MILITARY LEADER OF THE DAY: JACOB DE LA GARDIE (1583 - 1652), SWEDISH GENERAL AND STATESMAN WHO CONQUERED MOSCOW

By Siniša Đuričić,
June 20, 2019

On June 20, 1583, Jacob De la Gardie was born, a Swedish statesman and a Field marshal. He was at the head of the Swedish War Council, and had a high position of state Constable (Riksmarsk), even higher than that of a Marshal. His family De la Gardie was of French origin because his father moved from France to Sweden and married himself to a highly-positioned Swedish woman.

Jacob De la Gardie was born in Reval (today's Tallinn), in the area of ​​today's Estonia (at that time the Estonian territory belonged to Sweden). Already in his youth De la Gardie became a soldier and in 1609 and 1610 he led the Swedish atrmy against Russia. He managed to conquer even Moscow, and young Vladislav IV. from the Swedish Dynasty Vasa was then crowned as the Russian Emperor. However, the Swedes soon left Moscow, so that the whole tundertakinng remained only a passing episode.

In 1615, De la Gardie became a Swedish Field marshal (Flemtmarskalk), and in 1620 he gained a higher position of the state constable (Riksmarsk). By this he was placed at the helm of the overall Swedish military force, and he also received the title of Count. Interestingly, Count Jacob De la Gardie was contemporary of another famous Swedish statesman - Count Axel Oxenstierne. Namely, Count Oxenstierna was only about two years older and held high office of the Chancellor of the State (Rikskansler). That is why Oxenstierna was at the head of the Swedish government at about the same time that De la Gardie was at the helm of the Swedish military force. Both have left enormous traces in history, as Sweden was one of the strongest forces in Europe at this time.