In the 16th century,Sweden faced threats from Muscovy/Russia on the eastern side. And instability in the Baltics just across the Baltic...

You will notice that the head of the Teutonic Knights is from the Hohenzollern family, that the Archbishop of Riga (in Livonia) is from...

We think of Russia as the aggressor state toward the Baltics, but that is a relatively recent development. Historically it was Germany...