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78-791: The town lies in historic province of Lesser Poland , 38 kilometres (24 miles) from Kielce , and 78 km (48 mi) from Kraków . Jędrzejów is located in Lesser Poland Upland , on two local rivers, the Jasionka and the Brzeznica. The area is hilly, with highest point being a hill called Gaj (301 metres (988 feet) above sea level ). On December 31, 2010, the area of the town was 11.37 km (4.39 sq mi), and population density 1419 per km. Jędrzejów lies next to European route E77 , as well as National Road nr. 78 ( Chałupki  – Chmielnik ), and two local roads,

156-665: A brewery , whose traditions date back to the late 18th century. Jędrzejów is known for its Przypkowscy Clock Museum , opened in 1962, which has the world's third largest collection of sundials behind the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and the History of Science Museum in Oxford . It has one hotel which doubles as a student accommodation. The town has two historic churches, with parish church of Wincenty Kadłubek dating back to

234-582: A Norwegian-British historian, in some of those letters Charles expressed his desire for a peace treaty which would be defensible in the future Swedish generations' eyes. However, he emphasized that only a greater respect for Sweden in Europe would enable him to achieve such a peace treaty. Meanwhile, the Swedish Council of State (government) and Estates/Diet (Parliament) tried to keep the beleaguered Sweden somehow organized and independent. Eventually, in

312-630: A Russian army twice the size. The campaign ended with disaster when the Swedish army suffered heavy losses to a Russian force more than twice its size at Poltava . Charles had been incapacitated by a wound prior to the battle, rendering him unable to take command. The defeat was followed by the Surrender at Perevolochna . Charles spent the following years in exile in the Ottoman Empire before returning to lead an assault on Norway, trying to evict

390-455: A decisively devastating victory by Swedish forces under general Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld over a combined army of Saxony and Russia at the Battle of Fraustadt . Russia was now the sole remaining hostile power. Charles's subsequent march on Moscow met with initial success as victory followed victory, the most significant of which was the Battle of Holowczyn where the smaller Swedish army routed

468-512: A document mentioning this event, the names Andrzeiow, Andreiow and Andreow appear. Jędrzejów was located on the boundary between two provinces of Lesser Poland – Land of Kraków and Land of Sandomierz . The boundary was marked by the Nida river. In 1195, during the medieval so called Fragmentation of Poland (see History of Poland during the Piast dynasty ), a battle between two dukes - Leszek

546-611: A further 12,500 under Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt marching from Livonia. Charles left the homeland with a defense force of approximately 28,800 men, with a further 14,000 in Swedish Finland, as well as other garrisons in the Baltic and German provinces. After securing his "favorite" victory in the Battle of Holowczyn , despite being outnumbered over three to one by the new Russian army, Charles opted to march eastwards on Moscow rather than try to seize Saint Petersburg , founded from

624-487: A marriage with Denmark which could have caused a family rift between those who dynastically favoured Holstein-Gottorp. Historians such as Blanning and Montefiore believe he was in fact homosexual . Certainly a letter from Reuterholm suggested that Charles had indicated a closeness to the Elector Prince of Saxony, Maximilian Emanuel of Württemberg-Winnental , whom Charles described as "very pretty". But writing in

702-474: A monarch, the King's interests included mathematics, and anything that would be beneficial to his warlike purposes. He is credited with having invented an octal numeral system , as well as a more elaborate one with the base 64, which he considered more suitable for war purposes because all the boxes used for materials such as gunpowder were cubic. According to a report by contemporary scientist Emanuel Swedenborg ,

780-408: A nearby soldier tired of the siege and wanting to put an end to the war, to an assassin hired by Charles's own brother-in-law, who profited from the event by subsequently taking the throne himself as Frederick I of Sweden , that person being Frederick's aide-de-camp, André Sicre . Sicre confessed during what was claimed to be a state of delirium brought on by fever but later recanted. Others suspect

