Carolus Rex of Sweden Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1682

King Charles XII (aka Karl XII) was born on June 17, 1682 in Stockholm, Sweden at the Tre Kronor, a castle built in the 13th century. The Tre Kronor was destroyed by a fire that occurred in 1697. The Stockholm Palace, which now resides at the same location was later completed in 1760. Charles XII was a member of the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, who ruled Sweden from 1654 through 1720.

He is also known by his nickname Carolus Rex.

Answer: 15

King Charles XII became the King of Sweden on April 5, 1697 after his father King Charles XI passed away. However, a caretaker government took control for several months. King Charles XII assumed power following his official coronation, which was held on December 14, 1697. Various European factions took the opportunity to invade the then Swedish Empire as they felt that the age of King Charles XII left them vulnerable.

In the year 1700, Sweden was invaded on all sides which sparked the Great Northern War.

Answer: Estonia

The Battle of Narva took place in November of 1700. King Charles XII was credited with expelling the invading army, which was nearly four times the size of his own. At the time, the Swedish Empire controlled the northern portion of a piece of land east of the Baltic Sea known as Livonia, which eventually became the modern nations of Estonia and Latvia. Narva is currently the third largest city in Estonia.

Answer: Russia

The Great Northern War was fought against several opposing factions. One faction was the allied kingdoms of Denmark and Norway. The second faction comprised of Saxony, Poland and Lithuania. A third faction was Russia, which was led by Peter the Great.

In retaliation to the Russian invasion of Narva, King Charles XII attempted to invade Russia, which led to his defeat during the Battle of Poltava in 1709, which occurred in what we know today as the nation of Ukraine.

Answer: The Ottoman Empire

Following his defeat during the Battle of Poltava, King Charles XII fled to the Ottoman Empire which controlled the Balkan region of Europe, Turkey and portions of the Middle East at the time. At first the Ottomans were welcoming of the Swedish king and provided protection to him and even declared war on Russia during his stay.

However, King Charles XII eventually wore out his welcome and he decided to return to Swedish territory in 1714.

Answer: False

Unfortunately for Sweden, King Charles XII would die suddenly during the Siege of Fredriksten in Norway, which occurred in 1718. The death of Carolus Rex also meant the end of the Swedish Empire, which lost some territory to its enemies by the end of the Great Northern War in 1721.

Answer: He was hit in the head by a stray bullet

King Charles XII died on November 30, 1718 after he was struck in the head by a stray bullet during the Siege of Fredriksten. There are conflicting reports as to where the bullet actually came from. Some people speculated that he was assassinated either a military rival or even by one of his own men.

However multiple autopsies were performed on the king's body over the centuries and the most recent in 1917 seemed to confirm that it was indeed just a stray bullet that killed him.

Answer: his sister

Due to his involvement with the Great Northern War, King Charles XII never got the opportunity to start a family of his own. Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, his sister, was elected to be Queen of Sweden following Charles' death. She was named after their mother, Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark. She later abdicated the throne in 1720 in favor of her husband who became King Frederick I.

Answer: Age of Liberty

King Charles XII's death marked a turning point in the Swedish government. The government shifted from an absolute monarchy into more of a parliamentary monarchy, like what the United Kingdom is today. The Age of Liberty lasted from 1718 until 1772 when King Gustav III restored Sweden to an absolute monarchy following a coup d'état against the Swedish parliament.

Answer: Sabaton

My inspiration for this quiz comes from the song "Carolus Rex", performed by the Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton. Sabaton was formed in 1999 and frequently incorporates world military history into their songs. The song "Carolus Rex" was released on the album of the same name in 2012.