King Charles XII?

Question

I What were some good things King Charles XII did while his ruling? What would make him a good ruler? What qualities did he have that would make him a good Monarch? What were some of his accomplishments? Please list sources.

Thank you SO much!

Answer 1

Despite his age, he was thoroughly versed in politics as Charles XI had frequently taken him on official business with him. Charles was also highly intelligent - fluent in German and Latin with a very good knowledge of philosophy, art, maths and architecture. Charles successfully continued his father's policy of absolutism and the people of Sweden took to him making a popular rebellion all but impossible. Charles was a devoted worker who practiced self-denial. He was also brave to the point of folly. Charles lead his men into battle believing that his example would spur on his men to follow his example.

Apart from being a monarch, the King's interests included mathematics, and anything that would be beneficial to his warlike purposes. He is attributed as having invented an octal numeral system, which he considered more suitable for war purposes because all the boxes used for materials such as gunpowder were cubic. The King had sketched down a model of his thought on a piece of paper and handed it to him at their meeting in Lund in 1716. The paper was reportedly still in existence a hundred years later, but has since been lost. Several historians of science suspect that either the multi-talented Emanuel Swedenborg or the brilliant inventor Christopher Polhem – also present at the meeting in Lund – may have been the true inventor behind this feat, or at least a main contributor.