858-422: A plot to kill Charles by a group of wealthy Swedes who would benefit from blocking a 17% wealth tax that Charles intended to introduce. The Varberg Fortress museum displays a lead-filled brass button of Swedish origin that some claim was the projectile that killed the king. Another odd account of Charles's death comes from Finnish writer Carl Nordling, who states that the king's surgeon, Melchior Neumann, dreamed

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936-441: A severe winter storm . While in the trenches close to the perimeter of the fortress on 30 November (11 December New Style ), 1718, Charles was struck in the head by a projectile and killed. The shot struck the left side of his skull and exited from the right. He died instantly. The definitive circumstances around Charles's death remain unclear. Despite multiple investigations of the battlefield, Charles's skull and his clothes, it

1014-720: A strong religious faith. Charles himself suggested in conversation with Axel Löwen that he actively resisted any match until peace could be secured and was in some sense "married" to the military life. But that he was "chaste" occasioned speculation in his lifetime. Much later speculation that he was a hermaphrodite was quelled in 1917 when his coffin was opened and he was shown to have beard growth. In his conversations with Löwen, he also stated that he did not lack taste for beautiful women, but that he held in his sexual desires for fear that they would get out of control if unchecked, and that if he committed to something like that, it would be forever. Some historians suggest that he resisted

1092-631: A turning triangle in the yards of both stations. In the early years of the Kingdom of Poland , a settlement of Brzeznica existed in the location of Jędrzejów. It was first mentioned in the year 1153, in a document issued by Archbishop of Gniezno , Janik. In the document, foundation of a Cistercian monastery known today as the Blessed Wincenty Kadłubek Church. The monastery was founded by French Cistercians, who came to Jędrzejów from Morimond Abbey between 1143 and 1153. The location of

1170-406: Is not known where and when he was hit, or whether the shot came from the ranks of the enemy or from his own men. There are several hypotheses as to how Charles died, though none have strong enough evidence to be deemed true. Although there were many people around the king at the time of his death, there were no known witnesses to the actual moment he was hit. A likely explanation has been that Charles

1248-405: Is quoted by Voltaire as saying upon the outbreak of the war: "I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies". With the war consuming more than half his life and nearly all his reign, he never married and fathered no children. He was succeeded by his sister Ulrika Eleonora , who in turn was coerced to hand over all substantial powers to

1326-578: The Akershus fortress there. Due to a lack of heavy siege cannons he was unable to dislodge the Norwegian forces inside. After suffering significant losses of men and materiel, Charles was forced to retreat from the capital on 29 April. In the following mid-May, Charles invaded again, this time striking the border town of Fredrikshald , now Halden , in an attempt to capture the fortress of Fredriksten . The attacking Swedes came under heavy cannon fire from

1404-517: The Battle of Narva (November 1700). The Russians outnumbered the Swedish army of ten thousand men by almost four to one. Charles attacked under cover of a blizzard, effectively splitting the Russian army in two and won the battle. Many of Peter's troops who fled the battlefield drowned in the Narva River . The total number of Russian fatalities reached about 10,000 at the end of the battle, while

1482-594: The House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken , a branch line of the House of Wittelsbach . Charles was the only surviving son of Charles XI and Ulrika Eleonora the Elder . He assumed power, after a seven-month caretaker government , at the age of fifteen. In 1700, a triple alliance of Denmark–Norway , Saxony – Poland–Lithuania and Russia launched a threefold attack on the Swedish protectorate of Holstein-Gottorp and provinces of Livonia and Ingria , aiming to draw advantage as

1560-586: The Ottoman Empire were covered by the Ottoman state budget, as part of the fixed assets ( Demirbaş in Turkish), hence his nickname Demirbaş Şarl (Fixed Asset Charles) in Turkey. Eventually, a small village named Karlstad ( Varnița ) had to be built near Bender to accommodate the ever-growing Swedish population there. Gülnuş Sultan convinced her son to declare war against Russia , as she thought that Charles

