Voltaire's history of Charles XII, king of Sweden - Voltaire

As soon as he was dead the siege of Fredericshall was raised. The Swedes, to whom his glory had been a burden rather than a joy, made peace with their neighbours as fast as they could, and soon put an end to that absolute power of which Baron Gortz had wearied them. The States elected Charles’s sister Queen, and forced her to solemnly renounce her hereditary right to the throne, so that she held it only by the people’s choice. She promised by oath on oath that she would never secure arbitrary government, and afterwards, her love of power overcome by her love for her husband, she resigned the crown in his favour and persuaded the States to choose him, which they did under the same condition. Baron Gortz was seized after Charles’s death, and condemned by the Senate of Stockholm to be beheaded under the gallows, an instance rather of revenge than of justice, and a cruel insult to the memory of a king whom Sweden still admires.

Charles’s hat is preserved at Stockholm, and the smallness of the hole by which it is pierced is one of the reasons for supposing he was assassinated.

INDEX

Achmet III, Emperor of the Turks, [187];
receives letter from Charles XII, [188];
treats the king as an honourable prisoner, [189-196];
decides on war against Russia, [211];
imprisons Russian ambassador, ib.;
his letter to Charles XII offering to send him home with an
escort, [235], [236];
Sultan again declares war against Russia, [239];
again makes peace, [241];
sends money and directions for the King of Sweden’s departure, [244], [245];
sends peremptory orders to him to leave his territory, [251];
sends orders to put all the Swedes to the sword and not to spare
the king’s life, [254];
sends troops to attack the king’s house, [255];
reads the petition presented him by de Villelongue, [276];
interviews him in disguise, [276], [277];
he banishes the Kan of Tartary and the Pasha of Bender, [277];
his farewell presents to Charles XII, [287]
Alberoni, Cardinal, his dealings in Spain, [319];
sides with the Pretender, [325]
Altena, burnt by General Steinbock, [282];
terrible suffering of the inhabitants, [282], [283]
Altranstadt, peace concluded at, [130]
Anne, Queen of England, concludes treaty at the Hague, [203];
her death, [293]
Augustus, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, [17],19, [20];
concludes treaty with Peter the Great against Sweden, [34];
besieges Riga, [46];
meeting with Peter the Great at Brizen, [58];
intrigues against, by opposing parties, [70-72];
forced to flee, [77];
endeavours to collect troops, [78], [79];
his army defeated at Clissau, [81];
at Pultask, [85];
withdraws to Thorn, [85];
is declared by the Assembly incapable of wearing the crown, [90];
his narrow escape of being captured, [91];
advances on Warsaw, [101];
victorious entry into, [102];
finally forced to retreat from Poland, [106];
is sent for by Peter the Great to conference at Grodno, [113];
arrests Patkul, ib.;
shut up in Cracow, the last town left him, [117];
writes to Charles XII asking for peace, [120];
his victory over the Swedes, [123];
enters Warsaw in triumph, ib.;
accepts Charles XII’s terms of peace, [124];
his meeting with, at Gutersdorf, [124], [125];
is forced to write a letter of congratulation to Stanislas, [125], [126];
and to give up his prisoners, [126];
returns to Poland after battle of Pultawa, [200];
his embassy to the Sultan, [239];
insists on Charles XII being sent away, [241];
his restoration to the Crown of Poland, [294];
his people force him to submit to the Pacta Conventa, [294]
Azov, surrendered to the Porte, [224], [235]
Baltagi Mahomet, Pasha of Syria, made Grand Vizir, [210];
has orders to attack the Russians, [211];
his answer to the Czar’s letter suing for peace, [222], [223];
his terms, [223], [224];
concludes a treaty of peace with the Czar, [224], [225];
his efforts to force Charles XII to depart from Bender, [229], [230];
cuts off the king’s supplies, [231];
Poniatowski plots against him, [232];
his lieutenant is executed and he himself exiled, [233];
his death, ib.
