Charles XII

Charles XII (Swedish Karl XII) (June 17, 1682 - November 30, 1718), king of Sweden in 1697-1718, commander who spent most of his reign on long wars in Europe. Charles XII ascended the throne after the death of his father Charles XI at the age of 15 and left the country for a long time 3 years later, embarking on numerous military campaigns outside the country with the goal of finally establishing Sweden as the dominant power in Northern Europe.

Danish campaign

His youthful adventures gave rise to other countries to invade Sweden. Poland with Saxony, Denmark with Norway and Russia created a coalition against Sweden to participate in the Northern War. But Charles XII turned out to be more insightful than one might have expected.

Charles's first military campaign was directed against Denmark, whose king at the time was his cousin Frederick IV of Denmark, who threatened his Swedish ally Frederick IV of Holstein-Gottorp, another cousin of Charles XII, married to his sister Hedwig Sophia. Denmark sued for peace, but Sweden's rise in the Baltic displeased two major neighbors: the Polish king Augustus II, who was a cousin of both Charles XII and Frederick IV of Denmark, as well as the Russian Tsar Peter I.

Battle of Narva

Russia occupied Ingria, Russian troops invaded the Swedish provinces of Livonia and Estland, besieging the nearby fortresses of Narva and Ivan-gorod. Charles landed in the Baltic, where he resisted this takeover by attacking the Russian army under the command of the Duke of Croix at Narva. In this stubborn battle, the Russian army outnumbered the Swedish army. Advancing under the cover of a snowstorm, the Swedes split the Russian army in two. Many foreign officers, led by de Croah, immediately went over to the side of the Swedes. The newly formed Russian regiments began a disorderly retreat to their right flank, where there was a bridge over the Narva River. The bridge collapsed. On the left flank, the cavalry, commanded by Voivode Sheremetev, seeing the flight of other units, succumbed to general panic and rushed to swim across the river. Despite the fact that the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments were able to stop the Swedish attack, the battle ended in defeat for the Russians. Many Russian soldiers drowned in the river. A significant part of the artillery was lost.

Polish campaign

Charles then turned his army against Poland, defeating Augustus and his Saxon army (Augustus the Magnificent was the hereditary Elector of Saxony) at the Battle of Klissow in 1702. After dethroning the Polish king, Charles replaced him with his protégé Stanislaw Leszczynski.

March on Ukraine and Poltava defeat

Meanwhile, Peter I recaptured part of the Baltic lands from Charles and founded a new fortress, St. Petersburg, on the conquered lands. This forced Charles to make the fatal decision to attack the Russian capital Moscow. During the campaign, he decided to lead his army to Ukraine, whose hetman, Mazepa, went over to Karl’s side, but was not supported by the bulk of the Ukrainian Cossacks. Levengaupt's Swedish corps, which came to the aid of Karl, was defeated in the battle near the village of Lesnoy. By the time the Swedish troops approached Poltava, Charles had lost up to a third of his army. After the three-month siege of Poltava, which was unsuccessful for the Swedes, a battle took place with the main forces of the Russian army, as a result of which the Swedish army suffered a crushing defeat. Charles fled south to the Ottoman Empire, where he set up a camp in Bendery

Bender seat. A crisis

The Turks initially welcomed the Swedish king, who encouraged them to start a war with the Russians. However, the Sultan, eventually tired of Charles's ambitions, showed treachery and ordered his arrest. The king's old enemies Russia and Poland took advantage of his absence to restore lost lands and even expand territories. England, an ally of Sweden, abandoned allied obligations, while Prussia seized Swedish capital in Germany (by which we must understand Swedish possessions in Germany, temporarily ceded to Prussia under the sequestration treaty). Russia captured part of Finland, and Augustus II returned to the Polish throne

Return and mysterious death

The situation in the kingdom itself was threatening, so Charles fled the Ottoman Empire and took only 15 days to cross Europe and return to Swedish-controlled Stralsund in Pomerania, and then to Sweden itself. His attempts to restore lost power and influence failed (he never visited the capital, Stockholm, thus leaving the city forever in 1700). Shortly before his death, Karl tried to end the Northern War with Russia with the Åland Congress. In November 1718, during his last campaign in Norway (which was then under Danish rule), during the siege of the fortress, Charles was in the front trench and was killed by a stray bullet (button). According to another version, he became a victim of a conspiracy by the Swedish ruling circles, dissatisfied with the ruin of the country by endless wars, and was killed as a result of an assassination attempt (the circumstances of the death of the king are still the cause of fierce disputes). Charles XII became the last European monarch to fall on the battlefield. After Charles, the Swedish throne was inherited by his sister Ulrika Eleonora, but soon the throne passed to her husband Frederick (Frederick I) of Hesse-Kassel. After an unsuccessful attempt to continue the war, Fredrick I concluded the Peace of Nystadt with Russia in 1721.

