Charles XI

Charles XI (1655-1697), King of Sweden (1660-1697), the son of Charles X Gustav, born in Stockholm. During his minority the government was entrusted to a regency, and although the kingdom was kept free from foreign wars, it was misgoverned. The education of the young king was so neglected that he was nearly illiterate. In 1672 he assumed the reins of government. Under terms of an agreement made by the regency, Charles in 1674 entered the Dutch Wars as an ally of Louis XIV, King of France. The Swedish army and navy were unprepared for war, and Sweden lost territory, although much of it was restored by the Peace of St-Germain-en-Laye in 1679. Charles, angered by the military failure, and supported by the burghers and peasants, instituted reforms that strengthened the armed forces and considerably reduced the power of the former regents and nobles. In 1682 the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature, granted the king absolute authority. By a judicious administration of revenues, he wiped out the public debt, reorganized the army and navy, and by 1693 was able to dispense with extraordinary subsidies. Although he had absolute power, he never imposed a tax without consent; and he published an annual account of revenues and expenditures. He was succeeded by his son Charles XII.