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Charles XI of Sweden

Charles XI or Carl (Swedish: Karl XI; 4 December [O.S. 24 November] 1655 – 15 April [O.S. 5 April] 1697)[2] was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721).

Charles XI
Portrait by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, 1689
King of Sweden
Reign13 February 1660[1] – 5 April 1697
Coronation28 September 1675
PredecessorCharles X Gustav
SuccessorCharles XII
RegentHedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (1660–1672)
Born24 November 1655
Tre Kronor, Sweden
Died5 April 1697(1697-04-05) (aged 41)
Tre Kronor, Sweden
Burial24 November 1697
Spouse
(m. 1680; died 1693)
IssueHedvig Sophia, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp
Charles XII
Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden
HousePalatinate-Zweibrücken
FatherCharles X, King of Sweden
MotherHedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp
ReligionLutheran
Signature

He was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. His father died when he was four years old, so Charles was educated by his governors until his coronation at the age of seventeen. Soon afterward, he was forced out on military expeditions to secure the recently acquired dominions from Danish troops in the Scanian War. Having successfully fought off the Danes, he returned to Stockholm and engaged in correcting the country's neglected political, financial, and economic situation. He managed to sustain peace during the remaining 20 years of his reign. Changes in finance, commerce, national maritime and land armaments, judicial procedure, church government, and education emerged during this period.[3] Charles XI was succeeded by his only son Charles XII, who made use of the well-trained army in battles throughout Europe.

The fact that Charles was crowned as Charles XI does not mean that he was the 11th king of Sweden who had the name Charles. His father's name (as the 10th) was due to his great-grandfather, King Charles IX of Sweden (1604–1611), having adopted his own numeral by using a mythological History of Sweden. That ancestor was actually the third King Charles.[4] The numbering tradition thus begun still continues, with the present king of Sweden being Carl XVI Gustaf.

Under guardian rule

 
Charles at the age of five, dressed as a Roman emperor. Painting by Ehrenstrahl.
 
Miniature of Charles XI, Pierre Signac, circa 1662

Charles was born in the Stockholm Palace Tre Kronor in November 1655. His father, Charles X of Sweden, had left Sweden in July that year to fight in the war against Poland. After several years of warfare, the king returned in the winter of 1659, gathered his family and the Riksdag of the Estates in Gothenburg. Here he beheld his four-year-old son for the first time. Only a few weeks later, in mid-January 1660, the king fell ill; one month later, he wrote his last will and died.[5]

Charles X Gustav's will and testament left the administration of the Swedish Empire during Charles XI's minority to a regency led by Queen Dowager Hedwig Eleonora as both formal regent and chair of a six-member Regency Council with two votes and a final say over the rest of the council.[6] Per Brahe was one member of the council.[7] In addition, Charles X Gustav left command of the army and a seat on the council to his younger brother, Adolph John I, Count Palatine of Kleeburg.[8] These provisions among others led to the remainder of the council immediately challenging the will. On 14 February, the day after King Charles X's death, Hedwig Eleonora sent a message to the council stating that she knew that they contested the will and that she demanded that it should be respected. The council answered that the will must first be discussed with the parliament, and at the following council in Stockholm on 13 May, the council tried to keep her from attending. The parliament questioned whether it would be good for her health or suitable for a widow to attend council, and that if not, it would be hard to keep sending a messenger to her quarters. Her reply that the council would be allowed to meet without her and only inform her when they considered it necessary was met with satisfaction from the council. Hedwig Eleonora's ostensible indifference to politics came as a great relief to the lords of the guardian government.[8]

His mother, Queen Hedvig Eleonora, remained the formal regent until Charles XI attained his majority on 18 December 1672, but she was careful not to embroil herself in political conflicts.[9] During his first appearances in parliament, Charles spoke to the government through her. He would whisper the questions he had in her ear, and she would ask them aloud and clearly for him.[10] As an adolescent, Charles devoted himself to sports, exercise, and his favourite pastime of bear-hunting. He appeared ignorant of the very rudiments of statecraft and almost illiterate. His main difficulties are now seen as evident signs of dyslexia, a disability that was poorly understood at the time.[11][12][13] According to many contemporary sources, the king was considered poorly educated and therefore not qualified to conduct himself effectively in foreign affairs.[14] Charles was dependent on his mother and advisors to interact with the foreign envoys since he had no foreign language skills apart from German and was ignorant of the world outside Sweden.[15]

Italian writer Lorenzo Magalotti visited Stockholm in 1674 and described the teenage Charles XI as "virtually afraid of everything, uneasy to talk to foreigners, and not daring to look anyone in the face". Another trait was a deep religious devotion: he was God-fearing, frequently prayed kneeling and attended sermons. Magalotti otherwise described the king's main pursuits as hunting, the upcoming war, and jokes.[16][17]

Scanian War

 
Charles XI at the Battle of Lund in 1676. Painting by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl in 1682.

The situation in Europe was shaky during this time and Sweden was going through financial problems. Charles XI's guardians decided to negotiate an alliance with France in 1671. This would ensure that Sweden would not be isolated if there was a war, and that the national finances would improve thanks to French subsidies.[18] France directed its aggression against the Dutch in 1672, and by the spring of 1674, Sweden was forced to take part by directing forces towards Brandenburg, under the lead of Karl Gustav Wrangel.[19]

Denmark was an ally of the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire, and it was evident that Sweden was on the verge of yet another war with that country. A remedy was attempted by chancellor Nils Brahe, who traveled to Copenhagen in the spring of 1675 to try to get the Danish princess Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark engaged to the Swedish king. In mid-June 1675, the engagement was officially proclaimed. However, when news arrived of the Swedish defeat at the Battle of Fehrbellin, Danish king Christian V declared war on Sweden that September.[20]

The Swedish Privy Council continued its internal feuds, and the king was forced to rule without them.[21] The 20-year-old king was inexperienced and considered ill-served amidst what has been called the anarchy in the nation. He dedicated autumn in his newly formed camp in Scania to arm the Swedish nation for battle in the Scanian War. The Swedish soldiers in Scania were outnumbered and out-equipped by the Danes. In May 1676, they invaded Scania, taking Landskrona and Helsingborg, then proceeding through Bohuslän towards Halmstad. The King had to grow up quickly. He suddenly found himself alone and under great pressure.[3][22]

Victory at the Battle of Halmstad (17 August 1676), when Charles and his commander-in-chief Simon Grundel-Helmfelt defeated a Danish division, was the king's first glimmer of good luck. Charles continued south through Scania, arriving on the tableland of the flooded Kävlinge River – near Lund – on 11 November. The Danish army commanded by Christian V was positioned on the other side. It was impossible to cross the river and Charles had to wait for weeks until it froze over. This finally happened on 4 December and Charles launched a surprise attack on the Danish forces to fight the Battle of Lund.[3] This was one of the bloodiest engagements of its time. Of the over 20,000 combatants, about 8,000 perished on the battlefield.[3][23][24] All the Swedish commanders showed ability, but the chief glory of the day was attributed to Charles XI and his fighting spirit. The battle proved to be a decisive one for the rule of the Scanian lands and it has been described as the most significant event for Charles' personality. Charles commemorated this date the rest of his life.[25][26]

In the following year, 13,000 men led by Charles routed 12,000 Danes at the Battle of Landskrona. This proved to be the last pitched battle of the war since, in September 1678, Christian V evacuated his army back to Zealand. In 1679, Louis XIV of France dictated the terms of a general pacification, and Charles XI, who is said to have bitterly resented "the insufferable tutelage" of the French king, was forced at last to acquiesce to a peace that managed to leave his empire practically intact.[3] Peace was made with Denmark in the treaties of Fontainebleau (1679) and Lund, and with Brandenburg in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679).[citation needed]

Post-war actions

 
Equestrian portrait of Charles XI.

