The Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus oversaw the rise of Sweden as one of the great powers in Europe.

In 1626, he ordered the construction of a warship that would be the most powerful floating platform in Northern Europe.

Its maiden voyage in 1628 was one of the most

memorable of any ship in history. Learn more about the Vassa, its incredible

maiden voyage and its status today on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. You probably don't think of Sweden today as a great military power, but it actually once was. During the reign of King Gustavus Adolphus,

Sweden reached its peak of military power and influence in Europe. The Swedish Empire held

territory in what is today the countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany,

Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia.

Sweden's success came from its great leadership and its army.

They were a land power, and Gustavus Adolphus was an all-time great general.

They weren't that much of a naval power, however.

They had a fleet of ships, but they were mostly smaller ships and they couldn't compete with

top-tier ships of the line

which were produced by the other major powers like England and France.

Sweden ships were mostly designed for escort and patrol duty. In 1625 Sweden lost

10 ships in a storm and in 1627 they lost two of their biggest ships to Poland in a skirmish.

Basically they were a mediocre naval power.

In 1626 the king ordered the creation of a ship that could serve as the

flagship for the Swedish Navy. The ship was to be named the Vassa, which was the

name of the Swedish Royal House that he was the head of.

The construction of the ship was ordered during a period where Sweden was fighting Poland

Lithuania, they had very poor relations with Denmark, and they were worried about an

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