Characteristic

Charles XII is considered by most historians to be a brilliant commander, but a very bad king. Without alcohol or women, he felt great on the battlefield and on the campaign trail. According to contemporaries, he endured pain and hardship very courageously and knew how to restrain his emotions. The king led Sweden to the pinnacle of power, providing enormous prestige to state power through his brilliant military campaigns. However, his ambitious invasion of Russia, which was supported by a restored anti-Swedish coalition, brought Sweden defeat and deprived it of its status as a great power.

King Charles XII of Sweden (1697-1718) was born on June 17, 1682. Son of the Swedish King Charles XI and Queen Ulrika Eleonora, Princess of Denmark. He received a good classical education and spoke several foreign languages. After the death of Charles XI in April 1697, young Charles, who was less than 15 years old, contrary to his father’s dying will, insisted on recognizing him as an adult and took power into his own hands.

Sweden during this period was opposed by the triple alliance of Denmark, Poland and Russia.

Charles then transferred his troops to the Baltic provinces, where Russian troops were besieging Narva. On November 19, 1700, near Narva, Charles defeated superior Russian forces. The battle and victory near this city brought Charles XII the European glory of a great commander.

Charles spent the years from 1702 to 1707 in Poland, where he got pretty stuck, losing time and initiative, while he tirelessly increased the power of the Russian state. Charles managed to place Stanislaw Leszczynski on the Polish throne, forcing Augustus II to renounce all claims in accordance with the terms of the peace treaty concluded in September 1706 at Altranstadt.

After a series of victories in Poland and Saxony, the rested army of Charles XII invaded Russian territory in the spring of 1708. He intended to defeat the Russian army in one battle, capture Moscow and force Peter I to conclude a profitable peace. Avoiding a general battle, the Russian army retreated to the east, with the goal of “tormenting the enemy” with attacks by small detachments and the destruction of provisions and fodder.

Having met fierce resistance, Karl turned to Ukraine, counting on the support of Hetman Mazepa. Here military luck changed for Charles XII, who underestimated his enemy. After the defeat of Levenhaupt’s corps coming from the Baltic states near the village of Lesnaya in September 1708, the main army of Charles XII found itself in a difficult situation, since together with Mazepa a small part of the Ukrainian Cossacks went over to the side of the Swedes, and there was no uprising by Turkey and Crimea against Russia.

At that time, Peter was ready to conclude a peace treaty with Sweden, but Charles decided to continue the war until complete victory in order to completely cut off Russia from maritime trade routes. During the Northern War, on July 8, 1709, the famous Battle of Poltava took place, where the main forces of Russian and Swedish troops met. The battle ended with a convincing victory for the Russian army. The king was wounded and fled to Turkey with a small detachment. The military power of the Swedes was undermined, the glory of the invincibility of Charles XII was dispelled. The Poltava victory determined the outcome of the Northern War.

After six years in Turkey, the king returned to his homeland in 1715. Charles spent the last years of his life preparing to repel the expected attacks from Denmark and Russia in 1716, as well as invading Norway twice. During this period, he carried out a number of internal reforms aimed at mobilizing forces for war. During the last campaign, on December 11, 1718, Karl was killed by a shot from a falconet during the siege of Fort Frederikshall (now Halden).

Fairy tales, films and legends present the image of European rulers and aristocrats as stately people with handsome faces, sort of tall northerners of the Swedish type with light brown hair, but in reality the situation looks somewhat different. A typical medieval European aristocrat looks like a dark-skinned Central Asian or Caucasian with a noticeable addition of African blood. He is slanted, curly and often dark-skinned. Niceness will begin to appear only after a few centuries. I remember that having learned to restore appearance from the skull, specialists rushed to the ancient Greek burial places of rulers in the hope of seeing statue-like correct faces. The result of these reconstructions of faces turned out to be so stunning that it is not customary to remember much about it now; it turned out something like the faces of comedy gopniks, ball-players, etc. It didn’t look much like Greek statues and the topic was merged. Next are several portraits of European rulers of bygone times.
1.

