CHARLES XIIOF SWEDENCHARLES XII..King of Sweden.Fromaportraitin theTalaceatSchwerin.C0PYRI6MT BY HUfKT k BLACKETT.CHARLESXIIOF SWEDENBYOSCARBROWNINGLONDONHURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED18. GREATMARLBOROUGHSTREET1899AllrigfUs reteretdTOLORD CURZON, OF KEDLESTON,THIS BOOK IS DEDICATEDIN MEMORY OFA LONG AND UNBROKEN FRIENDSHIP.CONTENTS.CHAPTERp^C^I. Birth,Edocatiok, A.ccesson, andCoronation. 1II. The MadTime17III. TheInvasionofSeel.\nd27IV. Narva46V. TheBattleoftheDuna58VI. TheBattleofClissow 72VII.CharlesinPoland86Vlir. TheElectionofStanislaus . . . .105IX. TheRivalKings118X. TheInvasionofSaxony130XI. Alt-Ranstadt150XII. TheInvasionofRussia 167XIII. Ljesna181XIV. Mazeppa195XV. Poltava207XVI. CharlesatBender 229XVII. TheCatastropheofthePruth 2-13XVIII,CharlesandtheSultan 258IXf\^whatfoundationstandsthewarrior'spride,Howjusthishopeslet Swedish Charlesdecide;Aframeof adamant,asoulof fire,Nodangersfrighthim,and nolabom-stire;O'erlove, o'erfear, extendshiswidedomain,Unconquer'dlordof pleasureandofpain;Nojoystohimpacific sceptresyield.Warsoundsthetrump,herushes tothe field;Beholdsurroimdingkingstheirpow'rscombine,Andonecapitulate,andoneresign;Peace courtshis hand,butspreads her charmsin vain;'Thinknothinggain'd,'hecries,'till noughtremain,'OnMoscow'swallstill Gothicstandardsfly,'Andall beminebeneaththePolarsky.'Themarchbeginsin militarystate,Andnationsonhiseyesuspendedwait;StemFamineguardsthesolitary coast.AndWinterbarricadestherealmsofFrost;XIHecomes,norwantnorcoldhis coursedelay;Hide,blushingGlory,hidePultava's day:Thevanquish'dhero leaveshisbrokenbands.Andshowshis miseriesindistantlands;Condemn'daneedysupplicantto wait,Whileladiesinterpose, andslavesdebate.Butdidnotchanceatlengthhererrormend?Didnotsubvertedempiremarkhisend?Didrival monarchsgivethefatalwound ?Orhostilemillionspresshimtothe ground?Hisfallwasdestin'dtoabaiTenstrand,Apettyfortress,andadubioushand;Heleftthename,atwhichtheworldgrewpale,Topointamoral, oradornatale.Johnson.Vanityof Human Wishes.XIICHARLES XIICHAPTERI.BIRTH,EDUCATION,ACCESSION,ANDCORONATION.Thechildwliowasto be knownto the worldat alater period as King CharlesXII.of Sweden wasbornin theroyalpalaceof Stockholm on June17, 1682,ataquarterbeforeseveninthemorning. Itissaidthathecameintotheworldwithhishandsdrippingwith blood,andthathis birthwas accompaniedbya violent storm which unroofed the houses andchurchesofthecapital. Theseare probablyfables,buttheysumupinprophecytheafter-consciousnessofhis career. Upto hisseventh year hewas leftto the charge of his mother,Ulrica Eleanora,thedaughter of King Frederick III. of Denmark andNorway,andthesisterof ChristianV.,the reigningsovereign. She was a model of domesticvirtues,of gentleness and piety. ByhertheyoungprinceB2 CHARLESXIIwas brought up to love goodness, justice, andbenevolence. He learnt the German languageby-joiningintbemorningand evening prayers whichweresaidinthecourt tongue,andhis first instruc-tionwasinBiblehistory.In1686,whenhewas inhis fourth year,Charleswastakenbyhismotherto the universitytown ofUpsala,whereshemadethe mostdiligent enquiriesasto thetutorwhowouldbe mostfit to direct theeducationoftheyoungprince. Havingchosenoutthree,shepresentedthemtotheboy,tellinghim tomake hisselectionamongstthem. Heheldouthislittle hand to a certain Norcopensis, professor ofrhetoric,whofortunatelyenjoyed the favouroftheQueen-mother,andtherespectof all his colleagues.Hewasanoldishman,fifty-fouryearsofage,withgrey hair,andhe has lefta name in theliteraryhistoryofhiscountryasthefounderof theSwedishschoolofLatinpoetry.He was simple and old-fashioned, even in hisdress,andthe childmayhavebeenattractedbyhiskindlysmile, ifindeedthechoicewasnotsuggestedto him. At anyrate, it was successful. Boyandteacher lived together in harmony. Speedily andhalfplaying,asMiltonsays, thechildlearnttoreadandwrite,heacquiredthe rudimentsof geography,history,andarithmetic,so thatwhen six years oldFROMBIRTHTOCORONATION 3hecould write letters and do sums. The motherfollowedtheeducationofherson with the liveliestinterest. Thetasksof thedaywererepeatedintheevening,and everySunday Charles had to repeatthe text and the argument of theweeklysermon.Asarelaxationhewasallowedtocopy outthediarywhich his grandfather CharlesX.had keptduringhisyouthfultravels.At the age of six years andahalf Charleswasremoved from the careof women,andreceivedanestablishmentofhisown.According tothecustom ofthose timeshe musthavea governortosuperintend his education,andforthatpartErick Lindskjold was chosen,againstthewill of the Queen. He died, however,shortlyafterwards,andwassucceededby Nils Gyldenstolpe,wholikehispredecessorwasmoreacceptabletothefather than to the mother. CharlesXI.wroteoutveryprecise instructions as to his son'seducation.Hisfirst care wastobedevotedtotheBibleandthetruths of Christianity,and hewasto beferventinprayer. Hewasto learnarithmetic andthe Swed-ishandGermanlanguages. In Latin his principalauthors were to be Cornelius Nepos and JuliusCaesar, the first toholduptohisimitation thegreatdeedsofantiquity,andthesecondtoinstruct himinthe art of war. The tutor was to make Caesar'sB 24CHARLESXIIcampaignsliveagainasiftheboywere takingpartinthem. TuUy'soflScesweretoteachhim hisdutytowards his fellow-men,Livythe courseof Romanhistory. StatecrafthewastolearnfromPuflfendorf,and from 'Barclai's' Argenis, a political romancewritten in favour of absolutism and divine right,whichhasreceivedthe praiseofCowper,Coleridge,and Hallam. We do not knowhowfar these in-structionswerefollowed out, but it is certain thatduring his campaigns his favourite author wasQuintus Curtius, who described the wars of Alex-andertheGreat.In1693,whenCharleswaselevenyearsold,atall,slim lad, developed beyond his years, he lost hismother, who hadwatchedover him withtendercare.Shesaidtohimonherdeathbed,'As fate has destined you to reign after yourfather, strive to make yourself worthyof hishighfortuneandtotread inthe footsteps of hisexample.Be a good brother and a loving friend to youryounger sisters, who need your help and yourcounsel.'In the next year the good Norcopensis, nowennobled underthename ofNordenhjelm,followedhismistresstothegrave.TheseeventsbroughtaboutachangeinCharles'slife. Books were laid aside, the instructions ofFROMBIRTHTOCORONATION 5PolusandGustavCronhjelm,who succeeded asbistutors,were disregarded,and the boyaccompaniedhisfather inriding andhunting parties. Thekingwas glad to forget his sorrow in these strenuousexercises,anddelightedin thesocietyofhisson. Yetthelad'seducationwasfarfromcomplete. Hewasindeeda fervent Christian, and possessed a deepProtestant piety which he never lost. But hishandwritingwas verybad, and became graduallyworsethroughouthislife. Hisknowledgeof Swed-ish was veryimperfect,and he knewLatin betterthan his mother tongue. It is said,however,thathewasonly inducedtoapplyhimselftothestudyofthislanguagebytheargumentthatif hedidnot hewouldfindhimselfinferiortotheKingsof DenmarkandPoland. He wasvery reluctant tolearn French,and absolutelyrefused to speak it. His governorrepresentingtohimthathe ought to prepare him-self to converse with a French ambassador, hereplied,'My dear Lindskjold, I understand French andwill not learn anymoreof it. If Ievermeet theKingof FranceIwillconversewithhimin hisowntongue,butif a Frenchambassador comestoSweden,it ismorefitting that he should learnSwedish formysakethanthatI shouldlearnFrenchfor his.'Yet we knowthat at a later periodheenjoyed6 CHARLESXIIFrenchplays,andtliatheconversedinFrenchwiththeAmbassadord'Avauxandhissuite.Charles nowbegantoexhibitsignsofthatbodilystrengthandendurancewhichweretobe the won-derofhiscontemporaries. Hefirst rode ona ponywhenhe was four yearsold,and took part in theexercises of the troops. He showed a precociouspassionforsport; heshothisfirstfoxwhenhe wasseven,andhisfirst bearbeforehewas twelve. Thebear was shot in the right side of the neck, thebulletpiercedstraightthroughthe heart andcameouton the other side ofthe body. Thisfeat wasconsideredaremarkableone,andhisfatherrecordeditwithjoyinhis diary. The boy's mind seems tohavebeensetondangerous adventures. He lovedtoperusethe stories ofnorthernwar,andwhenhewas sevenyears old, said that hewished hehad abrother whocould rule the countryin his absencewhilst he wandered about theworldwithhiswarriorsinsearchofadventure.'Wishforgoodthingswhenyouare young,'saidGoethe,'for when youareold theyaresureto happentoyou.'Nordenhjelmonce askedhimhowhe liked Alex-anderthe Great,andtheboyreplied thathe wouldwishtoresemblehim.'Butheonlylived thirty-twoyears,' said thetutor.FROMBIRTHTOCORONATION7'Onehas lived long enough when one hascon-queredawholekingdom,'repliedtheboy.It is said thathe once saw in his father's studytwo maps, one of Riga, and one of a Hungariantownwhich had been taken from the Emperor bythe Turks, under which was written,'The Lordgave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed bethe Name of the Lord.' Charles took a pencilandwrote under theplan of Riga,'TheLordhathgivenit tome,andthedevil himself shall not takeitfromme.'LikehisgreatrivalPeterthe Great,whowas toprovethedevilinthisinstance,hegave muchofhisboyish studiesto the art of war. He built modelfortresses, helearnt howto castacannonandhowto form a camp. He shared the hardships ofthecommonsoldiers. Hecaredlittleforfood orsleep;inthefight itself hewas possessed witha fever ofexcitement,and notseldom endangered hislife. Yethe never lost his presence ofmind. He practisedhimselftodespisepain. Itissaid that once at hismother'stablehe wasbitten byadog towhich hehadofferedapieceofbread,and that he boundhishandinanapkin,sayingnothing about the woundimtiltheblooddroppedupon thefloor.Indeed his steadfastness oftendegenerated intoobstinacy.Hepersisted in saying that the court8 CHARLESXIIpainterBelinlookedlikeawater-rat, and couldnotbepersuadedto desist. Alsohavingoncebeentoldbyhisnursethathewastoremaininacertainchairuntilshereturned,he absolutelyrefused to accom-panyhismother to the sermon and to violate hispromise. Similarlyhavingoncesaidthat blue wasblack, he continued to declare that it was. Weneed not multiplythese tales ; it isenough tosaythat his obstinacy and stubbornness of will wastemperedbyhislovefor hismother andhis fearofhisfather,thathisvirtues werewell known in theland,andthat muchwas hopedfrom his piety, hissense of justice, his truthfulness, his strength andhis courage. Our narrative will show that thesehopeswerenotdisappointed.CharlesXI.diedinStockholmonEasterMonday,April5,1697. HeleftSwedenatthe height of herpower, a level which she never passed,and fromwhichshecouldonlydecline. ShepossessedbroadprovincestothesouthoftheGulfofFinland. TheRiverDiine formedanatural boundaryan thesideof Poland; Riga,Revel,and Narva wereflourishingcentresof commerce; theSwedishflagfloatedoverthe battlementsof Stettin,Stralsund, Wismar, BremenandStade,placeswhich wehave beenlong accus-tomedtoconsiderasGermantowns. Thepopulationwasonthe whole devoted to the Swedish crown,FROMBIRTHTOCORONATION 9butthe nobles had become discontented from,thecarryingoutbyCharlesXI.oftheso-called' Reduc-tions,'that is the resumption bythe crown ofthelands granted to them infeudal tenurebythe ill-judged generosity of previous monarchs. FromTorneaatthenorthernendof