Resultado de búsqueda
History of Charles XII (French: Histoire de Charles XII) is a historical work by the French historian, philosopher, and writer Voltaire about Charles XII, king of Sweden. It was first published in 1731.
- Overview
- Early life
- Military leadership, 1700–09
Charles XII (born June 17, 1682, Stockholm—died November 30, 1718, Fredrikshald, Norway) king of Sweden (1697–1718), an absolute monarch who defended his country for 18 years during the Great Northern War and promoted significant domestic reforms. He launched a disastrous invasion of Russia (1707–09), resulting in the complete collapse of the Swedi...
Prince Charles was the second child and eldest (and only surviving) son of Charles XI of Sweden and Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark. His early childhood was happy and secure, but the close family circle was broken by his mother’s death in 1693. Charles XI’s chief consolation was a close companionship with his heir, and from this time onward Prince Charles accompanied his father on travels of inspection and on all kinds of official occasions. After his father’s death in April 1697, Charles XII had to take on the burden of absolute kingship—he was the first and only Swedish king born to absolutism—when he was barely 15 years old. Charles XI had stipulated a regency, but the regents proved anxious to obtain the new king’s concurrence in all decisions, and the Riksdag called in November 1697 declared him of age.
Charles XII had been carefully prepared for his task by excellent tutors and governors. He was, however, exceptionally strong willed and gave repeated proof of his obstinate adherence to those standards he accepted from the religious and moral teaching of his family and his governors. In adolescence a personal program for toughening physique—in particular, his intrepid horsemanship and his predilection for risks—worried the old and staid among the courtiers. He had been open and confiding; but on succeeding to the crown he assumed a noncommittal behaviour in public, though in private he was much influenced by the instructions that his father had left for his political guidance and by the counsel of his father’s advisers.
After negotiations for Charles’s marriage to a Danish cousin, the daughter of Christian V, were begun on Denmark’s initiative, Charles’s advisers held back until the outcome of Danish negotiations with other powers was known. These negotiations led in fact to a coalition between Denmark, Saxony, and Russia that, by attacking Sweden in the spring of 1700, began the Great Northern War. The speedy success hoped for by the three allied powers did not materialize, and rumours of rebellion by the Swedish nobility against the absolutist monarchy, in case of war, proved false.
Britannica Quiz
The early campaigns—the descent on Zealand (August 1700), which forced Denmark out of the war; the Battle of Narva (November 1700), which drove the Russians away from the Swedish trans-Baltic provinces; and the crossing of the Western Dvina River (1701), which scattered the troops of Augustus II (elector of Saxony and king of Poland)—were all planned and directed by the officers whom Charles had inherited from his father, but the king, while developing his military skill, gave valuable help in fostering morale by his courage, his religiously coloured optimism, and his faith in the cause of Sweden as the victim of a concerted attack.
Charles’s responsibility in planning and executing armed operations constantly increased, so that from 1702 he became the superior of most of his officers. Also from 1702 he began to take a greater part in political decisions, his senior advisers having died or retired through ill health. Most significant of these personal decisions was that to fight Augustus II in Poland and to transform Poland from a divided country, where Augustus had both partisans and opponents, into an ally and a base for the final campaign against Russia. This transformation was to be accomplished by dethroning Augustus and substituting a Polish-born king willing to cooperate with the Swedes. By the time this program had been brought to success and Stanisław Leszczyński elected king of Poland—Augustus being forced to accept the settlement by a Swedish invasion of Saxony in September 1706—Charles XII had matured both as a general and as a statesman.
Exclusive academic rate for students! Save 67% on Britannica Premium.
Learn More
Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( Swedish: Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S. [1] ), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of Wittelsbach.
1 de jun. de 2017 · El objetivo de este artículo es demostrar que, en todo caso, la Histoire de Charles XII anticipa, a pesar de ser uno de los primeros escritos históricos de Voltaire, el método que el filósofo utilizaría a partir de los años ‘40 en sus obras históricas mayores.
23 de may. de 2018 · Charles XII was one of the greatest military leaders in European history. He defeated Denmark , Poland , Saxony and Russia in a series of brilliant campaigns. Leading the troops, he destroyed the army of Peter I (the Great) at Narva (1700).
Hace 4 días · Charles XII began his Russian offensive in 1707. The Russians for the first time used a scorched-earth strategy, thus diverting the Swedish armies from Moscow to Ukraine , where the Swedes suffered a crushing defeat at Poltava in June 1709.
18 de jul. de 2023 · This historical biography explores the life of Charles XII, the young and successful king of Sweden who led the country through a period of military might and expansion. From his early years to...
Anuncio
relacionado con: History of Charles XII1 millón+ usuarios visitaron amazon.com el mes pasado
Get Deals and Low Prices On history of charles xii At Amazon. Explore a Wide Variety Of Books In History Genre From Authors Around the Globe.
