This research project studies mercenaries as economic actors in the Baltic Sea region's early modern recruitment market. In recent years, the study of military entrepreneurs has received considerable international attention. The aim of the research is to study the market with a focus on the Scottish, English, German, Livonian and Dutch mercenaries who served the Swedish crown during this period.

The role of military contractors in the Baltic Sea region is a relatively unresolved issue. The study examines the contracts, service conditions and profit margins of military contractors, their careers, social conditions and geographical mobility, the function of recruitment agents and the role of international political networks in the procurement of soldiers during the many wars of the period.

The overall objective is to try to move away from the national perspective that has long dominated military history research. Instead, I want to highlight the function and importance of the international military market for the expansive foreign policy in the east, which the Swedish crown initiated during this period. The study generates new knowledge about geographical and social mobility, about economic and fiscal problems, and about changing political networks in the Baltic Sea region. The results also shed light on the dynamics of the older Swedish state formation process, with the potential to redefine the usual picture of Sweden's path to great power.