How the Swedish Empire Came to an End - Karl Xii

Charles XII:

How The Swedish Empire Came To An End

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HST4102

Dr. Corvi

March 19, 2007

Introduction and Thesis

Charles XII is one of the most discussed and written about kings in Swedish history. Yet to this day volumes are published on this subject. Research continues to be done to find the truth about his life and most of all his controversial death. The conspiracy theories have been many through the years. Voltaire was one of the first to write about the King known as the Lion of the north.

I will investigate how Charles XII became the autocratic monarch he became after his protected childhood, irresponsible teenage behavior after his parents passing, his dedication to his country as well and what drove him to keep conducting warfare with other regimes in Europe even after the biggest defeat in military history. Was he a careless ruler that jeopardized his inherited empire and lead it to it demise, or was he a hero warrior king that saved Sweden from being absorbed by the many neighboring lands that wanted access to the Baltic sea and the fertile earth in the south that his father had conquered?

Karl XII Childhood

July 17th 1682 marks the day when the fate of Sweden forever changed with the much longed for birth of the first son of King Charles XI and Queen Ulrika Eleonora. Prince Charles XII was a weak and sickly child at birth and he was hastily baptized that same afternoon.[i] The public baptism was held on July 12th 1682. The proud father made the following entry in his diary the night of Prince Charles birth:

The17th, which was on Saturday morning at a quarter to seven, My Wife was delivered and bore a son, God be eternally thanked and praised, he who helped her, may he soon restore her to her former health. My son Carel [Karl] was born in the morning at a quarter to seven.[ii]

The King and Queen were very loving parents that spent as much time with their children as possible. This was not the norm in...