Bender, Governor of, handsome reception of Charles XII by, [183]
Borysthenes, escape of Charles XII and his troops to, after
Pultawa, [175], [176];
troops drowned while attempting to cross, [177]
Calish, victory at, [122], [123];
Peter the Great’s commemoration of, [133]
Calmouks, their country, [154];
detachment of, in Russian army, Charles XII’s narrow escape
from, [154], [155]
Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, forgets benefits received from
the Porte, and makes treaty with the Czar, [216]
Catherine, wife of Peter the Great, her early history, [220-222];
persuades the Czar to sue the Grand Vizir for peace, [222]
Charles XI abolishes the authority of the Senate, [10];
his character, ib.;
his marriage, ib.;
death of his wife, [13];
his cruelty to her and oppression of the people, ib.;
his death, ib.
Charles XII, his birth, early education, tastes and character, [11], [12];
anecdotes of, [12];
his accession, [13], [14];
takes the reins of power into his own hands, [15], [16];
his coronation, [16], [17];
sudden transformation of his character, [37], [38];
begins war with Russia and its allies, [39];
his skill and courage, [40], [41];
his first success in arms, [43], [44];
concludes the war with Denmark, [46];
his victory at Narva over 80,000 Russians, [49-54];
war vessels constructed by, [59];
his artifice to hide his movements, [59];
defeats the Saxons and enters Birzen, [60], [61];
his further successes against the King of Poland, [73];
refuses to see the Countess of Königsmarck, [75];
receives the embassy of the Polish State, [76];
arrives before Warsaw, [79];
his interview with Cardinal Radjouski, [80];
his victory at Clissau, [81];
enters Cracow, [82];
his accident and false report of his death, [82];
his success at Pultask, [85];
his indifference to danger, [86];
besieges Thorn, [89];
resists temptation of seizing the throne of Poland, [92];
offers it to Alexander Sobiesky, ib.;
receives Stanislas Leczinski and nominates him King of Poland, [97], [98];
takes Leopold by assault, [100];
joins Stanislas against
Augustus, [103];
his continual success, ib.;
his pursuit of Schullemburg, [105], [106];
his preparations for the coronation of Stanislas, [108];
present incognito at the ceremony, [110];
defeats Russian troops, [114], [115];
massacres his prisoners, [117];
enters Saxony, ib.;
visits the field of Lutzen, [118];
levies money and food from the Saxons, [118], [119];
his method for enforcing good behaviour on his troops, and their severe
discipline, [119];
anecdote of, and soldier, [119], [120];
his absolute rule in Saxony, [120];
terms of peace offered by him to Augustus, [121];
his troops defeated by the Russians, [123];
account of his interview with Augustus at Gutersdorf, [124], [125];
his cruel sentence on Patkul, [127];
receives ambassadors from all parts, [135];
Duke of Marlborough’s interview with, [135-137];
his determination to dethrone the Czar, [137], [138];
his exorbitant demands on the Emperor of Germany, [138-140];
sends officers to Asia and Egypt to report on their strength, [141];
magnificence of his plans, ib.;
continues his hardy mode of life, ib.;
account of his visit to Augustus in Dresden, [142], [143];
alarm of his officers, [143], [144];
leaves Saxony to pursue the Czar, [147];
receives Turkish ambassador, [148];
starts in search of the Russians, [149];
enters Grodno, ib.;
arrives at the river Berezine, [151];
his stratagem, ib.;
leads his forces on foot and wins gloriously at Borysthenes, [152];
his haughty answer to the Czar, [153];
his narrow escape from detachment of Calmouks, [154], [155];
leaves the Moscow road and turns south towards Ukrania, [156];
his secret league with Mazeppa, [158];
terrible difficulties and hardships of his march, [159];
Mazeppa reaches him with only a few men left, [160];
is cut off from communication with Poland without provisions, [163];
extreme cold destroys a part of
his army, ib.;
miserable condition of his soldiers, ib.;
anecdote of, [164];