1638-535: The Ottoman Empire with a small entourage, and set up camp at Bender with some 1,000 of his Caroleans ("Karoliner" in Swedish). The remainder of the army surrendered days later at Perevolochna under Lewenhaupt's command, most of them (including Lewenhaupt himself) spending the rest of their days in Russian captivity. The Swedish defeat at Poltava marked the downfall of the Swedish Empire , as well as

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1716-844: The Riksdag of the Estates and opted to surrender the throne to her husband Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel, who became King Frederick I of Sweden . His title in full as the king of Sweden was as follows: The Sovereign and Supreme Lord , His Majesty , Charles XII, by the Grace of God , King of Sweden, the Goths and the Wends , Grand Prince of Finland , Duke of Scania , Estonia , Livonia , Karelia , Bremen and Verden , Stettin , Pomerania , Rostock , of Kashubia and of Wenden , Prince of Rügen , Lord of Ingria and Wismar ; Count Palatine of

1794-710: The Swedish Empire was unaligned and ruled by a young and inexperienced king, thus initiating the Great Northern War . Leading the Swedish army against the alliance, Charles won multiple victories despite being significantly outnumbered. A major victory over a Russian army some three times the size in 1700, at the Battle of Narva , compelled Peter the Great to sue for peace , an offer that Charles subsequently rejected. By 1706, Charles, now 24 years old, had forced all of his foes into submission including, in that year,

1872-480: The 12th century. The monastery was founded by the Gryfita family in the mid-12th century. It was rebuilt several times – in 1166, in the mid-15th century, and in the late 18th century. South of Jędrzejów, there is a 100 metres tall lattice tower used for radio relay links. There is also a narrow-gauge railway which runs to Pińczów during the summer. Lesser Poland Too Many Requests If you report this error to

1950-486: The 150th anniversary of Charles's death) and Gustaf Cederström 's painting Karl XII:s likfärd ("Funeral procession of Charles XII", 1878). The date of Charles's death was chosen by a student association in Lund for annual torch marches beginning in 1853. In his 1901 play Karl XII , August Strindberg broke with the heroization practice by showing an introverted Charles XII in conflict with his impoverished subjects. In

2028-406: The 1960s, Hatton argues that Württemberg was very much heterosexual and the relationship is just as likely to have been that of teacher-pupil. Exceptional for abstaining from alcohol and sex, he felt most comfortable during warfare. Contemporaries report of his seemingly inhuman tolerance for pain and his utter lack of emotion. His brilliant campaigning and startling victories brought his country to

2106-533: The 19th century's romantic nationalism Charles XII was viewed as a national hero. He was idealized as a heroic, virtuous young warrior king, and his fight against Peter the Great was associated with the contemporary Swedish-Russian enmity. Examples of the romantic hero idolatry of Charles XII in several genres are Esaias Tegnér 's song Kung Karl, den unge hjälte (1818), Johan Peter Molin 's statue in Stockholm 's Kungsträdgården (unveiled on 30 November 1868,

2184-439: The 728th and the 768th. The town also lies on an important rail route from Kraków to Lublin and Warsaw . Close to Jędrzejów train station (Dworzec PKP) is a historic narrow-gauge station where a 750mm-gauge line ( Świętokrzyska Kolej Dojazdowa ) runs to Pińczów (part of a once extensive network of narrow-gauge railways in the region). There used to be an interchange with the standard-gauge line, and there are still remains of

2262-587: The Chaste . The town charter was confirmed by several Polish kings, including Sigismund I the Old , who in 1510 allowed for weekly fairs and three markets a year. Jędrzejów prospered, with a town hall and other public buildings constructed here in the 15th and 16th century, during the Polish Golden Age . In 1581, the town had 77 artisans, including 20 shoemakers, 10 bakers and 5 butchers. Jędrzejów traded with

