiations with Sten Svantesson Bielke . After Bielke died in 1638, Salvius was the only Swedish diplomatic legate in Germany.

From 1636 Salvius was in Germany continuously for 14 years. In the first seven years, he performed three tasks at the same time. The first was to forge an alliance with France, the second was separate peace deals, and the third was a general peace settlement. Among the most important results were the alliance treaties with France of 1638 and 1641. He was also responsible for Sweden's finances in Germany. By marrying the goldsmith's widow Margareta Hartmann, he also personally acquired a significant fortune, which he temporarily brought in as security in his transactions.

In 1643 Salvius moved to Osnabrück , where he took part in the Westphalian Peace Congress together with the son of the Imperial Chancellor, Johan Axelsson Oxenstierna . The two ambassadors fell into disagreement as both wanted to take on the leading role. Salvius, for example, conducted secret negotiations with foreign delegations, which caused the Chancellor's displeasure. When, after Queen Christina's accession to the throne, a party hostile to the Oxenstiernas formed at the royal court, Salvius joined them. Through direct correspondence with the queen, he gained her favor and followed her instructions, which did not always correspond to official Swedish interests. His many years of experience earned him the role of mediator between Germany and France in 1648.

In March 1648, Salvius was promoted to imperial council against the will of Oxenstierna and Brahe. After the peace treaty, Salvius stayed in Hamburg for a year to organize his business and that of the crown. He then moved back to Sweden, where he became the Queen's confidential advisor and was given the title of baron. In 1651 he was in Lübeck again to conduct negotiations with Poland, but after these were broken off without result, he lived again in Stockholm, where he died on August 24, 1652.

literature

Johan Adler Salvius . In: Bernhard Meijer (Ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 1 : A-Armati . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1904, Sp. 176 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).

Web links

Commons : Johan Adler Salvius  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Article in Svenskt Biografiskt Lexicon (Swedish)
• Publications by and about Johan Adler Salvius in VD 17 .
• Tripota - Trier portrait database

predecessor	Office	successor
Not so Svensson	Swedish resident at the Hanseatic cities 1631 to 1650 (with interruptions)	Vincent Moller