Karl 12 Swedish king brief biography. Stories from Swedish history: Karl XII

Karl 12 (November 17 (27) of June 1682 - Death on November 30 (December 11) 1718) Swedish king (1697) and commander, participant in the North and Combasive Wars against Russia. Smashed under Poltava (1709).

Karl 12 was perhaps one of the most extraordinary personalities of his era. In his life, it is difficult to find ordinary affairs and events - all the feelings, views and actions of the monarch caused genuine admiration, surprise, and sometimes plunged into the shock of friends and enemies. About the king said that he was not afraid of anything and had no weakness, and his virtues brought to such an excess that they often bordered with vices. In fact, the hardness of the commander in most cases moved into stubbornness, justice - in tyranny, and generosity - in incredible waste.

Childhood, young years

Swedish king Karl 12 was born in 1682 in Stockholm. The marriage of his father is the Swedish king of Charles 11 and Mother - Danish Princess Ulrika Eleanora was a union of completely different in the nature of people. The despotic ruler inspired the fear of his subjects, while the queen tried in every way to alleviate their fate, often giving the unfortunate jewelry and dresses.

Without her husband's cruel appeal, she died in 1693, when the heir's son was only 11 years old. He grew strong, physically and spiritually developed, perfectly knew German and Latin. But even then began to manifest the stubborn character and unlimited temper of the Prince. To make a boy to learn something, it was necessary to hurt his pride and honor. Since childhood, the favorite hero of the future king was, the young man admired them and wanted to look like a legendary commander.

Climbing to the throne

Karl 11 died, leaving a 15-year-old son dear throne, a good army and prosperous finances. In Swedish laws, Karl 12 could immediately occupy the throne, but his father agreed before his death before the age of age - 18 years and appointed his mother's reserve - Gedwig Eleonora. It was a very ambitious person who tried to remove his grandson with all their might.

The young king is usually entertained by hunting and military look. But he increasingly and more often thought about what is already quite capable of managing the state. Once, Karl shared his considerations about this with the state adviser to Pepper, and he enthusiastically took the watership on the throne of the young ruler, seeing the excellent opportunity to make his career. A few days later, the power of the queen fell.

During the coronation, Karl 12 took the crown from the hands of the Archbishop of the Ustsalsky, when he was going to impose her on the head of the sovereign, and coronated himself. People welcomed the young king and sincerely admired them.

The first years of reign

In the first years of his reign, Karl 12 has established itself as an impatient, careless and arrogant king, which was not very interested in the affairs of the state, and in the Council he was sitting with a bored species, putting crossed legs on the table. His true nature has not yet begun to manifest himself.

In the meantime, thunderstorm clouds were gathered above the monarch's head. The coalition of four powerful powers - Denmark, Saxony, Poland and Muscovy - wanted to limit the domination of Sweden in the Baltic. 1700 - these states unleashed the Northern War against Karl 12 and his state.

Considering the current situation with threatening, many of the advisers were offered to talk to negotiations with the enemies, but the monarch rejected all their arguments and said: "Gentlemen, I decided to never lead the wrong war, but by lifting weapons, in order to punish the violators of laws, do not put it until all my enemies perish. I attack at the first who will rise against me, and, I hope, to beat him, inspire the fear of everyone else. " This militant speech struck public husbands and became a turning point in the life of the ruler.

Preparation for war

I ordered to prepare for war, Karl 12 changed dramatically: he refused all pleasures and entertainment, began to dress like a simple soldier, and also eat. In addition, he forever said goodbye to wine and women, not wanting that the latter could affect his decisions. On May 8, the monarch at the head of the army left Stockholm. Karl could not think that he would never return here ...

Before leaving, the king brought the order in the country and organized the Defense Council, which was supposed to deal with everything as regards the army.

First victories

The first victory of Karl won in Denmark. He was asked by Copenhagen and after a short time mastered it. 1700, August 28 - a peace treaty was concluded between the two states. It should be noted that the Swedish army was very strong and well organized, because she was refining a brilliant future. It reigned a strict discipline, which the young monarch tightened even more. So, while under the walls of Copenhagen, Swedish soldiers regularly paid the products that the Danish peasants delivered them, and until they were talking about peace, they did not leave the camp. Such a rigor of Charles 12 in relation to the army contributed to its numerous victories.

The next luck was waiting for the Swedes near Narva. Karl 12 was up to the extremes outraged by the behavior of Peter 1, which invaded there. The fact is that the Muscovite ambassadors have repeatedly assured the Swedish king in the indestructible world between the two powers. Karl could not understand how to violate his promises. Executed righteous anger, he entered the battle with Russian troops, having several times less than people than. "Do you doubt that with my eight thousand braves I will deal eighty thousand Moskovitov?" - angrily asked Karl 12 from one of his generals, who tried to prove the complexity of this enterprise.

War with Poland.

Karl defeated the Russian army, and it became one of his brilliant victories. No less successful actions spent in Poland and Saxony. For 1701-1706 He conquered these countries and took their capital, and in addition he achieved that the Polish king August 2 signed Altranstadt peace treaty and renounced the throne. At this place, the Swedish king put a young Stanislav Leschinsky, who made a favorable impression on him and later became a true friend.

Peter 1 well understood the threat, which is the Swedish army led by a talented and bold monarch. Therefore, he sought to conclude a peace treaty, but Karl stubbornly rejected all suggestions, saying that they would all discuss when the Swedish army enters Moscow.

He later had to regret it his act. In the meantime, Karl 12 considered himself an invulnerable chief of fate. They said that he was not taken by bullets. He himself believed in his invincibility. And for this there were a lot of grounds: dozens of battles won during the Northern War, enhancing from England and France, as well as the actions of Peter 1, dictated by fear of Swedish power.

War with Russia

So, Karl 12 decided to go war to Russia. 1708, February - he captured Grodno and waited for the onset of warm days near Minsk. The Russians have not yet taken serious rims against the Swedes, insulating their strength in small battles and destroy food, fodder - everything that the enemy army could have come in handy.

1709 - winter was to such an extent of harsh, which destroyed a significant part of the Swedish army: hunger and cold exhausted it more than Russians. 24,000 emaciated soldiers remained from the magnificent once forces. However, Karl 12 and in the current situation kept dignity and calm. At that time, he received the news from Stockholm, which reported on the death of his beloved sister, Duchess of Holstein. This heavy loss became a serious blow to the monarch, but did not break it: he did not refuse his intention to go to Moscow. There were no submits from Sweden from Sweden, and the help of the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa was weak.

Poltava campaign

At the end of May 1709, Karl besieged Poltava, in which, according to Mazepa, there was a big food supply. The latter referred to allegedly intercepted information about it. The Swedes spent a lot of time on the storming of the fortress in which nothing had happened in reality, and were surrounded by Russian troops.

On June 16, Karl 12 was injured in a heel shot from Caraborn. This wound refuted the legend of his invulnerability and led to serious consequences - the actions of the army during the Poltava Battle of the monarch managed with the overtakers of the supported stretcher.

Battle and defeat under Poltava

The battle under Poltava occurred on June 27 (July 8) of 1709. The surprise to which, as usual, was counting by Karl, did not work: the Konnien Menshikov discovered the Swedish columns that moved in the night silence. The battle ended with a complete defeat of the Swedes. It was possible to hide only Karl 12, Mazepa and several hundreds of soldiers.

Poltava defeat destroyed not only the Swedish army, but also the Swedish Great Great. It seemed that everything was lost, but Karl was not going to surrender. He ran to the Turks and met a decent reception there. But although Sultan and the crown of the king honors, expensive gifts, he was just a prisoner. The Swedish monarch attached a lot to ensure that the Ottoman port declares the war of Russia, but the Turkish government did not share the views of Karl and did not hurry to quarrel with the king.

Bendery Situation

Karl 12 lived in Bendars in luxury. As soon as he cured from the wound and was able to sit in the saddle, immediately began his usual classes: a lot went on horseback, taught the soldiers and played chess. The money he received from the ports, the monarch spent on intrigue, bribers and gifts guarding it to Yanycharam.

Karl continued to hope that he could force Turkey to fight, and did not agree to return home. With the help of his agents, it was desperately intrigued and shifted the viziers. In the end, he managed to provoke the Turks to the War with Russia. But the short war ended with the signing of a peace treaty on August 1, 1711 and did not cause Peter 1 special harm. The Swedish king was furious and reproached the Great Vizier in the signing of a global contract. In response, he strongly advised the monarch to leave Turkey and return in the end home.

Karl refused and spent a few more years in Turkey, despite the fact that the Sultan and the Government in open spoke to him about the need to return to Sweden. It seems that the port is already tired of the annoying guest and his adventure, in which the Swedish king started at every step, seeking his goal.

Return and death

1714 - Realizing the infertility of staying in Turkey, the Swedish king of Karl 12, left her limits and returned to his homeland, torn by the enemies. Because the monarch immediately began to reorganize the army and ... without deciding any other state problems, in March 1716 he went to fight with his enemies to Norway.

During the siege of the Frederixhall Fortress, when the tireless monarch personally examined the trenches, his climbing the crazy bullet. On December 11, 1718, the life of one of the great warriors and kings of Europe was broken. The throne inherited Sister Ulric Eleanor, who after some time refused him in favor of her husband.

Karl 12 - Personality in History

King Carl remained in history as the greatest conqueror and great stubborn. He was not like other monarchs, he fought not for the sake of strengthening his position, but for the sake of glory, loved to distribute the crowns. His stubbornness, reluctance to really evaluate the superiority of the enemy led to the defeat of the Swedish army and deprived Sweden the position of the leading power of Europe.

However, at the same time, King Carl has always remained an interesting person, than attracted a lot of faithful friends to his side. He never sucked victories, but did not know how long suffering from defeats. The king hid deeply in himself and rarely gave output emotions. The legends were made about his crewing and calmness in all cases of life.

Voltaire wrote: "Once, when Karl dictated a letter to the secretary to Sweden, a bomb hit the house and, having broken the roof, exploded in the next room and spawned the ceiling in sins, but the king's office did not just suffer, but even through the winding door did not fall inside any uniform Shard. When the explosion, when it seemed that the whole house was collapsed, the pen fell out of the hands of the secretary. ""What's the matter? - asked the king. - Why don't you write? " - "Sovereign, bomb!" - "But what's the bomb here, writing your letter. Continue ".

That was the Swedish king of Karl 12: fearless, clever, brave, which "as little appreciated the life of subjects, as well as his own."

A.Ziolkovskaya

Karl XII. Portrait of an craft work, 1717 year.

Karl XII (1682-1718) - King of Sweden from 1697, the commander. The invasion of Russia ended with his defeat in the Poltava battle of 1709, fled to Turkey. In 1715, returned to Sweden. Died during a campaign to Norway.

Orlov A.S., Georgiev N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 217.

