Charles xii of sweden biography of michael

Occasional tangents are taken to explore his domestic and foreign policy decisions, and an charles xii of sweden biography of michael chapter is used to highlight the creation, expansion, and struggles of the Swedish Empire and how Charles had to cope with the geo-political ramifications left to him by his predecessors. An appendix covers additional characteristics of the king that did not fit into the flow of the main text such as image, health, marriage and sexuality, and wealth.

Lavishly illustrated with maps and photographs, this book supplements the existing Helion publications on the Great Northern War. Prenota rimuovi dalla aggiungi alla lista desideri Richiedi informazioni Dillo ad un amico. Il tuo nome. However, he was the only Swedish monarch born to absolutism and his actions as king, for better or worse, helped decide the fate of his kingdom.

Occasional tangents are taken to explore his domestic and foreign policy decisions, and an entire chapter is used to highlight the creation, expansion, and struggles of the Swedish Empire and how Charles had to cope with the geopolitical ramifications left to him by his predecessors. It covers the main theatres of operation with the primary focus on the actions of Charles XII and his military campaigns against Denmark, Saxony, and Russia along with his enforced exile in the lands of the Ottoman Sultan.

Glaeser provides sufficient detail for the general reader and sets a framework for those who would like a more in-depth treatment of particular aspects of the great Northern War. The book also contains 18 maps, each of which is produced on a full page, making them easy to read and they link to the text nicely. While some make take issue with the level of detail included, I for one applaud their inclusion and hopefully we will see more of this in future publications.

Helion appear to be on a bit of a roll at the minute and this is another one to add to the growing pile of quality literature coming out of their Century of the Soldier series. Overall, By Defeating My Enemies gave me a flavour of the man and his campaigns and allowed access to a war that has always been a little shrouded in mystery. Recommended for those who would like a better sense of who Charles XII was and what he achieved in his short lifetime, and if you are new to the Great Northern War this will only whet your appetite for more.

John Kaye. Very much a niche subject—who knew that Sweden had an Empire, and a king fixated on wars! I read it because the Great Northern War had a major influence on Peter the Great—it occupied a significant part of his reign, and he learnt a lot for the military profressionalism of the Swedes, until the Battle of Poltava, when he reversed things.

The book has a lot of excellent detailand great illustrations, though the battle plans are not ideal, and there is a need for a few more situational maps Central Europe is quite difficult to imagine geographically. It's interesting that this book is pages long, and that Robert Massie, in his magisterial "Peter the Great" gives even more space to the same period, with lots of additional material, though his battle descriptions do need some illuustration.

Charles was shot in the head and killed during the siege, while he was inspecting trenches. The invasion was abandoned, and Charles's body was returned to Sweden. A second force, under Carl Gustaf Armfeldtmarched against Trondheim with 10, men but was forced to retreat. In the march that ensued, many of the 5, remaining men perished in a severe winter storm.

While in the trenches close to the perimeter of the fortress on 30 November 11 December New Style, Charles was struck in the head by a projectile and killed. The shot struck the left side of his skull and exited from the right. He died instantly. The definitive circumstances around Charles's death remain unclear. Despite multiple investigations of the battlefield, Charles's skull and his clothes, it is not known where and when he was hit, or whether the shot came from the ranks of the enemy or from his own men.

Although there were many people around the king at the time of his death, there were no known witnesses to the actual moment he was hit. A likely explanation has been that Charles was killed by Dano-Norwegians as he was within reach of their guns. More theories claim he was assassinated: one is that the killer was a Swedish compatriot and asserts that enemy guns were not firing at the time Charles was struck.

Sicre confessed during what was claimed to be a state of delirium brought on by fever but later recanted. Another odd account of Charles's death comes from Finnish writer Carl Nordling, who states that the king's surgeon, Melchior Neumann, dreamed the king had told him that he was not shot from the fortress but from "one who came creeping".

Charles's body has been exhumed on three occasions to ascertain the cause of death; inand Inhis head was photographed and x-rayed. A study by the University of Oulu and the University of Helsinki also found that iron grapeshot was likely to have killed the king, citing evidence from ballistic experiments as well as the absence of lead fragments in Charles's skull.