Charles devoted the rest of his life to avoiding further warfare by gaining larger independence in foreign affairs, while he also promoted economic stabilization and a reorganization of the military. His remaining 20 years on the throne were the longest peacetime of the Swedish Empire (1611–1718).[27]

In the early years, he was assisted by the man who had become his trusted prime-minister, Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna (1635–1680). Some sources say the king was basically dependent on Gyllenstierna.[28] His sudden death in 1680 opened up the road to the monarch, and many men tried to get close to the king to take Gyllenstierna's place.[29]

Financial restoration

 
Läckö Castle, one of many mansions reclaimed by the Crown. Engraving by Willem Swidde from circa 1700 in Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna.

Sweden's weak economy had suffered during the war and was now in a deep crisis. Charles assembled the Riksdag of the Estates in October 1680. The assembly has been described as one of the most important held by the Riksdag of the Estates.[30] Here, the king finally pushed through the reduction ordeal, something that had been discussed in the Riksdag since 1650. It meant that any land or object previously owned by the crown and lent or given away – including counties, baronies and lordships – could be recovered. It affected many prominent members of the nobility, some of whom were ruined by it. One of them was the former guardian and Lord Chief Justice Magnus De La Gardie, who, among many other Estates, had to return the extravagant 248-room Läckö Castle.[31] The reduction process involved the examination of every title deed in the kingdom, including the dominions, and it resulted in a complete readjustment of the nation's finances.[3][32][33]

Greycoat

According to Swedish legend, Charles XI travelled around the country dressed as a farmer or simple traveller. In the legend he is referred to as the Greycoat (Swedish: Gråkappan).[34] This was done to discover and identify corruption and oppression against the populace. There are many stories about him arriving in villages looking for corrupt church officials and punishing them. One anecdote tells of him visiting one village with a church in splendid condition and the priest living in poverty. Continuing, the King found in the next village a church in disrepair and a priest living lavishly. The King solved the situation by switching the priests, giving the poor priest the lavish living condition and a church the King was certain he would rebuild. Always followed by a military cortège, Charles toured the country more than other Swedish kings during this era and was famous for the speed at which he travelled, setting many records. The stories of the Greycoat were published in a book by Arvid August Afzelius in the middle of the 19th century.[35]

Absolutism

 
Portrait in Samuel von Pufendorf: De rebus a Carolo Gustavo, 1696

Another important decision made during the assembly was that of the Swedish Privy Council. Since 1634, it had been mandatory for the king to take advice from the council. During the Scanian War, the members of the council were engaged in internal feuds, and the king more or less ruled without listening to their advice. At the 1680 assembly, he asked the Estates whether he was still bound to the council, to which the Estates responded with his desired reply: "he was not bound by anyone other than himself" ("envälde"), and thereby the absolute monarchy was formally established in Sweden.[36] The Riksdag of the Estates confirmed his power in 1693 by officially proclaiming that the king was the sole ruler of Sweden.[37]

Military restructuring

In the 1682 assembly of the Riksdag of the Estates, the king put forth his suggestion for military reform, whereby each of the lands of Sweden were to have 1,200 soldiers at the ready, at all times, and two farms were to provide accommodations for one soldier. His soldiers were known as Caroleans, trained to be skilled and preferring to attack rather than defend. Savagery and looting were strictly forbidden. Soldier huts around the country were the most visible part of the new Swedish allotment system. However, Charles also modernized the military techniques and worked to improve the skills and knowledge of the officers by sending them abroad to study.[38][39]

The Swedish navy suffered major defeats against Danish-Dutch forces in the Scanian War, revealing deficiencies in organization and supply, and disadvantages in basing the fleet at Stockholm. The navy was bolstered with the founding of a base at Karlskrona in 1680 which became the mainstay of future naval operations. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[38][39]

Assimilation of the newest territories

 
Development of the Swedish Empire in Early Modern Europe (1560–1815)

Charles believed it was very important to assimilate the new Swedish territories of Scania, Blekinge, Halland, in southern Sweden; Bohuslän in western Sweden and Jämtland, in northern Sweden, and the island of Gotland. Some assimilation policies included: the ban of all books written in Danish or Norwegian, thus breaking the promise made at the Treaty of Roskilde; the use of Swedish language in the conduct of sermons; and all new priests and teachers having to come from Sweden.[40][41]

The king had seen bitter resentment from the Scanian peasants during the Scanian War and was particularly tough on that province. The guerrilla Snapphane movement, in northern Scania, had attacked his soldiers and stolen his money. They also had strong support from the local villages. Charles remained suspicious of the Scanian inhabitants throughout his life. He did not allow soldiers from Scania in his Scanian regiment: the 1,200 soldiers that were to be stationed there had to be recruited from more northern provinces. He also advocated rough treatment of the inhabitants and the first Governor-General of Scania, his trusted aide Johan Gyllenstierna (governor-general 1679–1680), was notably brutal in his treatment of the locals. The rule of Rutger von Ascheberg (governor-general 1680–1693), proved more lenient.[40][41]

The assimilation was not as strongly implemented in the German dominions of Swedish Pomerania, Bremen-Verden, and the Baltic dominions (Estonia and Livonia). In Germany, Charles found himself being opposed by the Estates there. He was also bound by the law of the German emperor and the peace treaty. In the Baltic, the power structure was completely different, with a German-descended nobility that used serfs, something that Charles abhorred and wanted to abolish but was unable to. Finally, Kexholm and Ingria were sparsely populated and not of great interest.[40][41]

Church

Charles was a devoted Lutheran Christian. In February 1686, a church law was put forth on his initiative. The church order declared that the king was ruler of the Church in the same way that he ruled the country and God ruled the world. Attending sermons on Sunday was made obligatory and ordinary people found walking during that time risked arrest. Three years later, he declared it obligatory for all commoners to learn to read a catechism written by archbishop Olov Svebilius and then-bishop Haqvin Spegel so that they would understand the "magnificence of God".[42][43]