Karl XII (17 (27) .vi.1682 - 30.xi (11.xii) .1718) - King from 1697, large commander. The son of Charles Xi, continued his absolutist and great-consuming policy. The main events of the life of Karl XII are associated with his participation in the Northern War of 1700-1721. At the beginning of the war, the Swedish army under the command of Charles XII won a number of major victories, forcing Denmark already in 1700 to leave the Northern Union, smashing Russian troops near Narva (November 1700) and Polish-Saxon troops; on Polish throne instead August II strong Karl Xii Stanislav Leschinsky was erected. Forced August II to unconditionally surrender Altrastadt world of 1706 , Karl XII emerged from the intervention in the war for the Spanish inheritance (which the traditional Swede was particularly actively inclined to decline. Ally - France); Speaking from Saxony, invaded Russia; "Russian campaign" (1708-1709) ended with the complete defeat of the Swedish troops on June 27, 1709 in halfava (see Poltava Battle of 1709); The wounded Karl XII fled to Turkish possessions and from Bender (fortresses on the Dniester) for several years tried in vain to organize a coordinated speech by Turkish and Swedish armies. In February 1713, after Kalabalaka, a quarrel ended with an armed battle with the Turks, Karl XII was taken by them in demotica (in Western Frace), which was completely finally in the fall of 1714. After an unsuccessful attempt to organize the defenses of Stralsund, at the end of 1715 returned to Sweden in order to create a new army and mobilizing resources to continue the warriors. In 1716, he organized the defense of Sweden from the landing of the northern union troops. Then he tried to capture Norway (belonging to Denmark); Died during the siege of Frederikhall in Western Norway from the wound received under obscure circumstances (his stubborn reluctance to mitigate the trade blockade introduced by him in 1710 in Baltika caused a strong opposition within Sweden).

In the reviews of contemporaries and in the historical literature, the personality of Charles XII, his abilities as a statesman and the commander are considered extremely contradictory. In Swedish historiography, a critical attitude towards Carlo XII (P. P. Carlson, etc.) dominated a long time. At the turn of 19-20 centuries, a fracture started by the work of H. Erena came. For the Swedish historians of this area (A. Still, K. Khalevedorf, N. Herlitz, K. Hildebrand), it is characterized by the exaggeration of "political wisdom" Charles XII, denial of herself conquering aspirations, etc. Such an assessment met the objection from E. Carlson and A . Munte. Apologetics Charles XII is characteristic of West German historians (works by O. Heinz, etc.).

T. K. Krylova. Moscow.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 7. Karakeev - Koshacher. 1965.

Karl XII, king Sweden .
King Karl, Alexander North, Karl - Iron Bax
Karl XII, Carolus Rex (Lat.), Demirbas Sarl (Turkish.)
Years of life: June 17, 1682 - November 30, 1718
Years of the Board: April 5, 1697 - November 30, 1718
Father: Karl XI
Mother: Ulric Eleanor Danish

Remembering his difficult childhood, Father Carl tried to give his son a good education and began to raise him to state affairs. Despite the fact that at the time of the death of Father Carlo was only 15 years old, he insisted that he was recognized as adult.

In 1697, when Karl became the king, Europe was on the verge of war for the Spanish legacy. A coalition of Denmark, Poland and Russia was formed against Sweden. However, it was worth Carlo to force Zund and deposit Copenhagen, as the Danes capitulated and on August 18, 1700 signed the grassland world. It should be noted that, speaking on a campaign, Karl never returned to Stockholm. All subsequent years he managed Sweden through Messengers. From under Copenhagen, Karl threw troops to the Baltic provinces against the Russian army of Peter I, precipitated Narva. Despite the four-fold numerical advantage of the Russians, on November 19, Karl won the victory over them. Refusing the persecution of Peter I, Karl moved to Poland, where he was stuck for fortune five years. Nevertheless, he managed to drive a king of Augusti II and put on the Polish throne of his stanislav Leshchinsky, but thereby he gave the time Peter I recover after Narva. That was able to repel from Sweden the Lionia and to establish on the shore of the Baltic Sea St. Petersburg, where the capital was transferred from Moscow.

In the autumn of 1707, Karl moved against Russia, hoping to unite with the Cossack hetman Mazepé and overreviming in the south of Ukraine. However, shortly before this, Mazepa was lowered by a coup, organized by Peter, and fled to Karl with small detachments. Russian troops used the tactics of "scorched land". Soon they managed to attack the conversation of the Swedish army and capture it. Carlo had to spend a heavy winter of 1708-1709., Laugh serious damage in people and horses. Finally, on July 8, 1709, a general battle was held under the deposited Swedes. The regimental talent of Charles could not compensate for the superiority of the Russians in people and cannons. The Swedes were headwood, and Karl fled to Turkey. With a retinue of several hundred, Karl is located in Bendars. The Turks initially accepted him favorably, but Karl began to push Sultan Ahmed III to the war with Russia, but the one, tired by the annoying of the Swedish king, ordered him to arrest him. On February 12, 1713, a real sideway (the so-called "Calabalak") occurred between Charles's detachment and the army of Sultan), as a result of which Karl was taken into custody and was transmitted to Adrianopol. There, for ten months, Karl lay in bed, without getting up from her, hoping that the Turks would change the decision and would attack Russia. For his annoyance, Karl received the nickname "Demirbash Charles" from the Turks, i.e. "Karl - Iron Ball".

So without having achieved, Karl fled from captivity. In a wig, with a passport for someone else's name for 16 days, he got a steep way, bypassing Prussia and Saxony, to Stralsund. The Swedish army was in a deplorable state. I could not defend the city. On December 24, 1715, the city capitulated, and soon the Sweden lost the other possessions in northern Germany.

The last years of the life of Karl held, preparing for the reflection of the attack on the part of Denmark and Russia, as well as twice attacked Norway. During one of the trips, he was killed by a crazy bullet at the siege of Fredrikstin fortress. However, the circumstances of his death are quite foggy, and rumors went for a long time that he was deliberately killed by someone from his people.

Karl XII was one of the most prominent commander in history. Avoiding alcohol and women, he felt perfectly on the battlefield and hike. According to the estimates of contemporaries, he very courageously tolerated pain and deprivation and knew how to restrain his emotions. The king led Sweden to the top of the power, ensuring the huge prestige of state power through its shiny military campaigns. However, his ambitious invasion of Russia, which was supported by the restored antiswalie coalition, brought the Sweden defeat and deprived her of the status of the Great Power.

Material from site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Karl XII. Reproduction from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Karl XII (1682-1718), Swedish king since 1697.

If they have a survey among Russian readers who, from the Kings of Sweden, they know, the answer will certainly be one - Charles XII. It `s naturally. Already in school years we learn the lines from Pushkin Pushkin "Poltava": "And before the blue ranks of their warlike friends, in the rocking chair, Real, the suffering of the wound Karl appeared ..." The image arises on the pages of numerous novels, history textbooks, dozens of historical research, popular science works dedicated to the era of Peter the Great. And it is no coincidence. The description of the pore associated with the grand activity of the converter Tsar, the events of the Northern War, the victory in which the window opened the window to Europe is impossible without mentioning the main external opponent of Russia - Swedish King Charle Xii.

He was born in Stockholm. His parents, the Swedish king of Charles XI and the Queen of Ulrica Eleanora were six children, but three younger sons died in infancy. Young Carl got a good education for those times. Father tried to raise his heir to the future autocrat and often took her son on rides around the country.

In April 1697, when Karl was not yet 15 years old, his father died suddenly. For about six months, Sweden was ruled by the State Council, but convened in November on the occasion of the coronation of the new king Rixdag - estate The country's parliament - recognized Karl XII adults. The young king himself placed his crown on his head and, unlike the former Swedish monarchs, did not bring any oath to rule according to the laws.

Karl Xi left his son a safe country, consolidating his predecessors achieved by its predecessors: 1) the economy developed at that time (Sweden was one of the leading exporters of iron); 2) a short-definitive budget, where each cost of the consumption corresponded to an income article; 3) a strong national army; 4) high level of education and literacy.

The threat to Sweden came from outside: the neighbors affected by her conquest politics dreamed of returning lost. It was on this basis that the northern league as part of the King of Dania-Norway Frederic IV, the King of Saxony and the King of Poland of August II of the Strong and Russian Tsar Peter I. In 1700, the Allies began an offensive. The Danes invaded the possession of Halstein-Gottornp - the only ally and relative of the Swedish king, the Saxons to Liflandia, and the Russian troops were besieged by Narva. Karl XII hurried to the revenue to his relative, and he managed to quickly withdraw Denmark from the war, but not so much due to his own efforts, how much help the fleet of England and Holland. Returning to Sweden, Karl XII began to think about actions against August, but then the news came about events under Narva. Having puts his army to the court, Karl sailed to Estlandia and after arriving by a forced march moved to Narva, where he had a strong defeat three times superior in the number of Russian army. The battle near Narva brought a 18-year-old king glory of the commander.

From the very beginning of the war, Karl XII has established himself a brilliant tactic and a fearless soldier, personally taking part in the battles. However, the first successes played a bad joke with the king. He seemed to have believed in his invincibility and rejected the urgent recommendations of the experienced advisors to try to end with the war with diplomatic means or at least agree with any of the opponents. The life of Karl will now forever be connected with the army, and he will never be destined to return to Stockholm.

Defeating the Russian troops near Narva, Karl XII headed with the army against August, intending to deploy it from the Polish throne. Having won a number of victories in Poland, Karl XII took advantage of the dissatisfaction of some magnates by the Saxon Kurfürst and actually made them in Warsaw to choose to elect the King of Poland Stanislav Leschinsky. To force August to agree to this, in the summer of 1706 he invaded Saxony, broke the army of August in the battle in Fraustadt and in the town of Altranshtedt imposed him the world in which he came out of the Union with Russia and refused the Polish crown. The only opponent remained - the king Peter, to which the Swedish monarch belonged to disregard.

Busy War in Poland and Saxony, Karl XII did not pay attention to the fact that there were gigantic transformations in Russia that in a couple of years after Narva, the Russian troops were able to win the eastern and southern part of the Finnish bay, where in the mouth did not-have a new capital of Russia - St. Petersburg. Karl XII reached information about popular discontent in Russia, about the riots. He managed to negotiate with the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa, and in 1708 he began a campaign on Russia. However, the expected easy walk did not work. The Swedish king met the powerful resistance and, failed to break through to Moscow, turned to the south, to Ukraine, where he expected to find the assistance of the hetman Mazepa. The Russian hike was, as is known, the biggest miscalculation of Charles XII. In the famous battle of Poltava on June 27, 1709, he was defeated and with a detachment of 1300 people fled to the Turks. The remains of his army, 15 thousand soldiers, capitulated in the surplus. Poltava reduced former victories: Denmark and Saxony resumed an alliance with Russia and again opposed Sweden. Augustus returned to his crown of Poland.

The Turks met Charla Xii as a guest and provided him with a residence at first in Bender, and then near the city - in the town of Varnitsa. They wanted to use the Swedish King stay to force Peter I to revise the conditions of the prisoner in 1700 a truce. Karl XII sought to involve Turkey in a war with Russia, and move to Poland himself. However, the king had to remain near the Turks for almost five years. Waving two countries, he nevertheless did not forget about the management of cases in Sweden and even sent instructions on the construction of a huge royal palace in Stockholm. In 1711-1712 it seemed that the plan of Charles XII was able to: Russia and Turkey were in a state of war several times, and in 1711, Peter's campaign on Prut was almost ended with a catastrophe for Russia. However, Sultan did not want to go to a serious war with Peter. Having achieved significant concessions from Russia, Turkey hurried in 1712 to conclude the world with her, to the indignation of Charles XII, who still intended with the help of Turkish and Tatar troops to invade Poland, and the attack is, according to his plan, was to support the onset of Swedish Pomerania .