Stephen of Blois (English Stephen of Blois, French Étienne de Blois; c.1096, Blois - October 25, 1154, Dover) - king of England in 1135 - 1154.

2.

King Christian V of Denmark and Norway 1670. From the Oldenburg dynasty of the county in Northern Germany

3.

Lukashenko? No. Albert II of Habsburg

4.

Ulrika Eleonora is the younger sister of Charles XII, who after his death ascended to the Swedish throne. The sister of the one who was swept away near Poltava.

5.

And here he is. Charles XII It must be recalled that artists, as a rule, tried to embellish the appearance. I remember he was portrayed somewhat differently in feature films.

6.

No, this is not a Kyrgyz with a beard. This is a German aristocrat Kurfürst von Sachsen Johann Friedrich I. (1468-1532)
This type of aristocrat prevailed in those parts.

7.


The Habsburgs are generally a song. Ay-na-ne-na-ne, some kind of thing. Marie Louise of Orleans.

8.

Velazquez Queen Maria Anne of Austria.

9.

Albert2 Habsburg.

10.

Polish rulers are a whole different story; most of all, in appearance, they resemble Soviet comedians of the late 80s and 90s. Full house, etc.
Portrait of Sigismund I,1511-1518

11.

Well, yes, the Polish king Sigismund II Augustus, but what is this?

12.

Polish Queen Bona Sforza. In general, the older the image of Polish rulers, the less it resembles those images that began to be en masse in Poland in the 19th and 20th centuries. There were completely different faces and people there.

13.

Richard II (English Richard II, 1367-1400) - English king (1377-1399), representative of the Plantagenet dynasty, grandson of King Edward III, son of Edward the Black Prince.

14.

Charles II Stuart. King of England and Scotland.

15.

Portraits of the English King William III and Queen Mary II

Well, that's how they lived. Of course, you can choose more beautiful portraits, especially from the later ones, so don’t take this post too seriously.

I thought what all these faces remind me of. And I came to the conclusion that this is all similar to the representatives of the former union republics of the USSR, Armenians, Uzbeks, Jews, Georgians, Gypsies and a few Balts. Such a kind of international.

Charles XII. Portrait by Kraft, 1717.

CHARLES XII (1682-1718) - King of Sweden since 1697, military leader. The invasion of Russia ended with his defeat in the Battle of Poltava in 1709, and he fled to Turkey. In 1715 he returned to Sweden. He died during a campaign in Norway.

Orlov A.S., Georgieva N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical Dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 217.

Charles XII (17(27).VI.1682 - 30.XI (11.XII).1718) - king since 1697, a major commander. The son of Charles XI continued his absolutist and great-power policies. The main events in the life of Charles XII are connected with his participation in the Northern War of 1700-1721. At the beginning of the war, the Swedish army under the command of Charles XII won a number of major victories, forcing Denmark to withdraw from the Northern Alliance already in 1700, defeating Russian troops near Narva (November 1700) and Polish-Saxon troops; to the Polish throne instead Augustus II the Strong Stanislav Leszczynski, a protege of Charles XII, was erected. Forcing Augustus II to unconditional surrender Treaty of Altranstadt 1706, Charles XII avoided intervention in the War of the Spanish Succession (to which he was especially actively encouraged by his traditional Swedish ally, France); Having set out from Saxony, he invaded Russia; The "Russian campaign" (1708-1709) ended with the complete defeat of the Swedish troops on June 27, 1709 near Poltava (see. Battle of Poltava 1709); The wounded Charles XII fled to the Turkish possessions and from Bendery (fortress on the Dniester) for several years he tried in vain to organize a coordinated attack by the Turkish and Swedish armies. In February 1713, after the “kalabalyk” - a quarrel that ended in an armed battle with the Turks, Charles XII was taken by them to Demotika (in Western Thrace), which he finally left only in the fall of 1714. After an unsuccessful attempt to organize the defense of Stralsund, at the end of 1715 he returned to Sweden with the aim of creating a new army and mobilizing resources to continue the war. In 1716, he organized the defense of Sweden against the landing of troops of the Northern Alliance that threatened it. Then he tried to capture Norway (which belonged to Denmark); died during the siege of Frederikshall in Western Norway from a wound received under unclear circumstances (his stubborn refusal to ease the trade blockade he imposed on the Baltic in 1710 caused strong opposition within Sweden).