Charles encouraged the production of a hymnal (Psalmbok) to be printed and distributed to the churches (completed 1693), and a new printed version of the Bible that was completed in 1703 and named after his successor: Charles XII Bible.[42][43]

Family matters

 
Queen Ulrika Eleonora, Charles's wife
 
Charles XI and Ulrica Eleonora of Denmark, medallion by Arvid Karlsteen, 1680, National Gallery of Art
 
Charles XI's family, 1690s
 
The death of Prince Ulric as painted by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl

On 6 May 1680, Charles married Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark (1656–1693), daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark (1609–1670). He had previously been engaged to his cousin, Juliana of Hesse-Eschwege, but the engagement was broken after a scandal. Charles and Ulrika were engaged in 1675 in an attempt to smooth over longstanding hostilities, but the Scanian War soon broke out. During the war, Ulrika Eleonora gained a reputation for loyalty to her future home country by exhibiting kindness to Swedish prisoners: she pawned her jewelry, even her engagement ring, to care for the Swedish prisoners of war. Her personal merits and continued charitable acts throughout her tenure endeared her to the Swedish people and eased some of the difficulties brought on by her Danish background.[44] In the peace negotiations between Sweden and Denmark in 1679, the marriage between her and Charles XI was on the agenda, and ratified on 26 September 1679. They married at Skottorp on 6 May 1680 in a hasty ceremony, as Charles prioritized government work over private matters, even a marriage ceremony.[citation needed]

Charles and Ulrika Eleonora were very different. He enjoyed hunting and riding, while she enjoyed reading and art, and is best remembered for her great charitable activity. She was also limited by ill-health and numerous pregnancies. Charles was very active and busy and while Charles was away inspecting his troops or pursuing his pastimes, she was often lonely and sad. The marriage itself, however, is considered a success, with the King and Queen being very fond of each other. As queen, Ulrika Eleonora had little political involvement and was placed in the shadow of her mother-in-law. During "The Great Reversion" to the crown of counties, baronies and large lordships from the nobility, Ulrika tried to speak on the behalf of the people whose property was confiscated by the crown. But the king told her that the reason he had married her was not because he wanted her political advice. Instead, she helped people whose property had been confiscated by secretly compensating them economically from her own budget. However Charles XI's confidence in her grew over time: in 1690, he named her future Regent, should his son succeed him still a minor. Instead Ulrika Eleonora predeceased him by almost four years. At the time of her death she was personally supporting 17,000 people.[45]

It is said that on his death bed, Charles XI admitted to his mother that he hadn't been happy since Ulrika Eleonora's death.[46]

The marriage produced seven children, of whom only three outlived Charles:[47]

  • Hedwig Sophia (1681–1708), duchess of Holstein-Gottorp and grandmother of Tsar Peter III;
  • Charles XII (1682–1718), who succeeded him to the throne; he had no issue
  • Gustav (1683–1685)
  • Ulric (1684–1685)
  • Frederick (1685–1685)
  • Charles Gustav (1686–1687)
  • Ulrika Eleonora ("the younger", 1688–1741), who succeeded her brother on the Swedish throne; no issue

Ulrika Eleonora (the elder) was sickly, and the many child births eventually broke her. When she became seriously ill, in 1693, Charles finally dedicated his time and care to her. Her death in July that year shook him deeply and he never fully recovered.[3][46] Her infant son Ulric (1684–1685) had been given Ulriksdal Palace, which was renamed for him (Ulric's Dale).[48]

Death

 
Charles XI lying in state, 1697.
 
Charles' coffin at Riddarholmen Church

Charles XI had complained of stomach pains since 1694. In the summer of 1696, he asked his doctors for an opinion on the pain as it had continuously become worse, but they had no viable cure or treatment for it. He continued to perform his duties as usual, but, in February 1697, the pains became too severe for him to cope and he returned to Stockholm where the doctors discovered he had a large, hard lump in his stomach. At this point there was little the doctors could do except alleviate the King's pain as best they could. Charles XI died on 5 April 1697, in his forty-first year. An autopsy showed that the King had developed cancer and that it had spread through his entire abdominal cavity.[49]

Legacy

 
Image of King Carl XI on a wall of Stockholm Palace.

Charles XI has sometimes been described in Sweden as the greatest of all the Swedish kings, except for Gustavus II Adolphus, unduly eclipsed by his father and his son.[3] In the first half of the 20th century, the view of him changed and he was regarded as dependent, uncertain, and easily influenced by others.[50] In the most recent book, Rystad's biography from 2003, the king is again characterized as a strong-willed shaper of Sweden through economic reforms and achievement of financial and military stability and strength.[51]

Charles XI was commemorated on the previous 500-kronor bill. His portrait is taken from one of Ehrenstrahl's paintings, possibly the one displayed on this page. The king is pictured on the bill since the Bank of Sweden was founded in 1668, during Charles' reign.[52]

The fortified town of Carlsburg near Bremen, at the site of modern Bremerhaven, was named after Charles XI. The Swedish town of Karlskrona, built during his reign to host the primary navy base in southern Sweden, which it remains to this day, is also named after him.[citation needed]

Charles's Church in Tallinn, Estonia, is dedicated to Charles XI.[citation needed] The recognition of his sores and corpse didn't show the incorruptibility that medieval hagiographers believed to be a sign of Christian sainthood. In 1697 the same belief caused Charles's subjects to ask if "God had put the illness inside the king...to punish the people or Charles." Two years later, the course of events that highlighted the crisis was of the absolutism itself.[53]

