Charles XII’S uniform
In the Great Northern War the king of Sweden was killed during an obscure siege wearing these clothes
The clothes the Swedish king died in
Charles XII is one of Sweden’s most famous monarchs. Dubbed the “Lion of the North” by Voltaire, Charles was a keen soldier whose talent and speed of movement gave him the nickname ‘the Swedish Meteor’.
During the 17th century the Swedish Empire included territories in modern Finland, Norway and Russia. Charles ascended the throne as a teenager in 1697, and three years later the Great Northern War (170021) broke out when a Russianled coalition aimed to contest the supremacy of Sweden. Charles fought back with gusto and won great victories, but he came undone during a disastrous invasion of Russia in 1708-09.
From this point on, Charles’s fortunes irrevocably declined and he lost important territories. Despite his reversals, Charles remained an aggressive king and invaded Danishcontrolled Norway in 1718. Charles then fatally laid siege to a hilltop border fortress at Fredriksten.
On 30 November 1718 Charles was shot through the head while wearing this uniform as he supervised the night-time construction of a frontline trench. Despite the darkness there were flares illuminating the Swedish trenches, exposing them to Danish musket fire. Charles would have been highly visible wearing his distinctive uniform in the Swedish national colours of blue and yellow. The king was shot when he exposed his head and shoulders to survey the fortifications. A large-calibre projectile passed through his brain, killing him instantly.
Charles’s death became shrouded in mystery as rumours spread that his own men possibly killed him for his unpopular rule. Whatever the circumstances, the king’s demise ultimately destroyed the Swedish Empire.