Oxenstern

Oxenstern, Axel, Count (1583-1654), a Swedish statesman, studied theology at Wittenberg and Jena, and then visited different German courts. In 1606 he was sent on a mission to Mecklenburg,. and in 1608 became senator. He was at the head of the regency till the accession of Gustavus Adolphus, when he became Chancellor. In 1614 he accompanied the king to Germany, and was made governor-general of the conquered provinces, with headquarters at Mainz. After the reverses of Gustavus Adolphus, Oxenstern summoned a congress at Heilbronn, and was the acknowledged chief of the Protestant League. In 1636 he was Chancellor in Sweden, and aided Queen Christina in many ways, until her determination to abdicate drove him from public affairs.