In an effort to achieve a change in the external non-political course of Turkey, the king through his emissaries in Istanbul was actively engaged in intrigues and bribing Turkish dignitaries. The angry Sultan gave an order to arrest Charles XII if he refuses to leave the Turkish ownership, but in no case harm him. In February 1713, 10 thousand Turks and Tatars attacked the residence of the king, which was defended with its 50 guards. Turks managed to set fire to the house. With a sword in his hand, covered only by two Lab-Durban, the king boldly rushed to the attackers, but the forces were clearly unequal. Karl XII was wounded, captives and soon transported in the place of Dematics near Adrianopol (now Edirne). Here, formally in imprisonment, the king continued to manage Sweden, from where the alarming news began to come.

The fact is that opposition moods were fastened in Stockholm. Sweden is tired of the war, and the highest dignitaries of the country even went to the convening of Rixdag without the permission of the king. Sultan Charles XII has left the demet of sultan Karl XII, and at the end of October 1714 under the name of Peter Friesk, together with his adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel O.F. During went to Sweden. In November 1714, having committed a long journey through Bulgaria, Romania, the ownership of Habsburgs and Germany, in someone else's dress and a boring beard, the king drove into the Stralsund's gate, the center of Swedish Pomerania.

He again joined the command of the Swedish army and was full of hopes to fix the difficult position of the country. The Holstea Minister of Hertz put forward the idea of \u200b\u200bcompensation for the losses of Sweden in the Baltic States by joining the Denmark of Norway, to which there was even a preliminary consent of Peter. The Russian king, giving out one of his daughters for the Duke of Charles Friedrich Golstein Gottorpsky, began to move away from the Union with Denmark. However, without hoping for diplomacy, Karl XII still preferred a military solution to problems and from 1716 sent efforts to conquer Norway. At the same time, he managed to quarrel with England, supporting Jacobites - supporters overthrown in 1688 King Yakov II. The first trip to Norway in 1716 was not crowned with success, and Karl XII began to prepare for a new one.

It was a king soldier who lived only by the army, war, hikes. There was simply no personal life in his own sense of the word he simply. He was having fun and never even married, so he had no direct heir. In addition, the direct participation of the king in the battles threatened his life, and in the last years of the reign of Charles XII, although he was still young and full of strength, in Sweden began to think about his successor. In the country, two groups were gradually developed, one of which was supported by Karl Friedrich - a minor son who died at the war of the Holstein-Gottorpian Duke Friedrich I and sisters Charles Xii Hedwig Sofia, and the other - Friedrich Hessian, married to another sister King - Ulrik Eleonore.

In the autumn of 1718, the Swedes began a new invasion of Norway. Their army under the command of the King himself besieged the Fredrickstin fortress near the city of Fredrikhall (Hallen). On the night of November 30, Karl XII examined work on the construction of siege trenches and fortifications and unexpectedly was fought by a bullet that fell straight to the temple. Death was instantaneous.

Immediately after this event, rumors began to spread that Karl XII was not killed by chance. Possible culprits called supporters of the Hessian party and even English agents. In a huge historical literature dedicated to Karla XII, they expressed and continue to speak in favor of this or that version. In 1917, the exhumation of the remains of the king was taken. The most prominent Swedish criminologists have repeatedly conducted expertise, reconstructing his death, but their opinions were also separated, and until now, the final conclusion about what happened is not made.

The death of Karl XII led to serious change in Sweden. The top took Hessian Party. On the throne, the price of refusal of absolutism in favor of Rixdag, Ulric Eleonora rushed. Karl Friedrich was forced to leave Sweden. In 1719, a new constitution was adopted here: she secured the Vse the State Council and Rixdag, in which an overwhelming effect had an aristocracy. Next year, Ulric Eleanor has achieved election to the Swedish king of his wife, who was called Fredrik I. However, the author of the monarch now remained very little. In Sweden, the Era Freavy came on half a century. Peace treaties concluded after 1718, fastened the loss of the Sweden of a number of territories. In particular, Nesteadt peace treaty with Russia of 1721, completing the Northern War, confirmed the transition to Russia the Baltic States. Sweden lost the position of the Great Power, which was the result of the reign of Charles XII.

Yuri weather. Unsubnant Poltava Heat (Swedish and Russian army in the summer of 1709). Part I (June). 05/25/2009.

Yuri weather. Unsubnant Poltava Heat . Part II (June). The birthday of the empire. 07/18/2009.

Yuri weather. Unsubnant Poltava Heat . Part III (June-July). The last march, the last crossing. 07/21/2009

Yaroslav Ivanyuk, Yuri Weather. Commandant Poltava Colonel Kelin: Portrait on the background of war. 18.06.2009.

Works:

Briefe, HRSG. Von E. Carlson, Stockh., 1893 (on it. Yaz. in 1894).

Literature:

Engels F., Foreign Policy Rus. Tsarism,. K. Marx, F. Engels, Op., 2 ed., Vol. 22; Tarla E. V., Karl XII in 1708-09, "V", 1950, NO 6; Stylle A., Karl XII operating plans in 1707-09, "Journal. Impe-Rost. Rus. Military-East. Oba", 1910, KN. five; Carlson F. F., Geschichte Schwedens, BD 6, Gotha, 1887; Hjärne H., Karl XII. Omstörtningen I Östeuropa. 1697-1703, Stockh., 1902; Herlitz N., Från Thorn Till Altranstädt, Stockh., (1916); Stille A., Karl Xii Och Porten 1709-1714, In Sat.: Karl XII. UTG. AV. S. E. Bring, Stockh., 1918; Tengberg E., Från Poltava Till Bender, Lund, 1953; Hildebrand K. G., Till Karl Xii Uppfattningens Historia, "Historisk Tidskrift", 1954, Häfte 4, 1955, Häfte 1; Munthe A., Karl XII OCH DEN RYSKA SJÖMAKTEN, BD 1-3, stockh., 1924-27; HAINTZ O., KÖNIG KARL XII VON SCHWEDEN, BD 1-3, V., 1958; Jonasson G., Karl Xii Och Hans Rådgivare. Den UtrikeSpolitiska Maktkampen I Sverige 1697-1702, Stockh., 1960; Peters J., Die WestDeutsche Historiographie Über Die Schwedische Grossmachtzeit, ZG, 1960, JAHRG. 8, H. 5.

In 1874, the King of Sweden Oscar II arrived in Russia. He visited Petersburg, examined Hermitage, in Moscow visited the Kremlin, in the Armory Chamber, where with undisguised interest he considered trophies taken by Russian soldiers when Poltava, Karl XII stretch, his tri-antleum and glove. The conversation, naturally, could not not touch this wonderful person, and the King Oscar said that he had long been interested in the mysterious and unexpected death of Karl XII, which followed on the evening of November 30, 1718 under the walls of the Norwegian city of Frederickall. Being another heir, in 1859, Oscar, together with his father, King Sweden Carl XV, was present at the opening of the sarcophagus King Charles XII.

The sarcophagus with the coffin of Charles XII stood on the pedestal in the deepening, near the altar carefully raised a multi-loving stone cover and opened the coffin.

King Charle lying in a strongly faded, semi-prestigious camsole and bootfortes with falling out. The burial crown made from sheet gold sparkled from sheet gold due to a constant temperature and humidity body well preserved. Even hair on the temples, sometime fire-red, and skin cover on the darkened face to the olive color

But all those present unwittingly shuddered, seeing a terrible through wound in the skull, covered with a cotton swab on the right temple, the inlet was discovered, from which the black rays were diverged by deep cracks (the bullet was allowed with a small distance and had a greater killer force). Instead of the left eye there was a huge wound, where three fingers were fluent in ...

Thoroughly examined the wound, who carried out the opening, Professor Freixel gave his conclusion, and his words were immediately recorded in the Protocol: "His Majesty killed a shot in his head from a flint rifle"

This conclusion was sensational. The fact is that in all history textbooks, it was stated that the King of Karl fell, combed the core.

"But who did this tragic shot?" Karl XV asked.

"I'm afraid it is a great mystery that will not soon be able to reveal. | It is possible that the death of His Majesty is a result carefully | Prepared murder ... "

How did it happen?
In October 1718, Karl moved to the conquest of Norway. His troops approached the walls of the well-fortified fortress by Friedrich Gall, located at the mouth of the Tystrendal River, near the Danish Strait. The army was given an order to start the siege, but the soldiers who were clinted from the cold could barely dig a marsh land in trenches.

This is how the further events of Voltaire described:
"NO NOVEY (December 1, n.) On the day of St. Andrei at 9 o'clock in the evening, Karl went to inspect the trenches and, not finding the expected success in the works, seemed very dissatisfied.

MEF, the French engineer who led the works began to assure him that the fortress would be taken within eight days.

"Let's see," said the king and continued to bypass work. Then he stopped in the corner, at the break of the trench and, by kneeling on the inner baility of the trench, leaned on the parapet, continuing to look at those who worked soldiers who worked at the light of the stars.

The king leaned out due to parapet almost to the belt, presenting it, so only two Frenchmen were the goal ... At that moment, it was only two Frenchmen: one is his personal secretary of Sighur, intelligent and deliberate, century, who received him to the service in Turkey and which was especially devoted; Another - Megre, an engineer ... Found from them from them;

Count Schwerin, the head of the trench, who ordered the order of the CE-CE, and the Adjutant General Caulbars.

Suddenly, Sighur and Megre saw that the king falls on the parapet, the emitting deep sigh. They approached him, but he was already dead: the card by weight in halfth hit him in the right temple and struck the hole in which three fingers could be attached; He heads his head, the right eye entered inside, and the left completely jumped out of the orbit ...

Falling, he found in himself the strength of the natural movement put the right hand on the Ephesus sword and died in such a position. At the sight of the dead king Megre, the original and cold man, did not find anything else how to say: "Comedy ended, let's go dinner."

Sigur ran up to Count Schwerin to inform him about what happened. They decided to hide from the troops the news of the death of the king until the Prince of Hessian was notice. The body was wrapped in a gray cloak. Sigur put on his wig and a hat on the head of Charles XII so that the soldiers did not know in the killed king.

Prince of Hessian immediately ordered no one for no one to get to get out of the camp, and ordered to guard all the roads going to Sweden. He needed time to take measures to ensure that the Crown switched to his wife, and prevent his claims to the crown of the Duke of Holstein.

So died at the age of 36 Karl XII, the King Swedish, who experienced the greatest success and the most cruel infancy of fate ... "

Voltaire's story is written from eyewitnesses who were still alive in his time. However, Voltaire says that Karl was killed by the "Pickfound Card". But a forensic study was indisputable to the king of the bullet. Professor Freixel who spent the same autopsy, naturally, could not answer the question: was it a matter of the hands of the sickness of the killer or was it a shot of a sniper from the walls of the fortress?

The public of Russia has not remained indifferent to the results of the investigation in Stockholm. The most unexpected was that the weapon from which the Swedish king of Karl was killed, suddenly found out in Estlandia, in the genital estate of Caulbars. About this in his notes told the 50-year-old Baron Nikolay Kauulbars in 1891. The fitting itself, as a family relic, was transferred from generation to generation for 170 years. Regarding the death of King, Nikolay Kaulbars reported several curious details. In particular, he wrote:

"Consideration of the circumstances in which it happened, excludes all the possibility of defeating the enemy bullet, and at present it is not doubt that the king was killed by his personal secretary - the Frenchman Siquier (Sigur), despite this, even until the last time it was written about the mysterious King's death ...