Charles was succeeded to the Swedish throne by his sister, Ulrika Eleonora. Charles never married and fathered no children of whom historians are aware. In his youth, he was particularly encouraged to find a suitable spouse in order to secure the succession, but he would frequently avoid the subject of sex and marriage. Possible candidates included Princess Sophia Hedwig of DenmarkLouisa Maria Stuart and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp — but of the latter he pleaded that he could never wed someone "as ugly as Satan and with such a devilish big mouth".

His lack of mistresses may have been due to a strong religious faith. Much later speculation that he was a hermaphrodite was quelled in when his coffin was opened and he was shown to have beard growth. Exceptional for abstaining from alcohol and sex, he felt most comfortable during warfare. Contemporaries report of his seemingly inhuman tolerance for pain and his utter lack of emotion.

His brilliant campaigning and startling victories brought his country to the pinnacle of her prestige and power, although the Great Northern War resulted in Sweden's defeat and the end of the empire within years of his own death. Charles's death marked the end of autocratic kingship in Sweden, and the subsequent Age of Liberty saw a shift of power from the monarch to the parliament of the estates.

He was idealized as a heroic, virtuous young warrior king, and his fight against Peter the Great was associated with the contemporary Swedish-Russian enmity. Apart from being a monarch, the King's interests included mathematics, and anything that would be beneficial to his warlike purposes. He is credited with having invented an octal numeral systemas well as a more elaborate one with the base 64, which he considered more suitable for war purposes because all the boxes used for materials such as gunpowder were cubic.

Charles xii of sweden biography of michael

According to a report by contemporary scientist Emanuel Swedenborgthe King had sketched a model of his thoughts on a piece of paper and handed it to him at their meeting in Lund in The paper was reportedly still in existence a hundred years later but has since been lost. Charles fascinated many in his time. Voltaire portrays the Swedish king in a positive light, against the brutal nature of Peter the Great.

On what Foundation stands the warrior's pride, How just his hopes let Swedish Charles decide; A frame of adamant, a soul of fire, No dangers fright him, and no labours tire; O'er love, o'er fear, extends his wide domain, Unconquered lord of pleasure and of pain; No joys to him pacific sceptres yield; War sounds the trumphe rushes to the field; Behold surrounding kings their power to combine, And one capitulate, and one resign; Peace courts his hand, but spreads her charms in vain; "Think nothing gained", he cries, "till nought remain, On Moscow 's walls till Gothic standards fly, And all be mine beneath the polar sky.

But did not Chance at length her error mend? Did no subverted empire mark his end? Did rival monarchs give the fatal wound? Or hostile millions press him to the ground? His fall was destined to a barren strand, A petty fortressand a dubious hand; He left the name, at which the world grew pale, To point a moral or adorn a tale. Swedish author Frans G.

InE. He is referred to in the anime Legend of the Galactic Heroes as the Swedish Meteor; whose similarity to Reinhard von Lohengramm may portend the dynasty dying out without a successor. Charles XII appears in the absurdist comedy A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existencein which his army passes a modern-day cafe on their way to, and retreating from, the Battle of Poltava.

He is played by Viktor Gyllenberg. The Swedish power metal band Sabaton wrote an album named after him, which includes several songs about his life. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. King of Sweden from to For other uses, see Carolus Rex disambiguation.

This article is about the 18th-century king of Sweden. For the horse, see Charles the Twelfth. Portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaudc. Riddarholmen ChurchStockholm. Royal title [ edit ]. Main article: Style of the Swedish sovereign. Early life [ edit ]. Great Northern War [ edit ]. Main article: Great Northern War. Early campaigns [ edit ]. Russian resurgence [ edit ].

Exile in the Ottoman Empire [ edit ]. Pomerania and Norway [ edit ]. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. April Learn how and when to remove this message. Death [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ].

Legacy [ edit ]. Scientific contributions [ edit ]. Literature [ edit ]. Ancestors [ edit ]. Charles X Gustav of Sweden 9. Catharina of Sweden 2. Charles XI of Sweden Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp Marie Elisabeth of Saxony 1. Charles XII of Sweden Christian IV of Denmark 6. Frederick III of Denmark Anne Catherine of Brandenburg 3.