From the middle of the sixteenth century to the end of the eighteenth century, the Baltic sea was the scene of frequent conflicts between the powers that surrounded it. As the fortunes in the struggles changed, so did the composition of opposing alliances and the identity of the leading participants. Not only were there littoral states concerned by the outcome; other European states were anxious throughout the period with what went on in the Baltic, where the emergence of one dominant power could be potentially dangerous and where many had important comercial interests.

War and Peace in the Baltic, 1560-1790 makes clear the causes and course of the conflicts and explains the varying fortunes of those involved. Stewart Oakley traces the emergence of Sweden, poor as it was in resources, as the leading power in the area in the early seventeenth century, the early unsuccessful attempts by the Muscovite state to break through to the Sea, the eventual collapse of Sweden's `empire' at the beginning of the eighteenth century and the final emergence of Russia as the leading player on the stage.