# Charles XII of Sweden

> He took the throne at fifteen and turned what looked like Sweden's collapse into a string of military miracles, winning battles against armies twice his size. Then he marched on Moscow, lost everything at Poltava, and died besieging a Norwegian fortress with his empire already carved up by his enemies.

*The fifth and last emperor of Sweden (1697-1718)*

**Canonical URL:** https://fame.am/person/charles-xii-of-sweden

## Identity
- **Profile type:** Historical Figure ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2798645))
- **Category:** Historical Figures
- **Country:** Sweden
- **Born:** 1682-06-27
- **Died:** 1718-12-11
- **Status:** deceased
- **Gender:** male

## Bio

Charles XII became King of Sweden in 1697 at fifteen, inheriting a realm his enemies assumed was ripe for dismemberment. When Denmark-Norway, Saxony-Poland-Lithuania, and Russia attacked in 1700 to start the Great Northern War, he crushed a Russian army at Narva and forced Peter the Great to beg for peace - an offer he refused. By 1706, at twenty-four, he'd beaten every opponent into submission, his forces routing combined armies at Fraustadt and Holowczyn through sheer tactical brilliance. The march on Moscow began well, then shattered at Poltava in 1709 when Charles, wounded and unable to command, watched his army take catastrophic losses and surrender. He spent years exiled in the Ottoman Empire before returning to attack Norway twice in a desperate bid to knock Denmark out and refocus on Russia. A bullet at the Siege of Fredriksten in 1718 ended both campaigns and his life, with most of the Swedish Empire already under foreign occupation. He never married, never had children, and the war consumed more than half his years; his sister inherited a broken throne and a kingdom that would abandon absolute monarchy for half a century.

## Fame
- **Popularity score:** 64.9 / 100
- **Momentum:** 15.6 / 100  (trend: STABLE)
- **Historical depth:** 26.0 / 100
- **Attention shift:** 13.3 / 100
- **Source confidence:** 60.0 / 100
- **Profile completeness:** 70.0 / 100

## Topics
#Politicians, #Historical Figure, #Royalty, #Politics, #Sweden, #Europe, #Early Modern Era

## Sources
- [Carlo XII di Svezia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_XII_di_Svezia)
- [Carlos XII da Suécia](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_XII_da_Su%C3%A9cia)
- [Charles XII](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XII)
- [卡爾十二世](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%A1%E7%88%BE%E5%8D%81%E4%BA%8C%E4%B8%96)
- [カール12世 (スウェーデン王)](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB12%E4%B8%96_(%E3%82%B9%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A7%E3%83%BC%E3%83%87%E3%83%B3%E7%8E%8B))
- [Карл XII](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB_XII)
- [Karol XII](https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karol_XII)
- [Karel XII van Zweden](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_XII_van_Zweden)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q52934)
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XII_of_Sweden)
- [Pantheon 2.0](https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Charles%20XII%20of%20Sweden)
- [Карл XII](https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB_XII)
- [Карл XII](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB_XII)
- [দ্বাদশ চার্লস (সুইডেন)](https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%B6_%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%B8_(%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A1%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8))
- [Karl XII](https://br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_XII)
- [Carles XII de Suècia](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carles_XII_de_Su%C3%A8cia)
- [Karel XII.](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_XII.)
- [Карл XII](https://cv.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB_XII)
- [Karl XII, brenin Sweden](https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_XII%2C_brenin_Sweden)
- [Karl 12. af Sverige](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_12._af_Sverige)
- [Karl XII. (Schweden)](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_XII._(Schweden))
- [Κάρολος ΙΒ΄ της Σουηδίας](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9A%CE%AC%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%99%CE%92%CE%84_%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%A3%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%B7%CE%B4%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82)
- [Karolo la 12-a (Svedio)](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karolo_la_12-a_(Svedio))
- [Carlos XII de Suecia](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_XII_de_Suecia)
- [Karl XII](https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_XII)
- [Karlos XII.a Suediakoa](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlos_XII.a_Suediakoa)
- [کارل دوازدهم](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%84_%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%AF%D9%87%D9%85)
- [Wikiquote](https://pl.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karol_XII)
- [Wikiquote](https://sl.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karel_XII._%C5%A0vedski)
- [Wikiquote](https://sr.wikiquote.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB_XII_%D0%A8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B4%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8)

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