CHARLES XII., king of Sweden (1697-1718), was the son of Charles XI., and was b. at Stockholm on the 27th June, 1682. On the death of his father in 1697, he ascended the throne, and notwithstanding his youth, the states declared him of age to assume the reins of government. The neighboring powers thought this a favorable time to humble Sweden, then the great power of the n.; and Frederick IV. of Denmark, Augustus II. of Poland, and the czar Peter I. concluded a league for this object. The Danes began by invading the territory of the duke of Holstein Gottorp, who had married C.'s eldest. sister, and who applied to him for assistance. The young king immediately resolved on the most active measures, and approached Copenhagen with such a force as presently compelled the Danes to make peace. C. now hastened to meet the Russians; and although they lay in an intrenched camp beneath the of larva, 30,000 strung, he stormed their camp on 30th Nov., 1700, with 8.000 Swedes, and defeated them with great slaughter. He next dethroned Augustus 1I., and procured the election of Stanis laus Leszczynski as king of Poland. .1ugustus supposed himself safe at least in Saxony, his hereditary dominion, but was followed thither, and humbling terms of peace were dictated at Altranstildt in 1706. C. obtained from the emperor liberty of eonseicnce for the Protestants of Silesia. Leaving Saxony with an army of 43,000 men in Sept., 1707, he proposed to advance direct upon Moscow; but at Smolensk he was induced, by the representations of the Cossack Mazeppa, to change his plan and proceed to the Ukraine, in hope of being joined by the Cossacks. In this hope, however, he was disap pointed, and after enduring many hardships, he was defeated by the Russians at Pul towa, on the 27th June, 1709, and fled to Bender in the Turkish dominions.
Augustus II. now revoked the treaty of Altraustitdt, and the czar and the king of Denmark assailed the Swedish territories. But the regency in Stockholm adopted measures of effective and successful resistance, and C. prevailed with the porte to declare waragainst Russia, in which Peter seemed at first likely to have suffered a severe defeat. But Russian agents succeeded in inspiring the Turks with suspicions concern ing the ultimate designs of C., who was conveyed to Adrianople, but after some time escaped, and made his way through Hungar3- and Germany, pressing on by day and night with extraordinary speed till he reached Stralsund, where he was received with .great joy, on llth (22d) Nov., 1714. He was soon, however, deprived of Stralsund by the allied Danes, Saxons, Prussians, and Russians. After he had adopted measures for the security of the Swedish coasts, his passion for war led him to attack Norway. Suc cess appeared again to attend his arms, when, in the siege of Friedriehshald, on 30th Nov., 1718, he was killed by a musket-bullet. On his death, Sweden—exhausted by his wars—ceased to be numbered among the great powers. He was a man capable of com prehensive designs, and of great energy in prosecuting them. His abilities apppcared not merely in military affairs, but in his schemes for the promotion of trade and manu factures. His self-willed obstinacy, however, amounted almost to insanity; in fact, he has been termed "a brilliant madman." His habits were exceedingly simple: in eating and drinking, be was abstemious; and in the camp, he sought no luxuries beyond the fare of the common soldier.