CHARLES XII. (IC;2-1718). King of Sweden from 1697 to 17I4. lit was the eldest on Charles and of l'Irica Eleonora of Denmark. and was born in Stockholm. June 27. 16s...!. His youth gave no promise. either of ability or purpose befitting a sovereign. but he showed his mettle when Sweden, soon after his accessilm, was threatened by a coalition of Frederick IV. of Denmark, Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. and Peter of Russia, Who was yet to win his title of 'the great.' Sweden had been for seventy years one of the great powers of Europe, as :t result of the policy of the kings of the house of Vasa (q.v.) it possessed territory all about the Baltic, and its troops were reputed the best in Europe. The War of the North that was now brought on by the coalition was at first on Sweden's part a war of defense: then. through the successes of Charles, a war of aggression and conquest, and finally, through his failure, a struggle for ex istence. Its story is a mingling of brilliant tri umph and disheartening defeat. both resulting from the meteoric and ill-balanced genius, reck ambition, and fatal obstinacy of the Swedish King, qualities that have won for him in history the name of 'Madman of the North.' Ile was a born soldier, and had taken Alexander the Great for his favorite hero. He was fond of all daring sports. careless of exposure, and unsparing of himself and others. \Viten intelligence of the hostile league that threatened hint reached Stock holm. the young King surprised every one around him by the energy and efficiency he displayed. Frederick IV. of Denmark had invaded Schleswig Holstein, whose Duke, a brother-in-law of the Swedish King, had called the latter to his as sistance. In a six weeks' campaign Denmark was brought to terms and Frederick signed the Peace of Travendal on August 8, 1700. Charles now turned promptly to the defense of the Swed ish possessions on the Baltic menaced by Russia and Poland. Russia sought to obtain the Swed ish provinces of lngria and Cardin, while Livo nia and Esthonia, whose nobility detested the firm and often severe rule of Sweden, wished to put themselves under the weaker Polish mon archy. Hastening toward Riga. Charles com pelled the Po es to raise the siege of that place, and then by itoreed marches brought his army of a little over 8000 men to the relief of Narva in Esthonia. which was beleaguered by 40,000 Russians, while Peter himself had gone to hasten the advance of 20.000 more. The diseiplined Swedish troops, although jaded by forced marches, administered a severe defeat to the Rus sians before the walls of the city (November 30, 1700), and Europe expected to see the whole Russian Empire brought under the sway of the Swede who seemed to have revived the martial• glory of the great Gustavus. Unfortu nately for Charles, he seems to have entertained the same mad dream of conquest. Only the a. lute l'eter looked the situation squarely in the face and sought to learn its lesson for Russia. lie strengthened his alliance with Augustus of Poland, and at Birsen in February, 1701. it was agreed that Augustus should ocenpy the atten tion of the Swedes in the west and Peter in the east, and that they should divide the Baltic The war thus opened in Denmark and the Baltic provinces involved the control of the Baltic and lasted for twenty-one years, ending in the marked diminution of the power of Sweden and the rise of Russia as the great Bailie power. Its first years, however, pointed to no such result. influenced by the advice of Iris getwrals. Charles did not follow up his sue eess against Peter, who was really his dangerous antagonist. but sought the overthrow of the King of Poland, while Peter was left to develop his resources. The conquest of Poland was accom plished, o\viiig to the ehronie disagreements among the nobility in that unfortunate country. but live years Were' necessary for its complethm. The country was g(verrun by the Swedish troops, Augustus was finally driven into Saxony, and Charles. %vim had determined. against the advice
of his principal counselor, Piper. to accomplish his enemy's dethronement. secured the election of Stanislas Leszczywki, who was ((rot\ lied in \Var-aw, in October. 1705. .Nleanwhile the Czar had been engaged in the conquest of the Baltic province, and had been preparing for the ulti mate contest. NN ith Charles. The latter now car ried the War into Saxony, marching through Silesia and posing as the protector of the Protestants. Seeing his hereditary dominions in danger. -\11gustus sued for peace. Charles ex acted from him in the Treaty of Altranstiidt (1706) a renunciation of the l'olish crown and of all alliances. the recognition of and the delivery to Charles of l'atkul. the head of the Liviatiati malcontents. who had been instrumental in bringing about the coalition between Augustus and Peter. Patlitil was executed as a traitor. Charles tvas now at the height of his power. with a disciplined army of 40.000 men, stationed near Leipzig, bidding in awe. If mili ta•y ability had been seconded by moderate and ,tate.manship he might have made himself the most powerful sovereign rsi Europe. Irance hoped that he might attack the Grand Alliance, and the members of the Alliance feared it, but after exacting humiliating terms from the Em peror • lose ph I. rieS his face eastward to reconquer the Baltic provinces, and then to conquer Etissia and perhaps Asia. Ile entered upon this daring plan with about 411,000 men. The theties of the were those afterwards employed to defeat Napoleon. Charles was lured on into the interior of Russia, his •rmy harassed on the way, and finally Ica July S.'17(19, while he sieoing Poltava, (Ill the border of the he was attacked by the Russian army in force and tire entire fabric of his military success was shat tered in one disastrous engagement. His army and ha escaped into Turkish territory. with 300 of his troard. Ile prev-ailed upon the Sultan to take up arms against Russia, and in 1711 Peter the Great found himself in a most precarious position on the bank, of the ['roil]. 11e was permitted, how ever. to escape, and the treaty which he was forced to conelude with the Turk, was of no bene fit to The Swedish 111011arch spent the Pox 1 three years in send-eaptiVity among the Turks. engaged in fruitless intrinies to induce Dttornan Government to attack Russia. Had he at once returned to his kingdom and turned his real abilities to good use for the State. the history of Sweden might have been different. In stead. with an obstinacy that Was shindy mad n-•.. wasted his time in this scheme for re he that his plots were of 110 avail he defied the Turkish power. was nutib• a Prisoner, hit escaped in 1714. and. (lashing on 11(irseback disguised through 'Hungary and Ger mano', readied Stralsund, which was at once in vested by a force of Danes.
and Saxons. and after a year's siege compelled to surrender. The Kin, Wa? wounded in the siege. After driving the from Seania, ho invaded Norway and was killed by a eannon-ball while besieging Frederikshald. Devember 11, 1718. in private life Charles was almost an ascetic. :see SwEnt:s: PF.rmt 1.; RUSSIA: POI.AND.
111111.10(41.W111. There are V:iluable Swedish works relating to this reign: Axelson, ti11 our ,st s ti11strttD1 pa Kart fid to the Knowledge of the Condit hm of S\veden in the Time of Charles ishy, SSS) : E„ Carl,.en ( ed. ) Itarl NI I :n t yenloi brit ("Autograph Letter, of Charles X I I.") (Stockholm, 1893 t 'arisen, Nct riycs historifi under kututnyar no u/ tic pla ziska It II i 01'y Of Sweden 1: Mier the King, of the Palatine House") (Stockholm, 1855-81), also in Guinan abriihonent ((:otha. 18871. Consult, also, Voltaire. iiiktoire dr chart, s V11. (IZoliell. 17301, which cites much valuable coil evidence. A very full may be found in Lavisse and Banibaud. Histoio. Vol. VI. (Paris. 1891;). This work also contains an admirable account of the strug gle for the Baltie.