Charles XII of Sweden

Charles XII, Karl XII or Carolus Rex, (June 17, 1682 – November 30, 1718), the Alexander of the North, nicknamed in Turkish as Demirba? ?arl (Charles the Habitue), was a King of Sweden from 1697 until his death. He came to the throne at the age of fifteen and left the country three years later to embark on a series of battles overseas, that briefly made Sweden the predominant power in Northern Europe. His youth gave other nations a decent pretext with which to invade Sweden; Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth-Saxony, Denmark-Norway, and Russia joined in a coalition to attack Sweden, beginning the Great Northern War. Charles XII turned out to be more astute than the other powers imagined, a great tactician, defeating all of the invaders. However, his strong tactical abilities were not accompanied by strategic and political wisdom. He is quoted by Voltaire as saying upon the outbreak of the Great Northern War, "I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies." He took this resolution to an extreme level, which eventually resulted in the end of the Swedish Empire and its dominance of the southern Baltic Sea.

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Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Republic of the Two Nations, or Republic of Both Nations (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narod?w, Lithuanian: ?e?pospolita or Abiej? taut? respublika, Belarusian: ??? ?????????? or ??? ?????????? ??????? ???????, Latin: Regnum Serenissima Poloniae) was a federal mo...

Charles XII of Sweden related Images and Photos (experimental)

Battle of Poltava Peter the Great Defeats Charles XII of Sweden at Poltava	Karl XII of Sweden Shot	King Karl XII of Sweden	King Charles XII Leading the Swedish Army to Victory over the Russians at Narva c.1700
Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-89) and Her Court	Queen Christina of Sweden 1652	Erik XIV King of Sweden with His Mistress Catharina Mansdotter	Christina Queen of Sweden from Receuil Des Estampes Representant Les Rangs Et Les Dignites
Gustavus Adolphus II King of Sweden on Horseback 1632	Smugglers on the Eastern Coast of Sweden Early 19th Century	Festival in Honour of Queen Christina of Sweden at the Palazzo Barberini	Gustaf I Vasa (Gustaf Ericssen) Elected King of Sweden Secured Independence from Denmark