theGulf of Bothniato Ystad in theextreme souththere wasbut onespeech,onelaw,andonerule. The armyconsistedofeightythousandwelldrilledandseasonedtroops,theSwedishfleetwasofspecialimportance,andthewartreasurywaswellfilled. Suchwastheinherit-ancewhichCharlesXI.bequeathedto hisillustriousson,dyingattheearlyageofforty-two.Onthedeathofhis^vifein 1693,Charleshad madeallpreparationsforaRegency. Hehad committedhissonto the chargeoftheQueen-motherHedwigEleanora,and had appointed fiveregents to assistixer. ThesewereBengtOxenstiema, who wasPresi-dentoftheCouncilandMinisterof ForeignAffairs;Christopher Gyllenstjerna, ]\Iinister of War, NilsGyllenstolpe, Minister of Justice,Fabian Wrede tocommandthe fleet, andLarsWallenstedtto presideover the Home Office andthe Exchequer. But aterrible calamity presaged coming troubles. OnMay7,just a month after the King's death, theroyalpalacewasdestroyedbyfire, and thebodyofthemonarch,asit layinsolemnsplendour onabed10 CHARLESXIIofstate,waswithdiflScultyrescuedfromtheflames.TheQueen-motherwasbesideherself withemotion,butCharleskepthis presence of mind. Whenthefire firstseizedtheoldcastleinwhichthe deadbodyofhisfatherlay,heremarkedthatitwassooldthatit must soon have beendestroyed; andwhen thelarge newpalace, theornamentofthecapital,wasinablaze,heexclaimedwith piousfervour,'TheLord'sAvill bedoneHisnamebepraised.'Whenthe Swedishdiet met on November4,thefirstquestion submitted to them was, whetherCharlesshouldorshouldnotbedeclaredofage, the regencyputanendto, andthegovernmentcommitted tohishands. Theprecedentof thegreatGustavusAdol-phus was alleged in support of this com*se;theminorityof the late King had not beenasuccess,and the regencywas nowcommitted to the samehands, grown older and more incompetent. Thesermon of the officialpreacherpointedtothewished-forchange. The Marshall Gripenhjelmhad in hisspeechcommiseratedHedwigEleanoraforhavingaburdenimposeduponheratatimeof lifewhen shenaturallydesiredpeaceandquiet,andexpressedthedesire ofthe nobilitythat shemightsoonbeliber-ated from its weight. ThedietofSwedenwas atthis time composed of four orders of estates, thenobles,theclergy, theburghersortiers-etat, andtheFROMBIRTHTOCORONATION Itpeasants. Whenthe nobles met in their chamberonNovember8,CountAxel Lewenhaupt,the Vice-Admiral, said,'Asonr young Kingisbyall report gifted withgreatvirtuesandcapacities,whydowenotaskhimtoundertaketheGovernment?'AxelSparresupported him,saying thatina caselikethis we must consider not agebut understanding.Then theyall rose from their seats,threwtheirplumed hats into the air, and shouted,'Long liveCharles XII.,'and just at this moment thechurchclockstruckthehouroften.Assomedoubtwas felt as towhether the otherestates would followthe example ofthenobles, itwasdeterminedfirst to approachamore importantbody,theCouncil of State,and Gripenhjelm wentinto their hall of sitting, wherethe Queen-motherwas waiting with her twelve councillors, a fullassemblyreadyfor important resolutions. Sugges-tionsof delaywere over-ruled. The Marshall wasorderedto introduce therepresentativesof thenobles,and just asthe clockstruck eleven,he ledacom-mission of seventy-four,accompanied by the Kinghimself,towardstheHall of Council. The council,,knowingthedecisionto be inevitable,andwishingto anticipate acquiescence,while the nobles werewaitinginanante-room,wentinabodytothe King12CHARLESXIIandaskedhimwhathedesiredtobedone. Charlesreplied,'AlthoughIam aware how heavytheburden isthatIamundertaking,andalthoughI wouldgladlyhavedeferred its acceptance for a time,yetIwillnotrenounceit forthe loveIbearto mydear sub-jects, but, according to your wishes, assume thegovernmentwiththehelpofGod.'The representatives of the nobles were then atlast introduced, and were informed of what hadoccurred. Thecouncilandthenobleswereagreed,buttheconsentof theotherestatesmustbeobtained.The representatives of the three remainingordersweresummonedfor three o'clock inthe afternoon,and the nobles went cheerfully to dinner, wheremanyaglasswasdrainedinhonouroftheoccasion.Atthreeo'clockitwasfoundthatthemajority oftheclergywishedfordelay, but that the burgherswerefirmfor the change, and the speaker of thepeasantssaid,'Ianswer in mysimplicity. Weare of opinionthat in a matterof thiskind,theLordsRegentaremorecapable of answeringthanourselves, yet wethink it better thatthecountryshouldberuledbyasinglekingthanbymany.'The clergy still remained obstinate, and thenobles,heated bytheirbanquet,didnotspare theirFROMBIRTHTOCORONATION 1$reproaches. But the patience of the nobles wasnowworn out, and they shouted with one voice,'LongliveKingCharlesXII.,'andthrew theirhatsintotheair. The burghers and peasants did thesame,andjustastheclockstruckfom- the businesswas practically concluded. The clergy still con-tinuedtoprotest,but on the followingdaygaveintheirformalacquiescence.The question of the coronation aroused seriousdisputes. Why,itwasurged,should the King re-ceivehiscroAvnfromthehandsof anotherwhen heis borntowear it? In an elective kingdom likePolandacoronationis intelligible, but in an here-ditarymonarchyit isunmeaning.'Yet,'saidthe Queen-mother,'theKing must beanointed, or elsehecannotbeananointedKing.'ItwasaskedwhyshouldtheKingtake a coron-ationoathwhenhewasalreadybound bythe oathtakenbyCharlesX.in 1654, whichconstrained thewhole of his descendants. The question at issuewasthatof a limited or an unlimited monarchy,aquarrelwhichhadlongdivided Sweden,andwhichwasnottobedecideduntil Sweden herself ceasedtobepowerful. A coronation and an oath meanttherecrudescenceofthe influence of thenobles; asimpleanointingpointed toan absolute monarchy,derivingits authorityfrom Godalone. Itwassoon14 CHARLESXIIknown that the young King was opposed to thecoronation andto the oath, and asevere blowfellupon thenobleswhentheyheardthattheywere todotheirhomagenotonhorseback,butonfoot. Thehorseimpliedafeudalsubordination andnotthe sub-missionofasubject; but feudality wasnowabolished,andthenoblesmustwalkliketheotherorders.Furtherhumiliationawaitedthe grandees of thekingdom. AtthecoronationofCharlesXI.in 1(575,theLordsof theCouncilhadappearedin their uni-forms,withredmantlestrimmedwith ermine.This wasnowimpossible in consequence of thecourtmourning,and the aristocracy had to clotheitselfin a uniformity of black. The King was inblackalso,butthe purplerobeof sovereigntycouldnotbe dispensed with,andthe only colom*in thepageantwasseenonthe personofthe King. OntheotherhandtheLordsCouncillorscarriedthecanopyovertheKing'shead,displacing thegeneral whohadpreviouslyperformedthatoffice, andtheywaitedattheKing'stable,reluctantly,butnotdaringtorefusethishonourableservitude.Theactof homage was performed in the square_J!qtheRiddenholm, onDecember13. The weatherwascoldandstormy, and it snowedheavily. Theblackrobesof mourningwere turned to a deathlywhite. The anointing followed on the next day.FROMBIRTHTOCORO^'ATIOX 15Charlesborethecrownonhisheadand the sceptreinhishand,symbolisingtheabsolutenessofhistitleandof his rule. Butashesprang to mount his horse,thecrowntotteredandfell, somesayontheground,othersthatitwas held up in the grasp of CountStenbock. Indeed,howcouldCharles save it ^vithhisbridleinonehandandhissceptreinthe other?Adullmurmurranthroughthecrowd,andtheboy-King was disconcerted. No one, not even theQueen-mother, knew whether Charles would takeanoathornot, or indeed what he would do. Hefirst sat upon a throne in the lofty choii', thenapproachingthe altar, laid his crown and sceptreupona cushion, and knelt awhile in prayer. Thearchbishopthen, withthe customaryritual,anointedhim; first on the brow, and then upon the twowrists. ThentheKingaroseagain,andplacing thecrownuponhishead,tookthe sceptre in his handandreturnedtothe throne. Prayers, hymns, witha final blessing echoed by salvoes of artillery,announcedtothecapitalthatSweden hadan anoint-edKing.Wineflowed from the fountains, andoxen wereroastedinthesquare. Enthusiasmspread throughoutthecountry, rousedbytheyouth and thesplendidqualities of the new sovereign. Butthere weremurmurs ofdiscontent. Whywas thewill of the16CHAELESXIIlateKingdisobeyed? WhyliadCharlesrefused totakethecoronationoath? Wasit wiseto'entrustsolargeanempire to the untried hands of a boyoffifteen? Had not heaven itself pronounced itsverdictonthis rashness? Thestorm and snow ofthehomaging,themourninggarments of thecrown-ing,thefall of thediademfrgmthemonarch's head,andofthehornof anointing from thearchbishop'shand,wereallsigns of Divinedispleasure.Indeedthe reign of Charles was seldom free from stormclouds,and wasilluminatedratherbyfitful flashes oflightningthanbythesteady radianceofa beneficentsun.17CHAPTERII.THE MAD TIME.WhenCharles ascended the throne at the age offifteen,hewas tall for his age, but rather slenderandthin. His cheeks were pink and white, likethoseofayounggirl. Thiswasagreat annoyancetohim, ashedesiredaboveall things tolook likeaman,anditwasacomforttohimthat his face wasslightly marked with the small-pox. Helived asmuchaspossibleintheopenair, that hemightbe-comesun-burnt. Hisdresswassimple,buthecom-pliedwithFashionsofar as towear a wig, which,however, he laid aside on his expedition toDen-mark,andappeared ever afterwardswith the bare'Swedishhead' whichhas becomeproverbial. Heatebutlittle, andhisfavouritefood wasbread andbutter,friedbacon,andsmallbeer.Charles, like his father, hada passion for thechase. Hisfavouritegamewerewolves,foxes,elks,C18 CHARLESXIIbutespeciallybears. At first be condescended touseagun,butbeafterwardsgave orders tbat only-spearssbouldbe employed in tbe conflict witb sodefencelessananimal. TbeKing set tbe exampleof daring to bis followers. Tbey often trembledwbentbey sawtbelife of tbeir sovereign bang intbebalance of a moment. Once a bear came soneartoinflictingadeadlyblow,tbatittoretbe wigfrom tbe King's bead. Tbis, bowever, was notenougb, eventbe cold steel was discarded. Tberoyalbuntwasarmedonlywitbwoodenforks, so astotbrust tbe bear backward, a bludgeon to stunbimwitb,andacordtobind bim. Agreat battuewasorganizedintbismannerintbe year 1700. Ina few days fourteen bears were eitber killed orcaptured. One of tbe bears firt attacked, rusbedviolently upon tbe King, wbobowever gave bimsucbbeartyblowswitb bisbludgeon,tbattbebeastwas stunned and safely captured. Tbe bootywasbrougbtbackin triumpb witb songs and music toKungsdr.TbeKingsbowed equal daring in riding. Heratber liked a beavy fall, because it covered bi?bodywitbtbescarsand bruiseswbicb werea signof manliness. Once be undertook along ride inastorm, fellintoasnow-drift,and wasonlysavedbytbe activity of Count Sparre. At anotber time,THEMADTIME 19whenhewasjust sixteen,hesetoutatfive in themorningandreachedasmallfiordintheneighbour-hoodofStockholm. It was April,andtheice wasmelting, sothatthefloe wasloosenedfromtheshore.TheKingwouldhearof nodenial,andsprungupontheice, but atthe other side wasa gap of fifteenfeet. Charlesatfirst wishedtojump it, but findingthat was impossible, urgedhishorseintothefreez-ing stream, andby goodluck safely reached theshore. Whatwonder if histutorwarned himthatGod Almighty had already saved him twice, butcouldhardly be expectedto doit a thirdtime, andthathorseswere designed for the service of menandnottohelpthemtobreaktheirnecks!Manystories are told of his sledge parties