2340-651: The Danish king from the war once more in order to aim all his forces at the Russians. Two campaigns met with frustration and ultimate failure, concluding with his death at the Siege of Fredriksten in 1718. At the time, most of the Swedish Empire was under foreign military occupation, though Sweden itself was still free. This situation was later formalized, albeit moderated in the subsequent Treaty of Nystad . The result

2418-594: The Germans operated a forced labour camp for Jews in the town. The local Jewish minority was murdered by the Germans in the Holocaust . In 1943, the Polish resistance successfully assassinated Helmut Kapp , commander of the local Gestapo unit. Red Army units entered the town on January 14, 1945, and afterwards it was restored to Poland. Jędrzejów is a local center of services and cement industry. The town also has

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2496-446: The Great . The English man of letters Samuel Johnson wrote of Charles in his poem "The Vanity of Human Wishes": On what Foundation stands the warrior's pride, How just his hopes let Swedish Charles decide; A frame of adamant, a soul of fire, No dangers fright him, and no labours tire; O'er love, o'er fear, extends his wide domain, Unconquered lord of pleasure and of pain; No joys to him pacific sceptres yield; War sounds

2574-476: The King had sketched a model of his thoughts 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. Charles fascinated many in his time. In 1731, Voltaire wrote a biography of Charles XII, History of Charles XII . Voltaire portrays the Swedish king in a positive light, against the brutal nature of Peter

2652-672: The King played chess and studied the Ottoman Navy and the naval architecture of the Ottoman galleons. His sketches and designs eventually led to the famous Swedish war ships Jarramas (Yaramaz) and Jilderim (Yıldırım). Meanwhile, Russia and Poland regained and expanded their borders. Great Britain, an adversary of Sweden, defected from its alliance obligations while Prussia attacked Swedish holdings in Germany. Russia occupied Finland (the Greater Wrath 1713–1721). After defeats of

2730-820: The Ottoman Empire, but they had to wait several years before that happened. According to the prevailing church law in Sweden at that time, all who lived in the country, but were not members of the Swedish state church, would be baptized. In order for the Jewish and Muslim creditors to avoid this, Charles wrote a "free letter" so that they could practice their religions without being punished. The soldiers chose to remain in Sweden instead of difficult trips home. They were called "Askersson" (the word asker in Turkish means soldier). However, there are accounts implying that following

2808-571: The Rhine , Duke in Bavaria , of Jülich , Cleves and Berg . The fact that Charles was crowned as Charles XII does not mean that he was the 12th king of Sweden by that name. Swedish kings Erik XIV (1560–1568) and Charles IX (1604–1611) gave themselves numerals after studying a mythological history of Sweden. He was actually the 6th King Charles. Around 1700, the monarchs of Denmark–Norway , Saxony (ruled by elector August II of Poland , who

2886-595: The Russian army, using the effectively organized Swedes and other European armies as role models. Russian forces managed to penetrate Ingria , where they established a new city, Saint Petersburg . Charles planned an invasion of the Russian heartland , allying himself with Ivan Mazepa , Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks . The size of the invading Swedish army was peeled off as Charles left Leszczyński with some 24,000 German and Polish troops, departing eastwards from Saxony in late 1707 with some 35,000 men, adding

2964-490: The Swedish army, consisting mainly of Finnish troops in the Battle of Helsinki (1713) , the Battle of Pälkäne 1713 and the Battle of Storkyro 1714 , the military, administration and clergymen escaped from Finland, which fell under Russian military regime. During his five-year stay in the Ottoman Empire, Charles XII corresponded with his sister (and eventual successor), Ulrika Eleonora. According to Mrs. Ragnhild Marie Hatton,

