HOME | DD

Description
There have been very few kings in history whose who destiny is inextricably linked with the fate of his own Kingdom, but Charles XII, or Karl as he was known in his native Sweden was the born- warrior King his kingdom desperately needed. In a life that almost mirrored his illustrious predecessor Gustavus Adolphus, Charles possessed both a brilliant military mind that perfected his kingdom's army as well as a fearless ferocity about him that- sadly eventually led to a similar early death on the battlefield- he was one of the very last breed of European kings who could truly call themselves warriors.

Like with the case of the ascension of Gustavus Adolphus, when the teenager Charles ascended the throne he found his own realm besieged on all sides by hostile powers. In 1700, a triple alliance of Denmark–Norway, Saxony–Poland–Lithuania and Russia launched a threefold attack on the Swedish, aiming to draw advantage as Sweden was unaligned and that its new King, Charles was only 15 years old, thus initiating the Great Northern War. However what all of the opportunistic conspirators found was one of the most dangerous minds in all of Europe. After reforming his army, Charles personally led the Swedish army against the alliance. Charles quickly won over a staggering 18 victories despite being usually significantly outnumbered. The reason for his victories largely attributed to the rigid discipline of his elite musketeers~ called "Caroleans" and the extremely aggressive offensive doctrine that maximized shock power of close musket volley and immediate melee follow-through.

A major victory over a Russian army some three times the size in 1700 at the Battle of Narva compelled Peter the Great to sue for peace which Charles then rejected. By 1706 Charles, now 24 years old, had forced all of his foes into submission including, in that year, a decisively devastating victory by Swedish forces under general Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld over a combined army of Saxony and Russia at the Battle of Fraustadt. Within 6 years, Charles has wracked up over 25 victories and kicked out all of the enemies except Russia as the sole remaining hostile power.

Then, like many fateful autocrates, he decided to march directly on Moscow. Charles' march met with initial success as victory followed victory, the most significant of which was the Battle of Holowczyn where the smaller Swedish army routed a Russian army twice the size. The campaign ended though- with disaster when the Swedish army suffered heavy losses to a Russian force more than twice its size at Poltava, Charles- by the time having garnered 29 victories had been incapacitated by a wound prior to the battle rendering him unable to take command. The defeat was followed by Surrender at Perevolochna. Charles spent the following years in exile in the Ottoman Empire before returning to lead an assault on Norway, trying to evict the Danish king from the war once more in order to aim all his forces at the Russians. Two campaigns met with frustration and ultimate failure, concluding with his death at the Siege of Fredriksten in 1718, when a defender's musketball tore through his head while he was inspecting his besiegers.

At the time of his death, most of the Swedish Empire was under foreign military occupation, though Sweden itself was still free. This situation was later formalized, albeit moderated in the subsequent Treaty of Nystad- where nearly all of the frontier Swedish holds were taken by mostly Russia and Prussia. It was this fateful moment that would cement the rise of Russia and Germany (Prussia) for the next 250 years. And this calamity would see not only see the end of the formerly vast reaching Swedish Empire but also see the dissolving of absolute monarchy and its ferocious war machine. The 80 years of Sweden's supremacy was over.

~

Though one cannot be too harsh when judging Charles though, since his very identity, his very ascension was met by a conspiracy of hostile neighbor, we see a 15 year old boy forced into a 21 year long bloody war that literally lit up the entire northern Europe where Sweden was attacked on its every front by more populous neighbors. Yet it was also in this moment that the iron discipline, brilliant command, and valor of all level of the Swedish war machine was fully displayed. Even when it was fighting uphill, Sweden still wracked up over 30 victories on all fronts- ably commanded by a King whose entire reign was wholly sacrificed in that two decade struggle.

In the end it rather seemed that instead of Charle's destiny riveted to his Kingdom, it was the opposite, it was the survival of the kingdom and that of the Swedish Empire that was irrevocably linked with him. And although in the long drawn out bitter struggle, Sweden did loose its supremacy in the Baltic. It could be easily asserted that never has such a drawn out "fall" marked with such brilliance and ferocity. Sweden not only went down fighting every step of the way but is characteristically ruled by one of its finest warriors.

He is quoted by Voltaire as saying upon the outbreak of the war; "I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies".

