Kertomuksia Suomen historiasta V:1 Kustaa Aadolf ja Kristiina: Sodat

This volume opens a vivid portrait of a restless early‑17th‑century commander whose ambitions pitted him against the Polish king Sigismund. After the Russian war had ended, Kustaa Aadolf set his sights on the rich Baltic port of Riga, mustering a fleet of twelve thousand men and a mix of Swedish regulars and foreign mercenaries. The narrative recounts the dramatic approach up the river, the sudden storm that scattered the fleet, and the surprising surrender of a fortified city whose defenders fled before the cannons even fired.

From the siege of Riga the story moves toward the wider conflict that would draw Kustaa Aadolf into the German theatres of war, introducing allies such as Jaakko De la Gardie and the famed Hakkapeliitat. The author details the fierce artillery exchanges, the crumbling walls, and the personal stakes that motivated the commander to seek either total peace or total war. Together, these episodes offer listeners a gripping glimpse of Finland’s role in the turbulent wars of the era, told with clear, measured prose.