Charles xii uniform
Carl XII
| King of Sweden from , commander, defeated near Poltava Date of Birth: Country: Sweden |
Biography of Charles XII
Charles XII, born on June 17, , was the King of Sweden from He was a renowned military leader who was famously defeated at the Battle of Poltava.
The Victory at Narva
In , Charles XII played a crucial role in achieving victory at the Battle of Narva. He surprised the Russians by arriving with the Swedish army at Narva and acted as the main organizer of the battle. His immense thirst for battle and bravery, along with leading by example, inspired his soldiers.
They believed in him and revered him.
Charles xii of sweden biography of barack Charless XII, however, must bear some responsibility for the loss of Sweden's status as a great power. General Stenbock said, "The king no longer thinks about anything but war; he no longer listens to advice. A cannonball killed his horse beneath him. Charles XII of Sweden.It has long been known that courage is the beginning of victory. In the battle of Narva, the year-old Swedish king demonstrated his talent as a military strategist and achieved extraordinary military success, bringing glory to the Swedish army.
The Northern War
In , Denmark, Poland, and Russia started the Northern War against Sweden.
The year-old Russian Tsar Peter I led a 32,strong army to besiege Narva. At that time, the year-old Charles XII was the King of Sweden - an exceptional and controversial figure.
Early Life
Charles XII was born into a powerful European kingdom with a strong economy, excellent system of governance, a strong army, and a fleet. His father, Charles XI, passed away when Charles XII was 15 years old, leaving him a first-rate European kingdom.
He became king and gained full power after 7 months. From a young age, he aspired to be a warrior and prepared himself for military campaigns. He despised luxury, dressed simply, followed a strict military regimen, and developed extraordinary physical strength through gymnastics. He had a keen interest in the art of war, mastering all forms of weaponry, and enjoyed hunting bears and other animals.
He was passionate and impulsive, easily inflamed.
The Battle of Narva
On April 13, , the king left Stockholm, claiming to go to Castle Kungsor for a celebration, but instead, he set sail with a 5,strong army to the Danish shores. He caught Denmark off guard, and the Danish king, Frederick IV, was forced to make peace to avoid the destruction of Copenhagen.
Denmark withdrew from the war. After dealing with one enemy, the king turned his attention to the besieged city of Riga. The Polish king, Augustus II, fearing the advancing Swedes, lifted the siege on September 15 without a fight. The Swedish troops then faced the Russian army besieging Narva. On September 20, , a Swedish fleet of 9 ships and 2 frigates set sail from Karlskrona towards the shores of Estonia.
On September 25, the fleet arrived in the port of Parnu. In his eagerness to reach the shore quickly, the king boarded a yacht named "Sofia" and nearly drowned. He was saved by the brave General Renchild. The young king's thirst for battle and self-confidence knew no bounds.
Charles xii of sweden biography of barack biden Charles Schuchert. It was well he did, because on Nov. Hatton R. In Swedish troops crossed the Dvina in full view of the enemy, inflicted a severe defeat on Augustus's forces, and cleared Livonia of Polish soldiers.He famously asked his entourage, "Do you really think that 8, brave Swedes cannot defeat 80, Russian peasants?" On November 19, , the Swedes deployed their forces in front of the Russian positions. Before the battle, in the sight of his army, Charles XII dismounted from his horse, kneeled down, said a prayer for victory, embraced the nearby generals and soldiers, and sat back on his horse.
At exactly 2 o'clock, with the cry "With God on our side!" the Swedes launched their attack. The ratio of forces was as follows: Russians - 32,, Swedes - 8, At the beginning of the battle, the Russian center was crushed, and they started to retreat in disarray. On the left flank, General Weide's division, while retreating, pushed Sheremetev's cavalry towards the waterfalls of River Narova.
The swift river and its waterfalls swallowed over 1, riders and horses. On the right flank, Golovin's division, in a panic, rushed towards a floating bridge. The bridge couldn't bear the load and collapsed. Here too, the waves of Narova claimed their victims. The king remarked disdainfully, "There is no pleasure in fighting the Russians because they don't resist like others, they just run." Only the Preobrazhensky, Semenovsky, and Le Fort regiments, along with the artillery, were able to withstand the Swedish attacks.
The king was fearless, and the battle was his element. He led his warriors into the thick of the fight multiple times. During the battle, the king got stuck in a swamp, lost his boot and sword, but was saved by his entourage. A bullet hit his cravat. A cannonball killed his horse beneath him. Impressed by the resilience of the three Russian regiments, the king exclaimed, "What brave men!" The young, inexperienced Russian army suffered huge losses: 6, killed, flags, cannons, 24, rifles, the treasury, and the entire supply train.
Many foreign generals and officers, led by Duke de Croÿ, surrendered to Charles XII. The Swedes lost 1, men. The victory at Narva, as always, is attributed to the talent of the military leader and the bravery of the soldiers, while defeat is explained by fatal chance. Charles XII played an undeniable role in achieving victory at Narva.
He surprised the Russians by arriving with the Swedish army at Narva and acted as the main organizer of the battle. His immense thirst for battle and bravery, along with leading by example, inspired his soldiers. They believed in him and revered him. It has long been known that courage is the beginning of victory. In the battle of Narva, the year-old Swedish king demonstrated his talent as a military strategist and achieved extraordinary military success, bringing glory to the Swedish army.
