Anne of Austria vs Gustav IV Adolf

Upon the death of Louis XIII, Anne of Austria became regent for her four-year-old son Louis XIV. She overturned her husband's will, which had limited her power, and appointed Cardinal Mazarin as chief minister, continuing Richelieu's policies.

Anne of Austria faced a series of noble and parliamentary revolts known as the Fronde. She and the young Louis XIV were forced to flee Paris twice. The rebellion was eventually suppressed, but it left Louis XIV with a lifelong distrust of the nobility and Paris.

Anne of Austria's regency government negotiated the Treaty of the Pyrenees with Spain, ending decades of war. The treaty included the marriage of Louis XIV to the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa, strengthening Bourbon-Habsburg relations.

Cardinal Mazarin died, and Anne of Austria's regency formally ended as Louis XIV assumed personal rule. Anne retired to the convent of Val-de-Gr

Gustav IV Adolf refused to comply with Napoleon's Continental System, which aimed to blockade Britain. This decision led to a French alliance with Russia and Denmark-Norway against Sweden, isolating the country diplomatically and contributing to the disastrous Finnish War.

During the Finnish War, Sweden was decisively defeated by Russia. The Treaty of Fredrikshamn ceded the entire Grand Duchy of Finland to the Russian Empire. This loss ended Sweden's status as a major Baltic power and marked the greatest territorial reduction in Swedish history.

Following the loss of Finland and his unpopular rule, Gustav IV Adolf was arrested and deposed in a coup by a group of army officers and nobles. The Riksdag formally declared him unfit to rule and forced him to abdicate. He and his family were exiled from Sweden.