page_title: House of Wittelsbach
section_title: Kingdom of Sweden
hierarchical_section_title: House of Wittelsbach / Reign outside the Holy Roman Empire / Palatinate branch / Kingdom of Sweden
caption_attribution_description: Map showing the development of the Swedish Empire in Early Modern Europe (1560-1815)
context_page_description: The House of Wittelsbach is a German-Bavarian dynasty, with branches that rule, or have ruled over territories including: Bavaria, Holland, Zeeland, Cologne, Sweden, Romania, Bohemia, Hungary, Denmark, Norway, Greece and the Holy Roman Empire. The House of Windsor, the reigning royal house of the British throne, are descendants of Sophia of Hanover, a Wittelsbach Princess and Electress of Hanover.
context_section_description: Queen Christina of Sweden abdicated her throne on 5 June 1654 in favour of her cousin Charles X Gustavus, a member of the Wittelsbach branch Palatinate-Zweibrücken. It was the second term for the rule of the House of Wittelsbach in Sweden since 1448 when Christopher III of the Palatinate branch was king of Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
  Sweden reached its largest territorial extent under the rule of Charles X after the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. Charles's son, Charles XI, rebuilt the economy and refitted the army. His legacy to his son, Charles XII, was one of the finest arsenals in the world, a large standing army and a great fleet. Charles XII was a skilled military leader and tactician. However, although he was also skilled as a politician, he was reluctant in making peace. While Sweden achieved several large scale military successes early on, and won the most battles, the Great Northern War eventually ended in Sweden's defeat and the end of the Swedish Empire. Charles was succeeded to the Swedish throne by his sister, Ulrika Eleonora. Her abdication in 1720 marked the end of Wittelsbach rule in Sweden.
caption: The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658
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