In the reviews of contemporaries and in historical literature, the personality of Charles XII, his abilities as a statesman and commander are regarded as extremely contradictory. In Swedish historiography, a critical attitude towards Charles XII (P. P. Carlson and others) dominated for a long time. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a turning point began, initiated by the work of H. Jerne. Swedish historians of this trend (A. Stille, K. Halevdorf, N. Herlitz, K. Hildebrand) are characterized by an exaggeration of the “political wisdom” of Charles XII, denial of his aggressive aspirations, etc. This assessment was opposed by E. Carlson and A. .Munte. The apologetics of Charles XII is characteristic of West German historians (works by O. Heinz and others).

T. K. Krylova. Moscow.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 7. KARAKEEV - KOSHAKER. 1965.

Charles XII, king Sweden .
King Charles, Alexander of the Severa, Charles the Iron Head
Karl XII, Carolus Rex (Latin), Demirbas Sarl (Turkish)
Years of life: June 17, 1682 - November 30, 1718
Reign: April 5, 1697 - November 30, 1718
Father: Charles XI
Mother: Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark

Remembering his difficult childhood, Karl’s father tried to give his son a good education and early began to involve him in government affairs. Despite the fact that Karl was only 15 years old at the time of his father's death, he insisted on being recognized as an adult.

In 1697, when Charles became king, Europe was on the verge of the War of the Spanish Succession. A coalition consisting of Denmark, Poland and Russia was formed against Sweden. However, as soon as Charles crossed the Sound and besieged Copenhagen, the Danes capitulated and signed the Peace of Travendal on August 18, 1700. It should be noted that, having set out on a campaign, Karl never returned to Stockholm. All subsequent years he ruled Sweden through envoys. From near Copenhagen, Charles transferred troops to the Baltic provinces against the Russian army of Peter I, which was besieging Narva. Despite the Russians' fourfold numerical advantage, Charles defeated them on November 19. Abandoning the pursuit of Peter I, Charles moved to Poland, where he was stuck for five whole years. Nevertheless, he managed to expel King Augustus II and place his protege Stanislav Leszczynski on the Polish throne, but in doing so he gave Peter I time to recover from Narva. Tom managed to recapture Livonia from Sweden and found St. Petersburg on the shores of the Baltic Sea, where the capital was moved from Moscow.

In the fall of 1707, Charles moved against Russia, hoping to unite with the Cossack hetman Mazepa and spend the winter in southern Ukraine. However, shortly before this, Mazepa was deposed as a result of a coup organized by Peter, and fled to Charles with a small detachment. Russian troops used scorched earth tactics. Soon they managed to attack the convoy of the Swedish army and capture it. Charles had to spend a difficult winter of 1708-1709, suffering serious losses in men and horses. Finally, on July 8, 1709, a general battle took place near Poltava, besieged by the Swedes. Charles's talent as a commander could not compensate for the superiority of the Russians in men and guns. The Swedes were completely defeated, and Karl fled to Turkey. With a retinue of several hundred people, Karl settled in Bendery. The Turks initially received him favorably, but Charles began to push Sultan Ahmed III to war with Russia, but he, tired of the importunity of the Swedish king, ordered his arrest. On February 12, 1713, a real massacre took place between Karl’s detachment and the Sultan’s army (the so-called “kalabalyk”), as a result of which Karl was taken into custody and transported to Adrianople. There, for ten months, Karl lay in bed, without getting out of it, hoping that the Turks would change their mind and attack Russia. For his importunity, Karl received from the Turks the nickname “Demirbash Sharl”, i.e. "Karl the Iron Head."

Having achieved nothing, Karl escaped from captivity. In a wig, with a passport in someone else's name, in 16 days he reached Stralsund by a roundabout route, bypassing Prussia and Saxony. The Swedish army was in a deplorable state. It was not possible to defend the city. On December 24, 1715, the city capitulated, and soon after this Sweden lost the rest of its possessions in Northern Germany.

Charles spent the last years of his life preparing to repel attacks from Denmark and Russia, and also attacked Norway twice. During one of his campaigns, he was killed by a stray bullet during the siege of the Fredriksten fortress. However, the circumstances of his death are quite vague, and for a long time there were rumors that he was deliberately killed by one of his people.