receives supplies from Mazeppa, [165];
advances on Pultawa, [166];
is wounded, [168];
battle of Pultawa, [169-175];
his retreat and escape, [175], [176];
his dangerous condition, [176], [177];
finally reaches the river Hippias, [181];
his narrow escape from the Russians, [182];
some of his troops captured, ib.;
handsomely received by the Commander of Bender, [183];
his letter to Achmet III, [188];
his journey across the desert to Bender, [190];
his life and occupation at, [192], [193];
his anger and disappointment at his treatment by the Porte, [194], [195];
angrily rejects the Sultan’s present, [196];
advice and money given him by new Grand Vizir, [198];
clings to the hope of rousing the Turks to declare war against
Russia, [199];
contrast of, with Peter the Great, [201], [202];
his numerous enemies, ib.;
starts to join the Vizir against the Russians, [218];
his rage at finding the treaty between the Vizir and the Czar
concluded, [225], [226];
rides back to Bender in despair, [226];
builds himself a large stone house at Bender, [229];
Baltagi’s efforts to force him to depart, [229], [230];
the king agrees only on condition of the Vizir’s punishment, [231];
his supplies cut off, ib.;
finds difficulty in borrowing money, [231], [232];
petitions the Porte to send him home with large army, [235];
letter from Achmet to, [235], [236];
refuses to go without an army, [241];
his courier seizes letter from General Fleming to the Tartars, [242];
the Sultan sends money and directions for his departure, [244], [245];
his letters to Sultan intercepted, [245];
refuses to listen to reason or to move, [250];
his supplies cut off, ib.;
barricades his house, [251];
prepares for assault, [255];
refuses all advice and offers of mediation, [253], [254], [257], [258];
his courage, [260];
defends his house
with only forty followers against the Turkish forces, [261];
his house set on fire by assailants, [262];
his coolness, [263];
he and his followers make a sally, and are taken prisoners, [264];
his reception by the Pasha, [265];
his chancellor and officers made slaves, [268];
retains his natural and gentle manner even in calamity, ib.;
is taken in a chariot to Adrianople, [269];
his officers redeemed by Jeffreys and La Mottraye, ib.;
has a sword given him, ib.;
is angry at hearing of the abdication of Stanislas, [271];
hears that Stanislas is a prisoner a few miles away, and sends
Fabricius to him, [272];
is removed to the castle of Demirtash, [278];
is allowed to reside at Demotica, [279];
stays in bed for ten months, [279], [280];
hears of the wreck of his foreign dominions, [280];
is taken ill, [284];
receives dispatches from his sister, [285];
sends arrogant message to the Senate in Sweden, ib.;
determines to leave and return home, ib.;
he borrows money to provide a Swedish Embassy to Constantinople, [286];
receives presents from the Sultan before leaving, [287];
his journey, [287], [288];
preparations made for his entertainment in Germany, [289];
disguises himself and with one officer rides for sixteen days till
he reaches Stralsund, [291];
the loss of his dominions, [294], [295];
is besieged in Stralsund, [304-311];
his escape, [311], [312];
spends a day with his sister, [312];
raises money and recruits, [312], [313];
invades Norway, [313];
advances to Christiania, [318];
hears of Gortz and Gyllemburg being seized, [322];
enters Norway again and besieges Fredericshall, [330];
his soldiers die of cold, ib.;
his extraordinary powers of endurance and constitution, [330], [331];
his death, [332];
description of, [334];
his religious views, [335];
his hat in which he was killed preserved at Stockholm, [337]
Charles Gustavus, invades Poland, [10];
his conquests, ib.;
endeavours to establish absolutism, ib.;
his death, ib.
Charlotte, wife of Stanislas, crowned Queen of Poland, [110]
Chourlouli, Grand Vizir, breaks his promise of help to Charles XII, [194];
Poniatowski plots against, [195];
the Sultan’s favourite helps towards his downfall, [198];
is dismissed and banished, ib.