andhistoboganning, in which he seems to have an-ticipated the discoveries of an Engadine winter.Thushewouldharness oathe horsesin front, andplaceall thesledgesbehind,afterthemannerof themodern'bob-sleigh;'and at Kungsor he made anice-runbypouringwaterdown a steephill, endingwithaleapwhichnearlykilledhistwocompanions.To all remonstrances he would reply,'Oh! it'snothing,' anexpressionwhichbecameproverbialinthemouthsofthepeasantry.Likehisrival Peter the Great, he accustomedhimself early to military exercises,knowingthaXc220CHARLESXIImost ofhis life would be spent in these pursuits.Hebuiltfortressesof snow,engagedin sham fightsonthewater,in which the ships were armedwithfire-engines. In oneof these encounters the Kingwas nearly drowned, and was only saved by thepresenceof mindofhis companionHorn. He tookeverypains to harden himself in preparation forfuture campaigns. He wouldriseinthenight,andliealmostnaked onbareplanks. InDecember,1(398,hesleptfor three successive nights in the stables,withnocoveringbuthay. Atthesametimehewasnot/reefrom horse-playand practical jokes, whichare theweakness ofprinces. He would drag thewigoflf achamberlain's head, or flip cherrystonesintohisface. He wouldshootatthemarble statuesinthepalace, till theywereshatteredas by bullets,or makeabear drunk,and laugh whenitbrokeitsback. At the sametimeheknew howtodistinguishbetween jestandearnest. Hewasseriousinpublicaffairs, andabove all silent. Indeed, the silence ofthe young King became prevalent, but his wordoncespokenwasneverchanged.From thefirst heplayed thedespotin Government.Hehadconceivedacontemptforthe estates whichwerelefthim,andhedid not trusttheLordsCoun-cillors. CharlesXI. used to summon his councilonceaweek,buthisson transactedafiairsinhis bed-THEMADTIME21room,discussing foreign business with Polus, anddomesticmatters with Charles Piper. He didnotgotohis council till matters were]already settled,andawarmightbeimminentbeforethey hadbeentoldanythingaboutit. They had towait outsidethedoorfor the King's pleasure. Charles was, asmightbeexpected,waywardinhis habitsof work.Sometimeshewould be engaged with Piper fromfiveinthemorningtill lateinthe evening, atothertimeshewould attendto nothing serious. At thesametimeheinspired general respect, andnocom-bination of the nobility was able to make headagainsthim. Hewassincerely pious, hisjustice wasunimpeachable,andhis honesty beyondall reproach,hiswordswerescrupulouslypure. Hehadonce ortwicegivenway to drink,and under its influencebehavedrudelytotheQueen-mother. Uponthishedeterminednevertoindulgein strong drink again,andthisresolutionhe kept till hisdeath. Also hehadacertainlove of art and refinement, inheritedfromhis mother, which would hardly be expectedfrom his character. He studied engravings, paidhonourtoartists, and,severein his ownsimplicity,wasanxiousto maintainthe splendourofhis court.DukeFrederick IV. of Holstein-Gottorpwas onhismother'sside acousinofCharlesXH.andonhisfather'ssideacousin of Charles XI. He had also22CHARLES XIImarriedCharles'seldersister, Hedwig Sophia, andwasconsequentlyaconstant visitor in Stockholm.Hewasabadcompanionfor his brother-in-law, asheexaggerated,if hedid notcause,hiseccentricities,andthemad freaks they played togetherwere aprototypeof the similarprankswhich shockedandenlivenedWeimarintheearlydays of Goethe andKarlAugust Aharehuntwasheld in the councilhall ; theKingand Duke racedfromStockholmtoKungsor,Charlesonhorseback,Frederickin a car-riage, withtwelve miles' start. The young Kingwon,andissaidtohavecoveredeighty-fivemilesinfivehours. One daythe Dukerodeintothecapitalcladinnothingbutashirt, hissuiteinsimilarattirewith theirsabres drawn; inreturnthe Kingmountedastag, androdeit, happilywithoutdanger. CountJohnGabriel Stenbock was their constant butt.Thecousinsdraggedhiswigfromhishead,triedtobreakhissword,threwhis hat out of windowandcutittopieces; theybroke up all the benchesintheroyalchapel, so that the congregation had tostand. TheDukehaving boastedthat he hadcutoff acalfs headwith a sword, goats, sheep, andcalves were brought tothepalace tobe operatedupon,andtheirsevered heads thrownthroughthepalacewindows. Asimilarfate was inflicteduponanumberofpeasants'horsesatKungsor.THEMADTIME23Duringthisperiod ofmadfrolic, theKingwouldlisten to no business, and the Duke became very-unpopular. Itwas said thathewishedtobiinghiscousinintohatredandcontempt, andeventoexposehimtodangerof life, inorderthathemightascendthethrone. Once hedaredtheKingtoleapadan-gerousditch. Charles'sdevoted pageKlinkowstrom,aladofthesameage,thecompanionofhisfunandfrolic, heldhimbackandobtainedpermissiontotrytheleapfirst. Thehorsewaskilled, thepage'sarmbroken,buttheKing'slife wassaved. AnotherdayCharleswasdared byFredericktorideoveraheapof planks piled up together. HansWachtmeister,whowasinthesuite, losthistemper,andcried,'Have done with this! Weknowyour object,butwehave not got a king thathemaybreakhisneckatyourpleasure.'TheDukeattackedthecouncillorwithhissword,but the King threw himself between them, andcried,'Hush,hush! mydearHans,Iwon't ride up thebank;beeasyonthatscore, myoldfriend.'Similarlyonce on the lake of Malar, when thesamethreewereinaboattogether,theDukebegantoshakeitfromside to side, butWachtmeisterlaidhis hand on his sword, and threatened to runhimthroughif hedidnotdesist.24CHARLESXIIGreatwasthejoyoftheSwedes whenthenewly-married couple went back to their own country.Charlestravelled for some distancewiththem,andplayedhismadpranks ontheway. Atoneplacearowof gallowswaserected, onwhichwere tied bytheir feet living geese with their necks smearedwithfat. Peasantsrodethroughthemonhorseback,andtoretheirnecksoff, eachsuccessful slaughtererreceivingaducat. The nextdaythegamewasre-newed for the peasants'wives and daughters,andthefemalevictorsreceivedtwoducatseach.WhentheDukehadfinallydeparted,and Charleshadreturnedto Stockholm,he appearedtobequiteanaltered man. Hewas indefatigable in perform-inghis kinglyduties, andwhen his friends beggedhim to take some repose,herefused,and said thathe had already kept his subjectswaiting too longfor the justice which they had a right to expectfrom him. However,therespitewasnot for long.Atthebeginningof 1699,the DukeandDuchessofGottorpwere obliged to flyfrom their dominions,and eventuallytook refuge in Sweden. Piper dideverything he could to prevent the visit, but invain. Charleswas too fond of his sister, and toogenerous in character to refuse hospitalityintimeof need. Hestood attheveryend of the landing-place at Ystad to awaithisvisitors. ButthefearsTHEMADTIME 25of his advisers were groundless. There was butlittle of the old extravagance, but too much ex-traA^agance of a newkind. The court adopted amoresplendidand brilliant air than had been seensince the days of Queen Christina. InAugusttheKing'sgardenswereturned into aVauxhall,andinOctober the eighty-third birthdayof the Queen-mother was celebrated with extraordinary pompand expense. In November a French companycameto Stockholm, and played the best pieces ofMoli^reandCorneille,theKingbeinghimselfnearlyalways present. In January and February threemasked balls were held,regardless of expense, andthenoblesfollowedtheexampleofthecourt.Thecost of these extravaganceswasserious, thetreasures amassed by the care and economy ofCharlesXI. werewastedintwoyears. TheElephantvaultswere empty,otherresourceswere exhausted,there was even a talk of pledging Pomerania orBremen,whichwasonlypreventedbytherepresen-tationsof Piper. But the hour of retributionwasathand. Itis said that in the spring of 1700 thecourtcameto Kungsor,andtheKingwaspreparingtogiveamasked ballvnth his usual magnificence.ThepiousSvedberg,hearingofthis,askedthecourtpreacherwhether he could not prevent it, and,onhisdeclining to interfere, asked to be allowed to26 CHARLESXIIpreachinhisplace. Svedberg in hissermonrepre-sented that to hold masked balls onSundayswassuchaterrible sinthatthe Kinggave up the idea,andjust at this momentacourier arrivedwiththenewsthatKing Augustusof SaxonyandPolandhadinvadedLivonia.27CHAPTERIII.THEINVASIONOFSEELAND.Whilst Charleswasspendingtoomuchof histimeinfollyandextravagance,a serious conspiracywasbeing formed against him and his country. Themain instigator of this was Reinhold Patkul, aLivonian nobleman, who dreamed of the possibleindependenceofhisnativeprovince,andhadprivatewrongstoavengeupontheroyalhouse of Sweden.WhenCharlesXI.putanendtothefeudalrightsoftheLivoniannobility,Patkul wassenttoStockholmtopleadtheircause. HeproducedsomeeffectupontheKing,andwas thanked byhim,butwasnever-theless arrested and condemned for high treason.He escaped, and wandered in different parts ofEurope seeking for revenge. The accession of aboytotheSwedishthrone seemed to give him op-portunity,andhe approached Augustus of Poland,suggestingtheconquest ofLivonia. Ifthatcountry,28 CHARLESXIIlie tliought, could not be independent, itmightbebetter oflf under an elective than under an heredi-tarymonarch.Wemustremember thatat thistimethegrowingpowerof Swedenwas regardedasaserious dangertoEurope. She had been graduallyenrichingher-.self at the expense of her neighbours. She hadtaken Ingria from Russia, Stettin, Rugen,and partof Pomerania from Brandenburg, Wismar fromMecklenburg,BremenandVerden fromtheEmpire,a,nd a number of provinces from Denmark,besides.supportingtheDuke of GottorpintheindependentpossessionofSchleswig-Holstein. Shewasdreadedin the North, as Louis XIV.and Napoleon I. weredreadedintherestofEurope.The thrones of the powers hostile to Swedenwereoccupiedby youngandenterprisingsovereigns,oneof thema manofgenius,Frederick IV.of Den-mark,FrederickAugustusof Poland, and Peter ofRussia. MainlybytheinstrumentalityofPatkul analliancewas formed between themforthedismember-mentoftheircommon foe. In the division of thespoil, Russia wasto have Ingria, NarvaandUxholm,and as much of Finland as she could acquire;Poland was to have Livonia and Esthonia; Den-markwastobesetfreefromtherivalpretensionsoftheDukeof Holstein-Gottorp, and to recover herTHEINVASIONOFSEELAND 29lostprovinces; Brandenburg,wlioat first hesitatedtojointheleague,wasto receive Stettin and per-hapsaportioiiof Pomerania. If the allies had allworked together in combination, Swedenwouldhavehadlittle chance. ButPeter was too youngandinexperiencedtoassumeadirectingpower,andCharleswasabletomeethisenemies one after theotherandtodefeatthem, at least for the moment,in detail.Warfirst broke out between Denmark and theDuke of Gottorj). The Schleswig-Holstein ques-tioniswellknownas oneofthe most complicatedinhistory, and this is not the place to unravelit.King ChristianI. of Denmark, whoreignedfrom1448to1481, when onhis wayfromtheBaltictoItaly,wasinvestedwiththesovereigntyoftheDuchies bytheEmperorintheImperialtownof RothenburgontheTauber. Schleswigwas mainlyScandinavian,whileHolsteinwasGerman,being said indeedtoformanintegralpartofthe GermanEmpire. ThegrandsonofChristianL,ChristianIII.,in1533,gavethe Duchiesasfiefs tohis twohalfbrothers,JohnandAdolf. Johndiedwithoutissue, but Adolf settled in Schleswig,andfoundedtheline ofHolstein-Gottorp.After thedeathofChristian III., therewasa continual strug-gle between the Kingdom and theDuchies, theDuchies striving for independence,and Denmarkto CHARLESXIIaiming either at an effective