I have experienced neutrality before.

Even under the most favourable conditions you are treated badly.

I have vowed never to be neutral again until I die.

Frederick William, the great elector of Brandenburg, 1671.

Hello and welcome to When Diplomacy Fails, Episode 27.6, the Swedish Delugues Part 4.

Last time we bore witness to the collapse of Poland-Lithuania in the face of a combined

Russian-Swedish invasion. King Charles Gustav of Sweden by the end of 1656 had accomplished

more than he could have dreamed possible in the years before. Yet his job was clearly

incomplete. Poland remained in existence thanks to its resilience and the inability of the

Swedes to totally conquer it and occupy their larger rival. Meanwhile, as he attempted to deal with

these logistical problems, the impact of such Swedish success had a noted psychological effect

on the rest of Europe, who began to close ranks against the Swedes and whisper

mean things about them when they left the room.

The Dutch, Brandenburg, the Holy Roman Emperor and Russia had all reared their opportunistic and

concerned heads, and Charles Gustav must have been aware, by the end of 1656, of the growing

anti-Swedish coalition, not just on paper, but also in European sentiment.

In this episode, we examined the Danish decision to strike Sweden while the iron seemed hot,

and we also assessed the significance of Brandenburg's agreement with the Poles in September 1657,

that provided it with full rights over East Prussia.

I will now take you to the year, 1657. Quittor is

Permanist Echurcha,manee. It was difficult to deny Sweden's success. On paper, Charles Gustav had achieved triumphs

beyond the wildest dreams of the councillors or his predecessors. He had blitzed through Poland

...