Christian II, King of Denmark, [6];
driven from Sweden by Gustavus Vasa, [8]
Christian III, King of Denmark, makes arrangement with his brother
concerning the Duchies of Holstein and Sleswick, [18]
Christine, Queen of Sweden, her character, [9];
her resignation, [9], [10]
Clement XI threatens excommunication to those who assist at coronation
of Stanislas, [107]
Clergy forbidden by King of Sweden to take part in politics, [108]
Clissau, victory of Swedes at, [81]
Constantinople, its position as the centre of Christendom, [234];
Swedish and Russian factions at, [234];
bad policy of the Porte, [237]
Copenhagen, Charles XII’s success at, [43], [44]
Coumourgi-Ali-Pasha, favourite of the Sultan, his history, [197];
plots downfall of Grand Vizir, [197], [198];
secretly protects the Russian cause, [238], [239];
his plans, [240];
his intrigues, [277], [278];
made Grand Vizir, [284]
Cracow, Charles XII, entry of, [82]
Criminals, Turkish law concerning, [199]
Danes, attacked by Steinbock and his raw recruits, [207], [208];
cut to pieces by, [208]
Dantzig, punishment of, by Charles XII’s troops, [88]
Delecarlia sends deputation to Regency at Stockholm offering to go and
rescue the king, [209]
Demotica, Charles XII’s residence at, [278] ff.
Diet, held in Poland and Lithuania, description of, [64];
duties of, [65];
summoned to meet at Warsaw, [70];
factions in, [70], [71];
breaks up in disorder, [73];
assembled by Charles XII, [83];
by Peter the Great at Leopold, and Lubin, [132], [133]
Dresden, visit of Charles XII to Augustus at, [142], [143]
Edwiga Eleanora of Holstein, wife of Charles X, her regency, [14-16]
Elbing, entered by Charles XII, [89]
England, her neutral pose, [234];
secretly favours the Czar, ib.;
alliance of, with the Porte, [234], [235]
Europe, state of, at the period of Charles XII’s return to his
country, [292] ff.
Fabricius, envoy of Holstein, [251];
is persuaded of the integrity of the Kan and the Pasha, [252];
is anxious to mediate for Charles XII, but king receives him coldly, [253];
he makes a last effort to save the king, [254];
is overcome at seeing the king a prisoner and with rent clothes, [268];
undertakes to ransom the prisoners, [269]
Ferdinand IV, King of Denmark, [17];
attacked and defeated by Charles XII, [40-46];
treaty with, [46], [87];
renews his claim to Holstein, [202]
Fleming, General, minister of King Augustus, his correspondence with the
Kan of Tartary, [242];
letter of his seized by Charles XII’s courier, [242]
Frauenstadt, battle of, [115], [116]
Frederic, Prince of Hesse-Cassel, Charles XII marries his sister to, [301];
accompanies his brother-in-law in his expedition into Norway, [314]
Fredericshall, besieged by Charles XII, [330];
death of king at, [332];
the siege raised, [336]
French, regiment of, taken prisoners by Saxon troops, [116];
enter service of King of Sweden, [117];
further notice of, [331]
Germany, its position at the beginning of 18th century, [203];
Princes of, conclude treaty of the Hague, ib.
Gortz, Baron, Charles XII’s premier, great scheme of, [314], [316];
the Czar approves of it, [317];
sends secretly to interview representatives of Pretender’s party, [320];
his intrigues discovered, and is arrested at the Hague, [321], [322];
is set at liberty, [325];
his efforts to effect a peace between the Czar and Charles XII, [326];
hatred of Swedes towards, [327], [328];
seized after the king’s death and beheaded, [336], [337]
Grodno, conference between Peter the Great and Augustus at, [113];
result of, ib.;
Charles XII enters town in pursuit of Czar, [149]
Grothusen, Charles XII’s treasurer, gets possession by false
assurances of the money sent by the Sultan, [246];
goes out alone to address the janissaries sent to take the
King of Sweden, [256];
is taken prisoner and ransomed by the Pasha, [269];
accompanies the king to Adrianople, [269];
with him at Demotica, [280];
sent as ambassador extraordinary to the Sultan, [286];
fails to borrow money from the Porte, ib.;
killed at siege of Stralsund, [308]
Gustavus Adolphus, his conquests, [8], [9];
his death, [9]
Gustavus Vasa, [7];
his deliverance of Sweden from King Christian and the bishops, [8];
introduces Lutheranism, ib.;
his death, ib.
