Karl XII had failed to get the Ottomans to ally with Sweden in the Great Northern War, but that didn’t mean he was willing to throw in the towel. As soon as he returned home, he decided to go back to fighting. This time, he had his sights on Sweden’s traditional enemy–Denmark.
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104 Long-Distance Rule
After the disaster at Poltava, the Swedish empire started to unravel. But instead of hurrying home to try and save what he could, Karl XII spent years in the Ottoman Empire. He wasn’t enjoying an extended vacation in southern climes, though. He was trying to convince the sultan to attack Russia, thereby easing the pressure on Sweden.
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103 The Final Boss
After defeating Denmark and Poland, Karl XII only needed to crush the Russians in order to declare victory in the Great Northern War. So as soon as he was done with his side quest in Saxony, he marched on Moscow to face the Final Boss, Peter the Great.
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102 The Great Northern War
In the year 1700, Sweden was ruled by an autocratic teenager with impulse control issues. That could have been bad enough, but then Denmark, Poland and Russia declared war and attacked simultaneously. Karl XII was going to have to shape up, and fast, if he wanted to remain king of anything at all in the years to come.
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101 Empire
After the Scania War, Karl XI realized that Sweden was too weak to defend its northern European empire. To change this, he pushed through three important reforms that radically changed the Swedish army, economy and system of government. But would it be enough? And would the reforms survive the death of the king?
A chronological journey through the history of Scandinavia from the last ice age to the dawn of the space age. Geographically, we cover the five modern Nordic countries of Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Finland—as well as a few other bits and pieces here and there where it‘s relevant.
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