During the except for my military agent in Austria, one day in a conversation with the Swedish envoy, Mr. Akkerman, we touched upon the question of the mysterious death of the Swedish king Charles XII; Moreover, I did not wash out without wonder that in Sweden until the very last time we went about this and even expressed the most disgraced opinions - and that this question is still still considered not quite clarified.

I immediately told him that in the chronicle of our family there are data, from which it appears that Karl XII was killed in trenches under Friedrichsgall a personal secretary, French Siguir, and that the fitting, which served as the king's death tool, is still kept in the birth Our estates of Medders, the Estland province, the Vessenberg-go County. "

Next, Kaulbars wrote that after the king was found killed in a trench, Sighur disappeared without a trace. The mentioned fitting was found on his apartment, stressed alone only. And many years later, lying on my deathbed, Sigur said he was the killer of the king

Karl XII.
The Kauulbars version was not new, and Sighura's involvement in Karl's murder had refuted yet Voltaire, and when Sighur was alive and was in his estate in the south of France. Voltera managed to talk twice with the old man before he went to the world of others.

"I can't get around one silence," wrote Voltaire. - At that time, the rumor was spread in Germany that Sigur killed the Swedish king. This brave officer was desperate from a similar slander. Once, telling me about it, he said: "I could kill the Swedish king, but I was filled with such respect for this hero that if I even wanted something like that, I would not dare!" I know that Sighur himself gave a reason for such a charge that part of Sweden believes so far. He told me that, being in Stockholm, he, in a seller of white hot, muttered that he killed the king, and he opened the window in nonsense, asked for forgiveness from the people for this tsarubia. When he learned about this on recovery, he almost died of grief.

I saw him shortly before death and I can assure that he not only did not kill Charles, but he himself gave himself a thousand times for him. If he were guilty of this crime, it would, of course, would have to provide a service to any state that would be good to reward him. But he died in poverty in France and needed help

Friends. "

Kaulbars sent two photographs of the fitting in Stockholm and the messenger cast with one bullet, with it preserved. This bullet was compared with the holes in the skull, and it turned out that they "neither by the outdoor outline nor in magnitude did not fit it." In addition, it turned out that the inlet in the skull is located slightly above the weekend, that is, the king was affected by a shell flying along the downward trajectory, and therefore a bullet released by the enemy from the fortress. But the king was beyond the reach of the rifle fire!

Karabaris Kaulbars from which Karl allegedly was killed, belongs to the type of flock rifles of the XVII century. The short, the above is faceted and very thick trunk, a small caliber, inside contains straight and quite frequent cuts. The following inscriptions are engraved on the external grade of the trunk:

Adreas de Hudowycz. HERRMANN WRANGEL V ELLESTFER - 1669.

It was suggested that the lower inscription is the name of the weapon master who made the fitting, and the upper one of the owners, before the transition of the fitting in the hands of Baron Johann Friedrich Kaulbars, the ancestor of Nicholas.

Below are the engraved names of the persons who made up the nearest Sweet of King Charles XII under Friedrichsgall:

REINHOLD LOH V. Vietinghoff.
Bogislaus V. D. PAHLEN.
Hans Heinrich Fersen.
Gustaw Magnus Rehbinden.
Lonannfndrichv. Kaulbars. 1718.
The information reported by Kaulbars forced Swedish criminologists to hold a new investigation. In 1917, the sarcophagus was re-opened, and the authoritative commission, compiled from historians and criminologists, took place. Experienced shots on the mannequin were performed, the angles were measured, the ballistics was calculated, and the results were carefully processed and published. But the Commission could not come to the final conclusion.

Examination showed that, while in the trench, Karl XII because of a high distance was almost invulnerable to a rifle fire from the walls of Friedrichsgall. But for ambush the conditions were perfect. When Karl appeared in a breakfast of the trench and, leaning from behind Bruzier, looked at the walls of the fortress, it was perfectly visible against the background of white snow. Aimicious shot on such a target did not make much difficulty. He shot an excellent sniper: the bullet hit exactly in the temple. The shooting was from behind at an angle of 12-15 degrees, slightly elevated, which is determined by the input and outlet holes in the Karl Skull.

The latter circumstance suggests that the position was chosen not by chance: hearing the sound of a shot, accompanying Karl, people involuntarily turned their eyes towards the enemy, to the walls of Friedrichshall, and the arrows, meanwhile disappeared.

Who shot at the Swedish king?
Recently, a romantic hypothesis was expressed that the name of the killer was allegedly engraved on the fitting barrel among other names - Adreas de Hudowycz (Adreas Gudovich), which was allegedly named Adry Gudovich, and Serbs allegedly had special reasons for the murder of the Swedish king. "He had a Serbian origin and was in the service of the Polish king of Augustus. In 1719, he from his hands received a diploma, confirming, except Serbian, and its Polish graphic dignity for special merits ... In the same year, he went to Russia, enrolling in the Russian army officer, where his son Vasily Gudovich was born (1719 -1764). But further, this surname was not lost among Russian noble gods, "etc., etc.

Judging by this passage, under the unknown Serb named Andria (and not an adry - there is no such name in Serbia) Gudovich, obviously, I mean Andrei Pavlovich Gudovich, who at the beginning of the XVIII century, together with Brother Stepan moved to Malorosia and served in the Ukrainian Cossack His shelves really had a son Vasily Gudovich (died in 1764) - General Counter-Rubbies of Malorus, the grandson of Vasily, Ivan, the Feldmarshal of the Russian Army, in 1797 he was granted to the county dignity of the Russian Empire that allegedly someone from Gudovich in 1719 Received from the Polish king of Augustus "Diploma, confirming, except Serbian, and its Polish graphic dignity", in the annals of history, there was still no information about the "Serbian" origin of Gudovich, then he was still not known to Gudhovich - the old Polish nobility of the Rodonchal - Stanislav, the gentleman of the coat of arms of the colander, in 1567 he received a diploma of the king for the estate of Gudayz, which was due to the name of Gudovich him direct Tomk (great), originating from the younger son Stanislav, Ivan, and was Andrei Pavlovich Gudovich

However, another Andrei Gudovich was and the grandson A P Gudtovich, a friend and the nearest candidate of Emperor Peter III in 1762, he was sent to Kurland to prepare the election of the Kourney Duke Uncle Emperor - Prince George (George) Holsteinsky, then His name appeared on the notorious fortuze of Caulbars9 and in general - what is the origin of the "Kauulbars Snatcher", what is his story9 as far as he is authenticated whether the king of Karl really was killed, because the examination seems to be not confirmed

The King Charles had many enemies and, without any mythical Serbs, the versions of the King could kill the English agents or Swedes - oppositionists, supporters of Prince Hessian Most likely, the second - after all, after the death of Karl "Hessen Party" won in the internal political struggle and The Hessentians, Ulric Eleanor of the official investigation of the death of Charles, was asked for the throne, was not the people of Sweden, and their king was killed by the core, and the lack of the left eye and a huge wound on the head did not cause big doubts about this

17:45 — REGNUM.

Karl XII. No wonder is considered a sorry of the Swedish kings. And the Great Voltaire was not whatever said that with Karl, Europe, as it were, it would be again at the time of Hercules and Tezay.

In Russia, Karl XII is just a sullen and disheveled antagonist Peter the Great, the Swede, "Pogorated" under Poltava. About the fact that before Poltava Karl was Narva and dozens of brilliantly spent battles, we have not taken to remember. Karl XII in Russian cultural space remained such as he outlined by A. Pushkin: "Military-based vagragi."

He is blind, stubborn, impatient,

And frivolous, and sickly,

God knows how happiness believes;

He strength new enemy

The success of the past only Merit -

Break his horns to him.

Confrontation "Giant" Peter, who "All like God's thunderstorm" - and Karl, who slides over the abyss "Venebed fame is useless"In the context of the ingenious poem, of course, justified and appropriate. But is such a characteristic fairly not to the character of the romantic work, but to the historical figure? With Pushkin, obviously, A. Strindberg, Classic and the founder of Swedish literature were agreed. He resolutely objected when Charles XII was called North Alexander Macedonian.

"Alexander distributed education between the barbarians, acting as a student of Aristotle , - reigned the one While our faboride Langobard performed only the robber hiking ... Karl XII was a ghost that rebels from the Gunnian graves, goths, who needed to burn Rome again, Don Kikhot, who libeed the convicts that had fallen with their own subjects in the iron, scoring them into the blood " .

And the facts remain the facts: Sweden, having decided during the reign of Charles, and could not recover, remaining ruined and the exterpated country for a long time, and the military exploits of the past years were poor consolation. The "useless glory" of the warrior king turned out to entrust him with severe insufficient times ...

June 17 (according to the Julian calendar) 1682 in the morning in Stockholm raged the bad weather, the wind pulled out and broke the root from the houses, wore clouds of dust and sara. Punches were stunned - exactly 21 shots. Karl Xi recorded a diary: "Seventeenth on Saturday a quarter to 7 am, my spouse was resolved by the Son. Praise to the Lord God, who helped her! "

The child was baptized immediately, at the request of the king the newborn prince was named Carl - like his father, Karl Xi, like his grandfather, Karl H. Sweden sighed with relief: the throne was provided with a heir. This night in Stockholm few people went to sleep sober.

The young prince gave the best upbringing, although most of all he fell like a tendency to the sciences of the military - from history was interested in the life of Alexander Macedonian and outstanding battles, he studied geography with a close and greedy interest. Dejugious, stubborn and scary ambitious, since childhood, the young Karl was a favorite of his harsh father. He, the reformer and the warrior - but, in memories, a person, a very far from the refinement, was glad to see a military veil in his son and raised him on male. For the first time, Karl was put on Karl's horse, and soon a royal father willingly took her son to the military sights, at the inspection of garrisons - and hunting. The hunt in Sweden was not at all the same that the courteous trips in the deer of the forest in Versaille or the complex ritual of falconry in Russia: it was truly dangerous martial arts with a predatory beast. His first wolf boy shot at 8, and a bear was at 11 years old. The father was and remained for his son with a model in everything, and in his children's diary of Karl, answering the question of his cherished desire, recorded: "I would like to have happiness one day to accompany the dad in a campaign". Prince teachers, carefully selected by the Father, taught him all the sciences who would have come in handy to the young prince when he would go to the throne. His historical documents disassembled with him, he freely read and spoke in Latin, German, French, and in fortification, artillery and military art reached serious success under the leadership of Lieutenant-General's Lieutenant-General, Charles Magnus Stewart, who faced his huge student almost With a big fanatics of military affairs than Stewart himself. Alas, solid theoretical knowledge and deposit of the strategist and the commander - it was not all that is needed for a good and successful reign.