Gyllemburg, Count, Swedish ambassador, conspires with Baron Gortz,
and is arrested in London, [320], [322];
set at liberty, [325]
Hague, the, treaty of, [203]
Holland, States of, conclude treaty of the Hague, [203];
neutral pose of, [234];
secretly support the Czar, ib.;
alliance of, with the Porte, [234], [235]
Holstein, Duchess of, sister of Charles XII, dies of small-pox, [164]
Holstein, Duchy of, [18];
its struggle with Denmark, [18], [19];
cause of, supported by Charles XII, [46];
renewed claim of Denmark to, [202]
Ibrahim Molla, elected Grand Vizir, [279];
his history, ib.;
plans to make war with the Russians, ib.;
is pressed to death between two doors, [284]
Ishmael, Pasha of Bender, sent to acquaint King of Sweden with the
Sultan’s resolve that he must quit his territories, [241];
receives letter and money from the Sultan enforcing his orders, [244];
his fear and trouble on finding Grothusen had deceived him, [247];
his further interview with the king and angry departure, [249], [250];
shuts off king’s supplies, [250];
allows three days’ grace before the janissaries assault the
king’s house, [257];
offers prize to those who can take the king, [260];
he and the Kan fire the king’s house, [262];
the king is carried prisoner to his quarters, [264];
his reception of the king, [265], [266];
generously ransoms Grothusen and Colonel Ribbins, [269];
is accused by De Villelongue and banished by the Sultan, [276], [277]
Janissaries, their mode of attack, [215]
Jeffreys, English envoy, endeavours to mediate between the King of Sweden
and the Turks, [251], [253];
helps the king with money, [269];
with assistance of La Mottraye redeems the Swedish officers, [269]
Joseph, Emperor of Germany, accedes to Charles XII’s exorbitant
demands, [138-140];
signs treaty in favour of Silesian Lutherans, [140]
Joseph, succeeds Baltagi as Grand Vizir, his early history, [233];
the creature of Ali-Coumourgi, [233];
countersigns the Peace of Pruth, [234];
is accused by De Villelongue to the Sultan and deposed, [276], [277]
[Kan] of Tartary, his dependence on the Porte, [212], [213];
his opposition to the treaty between the Turks and Russians, [224];
corresponds with the minister of King Augustus, [242];
swears treacherously that
he will be responsible for Charles XII’s safe conduct, [251];
his anxiety to commence the assault on the king’s house, [256];
fires the king’s house, [262];
is accused by De Villelongue to the Sultan and banished, [276], [277]
Königsmarck, Countess of, sent to negotiate with Charles XII, [74];
the king refuses to see her, [75]
Kuze-Slerp, his brave defence of Usedom, [302-304]
Leczinski. See [Stanislas]
Leopold, taken by assault by Charles XII, [100];
Diet at, [132], [133]
Levenhaupt, Count, Charles XII’s general in Russia, [147], [158];
his victory over the Russians, [160-161];
is pursued by the enemy, [161];
disputes the victory for three days against odds, [162], [163];
reaches the king without provisions, [163];
at Pultawa, [171], [175];
reaches the Borysthenes, [176];
surrenders with remainder of troops, [178];
in triumphal procession of Czar, [205]
Lithuania, two parties in, [69], [70]
Livonia, its struggle for independence, [20], [21]
Louis XIV, league against, [203];
carries on war after Charles XII’s defeat, [203]
Margaret of Valdemar, Queen of Denmark and Norway, [6]
Marlborough, Duke of, interview with Charles XII, [135-7]
Mazeppa, tale of, [157];
made Prince of Ukrania, ib.;
plans a revolt, [157], [158];
his secret league with Charles XII, [158];
his loans and treasures taken and plundered, [160];
reaches Charles XII as a fugitive, ib.;
furnishes the king with necessaries of life, [165];
refuses the Czar’s offers, [165], [166];
escapes with Charles XII after Pultawa, [177];
his death, [194]
Menzikoff, Prince, defeats the Swedes under General Meyerfield, [123];
at battle of Pultawa, [169-175];
comes up with the Swedes at the Borysthenes, [177], [178];
the Swedish force surrenders to him, [178]
Moldavians side with the Turks against their prince, [217]
Moscow, Peter the Great’s triumphal entry into, [204-206]
Narva, besieged by Peter the Great, [48];
great battle of, [49-54];
taken by assault by Peter the Great, [110];
barbarity of Russian soldiers at, [111]
Numan Couprougli, Grand Vizir, his incorruptible honesty, [198];
his advice to Charles XII, ib.;
turned out of office, [209];
his answer to Achmet, [210];
retires to Negropont, ib.
