Sweden, 1697–1721 CE

Autocracy · Monarchy · Northern Europe · Age of Absolutism era

Sweden under Charles XII, an absolute military monarchy fighting the Great Northern War to hold its Baltic empire against a Russian-led coalition.

Charles XII inherited an absolute monarchy and a Baltic empire and spent almost his entire reign at war, fighting a coalition of Russia, Denmark and Saxony-Poland in the Great Northern War. Early victories gave way to catastrophic defeat at Poltava in 1709 and years of campaigning far from home. His death in 1718 and the ensuing peace ended Sweden’s age as a great power.

Open Sweden 1697–1721 CE in the interactive 3D atlas →

Dominant patterns

  • External Expansion
  • Militarization
  • Imperial Decline
  • Economic Crisis
  • Regime Stabilization

Political-science factor profile

Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).

Centralization of Power68
Media Control48
Repression50
Nationalism60
Militarization88
Economic Stress65
External Conflict92
Cult of Personality68
Elite Fragmentation42
Institutions52
Social Polarization45
Corruption & Patrimonialism42
Ideological Mobilization55
External Sovereignty85

Economy & society

GDP per capita$1300 (intl-$)
GDP growth-0.5%/yr
Population1.5M people
Share of world population0.23%
Territory~900k km²
Capital population~50k

Closest historical twins

The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Sweden 1697–1721 CE, by similarity score (0–100).

  1. Macedon, 359–336 BCE – similarity 88/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline, Regime Stabilization
  2. Prussia, 1797–1815 – similarity 88/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline, Regime Stabilization
  3. Urartu, 850–800 BCE – similarity 86/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline, Regime Stabilization
  4. Sasanian Empire, 309–379 CE – similarity 85/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline, Regime Stabilization
  5. Russia, 1682–1725 CE – similarity 85/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline, Regime Stabilization
  6. Pontus, 120–63 BCE – similarity 84/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline
  7. France, 1799–1815 – similarity 83/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Regime Stabilization
  8. Byzantium, 527–565 – similarity 83/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline, Regime Stabilization

What followed

  • Defeat by Russia and the loss of the Baltic empire.
  • The end of Sweden as a great power.