The History of Charles XII

First published in 1731, this history follows Charles XII of Sweden from his youth through the Great Northern War. Voltaire recounts the king's early victories over Denmark, Saxony, and Russia, the long campaign in Poland, the invasion that ended at Poltava, the years of exile at Bender in the Ottoman lands, and the final return that ended at the siege of Fredriksten. Character, logistics, and the costs of absolute will occupy the foreground more than antiquarian detail. The book is a narrative of one warrior-king, not a full history of Sweden and not a treatise on war.

Bound in vegetable parchment with an armorial design in red and gold. Map endleaves. Red slipcase.