Oginski, head of one of the rival factions in Lithuania, [69], [133]
Ottoman Porte, state of, [188];
influence of the Czar at, [193], [194]
Paikel, Livonian officer, endeavours to save his life by disclosing
the secret for manufacturing gold, [129]
Patkul, General, joins the Russian side, [113];
Czar’s ambassador in Sweden, ib.;
arrested by order of Augustus, ib.;
Charles XII insists on his release, [126];
his terrible end, [127], [128]
Peter the Great, [17], [18];
his conquests, [21];
his education and early life, [24], [25];
his reforms, [26-29];
builds St. Petersburg, [32];
his barbarity, [32], [33];
concludes treaty with King of Poland against Sweden, [34];
his defeat at Narva, [49-54];
meeting and further treaty with King of Poland, [58];
takes Narva by assault, [110];
checks the outrages of his soldiers, [111];
lays the foundations of St. Petersburg, ib.;
invites Augustus to conference at Grodno, [113];
departs suddenly to check an insurrection, ib.;
his troops dispersed by Charles XII and Stanislas, [114], [115];
his troops victorious over the Swedes, [123];
his anger at and revenge of the execution of his ambassador, [130-132];
enters Poland with over 60,000 men, [132];
his desolation of, [134];
withdraws into Lithuania, ib.;
flies at the approach of Charles XII, [149];
leaves Grodno by one gate as Charles enters at another, ib.;
is driven from the Berezine, [151];
defeated at Borysthenes, [152];
sees his country desolated and makes proposals to Charles XII, [153];
the king’s haughty answer, ib.;
his defeat by the Swedes under Levenhaupt, [161];
pursues the enemy and brings them to a stand, ib.;
after three days’ fighting his superior forces gain the upper hand, [162];
at Pultawa, [169-175];
his elation at his success, [179], [180];
his admiration of the Swedish generals, [180];
cruelty to the Cossack prisoners, [181];
makes use of his victory to seize other places and sends troops to
Poland, [201];
contrast of, with Charles XII, [201], [202];
agrees to treaty of the Hague, [203];
triumphal entry into Moscow, [204-206];
hears of Turkish preparations against him, [215];
makes a treaty with Prince Cantemir and marches into Moldavia, [216];
finds himself without provisions, [217];
is driven back on Pruth, [218];
his difficult position, [219];
determines to attack the Turks, destroying all that might serve as
booty to the enemy, ib.;
is induced by the Czarina to sue for peace, [222];
concludes treaty with Grand Vizir, [224], [225];
fails to fulfil his promises, [232];
Sultan declares war against, [239];
peace again concluded, [241];
insists on Charles XII being sent away, ib.;
gains control of the Baltic, [296];
his victory over the Swedish fleet, [297];
triumphal entry into St. Petersburg, ib.;
supports Baron Gortz’s scheme, [317];
his behaviour on hearing of Gortz’s arrest, [323];
his proposal of alliance to the Regent of France, ib.;
his daughter asked in marriage for the Pretender, [325]
Piper, Count, prime minister of Charles XII, [15], [16], [17], [41], [43], [72], [80];
advises Charles XII to
take the crown of Poland, [91], [92];
negotiates with the plenipotentiaries of Augustus, [121];
question as to whether he received money from the Duke of
Marlborough, [137], [138];
receives Turkish ambassador, [148];
at Pultawa, [169], [173];
his imprisonment at St. Petersburg and death, [179];
in Peter the Great’s triumphal procession, [205]
Pirates, send to Charles XII to make terms with them, [318], [319]
Poland, government and general condition of, [62-67];
torn by conflicting parties, [70-74];
embassy sent by, to Charles XII, [76];