He remained the orphan very early - the mother came down in the grave, and after some time and father. The boy was barely turned 14 and the country of the Guardian Council, along with the widden queen-mother, grandmother Karl. The guardians did not want to protect the young man from power at all, he was invited to all meetings, they asked his opinions on the issues of disassembled issues, in essence, realizing that the honor of being a guardian of the teenager-heir partly akin to the Damoclovoy Sword - too easy to make the enemy in the face of the future king too easy. And the power of Karl as the ruler of Sweden was supposed to become absolute. Almost all reforms of his father, Charles XI, were sent to this: In essence, it became his works and care, the Swedish army became the best in Europe, it was filled with a state treasury, seizing the aristocracy in favor of the crown of the Earth, previously extended predecessor monarchs, if the noblemen Could not document the primordial right to own these lands (t. N. "Reduction"). The states were at the disposal of the state, excellent specialists and understanding, delometrs, whose fathers were peasants and artisans. Karl Xi was strongly told for the Swedish, including in liturgical practice, seriously engaged in industry and mineral mining, and all this had his fruits when his son was on the throne. As his royal testa, he left his son simple and understandable rules of the board, which he almost always stagnately adhered to:

edit hard hand
do not give anyone cross
keep under the control of aristocrats
appreciate people according to merit, and not by origin,
being economical in expending public funds.

Perhaps we take the young man's life experience, learn to relate abstract ideals and simple everyday life, things would go at all. But history does not know the subjunctive inclination.

Father, swelling the guardians for the Son and in general, determining the country's development plan, forgot to indicate when concretely young Karl can be considered quite an adult in order to accept the brazards of the board, and on this occasion, disputes have repeatedly arose. Finally nobles occurred to the nobles that the 15-year-old king will surely be a conspiracy and manageable, and once, perhaps, and weakens the strength of the "reduction", restoring the former importance of the aristocracy. Representatives of the peasant class applauded this proposal, there were only individual representatives of the clergy against, believing that it was still early to manage the state in 15 years.

Karl, in such an increasing age, having received absolute power, led himself, how to say, unceremoniously. With the company of buddies for the sake of fun, they broke with passersby hats. One day, the fun launches launched wild hares in the Seymoy hall - and they fell along them, competing, who she sticks out more, and then argued who quickly wipes the sabers - and ordered the calves and goats for training: cut off their heads from one hit. A young king was drunk simply monstrously, and anyone who tried to notice him that such behavior was unworthy of the ruler, he grossly removed from his chambers. The money was treated by the river - on gifts, for the wedding of his beloved sister, on the royal whim - so that at the beginning of hostilities, the treasury was almost empty. It is not possible that he was perceived as "Kutil on the throne", with which you can not at all ceremony, and if it was time it was time to press Sweden from the map of the world and to make the answer for all its former military successes.

The three-way union concluded among themselves the sovereigns of Denmark, Saxony and Russia, directly bordering the Sweden. They decided that now is the time to return the territory, once selected by the "arrogant neighbor" - and satisfy their interests. In addition, it was known that in the international arena of Sweden, there are almost no allies - a partly guilt was the disgusting diplomatic abilities of Charles - - therefore, there was nothing to fear a serious conflict. Augustus Strong (Kurfyust Saxony and the rule of Poland), Frederick IV Danish - and King Peter agreed on the simultaneous attack on Sweden from different sides. Peter joined the union later than others, because at first he had to settle things with the Turks, the war with whom was still since the times of the Crimean campaigns of his sister, princes of Sophia. To get involved in trouble on two fronts at the same time, Peter did not want, but Ingermanland and the way out to the Baltic Sea was so talked by a piece that he supported the idea. To put suspicions of the Swedes, Russia concluded with Sweden the world - and this treachery of Karl was never able to forgive Peter Never. The Danes attacked Ally and the son-in-law of Karl Friedrich IV Golstein-Gottorpsky, Peter with the army proceeded to Narva, and Augustus with his succinters invaded Liflandia and went to Riga, the Center for Swedish Baltic.

But suddenly, in an extreme situation, when the attack was not followed from one, but from as many as three sides, the young ugly and shame of the royal family completely transformed. Suddenly, the Sweden was supported by Holland and England. Carl himself completely threw a fool, in particular to drink, the army was mobilized, all instructions on the state administration in the absence of king were made - and soon the Swedes were accompanied by their king on the war. The battle of the sea was dragged into - despite military assistance to the Anglo-Dutch squadron, and a risky plan of the maritime assault was adopted. As a result, the Swedes were under the most walls of Copenhagen. To do this, they needed to cross the erasund. The 18-year-old king with four infantry battalions in the storm on boats crossed the strait, and the Danish was attacked for dawn on July 25. The king with a sword in his hands jumped out from the ship was first - and it turned out to be in the throat in the water, the soldiers fell behind him, holding muskets over his heads so that the powder was not wet. The battle lasted not long. Frederick IV hastily surrendered, having shot his allies, and concluded peace with Holstein. Karl passionately wanted to finish Denmark, capture Copenhagen, but the allies categorically forbid it to do it. After all, the War Denmark did not declare Sweden - and the incident with Holstein is exhausted. In addition, to continue the war, Sweden did not have money - and on this operation barely scraped. Justing the heart of Karl was forced to agree with the arguments of diplomats.

The next goal of Karl became Russian Giant - Peter, taking to Narva. Losing Narva Karl was not going to lose, in addition, the cunning of the Muscovites, which had concluded the world - and immediately refused from their words - he wounded him in the heart and demanded a mess. As soon as the money, together with the soldiers, he went to a distant and difficult transition under endless autumn rains. On November 20, Charles Army turned out to be near Narva. According to the legend, Karl, in simple soldier's clothing, knelt down with his soldiers - and they all drank ancient Psalm. Karl, the Eastovo believer, sincerely believed that if their business was right, then God on their side, and his army was ready to go into the fire and in the water for his desperate king. At that moment, the strongest wind was treated, snow fell - and in the snow, without drums and pipes, silently, Carolinara went to the attack on Russian fortifications. Because of the blizzard, the Russians did not see the approach of the enemy - the Swedes appeared in front of them literally from nowhere. The defeat under Narva was full - almost all guns were in the hands of the Swedes, the losses of the Peter's army were about 10,000 people, the losses of the Swedes amounted to 700 people killed and 1200 wounded. The name of Karl thundered throughout Europe.

The next target was August. And Karl with his army, in love with his king soldier, and here was victorious. August was crushed - and moreover - overthrown from the Polish throne. True, it took a lot of time for it, and all the advisers of Charles, who though understood a little in the peculiarities of public administration in Poland, warned it and promoted - in no way to get into questions in the deprivation of August of the Polish throne ... But Karl, not listening to draws , I decided to do as it deems the necessary - and, according to Petra I, "stuck in Poland". He defeated August and as a result, managed to ensure that the King of Poland became Stanislav Leschinsky, loyal Swedes and a personal friend of Karl. But the time it took all this scary. Only in 1706, Karl had achieved a peace treaty from August.

Peter was no wonder called the Swedes with "his teachers", and we no wonder they call him great. He knew how to extract great benefits even from completely desperate situations. After the terrible defeat under Narva, he developed a rapid activity, restoring artillery, collecting and teaching reinforcement, also analyzing both the reasons for the defeat and the strengths of the Swedes. And while Karl with his invincible army chased over the elusive August - then in Poland, then in Saxony, the Russian king, making all the conclusions necessary for himself, with a rested and restored army returned to Ingermanlandia. Noteburg was taken (nuts) - and became Shlisselburg, a key-fortress. Ivangorod and Narva again accepted Petrovsky garrisons again. Finally, in the Delta Neva, a new, unprecedented degrees - St. Petersburg was laid. Before entering the sea, ports, admiralty and shipyards, it remained handed a hand.

Karl was a hero and idol of the whole of Europe. Its strange manners - or rather, the rejection of the generally accepted manners, "they gave him a special charm in the eyes of enthusiastic adorables. He allowed himself not to wear a wig, dressed exclusively in the blue officer uniform with copper buttons, wore a simple black cervical scarf and a spacious raincoat, which was hidden in the campaign. He was extremely unpretentious in food and easy to handle. His beloved food was bread with butter, ham, and delicacies he preferred Swedish salty crackers. He did not drink any strong drinks, strictly holding a long time. He was mad brave - legends and jokes were told about his composure. In addition, its principle and piety entered the legend, and at leisure he read the lives of great Romans. In short, in the face of Karl Europe received new Alexander, Caesar and an object for worship - Karl became literally a superhero. After a hundred years, Napoleon Bonaparte will be the same idol and idol. Non-promoters, however, said that Karl stinks like commoner, because it does not change clothes for weeks that he is nevezhi and the soldier - and does not even disgust the sharp spur that he avoids women and "eating like a horse" - able to smear the finger's sandwich For scattered forget about the knife.

Russia has repeatedly tried to conclude the world with Karl, wanting to protect himself from attack and lawfully try to take possession of an annexed territory. But he invariably responded with refusal, believing that the "cunning Muscovites" faith is not, in addition, to give up at least the King of the Baltic Land, the Swedish king was not going. It was quite clear that wars could not be avoided - and the city was reused for three years on a formally someone else's territory, it would have to beat force. Peter has approximately represented how the strategy of war with the enemy should be built like the "brother of our carolus".

Finally, having ended with August, Karl decided to return to Peter.

Initially, he planned to hit Pskov - and cut off this area from the empire. But the new information led him to an even more ambitious plan. Having learned that in Russia, not everyone is satisfied with the politics, and even more - - by the methods of Peter, he decided to go to Moscow and, capturing the capital, destroy this state. According to the new plan, Russia was supposed to "modify": the north (including Pskov and Novgorod) was to be cut off from Moscow, Ukraine and Smolenshchina - to move away Poland, the decentralization of the country and the transformation of it into individual principalities should have become a pledge that "Northern Gigant" No longer rises. At the head of Moscow, he should have been the ruler who would continue to know his place. In essence, such a 18-year-old Tsarevich Alexey could be.

Carlo was 26 years old, he counted quickly and decisively deal with his old enemy, almost nothing knowing that he had changed in the Russian army over the years. He fiercely pondered the strategy and architectonics of this monumental campaign and developed his plan, including an increasing number of participants - both Turks, and Poles, and Finns ... Peter was 36 - and he saw something that Karl could not predict. He knew that heroism and glowing is important, but the hungry soldier does not buy a lot, and the hungry horse is simply falling. And he knew perfectly, how to easily arrange the hunger of the army passing through a foreign country.

While the "Viking of a new generation" slowed down in Saxony, Peter violently strengthened a number of cities that had to turn into fortresses. Bridges cleared, roads were laid. Along the estimated path of Karl, the population warned about the need to build a strong disguised shelter far from the roads, so that, if that, to leave there and pass the cattle. Smolensk, Great Luki, Pskov, Novgorod and Narva was ordered to determine as items where bread and all food and fodder were reduced. In Moscow, bread and other strategic resources were stored in the Kremlin. Free to leave or enter the cities defined as strategic points was prohibited. The population explained that if the enemy comes, everything that will not be hidden or handed over, will have to burn without mercy. The strategy for the army was chosen to the following: the battles of the enemy in no way give, to leave, leaving around the scorched land. The population hated conquerors in advance, but not less - and "defenders". Cossacks promptly set fire to the villages before the approach of the Swedish troops - and the Swedes were not able to fight with fire.

Such tactics gave fruits: "Posted" and the extinguishing of the Swedish army worked much more efficiently than direct battles, where the Swedes were still managed to win victories. When it became clear that the supposed hike goes at all, Karl still continued to adhere to the selected strategy.

