This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1895 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XII. SWEDEN AND EUROPE, FROM THE BATTLE OF GADEBUSCH TO THE FALL OF STRALSUND. 1712-1715. Necessity for Sweden to surrender something--Obstinacy of Charles --Rejects the mediation of England--And the offer of the alliance of Prussia--Movements of Stenbock after Gadebusch-- The burning of Altona--Surrender of the Swedes at Tonning-- Last sufferings and death of Stenbock--Desperate position of Sweden--Finland lost--Stettin occupied--Charles refuses the mediation of Louis XIV.--Despair of the Swedish Senate--A Riksdag summoned--Condition of the finances--Dissatisfaction of the Estates--Their revolutionary projects--Ambiguous conduct of the Princess Ulrica--Energetic intervention of Chancellor Horn--Return of Charles XII.--Enthusiasm in Sweden-- Fresh complications--Prussia and Hanover declare war against Charles--The siege of Stralsund--Engagement of Stresow-- Fruitless heroism of the King--Fall of Stralsund. I[IE battle of Gadebusch materially improved the position of Sweden, at least for a time, and indeed during the whole course of 1712 she had several opportunities of coming to terms with her numerous foes on relatively favourable conditions, considering her really desperate position. But by this time it had become evident to her wisest and most patriotic statesmen that something must be sacrificed. After a century of almost unbroken triumphs and conquests, Sweden found herself face to face with the painful necessity of surrendering part of her dominions in order to save the rest. She had to choose between an indispensable peace that could only be purchased by a cession of territory, and a ruinous war with the prospect of still greater losses. It was manifestly impossible that she could stand much longer against a European...

Charles XII and the Collapse of the Swedish Empire is a history of the famous Swedish monarch and the Great Northern War.

Excerpt from Charles XII and the Collapse of the Swedish Empire, 1682-1719 Now nwd for the first time. So far as I nu aware this document is quite unknown to Swedish historians. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Between the years 1560 and 1721, the Swedes endeavored to turn the Baltic Sea into a Swedish lake. Generations of young men perished in a seemingly endless series of wars. How was it possible for an insignificant country on the outskirts of Europe, with small cities and a scant population, to develop into a great power? Convinced that God was on their side, the army marched across the ice of a frozen sea to take the enemy by surprise. They challenged continental Europe’s greatest generals on the battlefield. In the end, the enemy’s superior numbers proved too great, and over one hundred years of empire building culminated in a long, desperate final battle.