3042-457: The Swedish colony at Bender and Charles had to defend himself against the mobs and the Ottoman janissaries involved. This uprising was called "kalabalık" (Turkish for crowd) which afterward found a place in Swedish lexicon referring to a ruckus . The janissaries did not shoot Charles during the skirmish at Bender , but captured him and put him under house-arrest at Dimetoka (nowadays Didimoticho ) and Constantinople. During his semi-imprisonment

3120-468: The Swedish forces lost 667 men. Charles did not pursue the Russian army. Instead, he turned against Poland-Lithuania, which was formally neutral at this point, thereby disregarding Polish negotiation proposals supported by the Swedish parliament. Charles defeated the Polish king Augustus II and his Saxon allies at the Battle of Kliszow in 1702 and captured many cities of the Commonwealth. After

3198-499: The Swedish town of Nyenskans five years earlier. Peter the Great managed, however, to ambush Lewenhaupt's army at Lesnaya before Charles could combine his forces, thus losing valuable supplies, artillery and half of Lewenhaupt's men. Charles' Polish ally, Stanisław Leszczyński, was facing internal problems of his own. Charles expected the support of a massive Cossack rebellion led by Mazepa in Ukraine, with estimates suggesting Mazepa

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3276-566: The White of Kraków and Sandomierz and Mieszko the Old of Poznań took place here. In 1218, Bishop Wincenty Kadłubek resigned from his post and settled in the Jędrzejów Monastery, where he died in 1223. In the course of the time, pilgrims began to visit his tomb, among those who prayed here, was King John III Sobieski on the way to the Battle of Vienna . The village was granted Magdeburg rights on February 16, 1271, by Duke Bolesław V

3354-569: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 225173633 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:41:38 GMT Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII , sometimes Carl XII ( Swedish : Karl XII ) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S. ), was King of Sweden (including current Finland ) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to

3432-484: The autumn of 1714, their warning letter reached him. In it, those executive and legislative bodies told the absentee King that unless he quickly returned to Sweden, they would independently conclude an achievable peace treaty with Russia, Poland and Denmark. This stark admonition prompted Charles to rush back to Sweden. Charles traveled back to Sweden with a group of Ottomans, soldiers such as escorts and businessmen to whom he promised to repay his debts during his stay in

3510-414: The city of Kraków , where it sold local products, such as bee wax, honey and tar. In January 1576, supporters of Stephen Báthory called a council at Jędrzejów, as the town was an important administrative centers, where sejmiks took place. Jędrzejów was captured, looted and destroyed by Swedish army of King Charles XII , during the Great Northern War . Furthermore, in the mid-18th century, large parts of

3588-554: The deposition of Augustus as king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Charles XII put Stanisław Leszczyński as his puppet on the Polish throne (1704). While Charles won several decisive battles in the Commonwealth and ultimately secured the coronation of his ally Stanisław Leszczyński and the surrender of Saxony , the Russian Tsar Peter the Great embarked on a military reform plan that improved

3666-456: The end of autocratic kingship in Sweden, and the subsequent Age of Liberty saw a shift of power from the monarch to the parliament of the estates. Historians of the late 18th and early 19th centuries viewed Charles' death as the result of an aristocratic plot, and Gustav IV Adolf , the king who refused to settle with Napoleon Bonaparte , "identified himself with Charles as a type of righteous man struggling with iniquity" ( Roberts ). Throughout

3744-404: The fatal wound? Or hostile millions press him to the ground? His fall was destined to a barren strand, A petty fortress , and a dubious hand; He left the name, at which the world grew pale, To point a moral or adorn a tale. Swedish author Frans G. Bengtsson and Professor Ragnhild Hatton have written biographies of Charles XII of Sweden. In 1938 E. M. Almedingen wrote The Lion of

3822-520: The first time, Sweden found itself in a defensive war. Charles' plan was to attack Denmark by striking at her possessions in Norway. It was hoped that by cutting Denmark's Norwegian supply lines the Danes would be compelled to withdraw their forces from Swedish Scania. Charles invaded Norway in 1716 with a combined force of 7,000 men. He occupied the capital of Christiania , (modern Oslo), and laid siege to

