CHARLES XII

born June 17, 1682, Stockholm died Nov. 30, 1718, Fredrikshald, Nor. king of Sweden (16971718), 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 (170709), resulting in the complete collapse of the Swedish armies and the loss of Sweden's status as a great power. He was, however, also a ruler of the early Enlightenment era, promoting domestic reforms of significance. Additional reading R.M. Hatton, Charles XII of Sweden (1968), offers a one-volume modern study of the King as a person and as a ruler. Of the review articles on this biography, the following may be mentioned since they add specifically to the historical argument: J.H. Plumb in The New York Times Review of Books (June 22, 1969); and Michael Roberts in the English Historical Review, 84:796801 (1969). A three-volume German work by Otto Haintz, Knig Karl XII. von Schweden (1958, with reprints of vol. 1 and 2 originally published in 1935 and 1951), concentrates on the military history of the reign. A briefer book, The Life of Charles XII (U.S. title, The Sword Does Not Jest, 1960), consists of an abbreviated version of the Swedish two-volume, beautifully written, but historically less valuable study by Frans G. Bengtsson, Karl XII:s levnad (193536).