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Reign of Gustavo Vasa 109
The workman regarded his craft as a sacred charge
from God. With the craftsman there was nothing of
the knight’s thirst for war and adventure, instead,
there was the honor of dutiful and patient labor. "The
toiler’s sweat is more pleasing to God than prayers,"
they said. They took much pride in fine workmanship.
Blunders and defects in the work put out were to them
a shame. "If no one else sees it," they said, "our dear
.God in heaven does." The guild system continued in
Sweden until 1846.
CHAPTER VII
REIGN OF GUSTAVUS VASA, 1523-1560
A. THE ADMINISTRATION
Conditions at the Opening of the Reign. Gustavus
Vasa was the founder of the modern Swedish mon-
archy. Through his War of Liberation he had restored
the political independence of the country. He was also
to secure for the country its religious, or ecclesiasti-
cal independence. This he effected by introducing the
Reformation, which Martin Luther had inaugurated
in Germany. After the long civil wars against the
union kings, Sweden and the Swedish people’ were com-
pletely impoverished. But the church had accumulated
immense wealth in gold and silver vessels, ornaments,
and rich vestments, and owned one-fifth of the land in
the country. The king needed this superfluous wealth
for the recovery of the country. But the pope would
never permit the wealth of the Church to be put to
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