The Quarter Reduction of Christina

Queen Christina's reign was troubled by her struggle with the high lords of the Council, particularly the chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna. In spite of his opposition, she was a prime mover in concluding the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and ending the Thirty Years War. An assiduous politician, Christina was able to keep the bitter class rivalries that broke out after the war from lapsing into civil war but was unable to solve the desperate financial problems caused by the long years of fighting. In the end, she had to recall Oxenstierna and accept the failure of her reform program.