General-schoolster Axel Yullenkrok in his notes about this war leads a rather expressive case:"The king moved closer to the enemy and settled in mind his retrantners, who, being behind the river, were surrounded by swamps on both sides. It was impossible to pass here, because the enemy strongly strengthened all the exits. We stood at this place for several days. The king has entered once in my tent and said me to advise him how to move on the army. I replied: "Not knowing the plan of your majesty and the expected road, I can not inform my opinion." The king responded that he had no plan. I said: "Your Majesty ignite graciously to joke with me. I know that your majesty have a plan, and where they intend to go. " The king answered: "And I do not know where to go with the army if you do not choose the road." I said: "In such circumstances, it is very difficult for me to make any sentence." At that moment, anxiety was heard at the outposts, and the king immediately left me. "

It was impossible to interrupt the campaign - to a considerable degree and because Karl's pride would be brutally suffered. The poorly explored road, the uniquely adopted plan go to Moscow, deep into the country, and not limit the already known dear on Pskov, the mass of mistakes and misunderstandings led to the fact that the Swedish army suffered great deprivation. General Lewengaupe was ordered to assemble in Kurlenia and Liflandia Towing and reinforcement - and move to a connection with the main army. The summer ended - and the moral spirit of the invincible Swedish army also gradually loosened. Peter knew perfectly to do what he arched his cruel, but an effective plan, taking himself in allies hunger, cold and demoralization of the enemy.

Fearing the approaching winter, Karl turned to Northern Ukraine and thus even more moved away from the lewengauquu-off housing with interses. The flying squad under the personal command of Peter defeated the housing of Lewengaupa, who remained without protection, at the village of Forest on October 9, 1708 - and Carlo no longer had to count on reinforcement. Lewengaup, no chance to repeal the browse, with the residues of the army accelerated the pace went to the connection with Karl, but the army remained without forage, food and weapons, all this went Russian. Peter's victory was then deservedly called "Mother of Poltava Batalia".

The help that Hetman Mazepa could be provided is not so great to change the situation in the root. And although the tactics of the "scorched land" ceased to the Hetmanshene, but the situation still remained very difficult. Winter came - and became destructive for the Swedes, failed to find satisfactory winter apartments. Cossacks-Zaporozhets, who went to Karl, significantly complicated the situation: like many irregular troops, they did not have enough learning and discipline, they could not join the Swedish army and did not want to work with such detachments it was almost impossible for officers. Poltava fortress was precipitated by the Swedes, since Hetman Mazepa convinced Karl that there is everything you need there: and fodder, and suppres. It turned out not so, in the fortress there was practically nothing useful for the army - but it was not possible to take a fortress, and the time was hopelessly lost: the Russian army surrounded the Swedes. The population itself of the deposited Poltava - including women and children - in a single impulse, the Swedes were opposed to such an extent that the citizens were confused by a person, carelessly mentioned the possible passage of the mercy of the precipitating.

On June 16, 1709, on the day of his birth, Karl left for the reconnaissance - directly to the camp of the faithful Peter Cossacks, the shootout began, during which Charles wounded into the heel. The bullet was cut out, but after 11 days the decisive battle of Karl commanded from the stretcher. In addition, the Swedes were already scary exhausted, the alleged course of the battle is not sufficiently clarified by the commanders, the preliminary plan - imperceptibly to move to position - Routed. Good luck irreparably turned away from Karl and his faithful caroliners. With a battle under Poltava, the Swedish military, once the best in the world - was defeated almost completely, and Karl with Mazepé, surrounded by the remainder of the faithful Drabants - the elite squad of Charles - - fled, breaking through Russian redoubts. They found shelter from the Ottoman Empire - under the city of Bendera. In a few hours, Peter ordered to invite the prisoners of the Swedish General to his festive tent, sat for a fellow table, returned the swords of Field Marshal Renshild and Prince Württemberg and generously drank health "His teachers in considerable business".

The authority of Russian troops and Petra personally rose in Europe immeasurably. And Karl with Mazepé and his faithful warriors (only 300 people) found a refuge at the Ottoman Empire - under the city of Bender, where Karl spent 4 years in a strange prisoner, whether the prisoner, whether the excessive guest is a breaking of intrigue, rolling scandals and Require active hostilities against Russia. In the end, Sultan Ahmed III was so tired by the buoy king of the Swedes, that he was sent to Sweden after a huge scandal with the shooting and storm of the Swedish camp. The world of Russia with Sweden, however, was concluded only after 12 years, and Russia was obtained by the believed Ingermanlandia, which claimed, as well as Estlandia, Liflandia and a number of other territories. St. Petersburg became a Russian city - and the capital of Russia. Karl by then was for two years as dead. It is still unknown that it was the cause of his death - during the siege of the Danish castle Fredrikstin: a shot of a sniper or asked by his own killer. However, the official version was that the kernel fragments hit the temple. Dying, the king still managed to put his hand on the ephes sword - and died, holding a weapon. He was 36 years old.

Candidate of Historical Sciences I. Andreev.

In Russian history, the Swedish king Carlo XII was not lucky. In the mass consciousness, it is represented by an almost caricature-crazy, the vain king of the youth, who first defeated Peter, and then there was a bit. "Died as the Swede under Poltava" - this is, in fact, about Charlem, although, as you know, under Poltava, the king did not die, but, avoiding the captivity, almost ten years continued to fight. Having assumes to the mighty shadow of Peter, Karl is not the same to die, but lost, cringe. He, as a statist in a bad play, was to occasionally appear on the historic stage and serve replicas, designed to highlight the main character - Peter the Great. The temptation did not escape this way to present the Swedish king and the writer A. N. Tolstoy. The point is not that Karl appears on the pages of the novel "Peter the first" epizodically. Significantly more - motivation of actions. Karl is frivolous and capricient - a sort of crowned ego centerrist, which is growing in Eastern Europe in search of glory. He is absolutely opposite to the king of Peter, let both hot-tempered, and unbalanced, but dinner and knowingly thinking about the fatherland. Interpretation A. N. Tolstoy entered the blood and flesh of mass historical consciousness. A talented literary work in his influence on the reader almost always outweighs the volume of serious historical writings. Charles's simplification is simultaneously simplified by Peter himself and the scale of all that happened to Russia in the first quarter of the 18th century. Already one of this is enough to try to comprehend what happened through the comparison of these two personalities.

Peter I. Engraving E. Cheaseova, made from the original J.-M. Finix 1717.

Karl XII. Portrait of an unknown artist in the early XVIII century.

Young Peter I. Unknown artist. The beginning of the XVIII century.

Officer of the Life Guard Semenovsky Regiment. The first quarter of the XVIII century.

Science and life // illustration

Personal things Peter I: caftan, chest officer sign and officer scarf.

Petra I, created by Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli. (Painted wax and plaster; Peter's hair wig; Eyes - Glass, Enamel.) 1819 year.

View of Arkhangelsk from the Gulf. Engraving began the XVIII century.

The book of Karl Allarda "New Golanskoe Ship Station" by the decree of Peter was translated into Russian. In the library of Peter there were several copies of this publication.

Chard, crazy by Peter I (Gold, Tree, Diamonds, Ruby) and presented to them M. P. Gagarin for organizing a holiday in Moscow in honor of the victory over the Swedes under Poltava. 1709 year

A turning and copying machine created by Master Franz Singer, who worked for many years from the Florentine Duke Kozimo III Medici, and then arrived in Petersburg at the invitation of the Russian king. In Russia, Zinger headed the lathe of the king.

The medallion with the embossed image of the Grengam battle on the Baltic July 27, 1720 (work lathe).

Peter I in Poltava battle. Figure and engraving M. Marten (Son). The first quarter of the XVIII century.

Peter and Karl have never met. But in the continuation of many years, the correspondence dispute with each other, which means, were trying to see each other. When the king found out about the death of Karl, he was quite sincerely upset: "Ah, brother Karl! How I feel sorry!" One can only guess what kind of feelings were behind these words of regret. But it seems - something more than just a monarch solidarity ... Their dispute was so much, the king is so imbued with the logic of illogical actions of his crowned opponent, which seems to have losing themselves as part of himself.

People of different cultures, temperaments, mentality, Karl and Peter were at the same time surprisingly similar. But this similarity of a special property is in disliked on other sovereigns. Note that finding a similar reputation in the eyelid when extravagant self-expression was in fashion, the task is not the lungs. But Peter and Karl eclipsed many. Their secret is simple - both did not strive for extravagance at all. They lived without clauses, building their behavior in accordance with the ideas about the proper. Therefore, much, which seemed so important and necessary, for them almost did not play any role. And vice versa. Their actions were perceived by the majority of contemporaries at best, as killing, at worst - like non-formation, barbarism.

English diplomat Thomas Vejitvitvit and the Frenchman Obrit de la Motre left the descriptions of the "Gothic hero". Karl in them is stitched and high, "but extremely untidy and slightly". Face features thin. Hair is light and greasy and, it seems, not every day is found with the ridge. The hat is crumpled - the king often sent it not on his head, but under the mouse. Mundir Ratar, only a suitable better quality. High boots, with spurs. As a result, everyone who did not know the king in the face took him for a ratar officer, and not the highest rank.

Peter was as unresponsive in clothing. I wore a dress and shoes for a long time, sometimes to holes. The habit of French courty daily appear in a new dress caused him only a mockery: "It can be seen, a young man cannot find a tailor who would put it quite in taste?" - He teased by Marquis Libua attached to the high guest of the regent of France. At the reception to the king Peter came in a modest crust of thick gray Barackan (family of matter), without a tie, cuff and lace, in - about horror! - Unpumbained wig. "Extravagance" of the Moscow Guest so shocked Versailles, which was in fashion. Courtful criesters with a month embarrassed the court ladies dyed (from the point of view of the French), which received the official name "Dick outfit".

Of course, if necessary, Peter appeared before subjects in all the brilliance of royal majesty. In the first decades, on the throne, it was the so-called big sovereign outfit, later - a richly removed European dress. Thus, at the wedding ceremony, Catherine I, the title of Empress the king appeared in the cafetan, with silver. The ceremony itself, and the fact that the culprit of the celebration diligently worked on the embroidery. True, at the same time the sovereign, who did not like the extra expenses, did not bother to change his stopper shoes. In this form, he laid on the crankshadted Catherine the crown, the execution of the execution of several tens of thousand rubles.

Under one to become clothes were the manners of two sovereigns - simple and even rude. Karl, according to the comment of contemporaries, "eats, like a horse," delving into his thoughts. In thought, he can smear the oil on bread with his finger. Food is the simplest and, it seems, is valued mainly in terms of saturation. On the day of his death, Karl, having taught, praises his chef: "You feed so satisfying that you have to appoint you to the senior cook!" Peter is equally unresponsive in food. His main requirement - everything should be served with the heat of the heat: in the summer palace, for example, it was arranged in such a way that the dishes fell on the royal table right from the stove.

Unassuming foods, the sovereigns greatly differed in relation to sturdy drinks. Maximum, which allowed Karl, is a weak dark beer: he was a jam, which gave the young king after one abundant inspired. The jam is extremely strong, without retreats. Petrovskoye unbridled drunkenness, except for bitter sighing regret, does not cause his apologists.

It is difficult to say who is leading in this harmful predilection. Most people close to Peter suffered from this vice. Smart Prince Boris Golitsyn, who the king was so obliged in the fight against the princess sofia, according to one of the contemporaries, "drank inener". No lag behind him and the famous "debooh" Franz Lefort. But he is hardly the only person who tried to imitate the young king.