Charles XII was one of the most prominent military leaders in history. Avoiding alcohol and women, he felt great on the battlefield and on the campaign trail. According to contemporaries, he endured pain and hardship very courageously and knew how to restrain his emotions. The king led Sweden to the pinnacle of power, providing enormous prestige to state power through his brilliant military campaigns. However, his ambitious invasion of Russia, which was supported by a restored anti-Swedish coalition, brought Sweden defeat and deprived it of its status as a great power.

Material used from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Charles XII. Reproduction from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Charles XII (1682-1718), Swedish king since 1697.

If you conduct a survey among Russian readers which of the kings of Sweden they know, the answer will probably be the same - Charles XII. It `s naturally. Already in our school years, we learn lines from Pushkin’s poem “Poltava”: “And before the blue ranks of his warlike squads, in a rocking chair, pale, motionless, suffering from a wound, Karl appeared...” His image appears on the pages of numerous novels, history textbooks, dozens of historical research, popular science works dedicated to the era of Peter the Great. And this is no coincidence. A description of that time associated with the grandiose activities of the Tsar-Transformer, the events of the Northern War, the victory of which opened a window to Europe for Russia, is impossible without mentioning the main external enemy of Russia - the Swedish King Charles XII.

He was born in Stockholm. His parents, King Charles XI of Sweden and Queen Ulrika Eleonora, had six children, but the three youngest sons died in infancy. Young Karl received a good education for those times. The father tried to raise his heir as a future autocrat and often took his son on trips around the country.

In April 1697, when Karl was not yet 15 years old, his father died suddenly. For about six months, Sweden was ruled by the Council of State, but convened in November on the occasion of the coronation of the new king, the Riksdag - class The country's parliament recognized Charles XII as an adult. The young king himself placed the crown on his head and, unlike previous Swedish monarchs, did not take any oath to rule according to the laws in force.

Charles XI left his son a prosperous country, consolidating what his predecessors had achieved: 1) a developed economy for those times (Sweden was one of the leading exporters of iron); 2) a deficit-free budget, where each expense item corresponded to an income item; 3) a strong national army; 4) high level of education and literacy.

The threat to Sweden came from outside: the neighbors who suffered from its policy of conquest dreamed of returning what they had lost. It was on this basis that in the late 90s of the 17th century the Northern League was formed consisting of King Frederick IV of Denmark-Norway, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland Augustus II the Strong and Russian Tsar Peter I. In 1700, the Allies launched an offensive. The Danes invaded the possessions of Holstein-Gottorp, the only ally and relative of the Swedish king, the Saxons invaded Livonia, and Russian troops besieged Narva. Charles XII rushed to the rescue of his relative, and he managed to quickly bring Denmark out of the war, but not so much thanks to his own efforts as to the help of the fleet of England and Holland. Returning to Sweden, Charles XII began to consider actions against Augustus, but then news arrived about the events near Narva. Having embarked his army on ships, Charles sailed to Estland and upon arrival moved by forced march to Narva, where he inflicted a severe defeat on the Russian army three times larger in number. The battle of Narva brought the 18-year-old king the glory of a commander.

From the very beginning of the war, Charles XII established himself as a brilliant tactician and fearless soldier, personally taking part in the battles. However, the first successes played a bad joke on the king. He seemed to believe in his invincibility and rejected the urgent recommendations of his experienced advisers to try to end the war through diplomatic means or at least to come to an agreement with any of the opponents. Karl's life will now forever be connected with the army, and he will never be destined to return to Stockholm.

Having defeated the Russian troops near Narva, Charles XII marched with an army against Augustus, intending to depose him from the Polish throne. Having won a number of victories in Poland, Charles XII took advantage of the dissatisfaction of some magnates with the Saxon elector and actually forced the Sejm convened by him in Warsaw to elect Stanislaw Leszczynski as king of Poland. To force Augustus to agree to this, in the summer of 1706 he invaded Saxony, defeated Augustus’s army at the Battle of Fraustadt and in the town of Altranstedt imposed on him a peace, according to which he left the alliance with Russia and renounced the Polish crown. The only opponent left was Tsar Peter, whom the Swedish monarch treated with disdain.