3900-416: The fortress of Fredriksten overlooking the town of Fredrikshald. Charles was shot in the head and killed during the siege, while he was inspecting trenches. The invasion was abandoned, and Charles' body was returned to Sweden. A second force, under Carl Gustaf Armfeldt , marched against Trondheim with 10,000 men but was forced to retreat. In the march that ensued, many of the 5,800 remaining men perished in

3978-528: The fortress and were forced to withdraw when the Norwegians set the town of Fredrikshald on fire. Swedish casualties in Fredrikshald were estimated at 500 men. While the siege at Fredrikshald was underway, the Swedish supply fleet was attacked and defeated by Tordenskjold in the Battle of Dynekilen . In 1718, Charles once more invaded Norway. With a main force of 40,000 men, he again laid siege to

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4056-905: The founding of the Russian Empire . The Ottomans initially welcomed the Swedish king when he went to Abdurrahman Pasha , commander of Özü Castle, as he was about to fall into the hands of the Russian army, and he was able to take refuge in the castle at the last moment. Afterward, he settled in Bender at the invitation of its governor, Ağa Yusuf Pasha . In the meantime, Charles sent Stanisław Poniatowski and Thomas Funck  [ sv ] as his messengers to Constantinople . They managed to indirectly contact Gülnuş Sultan , mother of Sultan Ahmed III , who became intrigued by Charles, and took an interest in his cause, and even corresponded with him in Bender. His expenses during his long stay in

4134-442: The king had told him that he was not shot from the fortress but from "one who came creeping". Charles's body has been exhumed on three occasions to ascertain the cause of death; in 1746, 1859 and 1917. The 1859 exhumation found that the wound was in accordance with a shot from the Norwegian fort. In 1917, his head was photographed and x-rayed. Peter Englund asserted in his essay "On the death of Charles XII and other murders " that

4212-496: The long stay for Charles to repay his debts, they got paid and left the country. Charles agreed to leave Constantinople and returned to Swedish Pomerania . He made the journey on horseback, riding across Europe in just fifteen days. He traveled across the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary to Vienna and arrived at Stralsund . A medal with Charles on horseback, his long hair flying in the wind, was struck in 1714 to commemorate

4290-565: The long-drawn-out campaigns of Karl XII" (Scott). In the 1930s, the Swedish Nazis held celebrations on the date of Charles XII's death, and shortly before the outbreak of World War II , Adolf Hitler received from Sweden a sculpture of the king at his birthday. In the late 20th century, Swedish nationalists and neo-Nazis had again used 30 November as a date for their ceremonies, however these were regularly interrupted by larger counter-demonstrations and were abandoned. Apart from being

4368-666: The monastery burned down, to be rebuilt in Baroque style. In the 1790s, during the Kościuszko Uprising , Tadeusz Kościuszko stationed here before the Battle of Szczekociny , meeting Józef Poniatowski (June 27, 1794). Following the Third Partition of Poland (1795), Jędrzejów was annexed by Austria and included within the newly formed province of West Galicia . Following the Austro-Polish War of 1809 it

4446-529: The monastery, which was the village of Brzeznica, was spelled Brysinch. In the 12th century, the name of the village was changed into Jędrzejów, but one of the local rivers still bears the name Brzeznica. In 1166, a council of the Piast dynasty dukes and bishops was organized at Jędrzejów, to honor the blessing of the parish church of Saint Adalbert of Prague , which had been remodelled by the Cistercians. In

4524-510: The monastery. The Cistercians did not return until 1945. Residents of Jędrzejów actively supported November Uprising , in the cellars of the monastery a Polish military hospital was opened, with 400 beds. The area of the town was one of centers of the January Uprising , with more than 30 battles and skirmishes with the Russians taking place here. In 1867 Jędrzejów became the seat of a county, but in 1870 Russian government stripped it of

