CHARLES XII. (1682-1718). King of
Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He was the eldest
son of Charles XI. and of Ulrica Eleonora of
Denmark, and was born in Stockholm, June 27, 1682. His youth gave no promise, either of ability or purpose befitting a sovereign, but he showed his mettle when Sweden, soon after his accession, was threatened by a coalition of
Frederick IV. of Denmark, Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and Peter of Russia, who was yet to win his title of ‘the Great.’ Sweden had been for seventy years one of the great powers of Europe, as a result of the policy of the kings of the house of ../Vasa/ (q.v.); it possessed territory all about the Baltic, and its troops were reputed the best in Europe. The War of the North that was now brought on by the coalition was at first on Sweden's part a war of defense; then, through the successes of Charles, a war of aggression and conquest, and finally, through his failure, a struggle for existence. Its story is a mingling of brilliant triumph and disheartening defeat, both resulting from the meteoric and ill-balanced genius, reckless ambition, and fatal obstinacy of the Swedish King, qualities that have won for him in history the name of ‘Madman of the North.’ He was a born soldier, and had taken Alexander the Great for his favorite hero. He was fond of all daring sports, careless of exposure, and unsparing of himself and others. When intelligence of the hostile league that threatened him reached Stockholm, the young King surprised every one around him by the energy and efficiency he displayed. Frederick IV. of Denmark had invaded Schleswig-Holstein, whose Duke, a brother-in-law of the Swedish King, had called the latter to his assistance. In a six weeks' campaign Denmark was brought to terms and Frederick signed the Peace of Travendal on August 8, 1700. Charles now turned promptly to the defense of the Swedish possessions on the Baltic menaced by Russia and Poland. Russia sought to obtain the Swedish provinces of Ingria and Carelia, while Livonia and Esthonia, whose nobility detested the firm and often severe rule of Sweden, wished to put themselves under the weaker Polish monarchy. Hastening toward Riga, Charles compelled the Poles to raise the siege of that place, and then by forced marches brought his army of a little over 8000 men to the relief of Narva in Esthonia, which was beleaguered by 40,000 Russians, while Peter himself had gone to hasten the advance of 20,000 more. The disciplined Swedish troops, although jaded by forced marches, administered a severe defeat to the Russians before the walls of the city (November 30, 1700), and Europe expected to see the whole Russian Empire brought under the sway of the young Swede who seemed to have revived the martial glory of the great Gustavus. Unfortunately for Charles, he seems to have entertained the same mad dream of conquest. Only the astute Peter looked the situation squarely in the face and sought to learn its lesson for Russia. He strengthened his alliance with Augustus of Poland, and at Birsen in February, 1701, it was agreed that Augustus should occupy the attention of the Swedes in the west and Peter in the east, and that they should divide the Baltic provinces. The war thus opened in Denmark and the Baltic provinces involved the control of the Baltic and lasted for twenty-one years, ending in the marked diminution of the power of Sweden and the rise of Rvissia as the great Baltic power. Its first years, however, pointed to no such result. Influenced by the advice of his generals, Charles did not follow up his success against Peter, who was really his dangerous antagonist, but sought the overthrow of the King of Poland, while Peter was left to develop his