Person

Charles XII of Sweden

r. 1697–1718 · 18th century · Also known as Charles XII

Charles XII was king of Sweden from 1697 to 1718 and a commander of great tactical skill. He won notable victories such as Narva in 1700 but was decisively defeated by Peter I of the Russian Empire at Poltava in 1709, after which he spent years in Ottoman exile. His death in 1718 marked the end of the Swedish Empire as a great power.

Charles XII of Sweden
Image: Workshop of Hyacinthe Rigaud · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 5 profiles

Russian EmpireFoundation, MilitarySwedish EmpireMilitary, Governance, DeclineKingdom of NorwayMilitaryKingdom of SwedenMilitary, Governance, SummaryTsardom of RussiaMilitary, Summary

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Kingdom of SwedenCossack Hetmanate

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Charles XII of Sweden. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/charles-xii-of-sweden
MLA
“Charles XII of Sweden.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/charles-xii-of-sweden. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Charles XII of Sweden.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/charles-xii-of-sweden.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Charles XII of Sweden’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/charles-xii-of-sweden (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