Busy with the war in Poland and Saxony, Charles XII did not pay attention to the fact that gigantic transformations were taking place in Russia, that just a couple of years after Narva, Russian troops were able to recapture the eastern and southern parts of the Gulf of Finland, where a new capital of Russia arose at the mouth of the Neva - Saint Petersburg. Charles XII received information about popular discontent in Russia and riots. He managed to secretly come to an agreement with the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa, and in 1708 he began a campaign against Russia. However, the expected easy ride did not happen. The Swedish king met powerful resistance and, unable to break through to Moscow, turned south, to Ukraine, where he expected to find the assistance of Hetman Mazepa. The Russian campaign was, as we know, the biggest miscalculation of Charles XII. In the famous battle of Poltava on June 27, 1709, he was defeated and with a detachment of 1,300 people fled to the Turks. The remnants of his army, 15 thousand soldiers, capitulated at Perevolochna. Poltava nullified previous victories: Denmark and Saxony renewed their alliance with Russia and again opposed Sweden. Augustus regained the crown of Poland.

The Turks welcomed Charles XII as a guest and provided him with a residence, first in Bendery, and then not far from the city - in the town of Varnitsa. They wanted to use the presence of the Swedish king to force Peter I to reconsider the terms of the truce concluded back in 1700. Charles XII sought to involve Turkey in the war with Russia, and himself to move to Poland. However, the king had to stay with the Turks for almost five years. Playing off the two countries, he nevertheless did not forget about managing affairs in Sweden and even sent instructions for the construction of a huge royal palace in Stockholm. In 1711-1712, it seemed that Charles XII’s plan was a success: Russia and Turkey found themselves at war several times, and in 1711, Peter’s campaign against the Prut almost ended in disaster for Russia. However, the Sultan did not want to go to a serious war with Peter. Having achieved significant concessions from Russia, Turkey hastened to make peace with it in 1712, to the indignation of Charles XII, who still intended to invade Poland with the help of Turkish and Tatar troops, and this attack, according to his plan, was to be supported by an offensive from Swedish Pomerania .

In an effort to achieve a change in Turkey's foreign policy course, the king, through his emissaries in Istanbul, was actively involved in intrigue and bribery of Turkish dignitaries. The angry Sultan gave the order to arrest Charles XII if he refused to leave the Turkish possessions, but in no case to harm him. In February 1713, 10 thousand Turks and Tatars attacked the residence of the king, who defended himself with his 50 guards. The Turks managed to set fire to the house. With a sword in hand, covered only by two life-drabans, the king boldly rushed at the attackers, but the forces were clearly unequal. Charles XII was wounded, captured and soon transported to the town of Dematica near Adrianople (now Edirne). Here, while formally in captivity, the king continued to rule Sweden, from where alarming news began to arrive.

The fact is that opposition sentiments were growing stronger in Stockholm. Sweden was tired of the war, and the country's highest dignitaries even went to convene the Riksdag without the king's permission. After a solemn farewell audience with the Sultan, Charles XII left Dematika and at the end of October 1714, under the name of Peter Frisk, together with his adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel O.F. Dühring, went to Sweden. In November 1714, having made a long journey on horseback through Bulgaria, Romania, the Habsburg possessions and Germany, in someone else's clothes and an overgrown beard, the king rode into the gates of Stralsund, the center of Swedish Pomerania.

He again took command of the Swedish army and was full of hopes of improving the country's plight. Holstein Minister von Hertz put forward the idea of ​​​​compensating for Sweden's losses in the Baltic states by annexing Norway, which belonged to Denmark, to which Peter even received preliminary consent. The Russian Tsar, having married one of his daughters to Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, began to move away from the alliance with Denmark. However, not relying on diplomacy, Charles XII still preferred a military solution to problems and, from 1716, directed his efforts towards the conquest of Norway. At the same time, he managed to quarrel with England by supporting the Jacobites - supporters of King James II, overthrown in 1688. The first campaign in Norway in 1716 was not successful, and Charles XII began to prepare for a new one.

He was a soldier-king who lived only by the army, war, and campaigns. He simply did not have any personal life in the proper sense of the word. He shunned women and was never even married, so he had no direct heir. In addition, the king’s direct participation in battles endangered his life, and in the last years of the reign of Charles XII, although he was still young and full of strength, people in Sweden began to think about his successor. Two groups gradually emerged in the country, one of which supported Karl Friedrich, the minor son of the Holstein-Gottorp Duke Frederick I, who died in the war, and the sister of Karl XII, Hedwig Sophia, and the other supported Frederick of Hesse, married to another sister of the king, Ulrike Eleonora.