suzerainty over theDuchies,or attheir complete reduction. The marriageofCharlesX. ofSwedentoHedwig Eleanora,sisterof thereigningDukeof Gottorp,strengthened thepretensions of that house,andinthepeaceof Ros-kilde,which concludedthevictoriouscampaign ofCharlesX.in1658,Frederick III. of Denmarkwasforcedtorenouncethesuzerainty to which he laidclaim. Buthissonandsuccessor. Christian V., al-luredtheDukeofGottorpto Rendsburg,madehimprisoner,andcompelledhim to surrender the fort-ressof Tdmiingwithitsnewearthworks,to receiveaDanishgarrisonintohistown,andagain tobecomethe vassal of Denmark. This arrangement lastedforalittlemorethanayear,andwas putanend tobyFrenchintervention. But in 1682, ChristianV.madeanalliancewith France, and again occupiedtheducalfortresseswithhis troops. England andHolland,nowundertheswayofWilliamIII., natur-allyintervened againstFrance,andbythepeaceofAltona, signed on June20, 1689, the Duke wasagainrestored tohisprivileges,and the Duchies wereplacedundertheguaranteeofthemaritimepowers.DukeChristianAlbert,inwhosefavourthisinter-vention had taken place, died in 1694, and wassucceededbyhisson Frederick, ofwhomwehavealreadyheard so much. He placed a garrison ofTHEINVASIONOFSEELAND 31SwedishtroopsinTonning,andrestored the earth-works. KingChristiancouldnot, for the moment,interfere,becausehe dreaded thepower of CharlesXL Butwiththe death of that King came theopportunityof revenge,andonMarch24, 1698,theti-eaty ofalliance,ofwhichwehavealready spoken,was signedwiththe Kingof Poland andtheTsar. Itremained a deadsecret, and wasscarcely suspected bytheSwedish government. Init King Augustus prom-isedtosupport anattackontheDuchieswithaforceofeight thousand men, and to keep the Swedesemployedbyan invasion of Livonia. King Chris-tiandiedon NewYear'sDay, 1699, beforehe couldputtheseplansintooperation,buthissonFrederickIV.wasevenmoreeagerforaction than hisfather.Beforetheendoftheyearanewalliance was con-cludedwiththeKingof PolandandtheTsar, whichprovidedforacommonattackonSweden,and thatnopeaceshouldbemadeuntilSwedenhadconsent-edto surrender her conquered provinces, and theTsarhadreceivedaportontheGulfofFinland.Duke Frederick had no other resourceleft himbuttotakerefugeinSweden,wherehe metCharlesand placed his country under his protection.Charles promised to undertake the responsibility,evenifit shouldcosthimhiscrown.ConsultingnoonebutPiper,he ordered troopsto march from Stade32 CHARLESXIIand Wismar into Holstein,and to join theDuke'sforces. Hiscouncillors protested,and thesea powersdeprecatedtheopeningof a northernwar. Butallthattheycouldobtainfrom Charleswas a promisethathewouldnotbethefirst totaketheaggressive.KingAugustusdidhisbesttoconceal hisintentions.Hesentanembassy to Stockholm, andeven madeproposalsfor an alliance. Dahlberg,the governorofRiga,suspectedmischief, butcouldnot persuadehisgovernment. Heput the walls intoa state ofdefence, and fortified a bastion called Kobern,ontheothersideoftheriver Diina. Inthe dawnof awintrymorning, February14, 1700, two thousandSaxonsattackedthis bastion,and occupiedit aftertwohours'fighting. The greatnorthernAvar, whichwasto lastso many years, and to cause so muchbloodshed,hadnowbegun.We have already stated that Charles was atKungsor,whenheheardoftheinvasionof Livonia.Heturnedquietly tothe Frenchambassador, andsaid,'Weshall soon induce KingAugustus to returntotheplacefromwhencehecame.'However, he betook himself to Stockholm, andaddressedhisassembledcouncillors.*I am determined,' he said,'never to begin anunjustwar,butnevertoendajustone, savebythesubjectionoftheenemy.'THEINVASIONOFSEELAND 33Again,*Strange that both my cousins wish tomake waragainstme. Beitso! ButKing Augustushas broken his word; our cause is therefore just,and Godwill light on our side. I will first settlematterswithone, I willthenspeakwiththeothers.'Charles received with equal calmness the newsthatRussiahadjoinedtheleagueagainsthim. Thecrisis, however, produced an entire change in hishabitsanddemeanom-. Theatres,dances,andotheramusements were completely given up, and theyoung King devoted himself unreservedly to thestudyoftheartofwar,and ofthe miHtaryhistoryofhisancestors.Thearmywasbroughtuptoits full strength,andnewregiments wereformed. Aregiment of Drag-oonswasleviedonthepreachersandanotheron thecivilservants,a regimentofinfantrywasdemandedfromthecitizensof Stockholm. Someof the highernobility raised companies for the service of thecrown. Thefleetwasfullymanned and equipped,nosailorswereallowedtobeengaged for the mer-chant service until the needs of the navy weresupplied.Butforthesepurposesandfortheconduct of thewar,moneywasaboveall thingsnecessary,andthestatetreasury was exhausted. In the autumn of1699awartaxwasinposed,whichbroughtinaboutD34 CHARLESXIIamillionthalers. ThefriendsoftheKing, such asPiperandStembock,subscribedlargesums, butthenobleswereingeneraldiscontented,andthe exam-ple was but slowly followed. Thereductions, theconfiscationsof theirpropertybytheCrown, weretoofresh in their recollection. Forced therefore bycircumstances, Charlesdetermined to retrace thispolicy. Byarescriptof April13, 1700,he revokedtheReduction Edict which his father hadissued. Ontheeveningof thatdayhe tookan affecting leaveof hisgrandmotherandhistwosisters, saying thathewas going to spend a short time at Kungsor.However,inthe middle of thenight, he stole sec-retlyout ofthe palace, andtook the roadtothe south.He never returned to his capital, and never sawhisgrandmotherorhiseldestsisteragain.FrederickIV.,Kingof Denmark, Charles'sfirstcou-sinandhispresentenemy, ascended the throne onAugust25,1699. Hewasof lowstature, thin, pale,his face deckedwith a scanty beard. He had alongRomannose,largedarkandfiery eyes, abroadmouth,badteeth,aslightstoop, ashortneck, andabroadchest. In this small and unattractive bodydweltagreatandfieryspirit. Frederick wascleverand sensible,cultivated,honest, and atruefriend. Hewas convinced thathis first dutywas to carryouthisfather'swishes,andthealliance Avith RussiaandTHEINVASIONOFSEELAND 35Poland,which wasofferedtohim,seemedto makeitcertainthatitwouldsucceedindoingso.However,theaffairsof thenorthwere,for specialreasons,amatterofinterestto the other powers ofEurope. Agreat Europeanwarwasimminent, os-tensiblyfordeterminingthequestionof the succes-sionto theSpanishEmpire,butreallyfor destroyingthepreponderating power of Louis XIV. WilliamIII., King of England and Stadholder of Holland,whohad spent his life inopposingtheaggrandise-ment ofthe French king,whonowwieldedthere-sources of two governments and commanded twopowerful fleets, was not likelytoallowtheinterestof the Danish peninsula to interfere with his far-reaching plans. Awar in the north might spreadoverthewholeof Europe,andarraycombatantsonvery different lines to those which his policy re-quired. He therefore, with remarkable prescienceand admirable presenceofmind,determinedtostampouttheflame beforeitbecameaconflagration. Hehad a ground for interference as a guarantor ofthe treaty of Altona,which had arranged mattersbetween the Kingand the Duke of Gottorp. Hetherefore despatched a fleet of English andDutchships, withorderstomaintain theprovisions ofthetreatywhich had beenviolated byFrederick, andwithinstructionstobring aboutapeaceasspeedilyd236 CHARLESXIIaspossible. Thefleetwas under the orders of the-EnglishAdmiral, SirGeorgeRooke.InJanuary, 1700, a convention had been signedat the Hague between England, Holland, Bruns-wick,Luneburg,andCelle, for the purpose of sup-porting the treaty, and negotiations were enteredinto. Frederickrefusedtosubmit; Swedish troopswerestationedin theDuchyofHolstein,somewerecollecting in Bremen, others were advancing fromPomerania, and from the frontiers of Norway.General Rehbinder stood, ready to march,inGo-thenburg. Thewarnings of the French ambassa-dor were ofno use; Frederick sawthat warwasinevitable,anddeterminedtomeet it. Hemannedand equipped the Danish fleet, and put it intofightingtrim. Hisarmyentered HolsteinonMarch17,destroyed the earthworks erectedbythe Duke,andinvested thefortressofTonningon April 22.JustatthismomentCharles had left Stockholm,and,accompanied byDuke Frederick,wentfirst toCarlscrona,whereheinspectedthefleet, andthentoMalmo, where he superintended the mustering oftwelve thousand troops for invasion of Seeland.Frederickleft hiscousinat Gothenburg, and returnedtohis owncountry. ThealliedEnglishand Dutchfleetwasalreadyonitsway,and CharlesreturnedtoCarlscronainorderto go on board and to joinitsTHEINVASIONOFSEELAND37vessels withhisown. In themeantimethesiegeofTonningwas proceedingwith little success. KingFrederick proceededthitherin May, hopingto bewit-nessof avictory. ThebombardmenthadopenedonApril 26. More than ten thousand bombs andred-hot balls had been shot into the town, withtheresultof burningasinglehouseandkillinga fewmen. Thebesiegers suffered morethan thebesieged,their powder magazines exploded, and the Danesbelievedthatthetownwas fullof witchesandmagi-cians, againstwhoseartordinarymeans werepower-less. Underthesecircumstancestherewasnothingto be donebutto raisethesiege, andKing FrederickretiredtoRendsburg.Here, on June7, 1700,hereceivedavisitfromtheEnglishminister, Mr.Gregg,whoinformed him thathissovereign,asaguarantorof the peaceof Altona,haddeterminedtosendadetachmentofhisfleetin-totheBalticinordertopreserveitsconditions. Hehoped,however,that theKingwouldrenderitsoper-ationsunnecessary byrecallinghistroopsfromHols-tein,andgivingsatisfactionfor the damage which hehadoccasioned. Frederick repHed that he wouldcomplywiththewishesof Englandwhen the alliedtroopshadquittedHolstein,andthathewould thenwillinglyacceptthemediationofFrance. Thedayafterthisinterviewthealliedfleetreached the har-38CHARLESXIIbourof VingaintheneiglibourlioodofGothenburg,TheDanish fleet consistedoftwenty-ninelineof bat-tle-shipsandfifteenfrigates, and was underthecom-mandofUlrichChristianGyldenlove,anaturalbro-theroftheKing's,younginyears,butof ripeexperi-ence,with pleasantexterior, a clearunderstanding,andchivaiousnature. Gyldenlovetookaposition inthesound betweenthe islandof Hveenand Helsingor,underthegunsof Kronburg,topreventthe advanceof the Swedish fleet. But on June26 the alliedfleetwassightedfromthebattlementsof the castle.It anchored, thirty-two strong,on the north coastof Seeland, not far from Helsingor. The Danesnaturallysentto demandtheir intentions,and wereansweredby Admirals Rooke and Allemonde that theyhadcome, notto oause a warbut to prevent one,that they desired to sail through the sound,andhopedforan undisturbed passage. Gyldenlove puthisshipsinorderofbattle,and prepared to disputetheiradvance.Inthemeantime the Swedish fleet, consistingofthirty-eightshipsofthelineandten frigates, carry-ing more than two thousand guns, had left theharbour of Carlscrona. ItAvasunderthecommandofthe Admiral of the fleet, HansWachtmeister,anexperienced veteranof sixtyyearsofage,who hadservedhisapjDrenticeshipintheEnglishnavy. TheTHEINVASIONOFSEELAND 39objectof theSwedeswastojointheaUiedfleet, thatofthe Danes to prevent then* junctions. Alargeportion of the sound between Seeland and theSwedish coastis occupiedbythe islandsofAmackandSaltholm,and the passages availablefor shipsrunoneithersideofthis latterisland. Thewesternpassage, called'TheDrogen,'is