Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-03-17
SWEDEN'S NAPOLEON.
King Charles XII and His Many
Great Battles.
rhe Last of the Military Chiefs Of Sweden
Recognized by the Outer wOrld-A
Man who Would Rather Fight
Than Live I'm Ease.

One would hardly think, to observe the
order and good nature in Stockholm, that
Sweden had once been a land of military
glory, where the conclusions of peace had
o be followed by the abdicatlon of the Queen
who dared to call a truce Yet so it is
Statues of nearly all the Swedish Kings
stand in the streets of Stockholm from
3ustavus Vasa to yesterdays descendant
of Bernadotte.
have been looking at some of these,
writes "Gath" in the Cincinnati Enquirer,
md the last of the military chiefs of Sweden
whom the outer world recognizes was
Charles XII. Charles XII. has been known
:hlehy to the world through Voltaire's life
# him and DR.. Johnson's poem about him.
lie flourished in that middle period OF his
tory which almost obscures its heroes; he
lied in 171S, less than two hundred years
ago, at the age of thirty six.
His father was peaceful man, who left
him rich and had him well educated. Tue
military nature of the Vasa family, how
ever, broke out in him, and, beng put upon
the throne at the early age Of fifteen, he be-
gan to hunt the larger wild beasts In the
woods.
His sisters realm having been invaded
by the Russians, Danes, Saxons and Poles,
who had been brought together by q Swed-
ish renegade, Charles went to war at the
Early age of eighteen; in the attack upon
J1penhagen, which commenced the contest,
e jumped into the water and waded ashore
.head OF any body.
This taste of war now became his appe-
ite. He began to live upon frugal soldiers
fare and sleep upon the ground.
He was the first important soldier who
l. IL \ L
BOOTS were his most striking feature, beng
enormous. He cared little about odds in
battle, and began to beat the Russians in
100, and beat the Poles and Saxons also;
and though they sent him fine women to
cad him off from war, he would have moth
ng to do with them. He broke his leg at
Cracow, but continued to fight.
1t is supposed that he gave too much time
% Poland and Saxony, and thus allowed
Russia to come forward with her vast re-
serve strength, and learn the art of war,
ler soldiers being licked with a knout to
make them fight.
He We the German Protestants their
many churches back again, which had been
5aken away from them by the Austrians,
aud became a friend Of the Duke of Marl-
borough; and as the precursor Of Napoleon
by one hundred years, Charles invaded
Russia in 1907 with 43, 900 men,
Napoleon, who came after him, had SOC, 900
men.
Their fates were the same.
The swamps and barrenness Of the coun-
try, in spite of his victories, used Charles
up. Failing to reach Moscow, the Russians
forced HIM to fight and at last beat him.
He retreated into Turkey and attempted
to make that country fight with Russia.
Peter the Great 1t that juncture married
lis mistress, a strong character, and she
with her Jewels bribed the Turkish Genera.
TO let her husband and his army escape from
the Crimea. That sacrifice of a woman
Jewels was as efficacious as the sacrifice of
he jewels of Isabella of Spain. 1t caused
the rise Of Russia.
Charles galloped into the Russian camp
md found the Gar escaped. He implored
he Turks to go to war and put him in COM
nand, or Russia would overwhelm them
Ill.
The Russians now began to occupy the
Countries the Swedes had control of along
he Baltic, while Charles still remained in
turkey. The Turks we're bribed to seize
he person Of Charles, and he fought like
iger in l113, and was captured with his
sye-lashes burned Off and blood everywhere
upon him.
Passing through hungary ana western
Germany he came to his own dominions in
IA at Stralsund, which was Immediately
invested by the Russians, Prussians, Danes
md Saxons, and he stood the siege for
year. Finally the English joined'the league
against him under GeorgeI.
Charles had Minister from Germany by
he name of Baron Gortz, a sort of Bismarck
n his time, who had designed 10 invade En-
gland and detach Russia. The Swedes did
lot like the prospect of the coalition that
vas coming, and Charles XII. was assassi-
lated, it Is believed, by his own people
They found IN his pocket when he was
lead miniature of Gustavus Adolphus, his
ncestor, and prayer book. They buried
lin in church where Gustavus Adolphus
les, and put upon the walls the trophies
If his many battles.
Baron Gortz was beheaded for having
sustained Charles XII, and Sweden be-
gan to sink out of the rank OF hrst-class
kingdoms. Charles was handsome man,
with no vices, except obstinacy and auster-
ity.