Charles XI of Sweden
| Charles XI | |
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Charles XI, by Ehrenstrahl, c. 1691.
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| King of Sweden | |
| Reign | 13 February 1660 – 5 April 1697 |
| Coronation | 28 September 1675 |
| Predecessor | Charles X Gustav |
| Successor | Charles XII |
| Regent | Queen Dowager Hedwig Eleonora |
| Born | 24 November 1655 Tre Kronor, Sweden |
| Died | 5 April 1697 (aged 41) Tre Kronor, Sweden |
| Burial | Riddarholmen Church, |
| Spouse | Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark |
| Issue |
Hedvig Sophia, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp Charles XII of Sweden Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden |
| House | Palatinate-Zweibrücken |
| Father | Charles X of Sweden |
| Mother | Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Charles XI, also Carl (Swedish: Karl XI; 24 November 1655old style – 5 April 1697old style), was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1718).
Charles was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. His father died when he was five years old, so Charles was educated by his governors until his coronation at the age of seventeen. Soon after, he was forced out on military expeditions to secure the recently acquired dominions from Danish troops in the Scanian War. Having successfully fought off the Danes, he returned to and engaged in correcting the country's neglected political, financial and economic situation, managing to sustain peace during the remaining 20 years of his reign. Changes in finance, commerce, national maritime and land armaments, judicial procedure, church government and education emerged during this period. Charles XI was succeeded by his only son Charles XII, who made use of the well-trained army in battles throughout Europe.
The fact that Charles was crowned as Charles XI does not mean that he was the 11th king of Sweden who had the name Charles. His father's name (as the 10th) was due to his great-grandfather, King Charles IX of Sweden (1604–1611), having adopted his own numeral by using a mythological History of Sweden. This descendant was actually the 5th King Charles. The numbering tradition thus begun still continues, with the present king of Sweden being Carl XVI Gustaf.
Charles was born in the Stockholm Palace Tre Kronor in November 1655. His father, Charles X of Sweden, left Sweden in July to fight in the war against Poland. After several years of warfare, the king returned in the winter of 1659 and gathered his family and the Riksdag of the Estates in Gothenburg. In mid-January 1660 he fell ill and one month later he wrote his last will and died.
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