deepand availableforships of war,butitis commandedbythebatte-riesof Amackandis verynarrow. Onthisoccasionthe Danes had removed all marks of navigation.Ontheeasternsideof Saltholmisthepassagecalled'Flinterenden,' shallow, tortuous,and full of sand-banks,seldom attempted byships ofwar. CharlesXII., whohad onlyrecentlylefttheAdmiral'sship,gavepositiveorderstoWachtmeisterthatheshouldsail with what ships he could through the mainchannel,andsendtherestbacktoCarlscrona. TheDanishfleetlefttheirpositiontoopposethecomingoftheir enemy,andthe allies inunediatelyweighedanchor andsailed intothe sound,salutingthe forteress of Kronburg as they passed. Theyoccupicxtthe position which the Danish fleet hadjustle^stKookewas,however,greatlyalarmedlesttheDu^-inshouldgiveway,andtheyshouldbeobligedtomedthe soimd before the Swedish ships arrived,p,soDaneswere nowbetween twofires, andthec^roveitself wasinsecure. Itmusthavebeenapictur40 CHARLESXIIand thrilling sight: the shipsof fourgreat powersranged in battle order against each other in thenarrow sound,while vessels of commerce pursuedtheirbusinessunhinderedasinatimeof peace.OnJuly6,Wachtmeister prepared to executethepositiveorders of hissovereign,and totheter-rorandastonishmentof theDaneshe accomplishedit. One of the largest ships went aground,and,when it wasgot off bythe removalof its cannon,hadtobe sentbackto Carlscrona. Fourorfive ofthe ships ofdeepest draughthad been leftbehind,but the rest reached the roadstead of Malmo insafety,and effected their junction with the allies.Thecombinedfleets werenowverystrong,and theDanesretiredunderthewallsof Copenhagen.The bombardment of the town began on theevening of July 9. The Danish fleet had beenanchoredin such a wayasto prevent theguns oftheir fortresses from being fired without injuringtheir ownships. The bombsthrown didlittleinjury,-anyof them burstingin the air. Rookemade itth>vious byhis demeanourthat his principalobjectingsthe restoration of peace,and that he had notharliewith anyhostile intentions. Butit nowbe-oftjeevidentthatCharleswasmeditatingadescentexpel Seeland,with the object of capturingCopen-serveafromthe land-sidewhile the combinedfleetsTHEINVASIONOFSEELAND 41blockadeditfrom thesea. He moved aboutbetweenCarlscrona and Malmo,partlyto complete his pre-parations, partly to deceive the enemy as to hisintentions. Thefirst plan had beento landintwodivisions, one under General Rehnskjold at Kjoge,andtheotherunderGeneralWachtmeisterbetweenHelsingor and Copenhagen. This was given up,o^ving to unfavourable winds. Ontheevening ofAugust 3(N.S.)adetachment was formed,consist-ing ofsome ships of the line and some frigates,accompanied byanEnglishanda Dutch ship,andcan-yingon boardtheSwedishregimentsofUplandandCalmar. Charles superintendedthe operations,remainingat theplaceof embarkation fromfive inthemorningtill midnight. Whenthis divisionhadreached the island of Hveen itwas joined onthefollowing daybyCharles himself,who had passedthe night in the guard-house on the bridge, onboard theyacht'Sofia,' in the midstof a large as-semblage of vessels of all kinds, conveying theSwedishGuardsand othertroops. Theysetsail atseveninthemorning,and reachedtheDanishcoastatnoon,theweatherbeingverybad. Fromfourintheafternoon till midnight there was a continuedrain, andthen aviolentgaleofwindsprangup, sothatmanythoughtthatthe expeditionwouldproveafailure.42CHARLESXIIOrders hadbeen given that as soon as the ves-selsstruckground,thesoldiers should jumpintotheAvaterand wadetotheshore. Thegrenadiersweretoattack fii-st, thenthecavalry,andthentherestofthe troops, the rear ranks being furnished withspades; the artillerywas to be landed last. Buttheseprecautionswerenotrequired. Charles,attheheadoffivethousandmen,found onlytwohundredcavalry to oppose him, with ahundred armedpeasants andsix one-poundersplaced ontwo hills.Theseweresoondriveninto theirentrenchmentsbythefire of theSwedish ships,and the landing waseffectedatsixo'clockintheevening,at thevillageof Humble Beck, about twenty miles from thecapital. The grenadiers spranginto the water uptothe waist, and the kingwouldhaveliked to beamong them, but contented himself with keepingorder. The engagement lasted averyshort time;the Daneswerequicklydrivenback,andtheirgunscaptured.Duringthefollowingdaysreinforcements arrivedfrom Sweden,whichbrought Charles's force up toeleventhousand men. He now advanced towardsCopenhagen and halted about ten miles from thecity, which he undoubtedly intended to besiege.But the siege train had not arrived, and nothingcould bedone withouttheir help. The envoys ofTHEINVASIONOFSEELAND 43England andHolland did alltheycould torestraintheKingfromfurther action. Theyrepresented tohimthatonJuly28 anarmisticehadbeensignedinHolstein betweenthe Danishandthe alliedtroops,andthat negotiationsforpeacehadbeen openedatTravendal. It is said that Charles was popularamongsttheDanish people,andthat suppliescamereadily into his camp. He issued a proclamation,pre^^ouslyprinted at Lund, promising the inhabi-tants security for their persons and propei-ty, andrecommendingthemto remain at homeand attendto their own affairs. If captured peasants werebroughttohim,hegavethemmoneyandsaid,'Goto your home,my children,and mind yourownbusinessinGod'sname;I am notcomeheretoconquer you, butto establish peace. Ifyouhaveanythingtosellbringit here,andyoushall bepaidreadymoneyforit.'Hespokeaffablyto allwhoapproached him,andwasgladto hear thepeasants say,'God bless your majesty. You will do us noharm,foryouarethesonof ourpiousUlrica.'Strict disciplinewaskept. The citizens of Hel-singor placedthemselvesunderhisprotection,anditis said that nobles and rich merchants came toCharlesfromCopenhagento ask thattheir palacesandtheirbeautifulchurchesmightbespared44 CHARLES XIICharlesrepliedtothemthat they would betreatedastheirconductdeserved.Charleswasassimpleasever in hisdiet and habitsof life, but he and his officers did not spare hiscousin'spreserves,sothatthefleet waswellsuppliedwith game. At last the peace of Travendal wasagreed on August 17, and the war came to anend. The conditionof thepeace wasthat mattersshould remain between the King and the Duke as theyhadbeenbeforethewar,whileatthesametimetheKingwastopayanindemnityoftwo hundred andfiftythousandthalers. Thenegotiations hadlastedonlyelevendays.Charles had takenpart inthe warasone of theguarantors of the treaty of Altona, and he wouldhavelikedtohavecontinueditonhisownaccount.Butthemaritimepowerswereopposed to this, andhe hadotherenemiesto dealwith. Therefore theSwedishtroops returned to theirown country,andCharles crossed to Helsingborg on September3,afteranabsenceof fourweeks. TheSwedish fleetsailedtoCarlscrona,andAdmirals Rooke and Alle-mondesailed home again, having satisfactorily accom-plishedtheir embassy of peace. The youngKinghadbegun his career well. He had carried outaboldscheme with the most complete success. HisnamewasknoAvnthroughout Europe,andhis armyTHEINVASIONOFSEELAND 45liad shown that it wasbraveandwell disciplined.TheDanestookleaveof himwithfearintheireyes.Hetoldthem,inapartingaddress,thatif they hadsufferedanyinconvenience it was against his will,andthatfrom this moment he would be the mostfaithful friendof theirKing. Afomitain,fromthewater of which he usedto quench his thirst, stillexistsandbearsthefollowinginscription:'Charles XII.,Kingof Sweden, took every daywaterfromthis well, while he was superintendingthe embarkationofhis troopsat Vedbek, from August28toSeptember4.'Itaddsthatthepeasant Hans Petersen,to whomthewellthenbelonged,and who spoke to Charleseveryday,boretestimonyofthefacttoitspresento^vner.46CHAPTERIV.NARVA.ThepeaceofTravendalsatisfiednoneofthepartiesmostconcernedin it, leastofalltheDanes. Itcouldonlybe regarded byFrederickIV. asan armistice.Ho therefore kept his armyon awarfooting,andprovisioned his fleet for six weeks. Charles XII.wasinclinedtodefertheexpedition toLivonia,andindeedonlytookwithhima force of six thousandmen. Withthissmallarmyhesetsail from Carlshamnon October 1,and reached the harbour of Pernaufivedayslater. The expedition hadbeen directedinthefirstinstanceagainst King AugustusofPoland,toavenge the attack on Riga,but no sooner hadCharleslandedonLivoniansoil thanhe heard thatthe TsarPeter had declaredwaragainst him,andhadinvadedIngria; hehadthereforetodefendhim-self against two enemies at once. Augustus hadlongbeenurgingPetertodeclarehimself asa mem-NARVA47berof thetriple alliance,andtothrowotfthemask,butheansweredthathe coulddo nothing until hehadfinishedmatterswiththeTurks.ThepeaceofTravendalwas signed on the veryday on which Peter had received news that thepeaceofCarlowitzwasconcluded at Constantinople.Thenextdayhe sent to KingAugustusthat hewoulddeclarewar immediately and marchintoSwed-ishterritory. Infactwarwasproclaimedat Moscowon August31,and the Swedish ambassador wasthrownintoprison. Fromthismoment there beganaquarrelwhich determined thecourseofCharles'slife,whichruinedhis plans,made his usefulness impos-sible,andturned what mighthave beenabrilliantcareer,directedtotheaggrandisementof his country,into an heroic but ineffectual struggle against ascarcelymoregifted,butmorefortmiatefoe.Thiswrestleofyouthfulgiantsfora supremacyinthenorth, on whichwasto depend the supremacyoftheircountriesintheworld,has terrible fascina-tionwhenseen bythe experience of two hundredyears. Peter wasnow onlytwenty-eight years ofage,Charleswasonlyeighteen, Gyldenlovetwenty,his brotherFrederickofDenmark but a few yearsolder.Forthenextfifteen yearsthelargefield of centralandsouthernEurope was occupied bythe conflict48 CHARLES XIIof mature warriors and diplomatists, William andLewis,MarlborougliandEugene. Farawayin thenorth-easttheboisteroussport of the young sove-reignscontinued,threatening ever and anon to renderthemain actionimpossible. Messages andthreatsavailednothingtokeep them quiet,andthe battleof mightyinterestswas nearlystoppedbytheirdis-sensions. Butinthe lightofhistory the resultsofthenorthernAvararefarmoreimportantthan thoseof the warofthe Spanish succession. The latterachievednothingexcept the partial weakening oftheFrenchmonarchy;the objects withwhich thewarwascommenced were none of them attained.Ontheotherhandthenorthernwardetermined thefateof Sweden and the destinyof Russia. Swe-den,great in her people and her sovereigns,wasrelegated to a humble seat in the Parliament ofnations,whileRussiawasallowed to enter upon acareerwhich has made her, next to England,thearbitressoftheworld.Afterlanding at Pernau,Charles betook himselftoRujen, where he heard from GeneralWellingkthattheSwedeshadgoneinto winterquarters,andthatRiga was forthe momentoutof danger. Hetherefore determined to turnhis attention to thenorth,andrelieve the fortress of NarvawhichtheRussianshadattacked. InthemiddleofSeptemberNARVA49PrinceTrubetzkoi,governor of Novgorod, hadre-ceivedorderstoadvance to Narvawitha force ofaboveeight thousand men. He arrived on Sep-tember23, fortified acamp, and awaited thecom-ingofthesiegetrain. Thetownwasinatolerablygood condition of defence. It had a garrisonoftwothousand men,half of whomwerecitizensandpeasantsof theneighbourhood; theplacewascom-manded by the excellent and energetic ColonelArvedHorn. TheRussians had expected thatthegarrisonwould surrender without much