Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, is justly regarded as one of the greatest and noblest figures in history. He was born at Stockholm in 1594; was slain in the battle of Lützen November 6, 1632. His father died in 1611, and Gustavus ascended the throne of Sweden in his eighteenth year. In the Thirty Years' War, which began in 1618, he was hailed as the champion of Protestantism, and his untimely death at the age of thirty-eight years was an unspeakable loss to that cause. His armies were distinguished for bravery, discipline, and morality. Robbery and license were not allowed. Morning and evening the soldiers gathered around their regimental chaplains for prayer. On the morning of the battle of Lützen it is said the army sang Gustavus's battle bymn, "Fear not, O little flock, the foe." Such an army was a novelty in the history of war.