Charles XII Warrior King

by

Karwansaray Publishers

Edited By:

John B. Hattendorf, Åsa Karlson,

Margriet Lacy -Bruijn, Augustus J, VeenenDaal, Jr,

and Rolof van Hövell tot Westerflier

 I have read thousands of books in my 60+ years of reading. This one is different in several meaningful ways to the books I am normally drawn to. In the first place, it's the first book I actually own that comes with a tassel to keep your place. I assumed that it would have a much fancier name, but I have been unable to find one. The second strange thing for me is its sheer size. It is really even larger than a coffee table book. I am never drawn to them because usually they are long on pictures and as deep as a kiddie pool. The third way this book is different than my usual fare is its composition. My favorite history/biography books almost always steer to the drier side of writing. The 'this happened and then the next thing happened' type of book, with just enough fluff or personal recollection so that the reader does not get lost in the weeds. This book is written in a completely different manner. It comes with a rather short straight biography of Charles XII in the beginning. However, to really get the full panoply of the man you need to read all of the book. I have probably read every written word about the man (yes, he is one of my heroes), but this book has literally tons of information about him that I have never seen before. It not only gives you his complete story but also shows you the world that he existed in. No man lives or dies in a vacuum. He is shaped and molded by the events, lives, and incidents that surround him. To show you what I mean let us take a look at the different chapters:

The Great Northern War (1700-21) and the Integration of the European States System (Hamish Scott, The United Kingdom)

Charles XII: A biographical sketch (Åsa Karlsson, Sweden)

Charles XII as a Protagonist in International Perspective: An Overview (John B. Hattendorf, United States of America)

Swedish Grand Strategy and Foreign Policy, 1697-1721 (Gunnar Åselius, Sweden)

Charles XII’s Armies in the Field (Christer Kuvaja, Finland)

Swedish Naval Power and Naval Operations, 1697-1721 (Lars Ericson Wolke, Sweden)

The Absent King and Swedes at Home (Marie Lennersand, Sweden)

The Impact of the Great Northern War on Trade Relations with the Baltic (Werner Scheltjens, Germany)

British Policy towards Sweden, Charles XII, and the Great Northern War, 1697-1723 (John B. Hattendorf, United States of America)

How to Handle a Warrior King: The States General and Its Policies in Regard to Charles XII of Sweden (Augustus J. Veenendaal, Jr., the Netherlands)

The French View of Charles XII: The King, the Soldier, the Man (Eric Schnakenbourg, France)

‘The Mad Swede’: The Habsburg Monarchy and Charles XII (Michael Hochedlinger, Austria)

Charles XII at the Centre of Swedish-Ottoman Diplomacy (Bülent Ari and Alptuğ Güney, Turkey)

Warmonger or Benefactor? Charles XII and the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway (Knud J.V. Jespersen, Denmark)

A Polish View of Charles XII and the Great Northern War (Gabriela Majewska, Poland)

Russian Views of Charles XII (Pavel A. Krotov, Russian Federation)

Brandenburg-Prussia and the Northern German States (Linda S. Frey and Marsha L. Frey, United States of America)

Charles XII: A King of Many Faces (Inga Lena Ångström Grandien, Sweden)

A Literary Charles XII (Nils Ekedahl, Sweden)

 As you can see by the number of chapters, this is a large book that comes in at about 450 pages. The publisher has spared no expense to make an absolutely beautiful book. Normally I am only impressed by the writer's content and not by the packaging, but this book is definitely the exception. This does mean that the price tag for the book is a lot higher than normal. However, in this case because of the contents and the physical presentation it is well worth it. 

 This book is part of Karwansaray Publishers 'Protagonists of History in International Perspective' series of books. As of now there are five books in the series. This one, and then ones on Christian IV of Denmark, Duke of Alba, Duke of Marlborough, and the Dutch Admiral De Ruyter. 

 Normally I do not use the publisher's writing about their book for obvious reasons. In this case I will make an exception because they say it so much better than I could:

"For centuries, Charles XII has mainly been seen in the context of Sweden’s national experience, yet his activities stretched across the European continent from Russia and Denmark to Germany, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, and the Ottoman Empire. Even the Dutch Republic, Britain, and France became involved diplomatically and economically.

In this volume, 20 scholars from 12 different countries contribute to creating a broader perspective on Charles XII and the Great Northern War in European history. The contributors to this volume expand the scope of international research on Charles XII and his time by examining not only his victories and defeats but the king’s impact in other areas as well."

 So, if you have any interest at all in this great man or the times he lived in, this book is a needed addition to your library. Thank you so much Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review the book. I would also like to thank Karwansaray Publishers for printing this absolutely wonderful edition.

Robert Peterson

Book - Charles XII Warrior King

Publisher - Karwansaray Publishers

Distributor - Casemate Publishers

 Gustavus V Wallenstein

Military Revolution, Rivalry & Tragedy in The Thirty Years War

by

John Pike

 Gustavas Adolphus King of Sweden and Albrecht von Wallenstein Duke of Friedland, minus their other nomenclature and titles, were the two giants of the middle years of the Thirty Years War. Their titanic clash sent shockwaves throughout Europe. The author, Mr. Pike, has written an extremely detailed work on these two protagonists and the history and times that made them. In doing so, he has brought Wallenstein out of Gustavus's shadow. Far too many books only give us a small glimpse of Wallenstein compared to the Swedish King. 

 The book gives a detailed account of the early years of the war and its whys and wheres. Then it takes us on a biographical trip of both men before the war even started. With great precision we are shown how Sweden went from an underdeveloped backwater to a major player in European politics. Likewise, the author shows us how Wallenstein, using his own financial genius, was able to turn the tide of the war toward the Hapsburg cause. Wallenstein was able to make the war pay for itself. This was without the excesses that had accompanied the early part of the war.  

 The book is a large one coming in at over 500 pages. It also has a good number of pictures of the main characters and lithographs from the time. I congratulate the author for also interspersing a good number of excellent maps. I cannot state strongly enough that in military histories these are invaluable to the reader and make it so much easier to follow along with the action. It also gives the reader so much more insight into why things happened the way they did.

 The author finishes up his history of the two men and their clash by delving into the military revolution that occurred then. He shows that Gustavus took Maurice of Nassau's ideas and improved on them. Wallenstein is also shown as an incredible organizer and logistical wizard. The reader is also shown how much all the armies in the Thirty Years War relied on field entrenchments. We sometimes think that armies entrenching themselves started in the 19th century. The book shows us that even at this time the armies entrenched themselves as much as or more than the Romans.

 Their titanic struggle, after Wallenstein's reinstatement, is gone into great detail by the author. The ultimate clash at the Battle of Lutzen between the two is shown to us in minute detail.

 This is an excellent history of the two warriors, and I can easily recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the time period. Thank you, Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review this fine book.

Robert Peterson

Book: Gustavus V Wallenstein

Author: John Pike

Publisher: Pen & Sword Military

Distributor: Casemate Publishers