CHARLES XII., King of Sweden, born in Stockholm, June 27, 1682, was declared of age by the estates on the death of his father, in 1697. To his jeal ous neighbors this seemed a favorable time to humble the pride of Sweden. Frederick IV. of Denmark, Augustus II. of Poland, and the Czar Peter I. of Rus sia concluded an alliance which resulted in war against Sweden. With the aid of an English and Dutch squadron the Danes were soon made to sign peace, but Augustus of Saxony and Poland, and the czar were still in the field. Rapidly transporting 20,000 men to Livonia, Charles stormed the czar's camp at Ner va, slaying 30,000 Russians and dispers ing the rest, Nov. 30, 1700. Crossing the Dwina he then attacked the Saxons and gained a decisive victory. Following up this advantage he w on the battle of Clis sau, drove Augustus from Poland, had the crown of that country conferred on Stanislaus Leczinsky, and dictated the conditions of peace at AltranstAdt in Saxony in 1706. In September, 1707, the Swedes left Saxony, Charles taking the shortest route to Moscow. At Smolensk he altered his plan, deviated to the Ukraine to gain the help of the Cossacks, and weakened his army very seriously by difficult marches through a district ex tremely cold and ill supplied with provi sions. In this condition, Peter marched
upon him with 70,000 men, and defeated him completely at Pultawa. Charles fled with a small guard and found refuge and an honorable reception at Bender, in the Turkish territory. Here he managed to persuade the Porte to declare war against Russia. The armies met on the banks of the Pruth (July 1, 1711), and Peter seemed nearly ruined when his wife, Catharine, succeeded in bribing the grand vizier, and procured a peace in which the interests of Charles were neglected. The attempts of Charles to rekindle a war were vain, and after having spent some years at Bender he was forced by the Turkish government to leave. Arrived in his own country in 1714, he set about the measures necessary to defend the king dom, and the fortunes of Sweden were beginning to assume a favorable aspect when he was slain by a cannonball as he was besieging Frederikshall, Nov. 30, 1718.