as indecent as he could be, King Karl XII of Sweden was one of the best military minds of its time (XVIII century)...He managed to unite all scandinavian peninsula, plus Denmark (the former power in Scandinavia). When Prusia, Poland and Russia made an alliance to beat Sweden, he was offered an ultimatum. Not only he rejected it, but in a lighning campaign he beaten Poland and Prussia, and gave Russia's Tzar more than a headache. He fought the russians, but as they made the same tactic as with Napoleon, he made same mistakes. Poltava was its grave as militar power. I believe he was even captured, but somehow he returned to Sweden, and to his Crown...only to start another campaign .This time he attacked Norway (country that got its independence during Karl's captivity). He was killed by a shot when he was about to lead an attack on a Norwegian city.
All this is said only using memory,...it has been a long long time since I heard and readed about King Karl XII of Sweden, AKA "Early Napoleon"
BTW those werent last Sweden's wars. Sweden was on the allied coalition versus napoleon in his last days...and was that with a french ex-napoleon general on Swedish throne!!!!!
Well enough said about Sweden...Where is 1.02?
[This message has been edited by RAM (edited 04-06-2000).]