Ancestors

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Karl XI". Nordisk familjebok (in Swedish). Vol. 13 (2nd ed.). 1910. p. 962.
  2. ^ This article uses the Julian calendar, which was used in Sweden until 1700 (see Swedish calendar for more information). In the Gregorian calendar, Charles was born 4 December 1655 and died 15 April 1697.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Bain 1911b
  4. ^ Article Karl in Nordisk familjebok
  5. ^ Åberg (1958)
  6. ^ Granlund 2004, pp. 58–59.
  7. ^ Granlund 2004, p. 59.
  8. ^ a b Lundh-Eriksson, Nanna (1947). Hedvig Eleonora (in Swedish). Wahlström & Widstrand.
  9. ^ Rystad (2003), p.26
  10. ^ Herman Lindqvist: Historien om Sverige: Storhet och Fall (History of Sweden: Greatness and fall) (in Swedish)
  11. ^ Nationalencyclopedin, article Karl XII
  12. ^ Rystad (2003), p.23
  13. ^ Åberg (1958) gives examples: he would start with the last letter when reading words, and would spell faton instead of afton, etc.
  14. ^ Upton, Anthony F. (1998). Charles XI and Swedish Absolutism, 1660–1697. Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-521-57390-4, p. 91: "There was a widespread contemporary impression that the king was poorly qualified and ineffective in foreign affairs [...] The Danish minister, M. Scheel, reported to his king how Charles XI seemed embarrassed by questions, kept his eyes down and was taciturn [...] The French diplomat, Jean Antoine de Mesmes, comte d'Avaux, described him as 'a prince with few natural talents', so obsessed with getting money out of his subjects that he 'does not concern himself much with foreign affairs'. The Dane, Jens Juel, made a similar comment."
  15. ^ Upton, p. 91.
  16. ^ Rystad (2003) p. 37
  17. ^ Åberg (1958), pp. 63–65
  18. ^ Åberg (1959) pp. 50–53
  19. ^ Åberg, p.66
  20. ^ Åberg (1958), pp. 71–72
  21. ^ Åberg (1958), pp. 72–74
  22. ^ Åberg (1958), pp. 75–76
  23. ^ Åberg (1958), pp. 77–79
  24. ^ Rystad (2003), p. 95, estimates that 8,000–9,000 men fell out of 20,000
  25. ^ Åberg (1958) p.81
  26. ^ Rystad (2003) p.97
  27. ^ Nationalencyklopedin, article Karl XI
  28. ^ Åberg (1958), pp. 106–107
  29. ^ Rystad (2003) p.165
  30. ^ Rystad (2003), p.167
  31. ^ Rystad (2003) p.181
  32. ^ Åberg (1958), pp 93–94
  33. ^ Trager, James (1979). The People's Chronology. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. p. 256. ISBN 0-03-017811-8.
  34. ^ Lars O. Lagerqvist in Sverige och dess regenter under 1000 år ISBN 91-0-075007-7 p. 185
  35. ^ Libris listing at Swedish National Library
  36. ^ Åberg (1958), p.111
  37. ^ Åberg (1958), p.190
  38. ^ a b Åberg (1958) pp. 125–134
  39. ^ a b Rystad (2003), pp. 241–265
  40. ^ a b c Åberg (1958), pp. 135–146
  41. ^ a b c Rystad (2003) pp. 307–344
  42. ^ a b Åberg (1958), pp. 157–166
  43. ^ a b Rystad (2003) pp. 345–357
  44. ^ Nanna Lundh-Eriksson (1947). Hedvig Eleonora. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand. ISBN (Swedish)
  45. ^ Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark in CF Bricka, Danish biographical encyclopaedia (1st edition, 1904)
  46. ^ a b Rystad (2003), pp.287–289
  47. ^ "Karl XI". Nordisk familjebok (in Swedish). Vol. 13 (2nd ed.). 1910. pp. 967–968.
  48. ^ Ulf Sundberg ln Kungliga släktband ISBN 9185057487 p 137
  49. ^ Rystad (2003), pp. 368–369
  50. ^ Back-cover of Åberg (1958)
  51. ^ Back-cover of Rystad (2003)
  52. ^ (in Swedish) 500-kronorssedeln 8 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine – From Bank of Sweden official site. Accessed 2 September 2008
  53. ^ Sennefelt, Karin (22 December 2020). A Pathology of Sacral Kingship: Putrefaction in the Body of Charles XI of Sweden. Past & Present. Vol. 253. Oxford University Press. pp. 83–117. doi:10.1093/pastj/gtaa025. ISSN 1477-464X. OCLC 8620538229. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  54. ^ a b Bain 1911a.
  55. ^ a b Dahlgren, Stellan (1971). "Hedvig Eleonora". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 18. p. 512.
  56. ^ a b Kromnow, Åke (1975). "Johan Kasimir". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 20. p. 204.
  57. ^ a b Kromnow, Åke (1977). "Katarina". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 21. p. 1.
  58. ^ a b Kellenbenz, Hermann (1961), "Friedrich III.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 5, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 583–584; (full text online)
  59. ^ a b "Marie Elizabeth of Saxony (1610–1684)". Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Gale. 2002 – via Encyclopedia.com.
  60. ^ a b Press, Volker (1974), "Johann I.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 10, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 513–514; (full text online)
  61. ^ a b Wurzbach, Constantin, von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria (Herzogin zu Berg, Jülich und Cleve)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 19 – via Wikisource.
  62. ^ a b Palme, Sven Ulric (1975). "Karl IX". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 20. p. 630.
  63. ^ a b Skoglund, Lars-Olof (1987). "Maria". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 25. p. 150.
  64. ^ a b Römer, Christof (1974), "Johann Adolf", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 10, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 535–536; (full text online)
  65. ^ a b Mollerup. "Frederik II". In Bricka, Carl Frederik (ed.). Dansk Biografisk Leksikon (in Danish). Vol. 5. pp. 291–293.
  66. ^ a b Blaschke, Karlheinz (1974), "Johann Georg I.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 10, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 525–526; (full text online)
  67. ^ a b "Magdalena Sybilla (1587–1659)". Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Gale. 2002 – via Encyclopedia.com.

References

  • Åberg, Alf: Karl XI, Wahlström & Widstrand 1958 (reprinted by ScandBook, Falun 1994, ISBN 91-46-16623-8 )
  • Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911a). "Charles X., king of Sweden" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 927–929.
  • Granlund, Lis (2004). "Queen Hedwig Eleonora of Sweden: Dowager, Builder, and Collector". In Campbell Orr, Clarissa (ed.). Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the Consort. Cambridge University Press. pp. 56–76. ISBN 0-521-81422-7.
  • Lindqvist, Herman: Historien om Sverige
  • Roberts, Michael. "Charles XI" History 50:169 (1965): 160 - 192.
  • Rystad, Göran: Karl XI / En biografi, AiT Falun AB 2001. ISBN 91-89442-27-X
  • Upton, Anthony F. Charles XI and Swedish Absolutism, 1660–1697. Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-521-57390-4.

Attribution

Further reading

  • Åberg, A., "The Swedish army from Lützen to Narva", in Michael Roberts (ed.), Sweden's Age of Greatness, 1632–1718 (1973).