throne of, declared vacant, [90];
crown of, offered to Alexander Sobiesky, [92];
Stanislas Leczinski elected and crowned king, [99], [109];
invaded by Peter the Great, [132];
two kings and two primates in, ib.;
insurrection in, after battle of Pultawa, [200];
Augustus returns to, as king, ib.;
miserable condition of, [134];
the people’s fear of arbitrary power, [294];
force Augustus to submit to the Pacta Conventa, ib.;
the Czar makes himself master in, [298]
Pomerania, battles in, [280]
Poniatowski, General, [174], [177];
his designs at Constantinople, [189], [193];
draws up indictment against the Grand Vizir and presents it to
the Sultan, [195], [196];
plots against the Grand Vizir, [196];
negotiates with new Grand Vizir, [199];
attempts to poison him, ib.;
in Grand Vizir’s army against the Russians, [218];
opposes the treaty of peace, [224];
sends letter to Sultan accusing the Grand Vizir, [232];
sends letter of advice to Charles XII, [258];
at siege of Stralsund, [308]
Posnania, Bishop of, handed over to papal legate, [102];
carried to Saxony, and dies, [103]
Pretender, the, James II’s son, plots for placing him on the
throne, [317], [319], [320], [325]
Prussia, the first king of, league proposed by, to secure peace
and the restoration of Charles XII, [270]
Pruth, Peace of, [225], [234];
Sultan’s anger at infraction of, [239]
Pultawa, great battle of, [169-175]
Radjouski, Cardinal, his intrigues, [70], [71];
opposes the king in the Diet, [76];
his manifesto, [77];
flees from Warsaw, ib.;
his interview with Charles XII, [80];
takes his oath of fealty to the latter, [83];
throws off his mask and declares Augustus incapable of wearing
the crown of Poland, [90];
unable to oppose the election of Stanislas, [99];
finds legitimate excuse for not consecrating him, [109];
his death, ib.
Renschild, General under Charles XII, [41];
defeats Schullemburg at Frauenstadt, [115], [116];
with Stanislas in Poland, [134];
remark on the Council at Dresden, [144];
at Pultawa, [169], [172];
taken prisoner, [173];
conversation with the Czar, [180];
in triumphal procession of the Czar, [205]
Riga, besieged by the King of Poland, [46]
Rome, Court of, its policy, [102], [107];
Charles XII’s disgust with, [140]
Russian prisoners massacred by Charles XII and Stanislas, [117]
Ryswick, peace of, [14]
Saint Petersburg, foundation of, by Peter the Great, [111], [112]
Sapieha, Princess, head of one of the rival factions in Lithuania, [69], [133]
Saxony, entered by Charles XII, [117];
tax levied on, [118];
his method for protecting the inhabitants from the ill-conduct of
his soldiers, [118], [119];
his absolute rule over, [120]
Schullemburg, Count, in command of Augustus’s troops, [104];
his plan of formation in battle, [104], [105];
he saves his army, [106];
statue erected to him by Venetian Republic, [106];
his defeat by General Renschild at Frauenstadt, [115], [116]
Silesia, Charles XII demands restitution of privileges to its
Protestant subjects, [139], [140]
Siniawski, Grand General, his ambition, [134];
heads a third
party against Augustus and Stanislas, [134], [135];
joins party of Augustus, [200]
Sobiesky, Alexander, refuses crown of Poland, [92], [93]
Sobiesky, Jacques, partisans of, [70], [72];
carried off by Saxon soldiers, [90]
Stade, bombarded and burnt by the Danes, [280];
General Steinbock’s revenge, [283]
[Stanislas] Leczinski, appointed deputy to Charles XII by assembly
at Warsaw, [97];
his character, [98];
nominated King of Poland, ib.;
finally elected, [99];
attacked in Warsaw, [101];
joined by Charles XII, [103];
his victory over Augustus, [106];
his coronation, [109];
Poland entered by Peter the Great during his absence, [132];
his return to, and popularity, [134];
Pope releases the people from their oath of allegiance to, [200];
agrees to treaty of the Hague, [203];
taken prisoner in the Turkish dominions and carried to Bender, [269];
his efforts on behalf of Charles XII, [270];
willingly abdicates the throne of Poland for the public good, [270];
disguises himself and tries to reach the King of Sweden, [271];
is taken and well treated, [272];
Fabricius allowed to bring him a message from Charles XII, [272];
Pasha sends him an Arabian horse, [273];
Sultan finally releases him, ib.;
Charles XII assigns him the revenue of the Duchy of Deux Ponts, [288];
retires to Weissemburg, [289]
Steinbock, General, heads an army, chiefly composed of raw recruits,
to pursue the Danes, [207];
cuts the enemy to pieces, [208];
defends Pomerania, [280];
his victory over the Danes and Saxons at Gadebesck, [280], [281];
he burns Altena, [282];
his answer to complaints of his cruelty, [283];
loses his army and is taken prisoner, [284]
Stralsund, siege of, [304-311]
Sweden, its climate, [3];
its fauna, [4];
its soil, [5];
its ancient constitution, [5], [6];
conquered by
Margaret of Valdemar, [6];
its later history, ib.;
treaty of Russia, Denmark and Poland against, [34];
its government by a Regency during Charles XII’s absence, [206];
loses all her foreign possessions, [295], [298];
scarcity of male population in, [298];
people heavily taxed, [313];
their readiness to help the king, ib.
Swedes, their stature and endurance, [4];
fate of those taken prisoners at Pultawa, [178], [179];
sold as slaves at Constantinople, [194];
their love of war and of their king, [207];
their inveterate hatred of the Danes, [208];
thousands made slaves, [298]
Tartars, description of, [213];
their extreme hospitality, [213], [214];
receive no pay in war but their booty, [214]
Tartary. See [Kan]
Thorn, King of Poland, retires to, [85];
siege of, by Charles XII, [89]
Turkish troops, description of, [214], [215]
Turks, embassy from, to Charles XII, [148];
present the king with one hundred Swedish soldiers who had been
redeemed by the Grand Master, [148]
Ukrania, its need of a protector in one of the surrounding States, [156];
seeks protection from Poland, ib.;
from Russia, [156], [157]
Ulrica Eleanora, Princess, sister of Charles XII, asked to take
the Regency in Sweden, [285];
refuses to make peace with Denmark and resigns, ib.;
sends account of affairs to her brother, ib.
Usedom, taken from the Swedes by the Prussians, [303]
Valida, Sultana, favours Swedish cause, [211]
Villelongue, Monsieur de, his bold action on behalf of Charles XII, [274];
presents petition to the Sultan at the risk of his life, [275], [276];
has interview with Sultan, ib.;
is released, [277];
taken prisoner at siege of Stralsund, [309]
Warsaw, Charles XII appears before, [79];
battle near, [81];
Augustus enters it as a victorious sovereign, [102];
coronation of Stanislas in, [109];
entered in triumph by Augustus, [123]
Winter of 1709, memorable, [163];
Charles XII loses 2,000 men on one march, ib.
Wirtemburg, Prince, taken prisoner at Pultawa, [173]
Zaporavians, description of, [166]
Zobor, Count, Emperor’s chamberlain, his quarrel with Swedish ambassador
and its results, [138-140]

LETCHWORTH
THE TEMPLE PRESS
PRINTERS

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected.

Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they were not changed.

A table of contents has been added by this Transcriber.