Description
There have been very few kings in history whose who destiny is inextricably linked with the fate of his own Kingdom, but Charles XII, or Karl as he was known in his native Sweden was the born- warrior King his kingdom desperately needed. In a life that almost mirrored his illustrious predecessor Gustavus Adolphus, Charles possessed both a brilliant military mind that perfected his kingdom's army as well as a fearless ferocity about him that- sadly eventually led to a similar early death on the battlefield- he was one of the very last breed of European kings who could truly call themselves warriors.

Like with the case of the ascension of Gustavus Adolphus, when the teenager Charles ascended the throne he found his own realm besieged on all sides by hostile powers. In 1700, a triple alliance of Denmark–Norway, Saxony–Poland–Lithuania and Russia launched a threefold attack on the Swedish, aiming to draw advantage as Sweden was unaligned and that its new King, Charles was only 15 years old, thus initiating the Great Northern War. However what all of the opportunistic conspirators found was one of the most dangerous minds in all of Europe. After reforming his army, Charles personally led the Swedish army against the alliance. Charles quickly won over a staggering 18 victories despite being usually significantly outnumbered. The reason for his victories largely attributed to the rigid discipline of his elite musketeers~ called "Caroleans" and the extremely aggressive offensive doctrine that maximized shock power of close musket volley and immediate melee follow-through.

A major victory over a Russian army some three times the size in 1700 at the Battle of Narva compelled Peter the Great to sue for peace which Charles then rejected. By 1706 Charles, now 24 years old, had forced all of his foes into submission including, in that year, a decisively devastating victory by Swedish forces under general Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld over a combined army of Saxony and Russia at the Battle of Fraustadt. Within 6 years, Charles has wracked up over 25 victories and kicked out all of the enemies except Russia as the sole remaining hostile power.

Then, like many fateful autocrates, he decided to march directly on Moscow. Charles' march met with initial success as victory followed victory, the most significant of which was the Battle of Holowczyn where the smaller Swedish army routed a Russian army twice the size. The campaign ended though- with disaster when the Swedish army suffered heavy losses to a Russian force more than twice its size at Poltava, Charles- by the time having garnered 29 victories had been incapacitated by a wound prior to the battle rendering him unable to take command. The defeat was followed by Surrender at Perevolochna. Charles spent the following years in exile in the Ottoman Empire before returning to lead an assault on Norway, trying to evict the Danish king from the war once more in order to aim all his forces at the Russians. Two campaigns met with frustration and ultimate failure, concluding with his death at the Siege of Fredriksten in 1718, when a defender's musketball tore through his head while he was inspecting his besiegers.

At the time of his death, most of the Swedish Empire was under foreign military occupation, though Sweden itself was still free. This situation was later formalized, albeit moderated in the subsequent Treaty of Nystad- where nearly all of the frontier Swedish holds were taken by mostly Russia and Prussia. It was this fateful moment that would cement the rise of Russia and Germany (Prussia) for the next 250 years. And this calamity would see not only see the end of the formerly vast reaching Swedish Empire but also see the dissolving of absolute monarchy and its ferocious war machine. The 80 years of Sweden's supremacy was over.

~

Though one cannot be too harsh when judging Charles though, since his very identity, his very ascension was met by a conspiracy of hostile neighbor, we see a 15 year old boy forced into a 21 year long bloody war that literally lit up the entire northern Europe where Sweden was attacked on its every front by more populous neighbors. Yet it was also in this moment that the iron discipline, brilliant command, and valor of all level of the Swedish war machine was fully displayed. Even when it was fighting uphill, Sweden still wracked up over 30 victories on all fronts- ably commanded by a King whose entire reign was wholly sacrificed in that two decade struggle.

In the end it rather seemed that instead of Charle's destiny riveted to his Kingdom, it was the opposite, it was the survival of the kingdom and that of the Swedish Empire that was irrevocably linked with him. And although in the long drawn out bitter struggle, Sweden did loose its supremacy in the Baltic. It could be easily asserted that never has such a drawn out "fall" marked with such brilliance and ferocity. Sweden not only went down fighting every step of the way but is characteristically ruled by one of its finest warriors.

He is quoted by Voltaire as saying upon the outbreak of the war; "I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies".