&a SWEDEN, 



basely betrayed by France, she continued to support the honour of 

 her crown. Being resolved not to marry, .she resigned her crown to 

 her cousin Charles Gustavus, son to the duke of Deux-Ponts,.in 

 1654. 



Charles had great success against the Poles : he drove their king, 

 John Casimir, into Silesia ; and received from them an oath ol allegi- 

 ance, which, with their usual inconstancy, they broke. His progress 

 upon the ice against Denmark has been already mentioned ; and he 

 died of a fever in 1660. His son and successor, Charles XI, was not 

 five years of age at his father's death ; and this rendered it necessary 

 for his guardians to conclude a peace with their neighbours, by which 

 the Swedes gave up the island of Bornholm, and Drontheim in Nor- 

 way. All differences were accommodated at the same time with 

 Russia and Holland ; and Sweden continued to make a very respec- 

 table figure in the affairs of Europe. When Charles came to be of 

 age, he received a subsidy from the French king, Lewis, XIV, but 

 perceiving the liberties ot Europe to be in danger from that mon- 

 arch's ambition, he entered into the alliance with England and Hol- 

 land. He afterwards joined with France against the house of Austria ; 

 but being defeated in Germany, at Felem Bellin, a powerful con- 

 federacy was formed against him. The elector of Brandenburg made 

 himself master of Swedish Pomerania ; the bishop of Munster over- 

 ran Bremen and Verden, and the Danes took Wismar, and several 

 places in Schonen. They were afterwards beaten ; and Charles, by 

 the treaty of St. Germain, which followed that of Nimeguen in 1678, 

 recovered all he had lost, except some places in Germany, He then 

 married Ulrica Leonora, the king of Denmark's sister ; but made a 

 base use of the tranquillity he had regained, by employing his army 

 to enslave his people. The states lost all their power ; and Sweden 

 was now reduced to the condition of Denmark. He ordered the brave 

 Patkul, who was at the head of the Livonian deputies, to lose his head 

 and his right hand, for the boldness of his remonstrance in favour of 

 his countrymen ; but he saved himself by flight ; and Charles became 

 so powerful, that the conferences for a general peace at Ryswick, 

 1697, were opened under his mediation. 



Charles XI, died in 1697, and was succeeded by his minor son, the 

 famous Charles XII. The history of no prince is better known than 

 that of this hero. His father's will had fixed the age of his majori- 

 ty to eighteen ; but it was set aside for an earlier date by the manage- 

 ment of count Piper, who became in consequence his first minister. 

 Soon after his accession, the kings of Denmark and Poland, and 

 the czar of Muscovy, formed a powerful confederacy against him, 

 encouraged by the mean opinion they had of his youth and abilities. 

 He entered into a war with them all : and besieging Copenhagen, 

 dictated the peace of Travendahl to his Danish majesty, by which 

 the duke of Holstein was re-established in his dominions. The czar 

 Peter was at that time ravaging Ingria, at the head of 80,000 men, 

 ? and had besieged Narva. The armyof Charles did not exceed 20,000 

 .men ; but such was his impatience, that he advanced at the head of 

 8000, entirely routed the main body of the Russians, and raised the 

 siege. Such were his successes, and so numerous his prisoners, 

 that the Russians attributed his actions to nicromancy. Charles from 

 thence marched into Saxony, where his warlike achievements equal- 

 led if they did not excel those of Gustavus Adolphus. He dethroned 

 Agustus king of Poland; but stained all his latlrels by putting the 