But if the environment and dragged Peter into drunkenness, then the king himself, having matured, no longer tried to put an end to this tightened "Kabaku service". It is enough to remember the "meetings" of the famous all-in -out and the All-life Cathedral, after which the head was shaking his head in appeal. The "Patriarch" of the noisy company Nikita Zotov had even warned the "Gerra Protodiakon" Peter from excessive removed on the field of Brahi with "Ivashka Khmelnitsky".

Surprisingly, even a noisy feast, the king wrapped in favor of his business. His all-time cathedral is not just a way of wild rest and removal of stress, but the form of approval of a new everyday life is the overthrowing of the old with the help of laughter, restlessness and abuse. Petrovskaya phrase about the "old customs", which "always better than new", most successfully illustrates the essence of this design - after all, the king praised the "Svyatourus Starin" on the Svutovsky crushing "of the Sadrodnaya Cathedral".

Somewhat naive to oppose the sober way of the life of Karl Petrovsky addiction "to be drunk in all days and do not go to sober to sleep ever" (the main requirement of the charter of the Complever Cathedral). Externally, this was not particularly reflected in cases. But only externally. The dark stain on the history of Peter is not only the facts of the unbridled drunken anger, anger to death, loss of human appearance. Formed "Crown" lifestyle of the yard, a new aristocracy, regrettable in all respects.

Neither Peter nor Karl was distinguished by the subtlety of the feelings and the sophistication of the manner. Dozens of cases are known when the king of his actions caused a slight discharge from the surroundings. The German Princess Sofia, the smart and permeater, so outlined his impressions after the first meeting with Peter: the king is high, handsome, quick and loyal answers they talk about the liveliness of the mind, but "with all the advantages that nature gave it, it would be desirable to be It was smaller rude. "

Rough and Karl. But it is rather an underlined rudeness of the soldier. So he behaves in defeated Saxony, giving to understand August and his subjects who lost the war and who should pay the bills. However, when the case concerned close people, both could be attentive and even in their own way. That is Peter in letters to Catherine: "Katerinushka!", "My friend", "My heart Kiy!" And even "paw!" Thinking and warning and carl in letters to relatives.

Karl avoided women. It was smoothly cold with noble ladies and with those who were on the rights of women "for everyone" accompanied by his host. According to contemporaries, the king in the severity with a weak floor was similar to the guy from the Zathetic village. " Such restraint over time has become even disturbing his relatives. They have repeatedly tried to lean Karl to marriage, but he avoided the marriage ultrasound with enviable persistence. Especially proceeded about the family happiness of the grandson and continuity of the dynasty, the widowing Queen-grandmother Hedwi-Eleonora. It was Karl who promised to "cooled" by 30 years. When the queen reminded to achieve the term of the Queen, Karl in a short letter from Bender announced that he was not "not able to remember his promise of such a kind." In addition, until the end of the war, it will be "overloaded over the measure" - a completely significant basis for the deferment of matrimonial plans "Dear Mrs grandma."

"Northern Hero" left his life without recovering and leaving the heir. It turned to Sweden with new difficulties and gave Peter the opportunity to put pressure on the declared Scandinavians. The fact is that Karl's nephew, Karl Friedrich Holstein-Gottor Pska, the son of the deceased sister of the king, Hedwig-Sofia, claimed not only to Swedish throne, but also on the hand of Peter's daughter, Anna. And if in the first case the chances of him were problematic, then in the latter - the case quickly went to the wedding table. The king was not offended to use the situation and bargain. The agreiability of non-promotional Swedes was put by Peter dependent on their attitude to the world with Russia: it will be stubborn - support the claim of the future son-ink; Go to the signing of the world - take your hand from the duke of Karl.

Peter's entry with the ladies was distinguished by heaviness and even rudeness. The habit of commanding and the stormy temperament did not contribute to curbing his bubbling passions. The king was not particularly parallending in relations. In London, the maiden of easy behavior was offended about at all the royal payment of their services. Peter responded immediately: what is the work, this is also the fee.

It should be noted: what was condemned by the Orthodox Church and was called "Blud", in the Europeanized secular culture, he was revered from almost the norm. Peter somehow quickly ordered the first and easily accepted the second. True, he never had enough time and money for truly French "Polytes". He came easier by separating feelings from ties. This point of view had to take Catherine. The endless trips of the king to "Metressham" became in their correspondence the subject of jokes.

The rapidness of Peter did not prevent him from dreaming about the house and the family. Hence the attachment grew from here. At first, to Anna Mons, the daughter of the German winegirl, who was settled in German Slobod, then to March Catherine, which the king first saw in 1703 by Menshikov. Everything began, as usual: a fleeting passion, which there were many people who did not suffer from the sovereign. But the years went, and Catherine did not disappear from the life of the king. Smooth temper, greasibility and spiritual heat - all this, apparently, attracted the king to her. Peter was everywhere at home, which meant - he had no house. Now he got a house and hostess, who gave him a family and a feeling of family comfort.

Catherine is as close as he is sharpened to the monastery the first spouse of Peter, Queen Evdokia Lopukhin. But Peter did not need the Soviek. But, unlike the Opan Queen, Catherine could easily sit in a male company or, leaving things in a wagon, rush behind Peter on the edge of the world. She was not asked for an empty question: he was spent or unstasual such an act. Such a question simply did not occur to her. Holding stolen called - it means that it is necessary.

Even with very much condescension, Catherine is difficult to call a smart person. When, after Peter's death, it was erected to the throne, then the complete inability of the empress was revealed to do business. Strictly speaking, it is precisely these qualities, apparently, and landed with their supporters. But the limitations of Catherine-Empress became simultaneously a strong side of Catherine-girlfriends, and then the king's wives. It was everyday life smartly, which requires not a high mind at all, but only the skills adapt, not to annoy, know their place. Peter appreciated the unused Catherine and the ability, if the circumstances required, tolerate. The sovereign in the heart came its physical force. And right. It was necessary to have a considerable force and non-light health to sleep for Peter.

Peter's personal life turned out to be richer and dramatic than Karl's personal life. Unlike his opponent, the king learned family happiness. But he had to fully drink the bowl of family adversity. He walked through the conflict with the son, Tsarevich Alexei, whose tragic junction launched the Saliuki's stigma on Peter. There was a king and a dark story with one of the Anna Mons brothers, Camvero Willim Mons, who appeared in 1724 due to Catherine.

Peter, who had little considered with human dignity, sometime in publicly washed over some kind of kitoster Catherine, whom the wife was deceived. The king even ordered himself to hang over the door of his house deer horns. And then he pleased himself in ambiguous position! Peter was beside himself. "He was pale, like death, wandering his eyes sparkled ... Everything, having seen him, were covered by fear." The banal story of a deceived trust in the performance of Peter received a dramatic coloring with echoes, shook the whole country. Mons was arrested, tried and executed. An avenge king before you forgive my spouse, forced her to contemplate the chopped head of the unfortunate chamber.

At one time, L. N. Tolstoy intended to write a novel about the time of Peter. But it was worth him to go deep into the era, as many such cases turned the writer from his plan. Peter's cruelty struck fat. "Hashed Beast" - these words that the great writer found for the Tsar reformer.

At Karla, such accusations did not sound. Swedish historians even noted his decision to prohibit it during the consequence of torture: the king refused to believe in the accuracy of the accusations thus obtained. The fact is noteworthy, indicating the different state of the Swedish and Russian society. However, the feeling of humanism in conjunction with the Protestant maximalism was partitioned by Karl. It did not prevent him from repairing violence over Russian prisoners, taken in battles in Poland: they were killed and cried.

Contemporaries, evaluating behavior and manners of two sovereigns, were indulgent to Peter than to Carlo. From the Russian monarch other and did not wait. The rudeness and the unceremoniousness of Peter for them - the exotic, which was to certainly accompany the behavior of the Lord of the Barbars - Miskovitis. With Karl more complex. Karl is the sovereign of the European Power. And neglect of manners is unforgivable even for the king. Meanwhile, the motivation of Peter and Karl's behavior was largely similar. Carl dropped, Peter did not adopt what prevented them to be sovereigns.

Swedish and Russian monarchs differed hardworking. And these are hardworking a lot differed from the hard work of Louis XIV, at one time proudly declared that "the power of kings is acquired by difficulty." Almost both of our hero would challenge this French monarch. However, the diligence of Louis was very specific, limited to theme, time and the royal caprication. Louis did not allow not only clouds in the sun, but also calluses on his palms. (At one time, the Dutch was released a medal at which the clouds challenged the sun. The "King Sun" quickly figured out symbolism and wrapped anger to unrelated neighbors.)

Hardworking Carlo XII got from the Father, King Charles Xi, who became a model of behavior for the young man. An example was enshrined by the efforts of the enlightened heir tutors. From early childhood, the Day of King-Viking was filled with labor. Most often, there was a tough care, a heavy and harsh bivan life. But even at the end of hostilities, the king did not allow himself sending. Karl rose very early, disassembled the paper, and then went to the inspection in the shelf or institution. Actually, simplicity itself in manners and clothes, which has already been said, is in many ways to work. Exquisite outfit here - only an obstacle. The Carla manner does not disgust the spur was not born from an uncompatory, but from readiness to first call at the horse and rush in cases. The king has never demonstrated it. The most impressive demonstration is the seventeen hour leap of Charles from Bender to the River Prut, where Turks and Tatars surrounded by the Army of Peter. No wines of the king that he had to see only the pillars of dust over the columns of Peter's troops in Russia. Karla is not lucky with "capricious girl fortune." It is no coincidence that it was depicted in the XVIII century with a shaved population: he was glanced, did not grab in front of his hair in front - remember as called!

"Physical of his body with waters, and subjects - examples," said Peter in Olonets (Karelia, almost 150 kilometers from Petrozavodsk) on maritarian springs. In the phrase, the emphasis was made on the word "water" - Peter was incredulously proud by opening his own resort. The story rightly suffered an emphasis on the second part. The king actually taught the subject of tireless and disinterested work for the benefit of the Fatherland.

Moreover, with the light hand of the Moscow sovereign, the image of a monarch was formed, whose advantages were determined by non-prayer zeal and uncomplyful piety, but by working. Actually, after Peter, labor was imputed to the duty of a genuine ruler. Fashion started to work - not without the participation of enlighteners. And he wore his work is not just a state, which he was on debt. The sovereign was charged with also the work of private, labor-example, during which the monarch descended to his subjects. So, Peter carpented, built ships, worked in Tokarna (historians shot off from the account, calculating the crafts that mastered the Russian sovereign). The Austrian Empress Maria Teresia pulled out courtly excellent milk, handing the cows on the imperial farm. Louis XV, having broke away from love merits, was engaged in a wobble craft, and his son Louis XVI with the agility of the regimental surgeon opened the mechanical womb of the clock and returned them to life. In fairness, it is necessary to still note the difference between the original from the copies. For Peter Labor - the need and vital need. His epigal - rather comfort and fun, although, of course, become Louis XVI watchmaker, life would cum in bed, and not on guillotine.

In the perception of contemporaries, the diligence of both sovereigns, naturally, had its shades. Karl appeared before them primarily as a king soldier, thoughts and works of which rotated around the war. Peter's activities are more diverse, and its "image" is more polyphonic. The prefix "Warrior" is less often accompanied by his name. He is the sovereign who is forced to do everything. A versatile, the kipache activity of Peter found its reflection in the correspondence. For more than one hundred years, historians and archivists have been publishing letters and papers of Peter I, and meanwhile, before completion, is still far away.