In the autumn of 1718, the Swedes launched a new invasion of Norway. Their army, under the command of the king himself, besieged the Fredriksten fortress near the city of Fredrikshall (Hallen). On the night of November 30, Charles XII was inspecting the construction of siege trenches and fortifications and was unexpectedly struck by a bullet that hit him directly in the temple. Death was instant.

Immediately after this event, rumors began to spread that Charles XII was not killed by accident. Supporters of the Hessian party and even British agents were named as possible culprits. In the vast historical literature dedicated to Charles XII, arguments in favor of one version or another have been and continue to be expressed. In 1917, the king's remains were exhumed. The most prominent Swedish criminologists have repeatedly carried out examinations, reconstructing his death, but their opinions also differed, and a final conclusion about what happened has not yet been made.

The death of Charles XII led to major changes in Sweden. The Hessian party gained the upper hand. Ulrika Eleonora ascended the throne at the cost of abandoning absolutism in favor of the Riksdag. Karl Friedrich was forced to leave Sweden. In 1719, a new constitution was adopted here: it consolidated the omnipotence of the State Council and the Riksdag, in which the aristocracy had overwhelming influence. The next year, Ulrika Eleonora achieved the election of her husband, who was named Fredrik I, as the Swedish king. However, the monarch now had very little power left. In Sweden, the “era of freedom” began for half a century. Peace treaties concluded after 1718 confirmed the loss of a number of territories by Sweden. In particular, the Nystadt Peace Treaty with Russia in 1721, which ended the Northern War, confirmed the transfer of the Baltic states to Russia. Sweden lost its position as a great power, which was the result of the reign of Charles XII.

Yuri WEATHER. The unbearable Poltava heat(Swedish and Russian army in the summer of 1709). Part I (June). 05/25/2009

Yuri WEATHER. The unbearable Poltava heat. Part II (June). Birthday of the Empire. 07/18/2009

Yuri WEATHER. The unbearable Poltava heat. Part III (June-July). Last march, last crossing. 07/21/2009

Yaroslav IVANYUK, Yuri WEATHER. Commandant of Poltava Colonel Kelin: portrait against the backdrop of war. 18.06.2009.

Essays:

Briefe, hrsg. von E. Carlson, Stockh., 1893 (in German in 1894).

Literature:

Engels F., Foreign policy rus. tsarism. K. Marx, F. Engels, Works, 2nd ed., vol. 22; Tarle E.V., Charles XII in 1708-09, "VI", 1950, No. 6; Stille A., Operational plans of Charles XII in 1707-09, "Journal of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society", 1910, book. 5; Carlson F. F., Geschichte Schwedens, Bd 6, Gotha, 1887; Hjärne H., Karl XII. Omstörtningen i Östeuropa. 1697-1703, Stockh., 1902; Herlitz N., Från Thorn till Altranstädt, Stockh., (1916); Stille A., Karl XII och Porten 1709-1714, in collection: Karl XII. Utg. av. S. E. Bring, Stockh., 1918; Tengberg E., Från Poltava till Bender, Lund, 1953; Hildebrand K. G., Till Karl XII uppfattningens historia, "Historisk Tidskrift", 1954, Häfte 4, 1955, Häfte 1; Munthe A., Karl XII och den ryska sjömakten, Bd 1-3, Stockh., 1924-27; Haintz O., König Karl XII von Schweden, Bd 1-3, V., 1958; Jonasson G., Karl XII och hans rådgivare. Den utrikespolitiska maktkampen i Sverige 1697-1702, Stockh., 1960; Peters J., Die westdeutsche Historiographie über die schwedische Grossmachtzeit, ZG, 1960, Jahrg. 8, H. 5.

Ulrika Eleonora was a Swedish queen who reigned from 1718-1720. She is the younger sister of Charles XII. And her parents are Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark and Charles XI. In this article we will describe a short biography of the Swedish ruler.

Potential regent

Ulrika Eleonora was born in Stockholm Castle in 1688. As a child, the girl was not much spoiled with attention. Her elder sister Gedviga Sofia was considered her parents' favorite daughter.