resistance,butitwas soon seen that the Russian forceswereinsufficient. Theywerescantily suppliedwithmu-nitionsofwar. Theroadswerebad,andcarriageswerewanting,andneithertheRussian artillerynortheirpowder was goodenough in qualityfor thepurpose.Thebesiegingarmy may be reckoned at aboutthirtythousandmen. It was under the commandof Count Golovin,a friendand favourite of Peter.TheDukeofCroywasalso in the army, an officerwhohadservedboth the Danes andthe Austrianspreviousyears.Peterhad promised himaposition ofimportance,butwasnot abletofindonefor him,andhe was obligedtocontenthimselfwith the functionofanadviser. ThetroopsofCharles had anivedatPer-nau muchexhaustedbyastormy passage,andit took50 CHARLES XIIsometimefor tliemto recover. General Wellirigkhadbeen ordered to march with a corps of ninethousandmento Wesenberg,inEsthonia,by wayofRevel. But it took nearly a month to reach theplaceofassembly,inconsequenceofthe badnessofthe roads. Charles had ordered magazinesto beprovided,but the country was bare of resources,thewholeneighbourhoodhad been plundered, thetemperof the armywasbad,thesoldiershadnocon-fidenceintheiryouthfulleader, andthosewhowereescaping from Narva brought bad news into thecamp. TheKing, however,never losthispresenceof mind. Heremained calmandunshaken, certainof himself, and steadfast in his purpose. He ex-hibitedin his early youthqualities which were todistinguishhimthroughouthis life.Althoughallthetroops had notyetarrivedCharlesdetermined to march to Narva. He had underhiscommandonly aboutfourteenthousandmen,ofwhichfive hundredmustbe left to guard LivoniaandtowatchtheSaxons. BetweenWesenbergandNarvalaythepassof Pyhajoggi,the'HolyMeadow,'abouteighteenmiles distant from the fortress. Itconsistsofadeepvalleyenclosedbysteep hillsandtraversed byastreamwith marshybanks. Throughthis difficult ravine therelayonlyone road,whichcrossed the river by a bridge, and there were noNARVA 51means of passage. Bythe adviceofGeneralGor-don,theconfidentialadviserof Peter, thispasshadbeenoccupied bySheremetief,withaboutsix thou-sandmen. Butthe forcewasclumsilydistributed,about a thousandmen being sent overthestream,whilethe main body remainedon the otherside.WhentheSwedishadvancedguardmettheRussianforce, theyhaltedand informed theKing thatthepasswasoccupied. Herodeahead,andgaveordersforeight gunsto follow him. TheRussians werespeedilydrivenback,andthegims,comingup, open-edfireon theother bank. The Russiancavalry wereseizedwith apanicof terror, andgalloped hastilyaway,andthepasswasforced.ThatnightPeterreceivednewsfromSheremetiefthathehadbeenobligedtoretreat,andthatCharlesmight be expected to arrive at anymoment. Hetookanextraorduiaryresolution,which has alwaysbeen made an accusation against him. At threeo'clock in themorning he called on the Duke ofCroy,andaskedhimtotake the commandwhile heretired with Golovin to Novgorod, to hasten thereinforcementswhichwereexpectedfromPskof. Itisnotfairtoattributethis step tocowardice.Itismore probable that Peterwasconsciousofhis o-svnshortcomings,and that, while he felt it best to beabsent,hedidnotthink it wisetoentrusthistroops 252CHARLESXIItoadivided command. Hesaidafterwardsthatlie-should have escaped the disaster of Narva, if hehadgiventhecommandtoCroyafortnightearlier.Croydid his best, but he could not enforce theimwillingobedienceofthe Russianofficers,norcouldhe avoidthefaultsofSheremetief'sdispositions. Thelineof circumvallationwastoolong,andthe troopsweretoo much scattered. Also the Russian forcewas badly clothed and insufficiently fed, so thatalthoughtheyfoughtbravelyatcertainpointstheycould not withstand the furious onslaught oftheSwedes. On November29,the Swedish ai-myreachedLagena,acountrytownafewmiles distantfrom Narva. As they did not knowwhether thetownhadfallenor not, Charles ordered four signalgunstobefiredasawarningtothebesieged. Soonfour dull and distant sounds were heardfromthefortress,whichtoldthemthattheirlabourswere notinvain. Still their conditionwasnot a prosperousone, theirprovisionswereexhausted,nothing wastobe obtained from the plundered country, and thecontinuedrainhadturnedthegroundon whichtheywereencampedintoamorassof mud.Thenextdaytheycontinued their marchin twodetachments,hopingthat theRussianswould comeouttomeet them,but theyremainedimmovable intheir lines. The King, after reconnoitring theNARVA53K-iissian frontier, ordered an attack. Indeed heeould do nothing else, as the horses had eatennothing for two daysand could scarcelymove,sothattoremainstillandto retreat were equallyim-possible.Fascines were madeforfilling upthe ditches,andtheregimentswereformedintosmallbattalions,eachtwohundred andfiftystrong,thecavalrybeingarrayed in small squadrons each of seventy men.Thehillof Hermannsberg,whichlayinthecentreofthe Russian lines, necessitated the breaking up oftheSwedisharmyintotwodivisions. TheKingandRehnskjold commanded on the left, and GeneralWellingkontheright.Theattackbeganattwointheafternoon,the fireof artillery preceding the advance of the troops.Astheyapproachedtheenemies'line,thesky,whichhadbeenclear, became darkwith a sudden storm;heavysnowfell, which was driven bythe wind inthefacesof theRussians. ThisfavouredtheSwed-ish approach,and when they were close upon thelines the sky cleared again. The Swedes leapedintotheditch,andwherethere were no fascines toassistthemsankuptothewaist. Theythenmount-edthewooded slopes on the other side,and threwthemselves upon the foe. On the right wing theRussians defended themselves bravely, until theirgeneral was wounded. But Sheremetiefscavalry54 CHARLESXIIwereseized with panic beforetheywere attacked,and threwthemselves into the river Narova. Onthe left the Swedes were first engaged with theStreltzi, under the command of Trubetzkoi,whomthey easilyrouted, then drawing towards the lefttheyattacked the divisionof Golovin,and ahandto hand struggle ensued. The Russians,inexperi-enced in battle, could not make headagainst theSwedishveterans, and, asoneregiment after anotherwas driven back,fell into confusion. Some fled,others climbed over their own entrenchment andreachedtheopencountry,wherethey wererepulsedbythecavalryunder thecommandof theKingandweredrivenbacktotheir lines. Their onlyline ofretreat was by the bridge over the Narova, andmany Russian soldiers found their death in thestream.Theextremerightof the Russians, six regimentsunder the command of Buturlin, still held theirground,andhadtheybeen properlyled theymighthave turned upon the flank of the Swedes andchanged the fortune ofthe day. But,terrified bythe disaster which had befallen their commander,they formed a zareba out of the train waggonswhichwere posted near,andwith theassistance ofninegunsheldouttill lateintheevening. Charleshastenedtothepostofdanger;heclimbedovertheNARVA 5b^va.l\, but fell with his horse into a morass, fromwhichhewas extricated with difficulty. Darknesshad now comeoninthatshortNovemberday,anditwas impossibletodistinguishbetween friend andfoe.TheSwedes werefoundtobefiringuponeachother.Thereforeatseveno'clocktheKinggave orders toceasefiring, andtheRussiansweregladofasimilarrespite.Thevictorycouldeven nowbe scarcelydeclareddecisive,and had theRussians waited for the daytheymighthaveheldtheirownwithadvantage. Inspiteoftheirlosses they werestill twenty thousand strong,when the Swedeshad only six thousand fightingmen left. The zareba was uncaptured, and theextremeRussianlefthadtakenbutlittle partintheengagement. Ifatdaybreakthetwoextremitiesofthe Russian armyhad turned towards each other,theSwedeswouldhave found themselves betweentwofires. Butthespirit oftheRussianswasbroken.ThegeneralswhocommandedinthezarebabecameconA-incedthatfiu'ther resistancewas hopeless,andeventually surrendered, on the condition that theofficersshouldbemadeprisonersofwar, and thatthesoldiersshouldmarchoutwiththeirarms.ThebridgeacrosstheNarovawasrepairedinthenight,andtheRussiansbegan then-march acrossitat sunrise. Theleftwingwasforced to followthe56 CHARLESXIIexampleoftheright, andGeneral Weidecapitulated,butwiththeharderconditionsthat his troopsshouldlaydowntheirarms.Thus ended the battle of Narva,a brilliant vic-tory for the young sovereign. TheRussians hadaboutsixthousand men,not counting the cavalryof Sheremetief,who were drowned intheNarova.Thelossof the Swedish infantrywas six hundredandforty-sixkilledand one thousandtwo hundredandfive wounded;thatofthecavalryandartilleryisnotknown,butwasprobablynotconsiderable.Butthegloryof thedayis ratherto befoundinthe numbers who capitulated and the richness ofthecapturedbooty. TwelvethousandRussianslaiddowntheir armsatthe biddingof aSwedish forceof half their strength. As Charles stood by thebridge over the Narova endless lines of efficienttroops passed by him with uncovered heads, andlaidtheir arms andtheir banners at the monarch'sfeet. Nine generals and eleven officersof lowerrankweremadeprisonersofwar,therestwere dis-missedintotheirown country. Theprisonerswerewelltreated,andthe DukeofCroy, who was amongstthem,waspresented byCharles with one thousandducats. The spoil consisted of one hundred andforty-ninecannon,thirty-two mortars,ten thousandthree hundred cannon balls, three thousand andNARVA57fiftymuskets,three hundred and ninety-sevenbar-relsof powder,onehundred andforty-sixflags, andawarchest of twohundredand sixty-twothousandthalers. The valueof thewholewas estimatedbytheFrenchambassadoratthreemillionsix hundredthousand French livres. Horses were so plentifulthat theywere soldfor a thaler a piece. Besidesthis, inthe nextfewdays a hundredand fiftyRus-sianbargesAvere captured coming fromLake Peipus,laden with provisions andmunitions of war of allkinds.Onthe thirddayafterthebattle, Charlesenteredthe liberated Narva in solemn triumph. Afterrendering hearty thanks in the cathedral to theLord of Battles, he rewarded those who had dis-tinguished themselves in the siege, and advancedArvedHorn andMagnusStenbock to high rankintheservice. He then took possessionof thecampwhich had been deserted by the Russians. Butbrilliant asthe victoryhad beenit wasimpossibletofollowitup. Peterwasnow attheheadof fiftythousand troops, so that all idea of carrying theinvasion into Russian territory was hopeless.Charles remained at Narva till December25,andthenwentintowinterquartersinLivonia.58CHAPTERV.THEBATTLEOFTHEDOnA.Howwasthevictoryof Narva to be turnedto thebcHt advantage? The King's principal advisers,Piper, Wrede,Wellingk, andStenbock,urgedhimtoaccept the propoMals made hy King Augustus forpeace,and to turn his arms against theRussians;winter in their country,asheatalater period en-camped in tlie heart of Saxony,and stimulatethediscontent whichPeterwas ovennow arousingbyhis reforms and his cruelties. ButCharlesrefusedto accept thesesuggestions. It is said thathedidso because he hated Augustus and despised theRussian troops. Buttherewere betterreasons forthe resolution which ho adopted. A winter cam-paignin Russiawas a difficultanddangeroustask,as he afterwards found to his cost,and althoughAugustuswasnowreadyto makepeace,hewas anuntrustworthy ally, and might at any time turnTHEBATTLEOFTHEDUNA 59against his friends. Charles therefore determinedto stiiywherehe was,andfixed hisabodeinanolddilapidatedpalace,calledLais,not manymilesnorthof Dorpat,once belongingto the order