Later Years and Death
On November 22, , Charles XII triumphantly entered Narva with his army. A thanksgiving service was held in the church, accompanied by the firing of cannons and guns. The defender of Narva, Rudolf Göring, was promoted to the rank of general. In honor of the victory, 14 medals were struck, including two satirical ones.
One of them depicted a weeping Tsar Peter I fleeing from Narva, with his hat falling off and his sword discarded, with the inscription: "He fled, wept bitterly." The victory went to Charles XII's head, and he believed in God's will. In his bedroom hung a map of Russia, and he showed his generals the way to Moscow, hoping to quickly and easily reach the heart of Russia.
General Stenbock said, "The king no longer thinks about anything but war; he no longer listens to advice. He takes on a look as if God directly tells him what he should do." Charles XII mistakenly believed that Russia was defeated and rejected favorable peace proposals. In , Charles XII had to decide which of the remaining enemies to deal with, as victory in a battle is not necessarily victory in a war.
He chose to focus on the King of Poland, the Elector of Saxony, Augustus II. After winning several battles, he managed to force Augustus II out of Poland, depriving him of the crown, and imposed Stanislaw Leszczyński, the former Voivode of Poznań, as the new Polish king. Poland then became an ally of Sweden.
Charles xii of sweden biography of barack obama Under pressure from his allies Charles signed a treaty at Travendal which was a return to the status quo. He believed that the king needed to encourage his men by setting a brave example, and he would lead his men into battle. After his death, Sweden was governed by a five-man regency, all of whom had been trained by Charles XI. The Janissaries captured him there.This took several years to accomplish. Meanwhile, the Russian army, having recovered from the defeat at Narva, started winning one victory after another on the shores of the Baltic Sea (Erestfer near Derpt, Nöteborg, Nienšanc, Dorpat, Narva, etc.). Despite this, Charles XII's self-confidence remained boundless. When he learned of Peter I's construction of St.
Petersburg, he scoffed, saying, "Let him build.
It will be ours anyway." After a series of victories in Poland and Saxony, the rested Swedish army invaded Russian territory in the spring of Charles XII intended to defeat the Russian army in one battle, capture Moscow, and force Peter I to make favorable peace. However, the Russian army did not follow the king's plans.
Avoiding a major battle, they retreated to the east, aiming to "wear down the enemy" with small-scale attacks, destroying supplies and forage. The failures started to pile up.
Charles xiv john: Charles XII of Sweden. Charles Snowden Piggot. Charles XII turned from sham battles and mock heroics to real war. He had the same untiring energy, the same stubborn will.
The high hopes placed on the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa were not fulfilled. On September 28, , the 16,strong army corps led by Lewenhaupt, which was coming from the Baltic region to reinforce Charles XII's army, was defeated near the village of Lesnaya. The Russians captured all 8, wagons filled with provisions, gunpowder, cannons, and forage. A gloomy but prophetic rumor spread through the army: "Charles seeks death because he sees a bad end." Finally, a complete defeat awaited the Swedish army at the Battle of Poltava on June 27, "The invincible gentlemen Swedes have shown their true nature," wrote Peter I from the battlefield.
The Swedes left 9, corpses on the battlefield, and 20, surrendered. The day before, wounded in the leg, Charles XII and Mazepa barely escaped capture, finding refuge in Turkish territories. For another 6 years, the proud king-wanderer tried unsuccessfully to bring down Russia, dreaming of entering Moscow at the head of a Turkish cavalry. However, the Turkish Sultan Ahmed III settled for the return of Azov, and on July 12, , the Russo-Turkish War ended with a peace treaty.
The capricious demands and ambitions of the belligerent king annoyed the Sultan, who ordered the "Ironhead" to be sent back home. But the King of Sweden was not accustomed to obeying orders. The Sultan then sent Janissaries. The king, with a handful of his bodyguards, fought against the entire army. The Janissaries set the house on fire.
From the burning house, Charles XII decided to break through to the neighboring house. With a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other, he got caught on the doorstep and fell. The Janissaries captured him there. Finally, in , the warrior king returned to Sweden. Once, he dreamed of returning as a triumphant great commander and victor. At that time, he had reason to declare, "God, my sword, and the love of the people are my allies." However, in the end, his past victories and sacrifices proved futile.
Charles xii of sweden biography of barack trump Not yet fifteen when he his father died, he was recognized as ruling king by the parliament a few months later and wasted no time making it clear that Charles XI's absolutist system would continue. Uppsala, It has long been known that courage is the beginning of victory. Charles was an abstemious and industrious worker as well as a brave leader, sometimes to the point of folly.After 15 years of absence, the country welcomed its king as a ravaged and depopulated land with no army, navy, or allies, having lost all its overseas possessions. The dire situation was exacerbated by crop failures and the plague. Taxes had to be increased, and copper coins called "coins of necessity" were issued.
The king saw a way out of this situation by creating a new army and engaging in new wars. But by then, Sweden was no longer the same, and neither was the king. On November 30, , Charles XII was killed during the siege of the Norwegian fortress of Fredriksten. It is still unclear where the bullet that killed the king came from, whether it was Norwegian or Swedish.