Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - XIII. Reign of Charles XII, 1697–1718 - G. Charles XII in Turkey
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
236 A History of Siveden
to the stone structure when Charles stumbled and fell.
A number of Turks then fell on him and made him a
prisoner. His men shared his fate. This event, which
occurred in Bender in 1713, was called by the Turks
The Kalabalik, which means tumult. Charles was now
conveyed as a captive of the sultan, still farther from
home, to a castle near Adrianople, but was treated
even in captivity with admiration and respect.
The Return Home of Charles XII. At home the
Swedish government was conducted by the councilors.
They had long bombarded the king with petitions to
return home. Finally they ventured to summon the
Estates, who sent a messenger to the king to inform
him that in case of necessity they would open negotia-
tions for peace on such terms as they might obtain.
Then Charles realized that it was hazardous to delay
any longer. A dark November night, 1714, two bespat-
tered knights arrived at the gate of Stralsund. One of
them was the king of Sweden. The two adventurers
had ridden 1,400 miles in fourteen days, during which
time they had not once slept in a bed.
At this time two additional states joined the enemies
of Sweden. They were Prussia and Hanover. They
had allied themselves with Denmark to divide the
Swedish possessions in Germany among them. Han-
over was a dangerous enemy, as its elector was also
king of England. The allies gathered their forces
around Stralsund. The small Swedish garrison made
desperate sorties under the king’s own command. A
rain of balls and bombs fell over the city. When the
walls were so shot to pieces that the city could in no
way defend itself, Charles decided to attempt escape
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