of Germanknights,and atthis timeto thefamilyofFleming.HeretheyoungKingenjoyed liimsolf withhuntingand shooting,sham fights, and peasant weddings.GeneralMagnus Stenbockwasactive in arrangingmasques. OnJanuary28, after amorning spentina hattite, a scene was discovered,in which a fruit-^tree represented Sweden, while two eagles, oneAvhite andthe otherblack, tried topluck thefruit.At thefootof the treelayalion,whichtreatedtheblack eagle so roughly that the white eagleflewaway. In another scene a mouse-trapwas openedbya lion, and the whole crowd ofmice scatteredthemselves in flight. Over this was written thelegend,'Go and tell it to Peter.' Bythese andother devices Stenbock endeavoured to wean theKingawayfrom thoughts of little wars, and en-couraged him to spare his matchless infantry formoreimportantenterprises.ButCharles was seriouslyinfected withthe warfever.He gave but little time to affairs ofstate^androdeouteverydayto inspecthissoldiers, eventhose who were encamped at a great distance.Uiifortiinatelythe army, although lying in their60CHARLESXIIowncountry,suflferedgreat hardships. Thetroopswho were not lodged in the towns had badquar-ters, and were scantily supplied with provisionsandhospitals. Thewinterwasverysevere, theicywindpenetratedthewalls ofthehuts,andthesnowwassodeepasto stop all traffic. Manywerefrozento death, many died of hunger, and infectiousdiseases broke out. Among the victims wasthePalsgrave AdolfJohn,a relationof theKing's. Itis said that a third or more of the troops wererendered unfit for service. The head of the com-missariat,AndreasLagercrona,wasgreatlytoblamefor thesemisfortunes, whichcarriedwiththemworseresultsthanthe lossoftroops. Asthe governmentwasunableto provideproper provisionsand cloth-ingforthe army, the soldiers andeventhe officersbeganto plunderthe inhabitants. Theeasy-goingLivonians were notused to this treatment. TheyaskedwhytheKing,afterbeatingtheRussians,hadnot marched into Ingria, and imposed upon theenemytheburdenwhichnowhadto beborne byhisfriends. Thusitcametopassthat thedissatisfactionagainst the Swedish government with which thenobleshad beeninfectedbythe ReductionEdictofCharlesXLnowspread amongthe masses,andwasthe causeofserious dangersforthefuture.Charlesremained sixwhole monthsin Lais. HeTHEBATTLEOFTHEDUNA 61hasbeenreproachedforthis inactivity, but hewasobHged to wait for reinforcements from Sweden.GreatexertionsAvere being made in that country,and about eleven thousand troopsdisembarked atRevalattheendof May; theywere,however,roug*hlevies,and could not be employed until theyhadbeenproperlydrilled,whichoccupied the monthofJune.Atlength,onJune27,hebroke uphis encampmentintheneighbourhoodof Dorpatandmarched quick-lytoRigabywayof Wolmarand Wenden. Peterwasnotatalldisheartenedbyhisdefeat,hedesirednothingbetterthan acontinuance of the war,anddidhisbestto stimulatethe Kings of Poland andDenmarktonewexertions. Thelatter, indeed,wastied, for reasons which it was impossibleto disre-gard,tothefortunesof the allies intheir struggleagainstFrance. But Augustus was easier to per-suade. Peter had a conference with him, whichlastedfromFebruary26toMarch14,in the countrypalaceof Birze,notfar fromthefrontiers of Courland.Itissaidthattheresults of the meeting,althoughshrouded in secrecy,were madeknown to CharlessoonafteritsclosebyaScotchgentleman, whocon-descendedtoactasaspy. Thereis a similarstorythattheprivateconversations,iftherewereany,be-tweenNapoleonandAlexander on the raftofTilsit62 CHARLESXIIwere revealedtothe English government by aScotchgentleman,namedMackenzie,whohadshuthimselfnpintheraftundertheguise of a carpenter. Themonarchs were reported to have agreed that noexertion should be spared until Charles had beendriven entirely from his possessionsonthe Baltic.Peter was to supply, forthe purpose,twohundredthousand menandAugustus fiftythousand. Peterwastopaytohispoorerally asubsidyof twomillionthalers, untilthePolishRepublicshouldhavetakenupthewar on its own account. Augustuswas tooperate in Livonia, the Tsar in Finland, and thetroopssuppliedbyPetertotheKingof Poland weretobetrainedandarmedintheGermanfashion.Theknowledgeofthisplan,andtheconvictionofthetreacheryof Augustus, inducedCharles to turnhisarmsagainsttheKingofPoland beforehe pro-ceeded to attack Peter. It is saidindeedthathedespised the Russians as antagonists,and thoughtthattheycouldbedealt with at anymoment. Hehopedalso tobeabletodethroneAugustusfromhisPolishsovereigntyandto putJamesSobieskiin hisplace. Wehave said that Charles broke up fromDorpatonJune29, 1701, thedayonwhichhe com-pleted his nineteenth year. The Saxons weresuccessful in the neighbourhood of Riga, on theotherside of the river Diina, tenthousand strong,THEBATTLEOFTHEDUNA 03undertlie command of Field-MarshalSteinau. OnJuly3,Steinau had received a reinforcement ofRussiantroopsunderthe commandofPrinceReprin,the number of which was not more than twelvethousand seven hundred. Steinau knew that theobject of Charles would be to pass the Diina asquicklyaspossible,buthedidnot know which pointof passagehewouldbelikelyto choose. Hethere-foreestablishedeightpointsofobservation along alineoffiftymiles. Charlesmadefeints at twoofthesepoints, buthisrealdesignwasto crossat Rigaitselfandtostrikeatonceattheheartoftheenemy.Rigawascommandedbythe aged Field-MarshalDahlberg, whose acquaintance Charles had madeduringhis previouspassage. Dahlbergexerted him-self to assist the King's entei-prise in everyway.He collected boats and other vessels with greatsecrecy,andhada number offlat-bottomed bargesprepared,each of whichwasto carryagun and acertain contingentofhorses. Abroad plank wasattachedtothemwhichservedasadefence againstthe enemies'fire in crossing,and when let down,rendereddisembarkation easy. The stream wasfurtherdefendedbyfloatingbatteries.CharlesreachedRigaon July17. Bythe even-ingofthenextdayasmanytroops were embarkedas the vessels could hold, about seven thousand64CHARLESXHinfantiy and tliree hundred cavalry. The vesselsremained during the darkness under the easternbankofthestream,and atfour in the morning pushedoff from land. The Saxons had not the slightestidea of what awaitedthem,andtheir guards werenotrouseduntiltheflotilla hadreachedthemiddleofthestream.Theythen opened fire, whichwas re-turnedbythe forts of Riga,theheavysmoke con-cealingtheSwedish troops and rendering the aimoftheSaxonartillery difficult. Charleshadforeseenthis, andhaddeterminedtotakea further advantageofthefavourablewind. He had placedin thevanof his expedition a number of boats full of dampstraw.Thiswasnowlighted,andtheheavysmokelaylikeacurtainovertheapproaching vessels.TheSaxonsarrangedthemselvesas well as theycouldinorderof battle. Steinau was engaged inanotherpartof the river, and the commandofthetroopsAvaslefttoDukeFerdinandof Courland,andLieutenantGeneral Patkul. Asthepassage of theDiinacouldnothave taken morethanhalf anhour,andtheflotillawasnotdiscovereduntil it was halfwayacross, therewasonlyaquarterofan hourleftfortheSaxonsto maketheirpreparations. However,theydrewupintwolines,theinfantry inthecentre,and fiveregiments of cavalry on theflank. Theactual landingtook placeat Kramersdorf,abouta mileTHEBATTLEOFTHEDUNA 65below the town. The King was the first toleapashore. He drewup histroopsinsingle line, withhissmallforceofcavalryon the right wing. TheSaxonsattackedwithgreatfury,butwerereceived,atclosequarters,withafire that madethemquail.Steinau now came up, and consolidating theSaxon reservesintoasingleline renewedtheattack.ButtheSwedeshadsucceededinmasteringsomeofthe entrenchments, and began to shoot downtheSaxonswiththeirownguns. Steinauexertedhim-self totheutmost; hedrewoff"histroopstotheleft,andmade a desperate onslaught on the Swedishrightwing. TheSwedes,onlya hundred and fiftystrong, after repelling the charge of the Saxoncavaliy, attacked the Saxon infantryin the rear.Justat thismomentthe bargeswere seencrossingthe Diina and bringing up reinforcements,so thatSteinau wasforced to give orders for the retreat.Thebattle was over,theSaxons losttwo thousandmen,theSwedes onlyfive hundred. TheRussians,who were encamped at some distance from theirallies, had not been able to take part in the en-gagement.The battleof the Diinawas honourableto bothparties engaged; the Saxons, although defeated,did theirbest. Alltheir generals, Steinau,Patkul,and the Duke of Courland, were wounded, and a66 CHAELESXIIthird of tlieir body rendered unserviceable. TheSwedes deservepraisefor reservingtheirfire untilthe enemy was at close quarters with them.Charles was engaged in the front rank from thebeginning totheend; tohimisduethewholecreditofthevictory,the conception, the execution, andthe triumphant results of a daring blow. Thefruitsof the battle wereof great importance. AllthestrongplacesalongtheDiinafellintotheliandsof the Swedes,onlythefort of Diinamiinde, at themouthoftheriver,wasabletoholdouttill theendofthe year. But the combination of Birze wasbrokenup,theRussiancontingent retiredtoPskov,and the Saxons slowly withdrew to their owncountry. NotmorethansixthousandSaxontroopsremainedinPoland. Theactivityandmilitarysuc-cessof Charles duringthefirst yearof hismilitarylife are unsurpassedinhistory. Inlessthantwelvemonths he had crossed the sound and extortedpeace from the Danes;he had at Narva defeatedaforceof Russians muchlargerthanhis own, andcompelledthemtolay downtheirarms;hehad nowwithunexampled daring defeated the Saxons, anddriventheirallies backintotheir owncountry. Thethree conspirators against his crown had eachreceived their several lessons, and that from thehandofabeardlessboy.THEBATTLEOFTHEDUNA 67Charlesdid notset himself topursue the beatenenemy, but marched closely in the direction inwhich they had retreated. At the beginning ofOctoberhe placed his troops in winterquartersinthewest part of Courland,whichwasthen subjectto the PolishRepublic,takinguphisownabode intheCastle ofWiirgen. Hedid not,however,residethere,but in a simple house like the rest of thesoldiers,sharingtheirhardshipsasfaraspossible.Itis difficult tounderstandwhyatthismomentheneglectedbothtoattackthe Russiansandto returnto Stockholm. Hisenemiesweresofardisheartenedthat thereshould havebeennodifficultyinmakingan advantageous peace. But he had little tasteforaffairs ofstate,and hetookaboyish pleasureinthe operations of war; it is certain also that hedespisedthecharacterandresentedthetreacheryofAugustus,and wasnotinclinedto rest untilhehadexactedacompletevengeance. Heretheweaknessof Charles's character shows itself. Peter wasgreater in administration than in war; hekept aclear object before his eyes, which he never lostsightof. If Charles had been determined in likemannertohanddownthe SwedishEmpire, whichhehad receivedfrom his ancestors,unimpaired to hissuccessors, it ispossiblethat the domination of theBalticwouldneverhavepassedto Russianhands.f268 CHARLESXIIItmustberememberedthat althougliCharleswasat warwith theelected Kingof Poland, who wasat thesametimemasterofSaxony, hewasnotatwarwiththePolish Republic,and thatno Polish troopshadbeenemployed againsthim. Augustus was now inWarsaw,and Charles couldnot attackhimwithoutviolating the territory of a neutral state. At thesametimethePolescouldhardly regardthepresenceofCharles inCourland with