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RITISH REACTIONS TO CHARLES XII’S STAY IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

 

 

Costel Coroban

 

“Ovidius” University of Constanta, E-mail: coroban_costel@yahoo.com

 

Acknowledgments

The article is based on a paper presented at the SecondInternational Conference of the Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies: Black Sea and Baltic Sea Regions: Confluences, influences and crosscurrents in the modern and contemporary ages, at Târgoviste, May 20-22, 2011.

 

 

Abstract:

In 1709 the Great Northern War took an unfortunate course for Sweden, as following Charles XII’s defeat at Poltava, he was forced to retreat to Bender in the Ottoman Empire, where he would remain for 5 years.. The Swedish King’s retreat in the Ottoman Empire also reverberated in Britain, which at the time was involved in the War for Spanish Succession (1709-1714), and consequently sought for tranquillity at the North and Baltic Sea. While politicians were worried about the Swedish fleet, a worry which only aggravated after George I’s accession to the British thrones in 1714, writers such as Daniel Defoe and others could not refrain from expressing their admiration for the ‘Warrior King’ Charles XII. Soon after his return, Charles XII would even be associated with the Jacobite faction, rival to the House of Hanover which at the time ruled Britain. The purpose of this paper is to offer an overview of the whole spectrum of British publications and reactions regarding Charles XII’s sojourn in the Ottoman Empire, during his stay’s duration (1709-1714) and up to his death and the immediately subsequent period.

 

            Rezumat:

În 1709, Marele Razboi Nordic a urmat un curs nefericit pentru Suedia deoarece ca urmare a înfrângerii lui Carol al XII-lea la Poltava, el a fost fortat sa se retraga la Bender, în Imperiul Otoman, unde va ramâne timp de 5 ani. Retragerea regelui suedez în Imperiul Otoman a avut, de asemenea, reverberatii în Marea Britanie, care la acea vreme era implicata în razboiul de succesiune spaniol (1709-1714), si, prin urmare, cauta linistea la Marea Nordului si la Marea Baltica. În timp de politicienii erau îngrijorati de flota suedeza, o îngrijorare care doar s-a accentuat dupa urcarea lui George I pe tronul britanic în 1714, scriitori cum ar fi Daniel Defoe si altii nu au putut sa se abtina de la exprimarea admiratiei lor pentru „razboinicul rege” Carol al XII-lea. Curând dupa întoarcerea sa, Carol al XII-lea a fi fost chiar asociat cu factiunea iacobita, rivala Casei de Hanovra ce guverna la acea vreme Marea Britanie. Scopul acestei lucrari este de a oferi o imagine de ansamblu a întregului spectru de publicatii si reactii britanice cu privire la salasluirea lui Carol al XII-lea în Imperiul Otoman, începând din perioada sederii sale (1709-1714) si pâna la moartea sa si în perioada imediat urmatoare.

 

Keywords: Charles XII of Sweden, Bender, George I, London Gazette, Daniel Defoe

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