External links

  •   Media related to Charles XI of Sweden at Wikimedia Commons
  • "Charles XI." . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
  • Charles XI of Sweden at DigitaltMuseum  
Charles XI of Sweden
Cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach
Born: 24 November 1655 Died: 5 April 1697
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Sweden
Duke of Bremen and Verden

1660–1697
Succeeded by
Preceded by Duke of Palatinate-Zweibrücken
1681–1697

charles, sweden, charles, carl, swedish, karl, december, november, 1655, april, april, 1697, king, sweden, from, 1660, until, death, period, swedish, history, known, swedish, empire, 1611, 1721, charles, xiportrait, david, klöcker, ehrenstrahl, 1689king, swede. Charles XI or Carl Swedish Karl XI 4 December O S 24 November 1655 15 April O S 5 April 1697 2 was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death in a period of Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire 1611 1721 Charles XIPortrait by David Klocker Ehrenstrahl 1689King of SwedenReign13 February 1660 1 5 April 1697Coronation28 September 1675PredecessorCharles X GustavSuccessorCharles XIIRegentHedwig Eleonora of Holstein Gottorp 1660 1672 Born24 November 1655Tre Kronor SwedenDied5 April 1697 1697 04 05 aged 41 Tre Kronor SwedenBurial24 November 1697Riddarholmen Church StockholmSpouseUlrika Eleonora of Denmark m 1680 died 1693 wbr IssueHedvig Sophia Duchess of Holstein GottorpCharles XIIUlrika Eleonora Queen of SwedenHousePalatinate ZweibruckenFatherCharles X King of SwedenMotherHedwig Eleonora of Holstein GottorpReligionLutheranSignatureHe was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein Gottorp His father died when he was four years old so Charles was educated by his governors until his coronation at the age of seventeen Soon afterward he was forced out on military expeditions to secure the recently acquired dominions from Danish troops in the Scanian War Having successfully fought off the Danes he returned to Stockholm and engaged in correcting the country s neglected political financial and economic situation He managed to sustain peace during the remaining 20 years of his reign Changes in finance commerce national maritime and land armaments judicial procedure church government and education emerged during this period 3 Charles XI was succeeded by his only son Charles XII who made use of the well trained army in battles throughout Europe The fact that Charles was crowned as Charles XI does not mean that he was the 11th king of Sweden who had the name Charles His father s name as the 10th was due to his great grandfather King Charles IX of Sweden 1604 1611 having adopted his own numeral by using a mythological History of Sweden That ancestor was actually the third King Charles 4 The numbering tradition thus begun still continues with the present king of Sweden being Carl XVI Gustaf Contents 1 Under guardian rule 2 Scanian War 3 Post war actions 3 1 Financial restoration 3 2 Greycoat 3 3 Absolutism 3 4 Military restructuring 3 5 Assimilation of the newest territories 3 6 Church 4 Family matters 5 Death 6 Legacy 7 Ancestors 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 10 1 Attribution 11 Further reading 12 External linksUnder guardian rule Edit Charles at the age of five dressed as a Roman emperor Painting by Ehrenstrahl Miniature of Charles XI Pierre Signac circa 1662 Charles was born in the Stockholm Palace Tre Kronor in November 1655 His father Charles X of Sweden had left Sweden in July that year to fight in the war against Poland After several years of warfare the king returned in the winter of 1659 gathered his family and the Riksdag of the Estates in Gothenburg Here he beheld his four year old son for the first time Only a few weeks later in mid January 1660 the king fell ill one month later he wrote his last will and died 5 Charles X Gustav s will and testament left the administration of the Swedish Empire during Charles XI s minority to a regency led by Queen Dowager Hedwig Eleonora as both formal regent and chair of a six member Regency Council with two votes and a final say over the rest of the council 6 Per Brahe was one member of the council 7 In addition Charles X Gustav left command of the army and a seat on the council to his younger brother Adolph John I Count Palatine of Kleeburg 8 These provisions among others led to the remainder of the council immediately challenging the will On 14 February the day after King Charles X s death Hedwig Eleonora sent a message to the council stating that she knew that they contested the will and that she demanded that it should be respected The council answered that the will must first be discussed with the parliament and at the following council in Stockholm on 13 May the council tried to keep her from attending The parliament questioned whether it would be good for her health or suitable for a widow to attend council and that if not it would be hard to keep sending a messenger to her quarters Her reply that the council would be allowed to meet without her and only inform her when they considered it necessary was met with satisfaction from the council Hedwig Eleonora s ostensible indifference to politics came as a great relief to the lords of the guardian government 8 His mother Queen Hedvig Eleonora remained the formal regent until Charles XI attained his majority on 18 December 1672 but she was careful not to embroil herself in political conflicts 9 During his first appearances in parliament Charles spoke to the government through her He would whisper the questions he had in her ear and she would ask them aloud and clearly for him 10 As an adolescent Charles devoted himself to sports exercise and his favourite pastime of bear hunting He appeared ignorant of the very rudiments of statecraft and almost illiterate His main difficulties are now seen as evident signs of dyslexia a disability that was poorly understood at the time 11 12 13 According to many contemporary sources the king was considered poorly educated and therefore not qualified to conduct himself effectively in foreign affairs 14 Charles was dependent on his mother and advisors to interact with the foreign envoys since he had no foreign language skills apart from German and was ignorant of the world outside Sweden 15 Italian writer Lorenzo Magalotti visited Stockholm in 1674 and described the teenage Charles XI as virtually afraid of everything uneasy to talk to foreigners and not daring to look anyone in the face Another trait was a deep religious devotion he was God fearing frequently prayed kneeling and attended sermons Magalotti otherwise described the king s main pursuits as hunting the upcoming war and jokes 16 17 Scanian War EditMain article Scanian War Charles XI at the Battle of Lund in 1676 Painting by David Klocker Ehrenstrahl in 1682 The situation in Europe was shaky during this time and Sweden was going through financial problems Charles XI s guardians decided to negotiate an alliance with France in 1671 This would ensure that Sweden would not be isolated if there was a war and that the national finances would improve thanks to French subsidies 18 France directed its aggression against the Dutch in 1672 and by the spring of 1674 Sweden was forced to take part by directing forces towards Brandenburg under the lead of Karl Gustav Wrangel 19 Denmark was an ally of the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire and it was evident that Sweden was on the verge of yet another war with that country A remedy was attempted by chancellor Nils Brahe who traveled to Copenhagen in the spring of 1675 to try to get the Danish princess Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark engaged to the Swedish king In mid June 1675 the engagement was officially