Episode Details

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden transformed a minor Baltic kingdom into a European superpower and revolutionized military tactics in the process. He combined infantry, cavalry, and mobile artillery in ways no commander had attempted, then died leading a cavalry charge into fog at the Battle of Lutzen.

This episode follows the Lion of the North from his coronation as a teenager through the Thirty Years War, his military innovations, and the fog-shrouded death that turned a king into a legend.

• He became King of Sweden at seventeen and immediately faced wars on three fronts
• His military innovations in combined arms warfare influenced European armies for over a century
• He was killed leading a cavalry charge at the Battle of Lutzen in 1632
• Napoleon ranked him among the greatest military commanders in history