indifference. OnJuly25,thePrimateof Poland wrotetoCharlestoremindhimthathis country hadnothingtodowiththewar,thatshehadrefusedall assistanceto King Augustus,and to express ahopethat hewould notundertakeany hostile operations against Poland, or indeedapproach her confines. OnAugust6,Charles re-ceived another letter, written from Warsaw byPrince Lubomirski in the name of the Republic,complainingoftheoccupationof Mitau,thecapitalof Courland, by Swedish troops, and saying that,although the disposition of the Poleswas at themomentfriendly, their policymight easilyundergoachangeif occasionweregivenforit.Charleswroteinanswerto theCardinal Primate,that he mustknow as well as anyone else howbadlyKingAugustus had behavedboth toSwedesandto hisown subjects, that thebestcoursewouldbe to depose him, and that if that were doneTHEBATTLEOFTHEDUNA 69Charleswould beliappytoassisttheRepublicwithhisforces. ToLubomirski hereplied with greatersternness,thathewasmerelyfollowingtheretreatofthekingwhomhe had defeated; thathehadnosecurity that thePoles were not secretly assistingtheirsovereign. Augustus,hesaid,had behavedsobadly thathe could no longer be trusted, and itwas unworthythat a faithless and perjuredprinceshouldoccupythePolishthrone. Before anyotherstepswere taken,he mustinsistuponthewithdrawalof all foreigntroopsfromPolishsoil.It was nowthe object of Charles to get afirmfootinginPoland,andto approachWarsawwithoutbreakingpeacewiththeRepublic. Anopportunitywas afforded bytherivalry betweenthetwogreatfamilies whodividedthesupremacyinLithuania,theSapiehaandtheOginski. Thefirst of thesehadforalongtimeenjoyedapositionof preeminenceintheGrandDuchy,but had made themselvesunpopularbytheiroverbearing conduct. In thelast electiontheOginskihad beenopposedtothecandidatureofAugustus, and in consequenceof this LithuaniahadbeendevastatedbyabaronialwarinwhichtheSapieha found themselves worsted.They weredriventothe frontiers of Samogitia,a territory tothe south-west of Courland, andnaturally soughttheassistanceofCharles,whowas not unwillingto70CHARLESXIIaffordit. TheSapiehahad largepossessions betweenSchawliinthe interior, and Polangen on the sea-coast, north of Memel, which had hitherto beensparedin the great devastation. Toprotect thesedistricts, theSwedish Colonel Hummerhjelm Avassent with a detachment of six hundred men toSchawli,and Polangen was occupied in a similarmannerbyColonelMeyerfeld.Theseoutpostswere,as mightnaturally have beenexpected,attacked bytheOginski, andCharlesseizedthe opportunity of heading anexpedition againstthem. Sointhenightof December11,Charles lefthis head-quarters in Courland, with four hundredinfantryof theGuards,conveyed insledges, marchedintoLithuania,andsummonedthe twodetachmentswhichwerepostedatSchawliandPolangento joinhim. HearingthattheOginskiwere at Shkudi,he.proceeded thither,with a smallercompanyof dra-goons,but, finding that the Oginski had left thetown,assoonashistroopshadcomeuphe hastenedto Triski, alittletowntothewestofSchawli, whichhe reached on December 15. Here he rested hisforces,butwasattacked bytheOginski during thenight. The onslaught was speedily repulsed,andOginskihimself wasnearlycaptured. Againwaitingtoconcentratehis forces,he reached the importanttownof EownoontheNiemenon December29,andTHEBATTLEOFTHEDUNA 71founditdesertedbytheOginski. Theobjectoftheexpeditionwas nowattained. Kownowas well ontheroadtoWarsaw. HereCharlesleft allthetroopshehadbroughtwith him,cavalryaswellasinfantry,andreturnedwithasmallescorttohis head-quartersin Courland. Hefoundhisgeneralsinthe greatestanxiety. He had beenabsent awhole month,andnothinghadbeenheard ofhim. Astrong detach-menthadbeensentouttosearchfor him,but hemetthemontheroadandtook them back with him toWiirgen. Atthistime,asatothers, obituarynoticesand epitaphswere composed about himwhich an-ticipatedthejudgmentof posterity.72CHAPTERVLTHEBATTLEOFCLISSOW.The Polish diet met at Warsawon December22,1701. KingAugustushadhopedthathe would beable to induce the Poles to declare war againstSweden,butwhenhe found thatimpossiblehemadeoverturesforpeace. Forthispurpose he asked forthe friendlyoffices ofthe King ofFrance and theEmperor, and, on his own account, could find nomorefitting ambassadress thanhis former mistress,the Countess Aurora of Konigsmarck. She wasrenowned throughout Europe for her beauty, heraccomplishments,hercleverness,andher diplomatictact,indeedforeverythingbuther virtue. Asmis-tressoftheElector she had become,five yearsbe-fore, the mother of a child whowassome day tobecome the famous general,theMarechaldeSaxe.It did not shock the feelings of those timesthatsheshouldbeappointedabbessof the distinguishedTHEBATTLEOFCLISSOW 73conventofQuedlinburginthe Harz,whereshewasburied,andwherenotmanyyearsagoher bodywasstill tobe seen enveloped ina veil of rich goldenhair. Shewas nowthirtyyearsof age,buthadlostnothingof herlovelinessand charm,and she reck-onedwithconfidencethatshewould easilygain aninfluence over the young King of nineteenyears.Asshe passed through Warsawshe was entrustedwith letters for Piper and forCharleshimself,notonlyaskingforpeacebutoffering the surrender ofCourlandandaportionof Lithuania.ShearrivedatWiirgenshortlyafterthe returnofCharles from his expedition to Kowno. CountessPipertreatedherwithcourtesy,andasuitablelodg-ingwasprovidedforher. Whilstwaitingtobepre-sentedtotheKing,shetried herarts on the most influ-entialmembersofhiscourt. AsCharlesstill refusedto see her, she composed complimentaryversesinhishonour,andatlastwrote him a letterinwhichshebegged to be allowed tokiss hishand,sayingthatshehadapropositionto make which could becommunicatedtohimalone. When all this provedof noavail, shecontrivedthat hercarriageshould bestationed at a spot which she knew that Charleswouldpass onhorseback. When the King approached,shegot out and bent before him,hoping that shewouldcompelhimtospeaktoher. Charles tookoff74 CHARLESXIIhisliatandmadeacourteousbow,buttlienset spursto hishorseandgallopedaway.Shortlyafterthisthe armybroke up,and Aurorawas left at Wurgen to mourn over the failure ofhermission. Asarebuketo AugustusandtoAuroraherself, theKinggaveorders that all loose Avomenwhoweretobefoundin the camp shouldbecollectedtogether. They were compelled to fall on theirkneesandtolistentoalongProtestantservice,andwerethendriven fromthe district. Aurora retiredto Tilsit,andfromthat placeand from Konigsbcrgshesent letters to Piper persistinginherdesiretohavean interviewwithCharles,andtocommunicatetohimasecretproposalwhich she could imparttonootherears. Butall thiswasof noavail.CharlesleftWurgenonJanuary25, 1702,havingsentonalargeportionofhistroopson the road toIvownoafewdaysbefore. Theirprogress wasveryslow,andhedidnot reach Rossieny till theendofFebruary,wherehefound comfortablequarters forhistroops. After dispatching a large detachmentunderStenbockinthe direction of Wilna he tookup his abode in the hunting castle of Bjelovice.Augustus now made a further attempt to induceCharles to conclude peace by sending to him hischamberlain. CountVitzthum von Eichstadt, whowasinstructedtoaskfor a personal interview be-THEBATTLE OFCLISSOW 75tween Charles andAugustus. He was, however,arrestedonthe groundof having no passport,andwassentto Riga,butwasshortly afterwardsset atliberty. Afortnightlater anotherenvoybroughtamessagefromthePolishRepublic,saying that theywerepreparingtosendanembassy,and asking theKing to remain where he was. Charles repliedthathewouldsparetheambassadors the troubleofcomingall that distance,but made no other reply.Itwasobviousthat he hadmadeuphis mindtode-throne Augustus,andthatnothing could shake hisresolution.Anevent nowoccurred which favouredthe objectof Charles's policy. Thelast Polishdiethadnomi-natedtothe command of the Lithuanian troops acertain Prince Wiesnowiecki, who thought it hisfirst dutytogetridof theSwedishtroopswhowereoccupying Kowno, under the command of ColonelHunmierhjelm. The first engagement betweenthemwasfavom'ableto the Swedes,who capturedthe gunsandinflictedotherloss. Afewdaysafter-wardsHummerhjelmsetout to recover six oftheguns,whichhehadleftbehind,but being attackedby Wiesnowieckiwith a much larger force, his-wholedetatchment was cut to pieces,andhe washimself taken prisoner. Wiesnowieckientered"Wilnaintriumph, and was receivedwithgreatre-76CHARLESXIIjoicings. When Charles heard of this he deter-minedtobeavengednot onlyonWiesnowieckiandhis Lithuanians, but onthe town ofWilna, theircapital,whichhad exhibited such untimelyjoyathisdisaster. So hebrokeupfrom Rossieny at thelieginningofApril,somewhattoo early forhis pur-poses, andmarched to Kowno, ordering Stenbockto proceed to Wilna and if possible to captureWiesnowiecki.The Swedeswereallowedto enterWilnawithoutopposition,anda heavycontributionwasleviedonthe city.The passageofthe NiemenoccupiedtheSwedisharmyawholeweek,anditwasnottillApril27thattheyreachedtheneighbourhood of Grodno, wherethe i^edishembassy had been patientlyawaitingtheir arrival. Charles, however, fixed hishead-quartersat Dlugowice, about thirty miles distant,andorderedtheambassadorsto attend him on thefollowingday. Theaudienceeventually tookplaceon May 4. The Poles presented three demands:first, thattheSwedisharmyshouldevacuate Polishterritoryas soonaspossible;secondly,thattheRe-publicshould be compensatedforthe losswhich ithadsustained; andthirdly, thatthecannontakenatDiinamiindewhichbelongedtotheRepublic, shouldberestoredto it. The Poles seemed to forgetthatalthoughtheywerenotactuallyat warwithCharles,THE BATTLEOFCLISSOW 77yettheir countrywasbeingusedasabasisofoper-ations against him, and that the only effectivemanner of showing their neutrahty would be tocompelKingAugustustomake unconditional sub-mission. Charles seems to have been more con-vincedthaneverthatpeacewashopelesssolongasAugustus remained King of Poland,and that hemustuseall hisefforts to dethrone him. Howeverjustthisopinionmayhavebeen, therecan be littledoubt that Charles pm-sued this object to theneglect of others which were farmoreimportant.Hecould havemade peace with Augustus on favour-ableterms,andhadleisureto sethisown house inorder, ^vhichwas his first duty, and to watchthedesignsofRussia,which were far more dangeroustohimthananyactionof Poland or Saxonycouldbe. In vainthe agedBengst Oxenstierna raised awarningvoice,conjuringhismastertomakepeace;Charles stubbornly pursued the end he had inview. On^lay8,theKingresumed his march to-wardsWarsaAv,andthecourtofAugustusbrokeupandfledtoCracow. Someofthesenators and thePrimate Cardinal Radziejowski remained behind.HehadvotedagainstAugustus atthe last election,andwasnotwithouthopesthatCharlesmightassisthiminsecuringhis political ends, which were hisownaggrandisementandthelimitationofthe royal78CHARLESXIIauthority. Charles,ontheotlierhand, saw in hima convenientinstrument for the dethronement ofAugustus.OnMay IG, the Swedish army reached Ostrow,aboutfifty miles from Warsaw. From this placeCharlesissuedamanifestotothePolishpeople. Hedeclared that the Poles had as many grievancesagainst Augustus as he had himself; thatcontrarytohiscoronationoath, Augustus had introduced foreigntroopsintothecountryto constrain Polishfreedom;that he had sent ambassadors to foreign courtswithouttheconsentofthe Republic,andhad madean alliance with the Tsar, their bit