4602-593: The mortal wound sustained by the King, with a smaller exit wound than entry wound, would be consistent with being hit by a bullet with a speed not exceeding 150 m/s, concluding that Charles was killed by stray grapeshot from the nearby fortress. A 2022 study also found that iron grapeshot was likely to have killed the king, citing evidence from ballistic experiments as well as the absence of lead fragments in Charles's skull. Academic research from University of Oulu and University of Helsinki concluded that Charles XII

4680-497: The pinnacle of her prestige and power, although the Great Northern War resulted in Sweden's defeat and the end of the empire within years of his own death. In his youth, renowned Russian general Alexander Suvorov considered Charles XII his hero together with Julius Caesar . Like Charles XII, Suvorov adopted an aggressive style of tactics and campaigning, seemingly inspired by the Swedish king. Charles's death marked

4758-409: The so-called Strindberg feud (1910–1912), his response to the "Swedish cult of Charles XII" (Steene) was that Charles had been "Sweden's ruin, the great offender, a ruffian, the rowdies' idol, a counterfeiter." Verner von Heidenstam however, one of his opponents in the feud, in his book Karolinerna instead "emphasized the heroic steadfastness of the Swedish people in the somber years of trial during

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4836-448: The solitary coast, And Winter barricades the realms of Frost; He comes, not want and cold his course delay; - Hide, blushing Glory, hide Pultowa's day : The vanquished hero leaves his broken bands, And shows his miseries in distant lands; Condemned a needy supplicant to wait, While ladies interpose, and slaves debate. But did not Chance at length her error mend? Did no subverted empire mark his end? Did rival monarchs give

4914-459: The speedy ride. It reads Was sorget Ihr doch? Gott und Ich leben noch. (What worries you so? God and I live still.). After five years away, Charles arrived in Sweden to find his homeland at war with Russia, Saxony, Hannover, Great Britain and Denmark. Sweden's western enemies attacked southern and western Sweden while Russian forces traveled across Finland to attack the Stockholm district. For

4992-622: The support of England and the Netherlands, both maritime powers concerned with Denmark's threats too close to the Sound . Leading a force of 8,000 and 43 ships in an invasion of Zealand , Charles rapidly compelled the Danes to submit to the Peace of Travendal in August 1700, which indemnified Holstein. Having forced Denmark–Norway to make peace within months, King Charles turned his attention upon

5070-657: The town charter, turning Jędrzejów into a village (which it remained until 1916). On March 3, 1915, Jędrzejów was visited by Józef Piłsudski , and this event is commemorated by a marble tablet. Following World War I , Poland regained independence and control of the town. Within the Second Polish Republic , the town belonged to Kielce Voivodeship . During the German-Soviet invasion of Poland , which started World War II in September 1939, Jędrzejów

5148-430: The trump , he rushes to the field; Behold surrounding kings their power to combine, And one capitulate, and one resign; Peace courts his hand, but spreads her charms in vain; "Think nothing gained", he cries, "till nought remain, On Moscow 's walls till Gothic standards fly, And all be mine beneath the polar sky." The march begins in military state, And nations on his eye suspended wait; Stern Famine guards

5226-476: The two other powerful neighbors, King August II (cousin to both Charles XII and Frederick IV of Denmark–Norway) and Peter the Great of Russia, who also had entered the war against him, ironically on the same day that Denmark came to terms. Russia had opened their part of the war by invading the Swedish-held territories of Livonia and Estonia . Charles countered this by attacking the Russian besiegers at

5304-738: Was a man worth taking a risk for. Later on, the Ottomans and Russians signed the Treaty of the Pruth and Treaty of Adrianople to end the hostilities between them. The treaties dissatisfied the pro-war party supported by King Charles and Stanislaw Poniatowski, who failed to reignite the conflict. However, the Sultan Ahmed III's subjects in the empire eventually got tired of Charles' scheming. His entourage also accumulated huge debts with Bender merchants. Eventually, "crowds" of townspeople attacked

