Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - VII. Reign of Gustavus Vasa, 1523–1560 - A. The Administration
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
Agriculture, Industry, Commerce 117
workmen from Germany, who introduced the rolling
mill and the production of bar iron. The king tried to
encourage his people to substitute this more profitable
iron product for the old pig iron production. He estab-
lished forges for his own profit and as an example for
his people. The Sala silver mine was an object of his
special attention, and it yielded very rich returns.
His Encouragement of Commerce. But commerce,
especially foreign trade, received his most careful at-
tention. First of all he put an end to the trade suprem-
acy of the Hanseatic League in Sweden. The Lii-
beckers had become so overbearing that the Swedes
and Danes united their forces against them. By their
combined strength they defeated the enemy both on
land and sea.. In the treaty that followed, Liibeck lost
her great trade privileges in the North.
But even after this Gustavus had occasion to reprove
his people for rushing to Liibeck and other Baltic
cities with their Swedish wares, glutting the market
till they had to sell their products at great loss. They
were equally foolish in their buying. They crowded
into the foreign markets and bid up the prices against
each other.
But Gustavus did not only chide. He summoned the
burghers and showed them how to conduct their trade.
The Swedish merchants must go beyond the Baltic to
the cities along the North Sea and the Atlantic and
buy their goods. They would not then have to pay the
profits charged by the Baltic traders. As a result of
these suggestions Swedish merchantmen found their
way to England, the Netherlands, France, and even to
Portugal and Spain. The king himself was the greatest
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