proclaimed However when news arrived of the Swedish defeat at the Battle of Fehrbellin Danish king Christian V declared war on Sweden that September 20 The Swedish Privy Council continued its internal feuds and the king was forced to rule without them 21 The 20 year old king was inexperienced and considered ill served amidst what has been called the anarchy in the nation He dedicated autumn in his newly formed camp in Scania to arm the Swedish nation for battle in the Scanian War The Swedish soldiers in Scania were outnumbered and out equipped by the Danes In May 1676 they invaded Scania taking Landskrona and Helsingborg then proceeding through Bohuslan towards Halmstad The King had to grow up quickly He suddenly found himself alone and under great pressure 3 22 Victory at the Battle of Halmstad 17 August 1676 when Charles and his commander in chief Simon Grundel Helmfelt defeated a Danish division was the king s first glimmer of good luck Charles continued south through Scania arriving on the tableland of the flooded Kavlinge River near Lund on 11 November The Danish army commanded by Christian V was positioned on the other side It was impossible to cross the river and Charles had to wait for weeks until it froze over This finally happened on 4 December and Charles launched a surprise attack on the Danish forces to fight the Battle of Lund 3 This was one of the bloodiest engagements of its time Of the over 20 000 combatants about 8 000 perished on the battlefield 3 23 24 All the Swedish commanders showed ability but the chief glory of the day was attributed to Charles XI and his fighting spirit The battle proved to be a decisive one for the rule of the Scanian lands and it has been described as the most significant event for Charles personality Charles commemorated this date the rest of his life 25 26 In the following year 13 000 men led by Charles routed 12 000 Danes at the Battle of Landskrona This proved to be the last pitched battle of the war since in September 1678 Christian V evacuated his army back to Zealand In 1679 Louis XIV of France dictated the terms of a general pacification and Charles XI who is said to have bitterly resented the insufferable tutelage of the French king was forced at last to acquiesce to a peace that managed to leave his empire practically intact 3 Peace was made with Denmark in the treaties of Fontainebleau 1679 and Lund and with Brandenburg in the Treaty of Saint Germain en Laye 1679 citation needed Post war actions Edit Equestrian portrait of Charles XI Charles devoted the rest of his life to avoiding further warfare by gaining larger independence in foreign affairs while he also promoted economic stabilization and a reorganization of the military His remaining 20 years on the throne were the longest peacetime of the Swedish Empire 1611 1718 27 In the early years he was assisted by the man who had become his trusted prime minister Johan Goransson Gyllenstierna 1635 1680 Some sources say the king was basically dependent on Gyllenstierna 28 His sudden death in 1680 opened up the road to the monarch and many men tried to get close to the king to take Gyllenstierna s place 29 Financial restoration Edit Lacko Castle one of many mansions reclaimed by the Crown Engraving by Willem Swidde from circa 1700 in Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna Sweden s weak economy had suffered during the war and was now in a deep crisis Charles assembled the Riksdag of the Estates in October 1680 The assembly has been described as one of the most important held by the Riksdag of the Estates 30 Here the king finally pushed through the reduction ordeal something that had been discussed in the Riksdag since 1650 It meant that any land or object previously owned by the crown and lent or given away including counties baronies and lordships could be recovered It affected many prominent members of the nobility some of whom were ruined by it One of them was the former guardian and Lord Chief Justice Magnus De La Gardie who among many other Estates had to return the extravagant 248 room Lacko Castle 31 The reduction process involved the examination of every title deed in the kingdom including the dominions and it resulted in a complete readjustment of the nation s finances 3 32 33 Greycoat Edit According to Swedish legend Charles XI travelled around the country dressed as a farmer or simple traveller In the legend he is referred to as the Greycoat Swedish Grakappan 34 This was done to discover and identify corruption and oppression against the populace There are many stories about him arriving in villages looking for corrupt church officials and punishing them One anecdote tells of him visiting one village with a church in splendid condition and the priest living in poverty Continuing the King found in the next village a church in disrepair and a priest living lavishly The King solved the situation by switching the priests giving the poor priest the lavish living condition and a church the King was certain he would rebuild Always followed by a military cortege Charles toured the country more than other Swedish kings during this era and was famous for the speed at which he travelled setting many records The stories of the Greycoat were published in a book by Arvid August Afzelius in the middle of the 19th century 35 Absolutism Edit Portrait in Samuel von Pufendorf De rebus a Carolo Gustavo 1696 Another important decision made during the assembly was that of the Swedish Privy Council Since 1634 it had been mandatory for the king to take advice from the council During the Scanian War the members of the council were engaged in internal feuds and the king more or less ruled without listening to their advice At the 1680 assembly he asked the Estates whether he was still bound to the council to which the Estates responded with his desired reply he was not bound by anyone other than himself envalde and thereby the absolute monarchy was formally established in Sweden 36 The Riksdag of the Estates confirmed his power in 1693 by officially proclaiming that the king was the sole ruler of Sweden 37 Military restructuring Edit In the 1682 assembly of the Riksdag of the Estates the king put forth his suggestion for military reform whereby each of the lands of Sweden were to have 1 200 soldiers at the ready at all times and two farms were to provide accommodations for one soldier His soldiers were known as Caroleans trained to be skilled and preferring to attack rather than defend Savagery and looting were strictly forbidden Soldier huts around the country were the most visible part of the new Swedish allotment system However Charles also modernized the military techniques and worked to improve the skills and knowledge of the officers by sending them abroad to study 38 39 The Swedish navy suffered major defeats against Danish Dutch forces in the Scanian War revealing deficiencies in organization and supply and disadvantages in basing the fleet at Stockholm The navy was bolstered with the founding of a base at Karlskrona in 1680 which became the mainstay of future naval operations Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site 38 39 Assimilation of the newest territories Edit Development of the Swedish Empire in Early Modern Europe 1560 1815 Further information Uniformity policy Charles believed it was very important to assimilate the new Swedish territories of Scania Blekinge Halland in southern Sweden Bohuslan in western Sweden and Jamtland in northern Sweden and the island of Gotland Some assimilation policies included the ban of all books written in Danish or Norwegian thus breaking the promise made at the Treaty of Roskilde the use of Swedish language in the conduct of sermons and all new priests and teachers having to come from Sweden 40 41 The king