Johannes Messenius

At an early age his brilliance caught the attention of a monastery priest named Magnus Andreae, who gave him guidance and taught him.

When the king did not show the expected gratitude, Johannes returned to Sweden, hoping to reclaim his father's farm Långebro, which had been confiscated by the State.

Since Charles IX of Sweden was suspicious towards Catholics and Jesuits, Johannes published a family tree of the kings ancestry, which showed how he was related to the many old dynasties of Europe.

In Danzig, in 1605, his brethren among the Jesuits had informed the Swedish King Charles IX that Johannes had written a mocking poem on him.

He showed his newly acquired fidelity to the House of Vasa by a new genealogic work and by translating into Latin a number of writings against Sigismund of Poland (King Charles' brother).

However, his hubris, boasting and waywardness caused difficulties with his colleagues at the university, especially since Johannes Rudbeck became his main enemy.

The Consistory at Uppsala became the battle ground for open fights and antics (partly with Messentius' support) that became so serious that the chancellor Axel Oxenstierna had to intervene.

Messenius was entrusted the keeping of the kingdom's old archives, and he was promoted to assessor of the Swedish court of appeal (Svea hovrätt), in 1614.

The main play is organized as a series of dialogues that are loosely joined, and motivation and character depiction are considered to be very primitive.

In October 1616, he was transported to the desolate fortress Kajaneborg at Finland near the Russian border, where he was harshly treated by its commander Erik Hara.

When Messenius suspected that the government wanted to publish the work in its own name, he demanded freedom for his son, who was also imprisoned, and free passage for himself to wherever he wished.

The seventh tome of Scondia, which describes the religious conflicts of John III of Sweden is a model for history writing.