The wonderful historian M. M. Bogoslovsky to illustrate the scale of the royal correspondence, took for example one day from the life of Peter - July 6, 1707. A simple list of those affected in letters will inspire respect. But the tsar reformer concerned them by memory, demonstrating a huge awareness. Here are the circle of these topics: Payment in the Moscow Town Hall of the Admiralty, Siberian and Location Orders; List of coins; pickup recruits of the Draghun shelf and its armament; issuing a bread supply; Construction of a defensive line in the Derptic Ober Commandantius; Mitchelova regiment; Tradition to the court of traitors and criminals; new appointments; dust device; Tradition to the court of Astrakhan rebels; sending to the Transfiguration Regiment of the Writer; replenishment officers of Sheremetyev regiments; Contribulations; Finding a translator for Sheremetyev; expulsion of runaway with don; parcel to Poland to Russian regiments; Investigation of conflicts on the raisin line.

Peter's thought covered the space from Derpta to Moscow on the specified day, from the Polish Ukraine to Don, the king was instructed, he instructed many close and not very close employees - Prince Yu. V. Dolgoruky, M. P. Gagarin, F. Yu. Rododanovsky, Field Marshal B. P. Sheremeteva, K. A. Naryshkin, A. A. Kurbatova, G. A. Pleyannikova and others.

The diligence of Peter and Karl is the reverse side of their curiosity. In the history of transformations, it is the curiosity of the king performed a kind of "primary" and at the same time Perpetuum Mobile - the eternal engine of reforms. Surprises the inexhaustible toastfulness of the king, his ability not to be lost before death.

Curious Karl is more restrained. She is deprived of Petrovskoy dustiness. The king is prone to cold, systematic analysis. Partly in this affected the difference of education. It is simply incompatible - different type and direction. Father Carla XII was guided by European concepts, personally developing a plan for training and education for the Son. Gutener Prince is one of the most intelligent officials, the Royal Advisor to Eric Lindsheld, the teacher is the future bishop, professor of theology from the University of Eric Benzelius and Professor Latin Andreas Norkopensis. Contemporaries spoke about Karl's tendency to mathematics. His giving was to whom to develop - the heir to the throne communicated with the best mathematicians.

Against this background, the modest figure of Dejaca Zotov, the main teacher of Peter, is very losing. He, of course, was distinguished by piety and until the time before the time was not "brahnik." But this is clearly not enough from the point of view of future reforms. The paradox, however, was that neither Peter himself nor his teachers could even assume that knowledge was needed by the future reformer. Peter is doomed in the absence of European education: first, it simply did not exist; Secondly, it was revered for evil. It is also good that Zotov and I also did not beat him with Peter inquisitive. Peter all his life will be engaged in self-education - and its results will be impressive. However, the king clearly lacked systematic education, which would have to make a common sense and great works.

Karl and Peter were a deeply believer people. Religious education of Karl was distinguished by focus. As a child, he even wrote abstracts for court sermons. Faith Karl wore inland and even fanaticism. "In any circumstances, the contemporaries noticed," he remains true to his unshakable faith in God and His Almighty Help. " Is it possible to partly find an explanation of the unusual courage of the king? If, according to divine fishery, no hair flies from the head for ahead of time, then what to take care, bow the bullets? As a stylish Protestant, Carl leaves for a minute no exercises in piety. In 1708, he re-read the Bible four times, it was burned (even recorded the days when he opened the Holy Scripture) and immediately condemned himself. Records flew into the fire under the comment: "I boast of it."

Exercise in piety is also the feeling of self-conductor of the Divine Will. The king is not just fighting with Augustus strong or Peter I. He acts as a punishment of the Lord, causing these native sovereigns for the oath and treachery - the motive is extremely important for Karl. Unusual perseverance, more precisely, the stubbornness of the "Gothic hero," who did not want to go to the world under any circumstances, goes back to his conviction. Therefore, all the failures for the king are only the test given by God, tested for strength. Here is one little touch: Karl in Bender has drawn plans of two frigates (not one Peter did it!) And unexpectedly gave them the Turkish names: the first - "Yyldarin", the second - Yaramas, what together is translated as "I will come!" The drawings were sent to Sweden with a strict order to immediately begin to build so that everyone was led: nothing is lost, he will come!

The religiousness of Peter is deprived of the extremes of Karl. It is lower than lowest, more pragmatic. The king believes, because believes, but also because faith always turns into the visible benefits of the state. There is a story associated with Vasily Tatishchev. The future historian on returning from abroad allowed himself to be vasculative attacks to the Holy Scripture. The king was removed to learn free-rope. "Teaching", in addition to the measures of physical properties, was supported by the instruction, very characteristic of the "teacher". "How do you dare to weaken such a string that makes up the harmony of all tones? - Peter tormented. - I will teach you how it should read (Holy Scripture. - I. A.) And do not break the chains, all in the device containing ".

Launching deeply believes, Peter did not experience any speech to the church and the church hierarchy. That is why he began to redo the church dispensation for the desired way. With the mild of the king in the history of the Russian Church, a synodal period was occurring when the top management of the church was, in fact, was reduced to a simple departure for spiritual and moral cases under the emperor.

Both loved military affairs. The king with his head plunged into the "Marsy and Neptunov Fun." But very soon he stepped over the borders of the game and began for cardinal military transformations. Carlo did not have to arrange anything like that. Instead of "funny" regiments, he immediately received in the "Property" one of the best European armies. It is not surprising that he, in contrast to Peter, was almost no pause of apprenticeship. He immediately became famous commander, showing an outstanding tactical and operational skill on the battlefield. But the war, fully captured by Charles, played a cruel joke with him. The king very soon confused the goal and means. And if the war becomes the target, the result is almost always sad, sometimes - self-destruction. The French after endless Napoleonic wars who knocked out a healthy part of the nation, "decreased" in the growth of two inches. I do not know exactly what the northern war went around the radiance of the Swedes, but it was definitely possible to say that Karl himself burned down on the fire of war, and Sweden was relieved, not to withstand the Bremen Greaterzhavia.

Unlike the "Brother Karla" Peter never put the targets and means. The war and the conversion associated transformations remained for him a means of elevation of the country. Getting Started at the end of the Northern War to "peaceful" reforms, the king so declares its intentions: the Zemskie is needed "in the same order to give, like a military case."

Karl loved risks, who is not thinking about the consequences. Adrenaline boiled in the blood and gave him a feeling of completeness of life. Whatever the Charl's biography page, whatever a big or small episode, neither is a steady consideration, the insane courage of the King Hero is visible everywhere, an inconspicuous desire to test themselves on strength. In his youth, he hunted a bear with one horns, and on the question: "Isn't it scary?" - I answered without any rice: "no one, if not afraid." Later he, not bowing, walked under the bullets. There were cases when those "jali" it, but before a certain pore, was lucky: or the bullets turned out to be on the delete, or the wound was unmearant.

In love Karl to risk - its weakness and strength. More precisely, if you follow the chronology of events, I must say so: first - the power, then - weakness. In fact, this trait of the character of Charles gave him a visible advantage over opponents, since they were almost always guided by the "normal", excluding risk of logic. Karl appeared there and then when and where they did not expect him, did the way, as no one ever received. This happened under Narva in November 1700. Peter left the position under Narva the day before the appearance of the Swedes (he went to rush reserves) Not because she was frightened, but because he came out of the laid: the Swedes after the march should relax, equip the camp, to integrate, and even then come. But the king did everything on the contrary. Recreation did not give the regiments, the camp did not give up and with a dawn, barely developed, the sowes of his head rushed into the attack. If you think about, all these qualities and characterize the true commander. With the reservation that there is a certain condition, the execution of which distinguishes the great commander from the ordinary military man. This condition: the risk must be justified.

The king with this rule did not want to reckon. He challenged fate. And if fate turned away from him, then, according to his conviction, let it be worse ... fate. Is it worth surprising his reaction to Poltava? "I'm fine. And just recently happened because of one special event in misfortune, and the army suffered damage that, I hope, will soon be fixed," he wrote in early August 1709 with his sister Ulrik Eleonor. It is "all good" and a small "misfortune" - about defeating and capture the entire Swedish army under Poltava and Pokholnaya!

Amplua Karl in history - hero. Peter did not look like the hell. He is more careful and cautious. The risk is not his element. There are even moments of weakness of the king, when he lost his head and strength. But the closer to us, Peter, capable of overcome themselves. It is in this that one of the most important differences between Carl and Peter finds his manifestation. They are both debt people. But each of them understands the debt in its own way. Peter feels herself to the Fatherland. This look for him is the moral justification of all of them perfect, and the main motive, prompting to overcome fatigue, fear, indecision. Peter thinks herself for the Fatherland, and not the fatherland for himself: "And about Peter, we see that he has his own inexpensive, only Russia lived in bliss and fame for your welfare." These words spoken by the king on the eve of the Poltava battle, as it is impossible to accurately reflected his internal installation. Carl is all otherwise. For all the love for Sweden, he turned the country into a means of implementing his ambitious ideas.

The fate of Peter and Karl is the history of the eternal dispute about what ruler is better: the idealist, who puts the principles and ideals, or a pragmatist, firmly standing on Earth and preferring real, and not ghostly goals. Carl in this dispute made an idealist and lost, because his idea to punish, contrary to all, treacherous opponents from the absolute turned into absurdity.

Karl purely in Protestant was sure that a person was saved by one faith. And believed in it unshakimy. It is symbolic that the earliest preserved from the written Karl - a quote from the Gospel of Matthew (VI, 33): "We are looking for the kingdom of God and the truth of him, and it is all applied to you." Karl did not just follow this commandment, he "imparted" her. In the perception of its destination, the Swedish king is a more medieval sovereign than the king of "Varvarov-Muscovites" Peter. It covers sincere religious piety. Protestant theology for him is quite self-sufficient in the substantiation of his absolute power and the nature of relationships with the subjects. Peter was completely insufficiently "ideological equipment" autocracy, resting on theocratic foundations. He justifies its power wider, resorting to the theory of natural law and the "universal good".

Like a paradoxically, Karl in his incredible stubbornness and in his talentedness there was a lot of reforms in Russia and the formation of Peter as a state-owner. Under the guidance of Karl Sweden, I did not just do not want to part with a great-holder. She strained all his strength, mobilized all the potential, including energy and intelligence of the nation to save their positions. In response, it demanded incredible efforts by Peter and Russia. Giving Sweden earlier, and who knows how strong the reforms and imperial ambitions of the Russian king were? Of course, it does not have to doubt the energy of Peter, it would hardly be abandoned from dulling and pricking the country. But one thing is to conduct reforms in the country, which leads a "three-dimensional war", another - which completes the war after Poltava. In short, Karl, with all his skills to win battles and play war, was a worthy opponent of Peter. And although in the number of captives in Poltava, the king was not, the cozy cup for teachers raised by the king, undoubtedly had a direct attitude towards him.

Interestingly, I would agree Karl - at the same time, he was at the same time - with his Field Marshal Renshild, who murmured in response to the toast Peter: "Well, you deliberate your teachers!"?

Did you like the article? Share it

Print article