had seen bitter resentment from the Scanian peasants during the Scanian War and was particularly tough on that province The guerrilla Snapphane movement in northern Scania had attacked his soldiers and stolen his money They also had strong support from the local villages Charles remained suspicious of the Scanian inhabitants throughout his life He did not allow soldiers from Scania in his Scanian regiment the 1 200 soldiers that were to be stationed there had to be recruited from more northern provinces He also advocated rough treatment of the inhabitants and the first Governor General of Scania his trusted aide Johan Gyllenstierna governor general 1679 1680 was notably brutal in his treatment of the locals The rule of Rutger von Ascheberg governor general 1680 1693 proved more lenient 40 41 The assimilation was not as strongly implemented in the German dominions of Swedish Pomerania Bremen Verden and the Baltic dominions Estonia and Livonia In Germany Charles found himself being opposed by the Estates there He was also bound by the law of the German emperor and the peace treaty In the Baltic the power structure was completely different with a German descended nobility that used serfs something that Charles abhorred and wanted to abolish but was unable to Finally Kexholm and Ingria were sparsely populated and not of great interest 40 41 Church Edit Charles was a devoted Lutheran Christian In February 1686 a church law was put forth on his initiative The church order declared that the king was ruler of the Church in the same way that he ruled the country and God ruled the world Attending sermons on Sunday was made obligatory and ordinary people found walking during that time risked arrest Three years later he declared it obligatory for all commoners to learn to read a catechism written by archbishop Olov Svebilius and then bishop Haqvin Spegel so that they would understand the magnificence of God 42 43 Charles encouraged the production of a hymnal Psalmbok to be printed and distributed to the churches completed 1693 and a new printed version of the Bible that was completed in 1703 and named after his successor Charles XII Bible 42 43 Family matters Edit Queen Ulrika Eleonora Charles s wife Charles XI and Ulrica Eleonora of Denmark medallion by Arvid Karlsteen 1680 National Gallery of Art Charles XI s family 1690s The death of Prince Ulric as painted by David Klocker Ehrenstrahl On 6 May 1680 Charles married Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark 1656 1693 daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark 1609 1670 He had previously been engaged to his cousin Juliana of Hesse Eschwege but the engagement was broken after a scandal Charles and Ulrika were engaged in 1675 in an attempt to smooth over longstanding hostilities but the Scanian War soon broke out During the war Ulrika Eleonora gained a reputation for loyalty to her future home country by exhibiting kindness to Swedish prisoners she pawned her jewelry even her engagement ring to care for the Swedish prisoners of war Her personal merits and continued charitable acts throughout her tenure endeared her to the Swedish people and eased some of the difficulties brought on by her Danish background 44 In the peace negotiations between Sweden and Denmark in 1679 the marriage between her and Charles XI was on the agenda and ratified on 26 September 1679 They married at Skottorp on 6 May 1680 in a hasty ceremony as Charles prioritized government work over private matters even a marriage ceremony citation needed Charles and Ulrika Eleonora were very different He enjoyed hunting and riding while she enjoyed reading and art and is best remembered for her great charitable activity She was also limited by ill health and numerous pregnancies Charles was very active and busy and while Charles was away inspecting his troops or pursuing his pastimes she was often lonely and sad The marriage itself however is considered a success with the King and Queen being very fond of each other As queen Ulrika Eleonora had little political involvement and was placed in the shadow of her mother in law During The Great Reversion to the crown of counties baronies and large lordships from the nobility Ulrika tried to speak on the behalf of the people whose property was confiscated by the crown But the king told her that the reason he had married her was not because he wanted her political advice Instead she helped people whose property had been confiscated by secretly compensating them economically from her own budget However Charles XI s confidence in her grew over time in 1690 he named her future Regent should his son succeed him still a minor Instead Ulrika Eleonora predeceased him by almost four years At the time of her death she was personally supporting 17 000 people 45 It is said that on his death bed Charles XI admitted to his mother that he hadn t been happy since Ulrika Eleonora s death 46 The marriage produced seven children of whom only three outlived Charles 47 Hedwig Sophia 1681 1708 duchess of Holstein Gottorp and grandmother of Tsar Peter III Charles XII 1682 1718 who succeeded him to the throne he had no issue Gustav 1683 1685 Ulric 1684 1685 Frederick 1685 1685 Charles Gustav 1686 1687 Ulrika Eleonora the younger 1688 1741 who succeeded her brother on the Swedish throne no issueUlrika Eleonora the elder was sickly and the many child births eventually broke her When she became seriously ill in 1693 Charles finally dedicated his time and care to her Her death in July that year shook him deeply and he never fully recovered 3 46 Her infant son Ulric 1684 1685 had been given Ulriksdal Palace which was renamed for him Ulric s Dale 48 Death Edit Charles XI lying in state 1697 Charles coffin at Riddarholmen Church Charles XI had complained of stomach pains since 1694 In the summer of 1696 he asked his doctors for an opinion on the pain as it had continuously become worse but they had no viable cure or treatment for it He continued to perform his duties as usual but in February 1697 the pains became too severe for him to cope and he returned to Stockholm where the doctors discovered he had a large hard lump in his stomach At this point there was little the doctors could do except alleviate the King s pain as best they could Charles XI died on 5 April 1697 in his forty first year An autopsy showed that the King had developed cancer and that it had spread through his entire abdominal cavity 49 Legacy Edit Image of King Carl XI on a wall of Stockholm Palace Charles XI has sometimes been described in Sweden as the greatest of all the Swedish kings except for Gustavus II Adolphus unduly eclipsed by his father and his son 3 In the first half of the 20th century the view of him changed and he was regarded as dependent uncertain and easily influenced by others 50 In the most recent book Rystad s biography from 2003 the king is again characterized as a strong willed shaper of Sweden through economic reforms and achievement of financial and military stability and strength 51 Charles XI was commemorated on the previous 500 kronor bill His portrait is taken from one of Ehrenstrahl s paintings possibly the one displayed on this page The king is pictured on the bill since the Bank of Sweden was founded in 1668 during Charles reign 52 The fortified town of Carlsburg near Bremen at the site of modern Bremerhaven was named after Charles XI The Swedish town of Karlskrona built during his reign to host the primary navy base in southern Sweden which it remains to this day is also named after him citation needed Charles s Church in Tallinn Estonia is dedicated to Charles XI citation needed The recognition of his sores and corpse didn t show the incorruptibility that medieval hagiographers believed to be a sign of Christian sainthood