5382-449: Was able to muster about 40,000 troops. However, the Russians subjugated the rebellion and destroyed its capital, Baturin , before the arrival of the Swedish troops. The harsh climate took its toll as well, because Charles marched his troops to winter camp in Ukraine . By the time of the decisive Battle of Poltava , in July 1709, Charles had been wounded, one-third of his infantry was dead, and his supply train had been destroyed. The king

5460-415: Was also the king of Poland-Lithuania ) and Russia united in an alliance against Sweden, mainly through the efforts of Johann Reinhold Patkul , a Livonian nobleman who turned traitor when the "great reduction" of Charles XI in 1680 stripped much of the nobility of lands and properties. In late 1699, Charles sent a minor detachment to reinforce his brother-in-law Duke Frederick IV of Holstein-Gottorp , who

5538-438: Was attacked by Danish forces the following year. A Saxon army simultaneously invaded Swedish Livonia, and in February 1700 surrounded Riga , the most populous city of the Swedish Empire. Russia also declared war (August 1700), but stopped short of an attack on Swedish Ingria until September 1700. Charles's first campaign was against Denmark–Norway, ruled by his cousin Frederick IV of Denmark . For this campaign Charles secured

5616-416: Was incapacitated by a gunshot wound to the foot and was unable to lead the Swedish forces. With the numbers of Charles' army reduced to some 23,000, with many wounded or involved on the siege of Poltava, his general Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld had a clearly inferior force to face the fortified and modernized army of Tsar Peter, with some 45,000 men. The Swedish assault ended in disaster, and the king fled south to

5694-426: Was killed by Dano-Norwegians as he was within reach of their guns. There are two possibilities that are usually cited: that he was killed by a musket shot, or that he was killed by grapeshot from the nearby fortress. More theories claim he was assassinated: one is that the killer was a Swedish compatriot and asserts that enemy guns were not firing at the time Charles was struck. Suspects in this claim range from

5772-481: Was likely killed by an enemy projectile. Charles was succeeded to the Swedish throne by his sister, Ulrika Eleonora . As his duchy of Palatine Zweibrücken required a male heir, Charles was succeeded as ruler there by his cousin Gustav Leopold . Georg Heinrich von Görtz , Charles' minister, was beheaded in 1719. Charles never married and fathered no children of whom historians are aware. In his youth, he

5850-598: Was not destroyed. The town fell under German occupation , however, the Polish resistance movement was active in the town. Jędrzejów was an important center of the Home Army (see also Republic of Pińczów ). The underground University of the Western Lands gave secret lectures. The secret Polish Council to Aid Jews "Żegota" , established by the Polish resistance operated in the town. From November 1942 to March 1943,

5928-576: Was particularly encouraged to find a suitable spouse in order to secure the succession, but he would frequently avoid the subject of sex and marriage. Possible candidates included Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark , Louisa Maria Stuart and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp – but of the latter he pleaded that he could never wed someone "as ugly as Satan and with such a devilish big mouth". Instead, he made it clear that he would marry only someone of his own choice, and for love rather than dynastic pressures. His lack of mistresses may have been due to

6006-403: Was regained by Poles and included within the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw , and after its dissolution, from 1815 to 1915 it was part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland . In 1819, the abbey was closed, but monks dwelled in the complex until 1855, when last Cistercian monk, Wilhelm Ulawski, died. In 1858, Franciscans moved in, but Russians kicked them out in 1870, opening a teachers college in

6084-485: Was the end of the Swedish Empire , and also of its effectively organized absolute monarchy and war machine, commencing a parliamentary government unique for continental Europe, which would last for half a century until royal autocracy was restored by Gustav III . Charles was an exceptionally skilled military leader and tactician as well as an able politician, credited with introducing important tax and legal reforms. As for his famous reluctance towards peace efforts, he

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