Which 1631 treaty made France promise subsidies to Sweden?

Which 1631 treaty made France promise subsidies to Sweden? The answer is the Treaty of Bärwalde. Signed on 23 January 1631, it formalized French financial support for Sweden’s intervention in the Thirty Years’ War.

The agreement reflected Cardinal Richelieu’s strategy of weakening the Habsburg powers without immediately committing France to a full-scale war. France promised Sweden an annual subsidy of 400,000 Reichsthalers for five years. In return, King Gustavus Adolphus agreed to maintain a large army in Germany, nominally about 36,000 troops, and to respect certain Catholic and neutral territories.

The treaty helped sustain Sweden’s military campaign after Gustavus Adolphus landed in northern Germany in 1630. Sweden’s intervention was driven by a mixture of Protestant solidarity, security concerns, and the desire to protect Swedish influence and trade around the Baltic.

The Treaty of Bärwalde was later superseded by the Franco-Swedish Treaty of Compiègne in 1635, when France moved toward direct military involvement. It is sometimes confused with the Treaty of Stettin, which concerned Sweden’s position in Pomerania rather than the original French subsidy agreement.