In 1690, Ulrika Eleanor of Denmark was named by Charles as a possible regent in the event of his death, provided that their son did not reach adulthood. But due to frequent childbirth, the health of the king’s wife deteriorated greatly. After the winter of 1693 she was gone.

The Legend of the Queen's Death

There is a legend on this topic. It says that when Karl's wife was dying in the palace, Maria Stenbock (her favorite maid of honor) was lying sick in Stockholm. On the night when Ulrika Eleonora passed away, Countess Stenbock arrived at the palace and was allowed into the deceased’s room. One of the officers looked into the room and saw the Countess and the Queen talking by the window. The soldier's shock was so great that he began to cough up blood. Around the same time, Maria and her crew seemed to disappear. An investigation began, during which it turned out that that night the Countess was seriously ill and did not leave her house. The officer died of shock, and Stenbock died a little later. Karl personally gave the order never to talk about what happened anywhere.

Marriage and authority

In 1714, King Ulric's daughter Eleonora was engaged to Frederick of Hesse-Kassel. A year later their wedding took place. The princess's authority grew significantly, and those close to Charles XII had to take her opinion into account. The girl's sister, Gedviga Sophia, died in 1708. Therefore, in fact, Ulrika and Karl's mother were the only representatives of the Swedish royal family.

At the beginning of 1713, the monarch already wanted to make his daughter a temporary regent of the country. But he did not carry out this plan. On the other hand, the royal council wanted to enlist the support of the princess, so they persuaded her to attend all its meetings. At the first meeting where Ulrika was present, they decided to convene the Riksdag (parliament).

Some participants were in favor of appointing Eleanor as regent. But the royal council and Arvid Gorn were against it. They feared that new difficulties would arise with the change in government. Subsequently, Charles XII allowed the princess to sign all documents emanating from the council, except those sent to him personally.

Fight for the throne

In December 1718, Ulrika Eleonora learned of the death of her brother. She took this news calmly and forced everyone to call herself queen. The council did not oppose this. Soon the girl gave the order for the arrest of supporters of Georg Goertz and canceled all the decisions that came from his pen. At the end of 1718, at the convening of the Riksdag, Ulrika expressed a desire to abolish the autocracy and return the country to its previous form of government.

The Swedish military high command voted to abolish absolutism, not recognize the right of succession, and award Eleanor the title of queen. Members of the Riksdag had a similar position. But in order to gain the support of the royal council, the girl announced that she had no right to the throne.

Swedish Queen Ulrika Eleonora

At the beginning of 1719, the princess renounced hereditary rights to the throne. After that, she was proclaimed queen, but with one caveat. Ulrika approved a form of government composed by the estates. According to this document, most of her power passed into the hands of the Riksdag. In March 1719, Eleanor's coronation took place in Uppsala.

The new ruler was unable to cope with the difficulties that arose when she assumed a new position. Ulrika's influence dropped significantly after disagreements with the head of the Chancellery A. Gorn. She also did not have a good relationship with his successors - Krunjelm and Sparre.

Upon ascending the throne, the Swedish Queen Ulrika Eleonora wanted to share power with her husband. But in the end she was forced to abandon this idea due to the persistent resistance of the nobility. The inability to adapt to the new constitution, the autocracy of the ruler, as well as the influence of her husband on her decisions gradually pushed government officials to the desire to replace the monarch.

New King

Ulrika's husband Friedrich of Hesse began to actively work in this direction. To begin with, he became close to A. Gorn. Thanks to this, in 1720 he was elected Landmarshal at the Riksdag. Soon, Queen Ulrika Eleonora submitted a petition to the estates to rule jointly with her husband. This time her proposal was met with disapproval. On February 29, 1720, the heroine of this article abdicated the throne in favor of her husband, Frederick of Hesse-Kassel. There was only one stipulation - in the event of his death, the crown was returned to Ulrike. On March 24, 1720, Eleanor's husband became monarch of Sweden under the name Frederick I.

Far from power

Ulrika was interested in public affairs until her last days. But after 1720 she distanced herself from them, preferring to engage in charity work and reading. Although from time to time the former ruler replaced her husband on the throne. For example, in 1731 during his trip abroad or in 1738 when Frederick became seriously ill. It is worth noting that, replacing her husband on the throne, she showed only her best qualities. November 24, 1741 is the date when Ulrika Eleonora died in Stockholm. The Swedish queen left no descendants.