Great Northern War

At the start of the 18th Century, Sweden was the undisputed power in the Baltic region and a dominant force in Northern Europe. However, the Swedish empire was in the way of the regional ambitions of Russia, Saxony and Denmark/Norway who all had scores to settle with the Swedes.

With the 1697 accession of the boy King Charles XII to the Swedish throne, Russia, Denmark and Saxony saw an opportunity. In 1700 they formed an alliance and struck at Swedish territories hoping for a swift and decisive victory. However, they had seriously miscalculated the strength of the Swedish military and the resolve of their new monarch and by 1701 they had all been defeated. Their attack launched a grueling 21-year war.

The Great Northern War highlighted the military genius of Charles XII and the resilience of the Swedish military. It also saw the rise of Tsar Peter I, who reformed the Russian military and adapted tactics and strategy to play to Russian strengths. The Russians would ultimately defeat an exhausted Sweden and see the rise of the Russian empire.

The Scanian war is also included with the GNW game. This conflict was a precursor to the GNW when Charles XI - father of Charles XII - found himself under invasion from Denmark/Norway. He would go on to win a series of victories over the Danes (but not the Norwegians) to reassert Sweden’s dominance in the region.

After the war Charles XI would introduce a series of military reforms and tactics which would produce the Swedish “Karoliner” of the GNW.

Denmark/Norway would make another attempt to retake lost territory in the GNW.