Karl XII, King of Sweden Source: Wikipedia Commons

Karl (Charles) XII: King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718; born 17 June 1682, the son of King Karl XI (1655-1697) and Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark (1656-1693), daughter of King Frederik III of Denmark.  He succeeded his father as king of Sweden upon his father's death in 1697, and also succeeded him as Count Palatine of Zweibrücken.  Karl died 30 November 1718 and was succeeded in Sweden by his sister, Ulrika Eleonora (1688-1741), who ruled Sweden until 1720 when she abdicated in favor of her husband, Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel (1676-1751), who ruled as Fredrik I.

For most of his reign, Karl XII was involved in several wars in an attempt to create a Swedish empire.  In 1700 Denmark, Poland and Russia united in alliance against Sweden.  Sweden defeated Denmark in 1700, ruled by his cousin Frederik IV, and then entered into a war against Poland, ruled by another cousin, the Saxon  Augustus II, and against Russia, ruled by Peter the Great.  Karl defeated Poland, but was eventually defeated by Russia, marking the end of the Swedish empire.

For his encounter with Stephan Funk, a Mennonite preacher, see Funk, Stephan.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 550. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.