In 1697 the same belief caused Charles s subjects to ask if God had put the illness inside the king to punish the people or Charles Two years later the course of events that highlighted the crisis was of the absolutism itself 53 Ancestors EditAncestors of Charles XI of Sweden16 Wolfgang Count Palatine of Zweibrucken 60 8 John I Count Palatine of Zweibrucken 56 17 Anna of Hesse 60 4 John Casimir Count Palatine of Kleeburg 54 18 William Duke of Julich Cleves Berg 61 9 Magdalene of Julich Cleves Berg 56 19 Maria of Austria 61 2 Charles X Gustav of Sweden20 Gustav I of Sweden 62 10 Charles IX of Sweden 57 21 Margaret Leijonhufvud 62 5 Catharina of Sweden 54 22 Louis VI Elector Palatine 63 11 Maria of the Palatinate Simmern 57 23 Elisabeth of Hesse 63 1 Charles XI of Sweden24 Adolf Duke of Holstein Gottorp 64 12 John Adolf Duke of Holstein Gottorp 58 25 Christine of Hesse 64 6 Frederick III Duke of Holstein Gottorp 55 26 Frederick II of Denmark 65 13 Augusta of Denmark 58 27 Sophie of Mecklenburg Gustrow 65 3 Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein Gottorp28 Christian I Elector of Saxony 66 14 John George I Elector of Saxony 59 29 Sophie of Brandenburg 66 7 Marie Elisabeth of Saxony 55 30 Albert Frederick Duke of Prussia 67 15 Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia 59 31 Marie Eleonore of Cleves 67 See also EditCarlsten Caroleans Swedish EmpireNotes Edit Karl XI Nordisk familjebok in Swedish Vol 13 2nd ed 1910 p 962 This article uses the Julian calendar which was used in Sweden until 1700 see Swedish calendar for more information In the Gregorian calendar Charles was born 4 December 1655 and died 15 April 1697 a b c d e f g h Bain 1911b Article Karl in Nordisk familjebok Aberg 1958 Granlund 2004 pp 58 59 Granlund 2004 p 59 a b Lundh Eriksson Nanna 1947 Hedvig Eleonora in Swedish Wahlstrom amp Widstrand Rystad 2003 p 26 Herman Lindqvist Historien om Sverige Storhet och Fall History of Sweden Greatness and fall in Swedish Nationalencyclopedin article Karl XII Rystad 2003 p 23 Aberg 1958 gives examples he would start with the last letter when reading words and would spell faton instead of afton etc Upton Anthony F 1998 Charles XI and Swedish Absolutism 1660 1697 Cambridge University Press 1998 ISBN 0 521 57390 4 p 91 There was a widespread contemporary impression that the king was poorly qualified and ineffective in foreign affairs The Danish minister M Scheel reported to his king how Charles XI seemed embarrassed by questions kept his eyes down and was taciturn The French diplomat Jean Antoine de Mesmes comte d Avaux described him as a prince with few natural talents so obsessed with getting money out of his subjects that he does not concern himself much with foreign affairs The Dane Jens Juel made a similar comment Upton p 91 Rystad 2003 p 37 Aberg 1958 pp 63 65 Aberg 1959 pp 50 53 Aberg p 66 Aberg 1958 pp 71 72 Aberg 1958 pp 72 74 Aberg 1958 pp 75 76 Aberg 1958 pp 77 79 Rystad 2003 p 95 estimates that 8 000 9 000 men fell out of 20 000 Aberg 1958 p 81 Rystad 2003 p 97 Nationalencyklopedin article Karl XI Aberg 1958 pp 106 107 Rystad 2003 p 165 Rystad 2003 p 167 Rystad 2003 p 181 Aberg 1958 pp 93 94 Trager James 1979 The People s Chronology New York Holt Rinehart amp Winston p 256 ISBN 0 03 017811 8 Lars O Lagerqvist in Sverige och dess regenter under 1000 ar ISBN 91 0 075007 7 p 185 Libris listing at Swedish National Library Aberg 1958 p 111 Aberg 1958 p 190 a b Aberg 1958 pp 125 134 a b Rystad 2003 pp 241 265 a b c Aberg 1958 pp 135 146 a b c Rystad 2003 pp 307 344 a b Aberg 1958 pp 157 166 a b Rystad 2003 pp 345 357 Nanna Lundh Eriksson 1947 Hedvig Eleonora Stockholm Wahlstrom amp Widstrand ISBN Swedish Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark in CF Bricka Danish biographical encyclopaedia 1st edition 1904 a b Rystad 2003 pp 287 289 Karl XI Nordisk familjebok in Swedish Vol 13 2nd ed 1910 pp 967 968 Ulf Sundberg ln Kungliga slaktband ISBN 9185057487 p 137 Rystad 2003 pp 368 369 Back cover of Aberg 1958 Back cover of Rystad 2003 in Swedish 500 kronorssedeln Archived 8 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine From Bank of Sweden official site Accessed 2 September 2008 Sennefelt Karin 22 December 2020 A Pathology of Sacral Kingship Putrefaction in the Body of Charles XI of Sweden Past amp Present Vol 253 Oxford University Press pp 83 117 doi 10 1093 pastj gtaa025 ISSN 1477 464X OCLC 8620538229 Archived from the original on 26 December 2020 Retrieved 15 May 2021 a b Bain 1911a a b Dahlgren Stellan 1971 Hedvig Eleonora Svenskt biografiskt lexikon in Swedish Vol 18 p 512 a b Kromnow Ake 1975 Johan Kasimir Svenskt biografiskt lexikon in Swedish Vol 20 p 204 a b Kromnow Ake 1977 Katarina Svenskt biografiskt lexikon in Swedish Vol 21 p 1 a b Kellenbenz Hermann 1961 Friedrich III Neue Deutsche Biographie in German vol 5 Berlin Duncker amp Humblot pp 583 584 full text online a b Marie Elizabeth of Saxony 1610 1684 Women in World History A Biographical Encyclopedia Gale 2002 via Encyclopedia com a b Press Volker 1974 Johann I Neue Deutsche Biographie in German vol 10 Berlin Duncker amp Humblot pp 513 514 full text online a b Wurzbach Constantin von ed 1861 Habsburg Maria Herzogin zu Berg Julich und Cleve Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire in German Vol 7 p 19 via Wikisource a b Palme Sven Ulric 1975 Karl IX Svenskt biografiskt lexikon in Swedish Vol 20 p 630 a b Skoglund Lars Olof 1987 Maria Svenskt biografiskt lexikon in Swedish Vol 25 p 150 a b Romer Christof 1974 Johann Adolf Neue Deutsche Biographie in German vol 10 Berlin Duncker amp Humblot pp 535 536 full text online a b Mollerup Frederik II In Bricka Carl Frederik ed Dansk Biografisk Leksikon in Danish Vol 5 pp 291 293 a b Blaschke Karlheinz 1974 Johann Georg I Neue Deutsche Biographie in German vol 10 Berlin Duncker amp Humblot pp 525 526 full text online a b Magdalena Sybilla 1587 1659 Women in World History A Biographical Encyclopedia Gale 2002 via Encyclopedia com References EditAberg Alf Karl XI Wahlstrom amp Widstrand 1958 reprinted by ScandBook Falun 1994 ISBN 91 46 16623 8 Bain Robert Nisbet 1911a Charles X king of Sweden In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 5 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 927 929 Granlund Lis 2004 Queen Hedwig Eleonora of Sweden Dowager Builder and Collector In Campbell Orr Clarissa ed Queenship in Europe 1660 1815 The Role of the Consort Cambridge University Press pp 56 76 ISBN 0 521 81422 7 Lindqvist Herman Historien om Sverige Roberts Michael Charles XI History 50 169 1965 160 192 Rystad Goran Karl XI En biografi AiT Falun AB 2001 ISBN 91 89442 27 X Upton Anthony F Charles XI and Swedish Absolutism 1660 1697 Cambridge University Press 1998 ISBN 0 521 57390 4 Attribution Edit This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Bain Robert Nisbet 1911b Charles XI In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 5 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 929 Further reading EditAberg A The Swedish army from Lutzen to Narva in Michael Roberts ed Sweden s Age of Greatness 1632 1718 1973 External links Edit Media related to Charles XI of Sweden at Wikimedia Commons Charles XI New International Encyclopedia 1905 Charles XI of Sweden at DigitaltMuseum Charles XI of SwedenHouse of Palatinate ZweibruckenCadet branch of the House of WittelsbachBorn 24 November 1655 Died 5 April 1697Regnal titlesPreceded byCharles X Gustav King of SwedenDuke of Bremen and Verden1660 1697 Succeeded byCharles XIIPreceded byFrederick Louis Duke of Palatinate Zweibrucken1681 1697 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Charles XI of Sweden amp oldid 1157990684, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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