Great Northern War - When Sweden Ruled the World - Extra History - Part 1

📜 History of the Great Northern War, Part 1
A young boy king had inherited the crown of the Swedish Empire, and his neighbors saw an opportunity to attack. To their surprise, young Charles XII of Sweden turned out to be a fearsome opponent who quickly repelled their assaults - and then sought revenge.
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#ExtraHistory #GreatNorthernWar #History

[@extrahistory]

The great Swedish Empire has fallen into the hands of a fourteen year old boy king. Sweden looks like an easy target. Key word: LOOKS. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/ExtraCredits

[@ThoranTheGamer]

Extra Credits Hey, any chance of you guys covering the Kalmar Union?

[@noah8690]

Extra Credits just something to be corrected, the duchy of saxony would declare war vs sweden, not the polish - lithuanian commonwealth, Augustus was indeed king of the poles and lithuanians but he only invaded livonia as the duke of saxony, poland-lithuania would not be involved until later

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

I was watching the ole episodes in the playlist and the second Kemehameha was not there and second history of writing was at the end. Not a big deal, just noticed since I was watching them.

[@ddraigtantoixeniejir5964]

EC, I could kiss you right now, you know that? I'm actually writing a piece of alternate history fiction where the 18th Century and the Great Northern War is interrupted by an alien invasion, the first act of which being part of my Creative Writing dissertation. You cannot imagine how much good this will do for background research. Thank you so much. :)

[@xRakkeS]

Extra Credits im happy that you finally made a video about the swedish empire. ;) but i dont know where you got the name from but his name is Karl aka Carl ;)

[@aetu35]

Imagine attacking an overextended kingdom right when their ruler dies and the teenager king turns out to be a military genius and a prodigy seen only once per a historical age.

[@postblitz]

"Ah yes, I too am also a military genius/prodigy seen only once per a historical age." - Peter the Not Just Okay

[@vilgotkh4815]

ja det är som att vi är rädda för vår historia

[@Luthies]

@@postblitz Peter didn't exactly earn his title through military means, he was a decent enough general, but he was a brilliant ruler.

[@MrKILLINOOBZ]

But just like most military geniuses (save for a handful throughout history like Suvorov, Frederick the Great, Alexander, Saladin, Augustus Caesar and Flavius Belisarius and a few more) his luck began to turn after a few years, same as Napoleon who was an expert tactician but a pretty meh ruler who alienated all of his allies.

[@omologo95]

@@MrKILLINOOBZ but not my boy Subotai, the truest of military geniuses!

[@kaisermario86]

EU4: Young people can't be king or lead armies until they have 18 years. Charles: Observe

[@Chrischi3TutorialLPs]

I WAS CHOSEN BY HEAVEN SAY MY NAME WHEN YOU PRAY TO THE SKIES SEE CAROLUS RISE

[@aayushpatel2788]

HolyPastrami What the hell

[@msak4769ak]

@@aayushpatel2788 s a b a t o n

[@liponglasangtam7165]

why do the swed soldiers look like women ?

[@Gamerbeare2712]

i agree

[@seethingwalnut2628]

15 years have I been waiting, to SIT UPON MY THRONE!

[@maplejaeger1285]

HerpEbolasRetardAids 420 Blaze It Luise ..... really.... you took that from Sabaton. Lol

[@cervandante9021]

Zachary Pinto no shit mate

[@cervandante9021]

Zachary Pinto it's a reference, I assume.

[@maplejaeger1285]

Cervan Dante I know it's a reference, it's obvious when I mentioned he got from the band. I was just implying that was a good comment.

[@LAV-III]

no alegience I will sware no oath

[@reallyFrogman]

"What we lack in numbers we make up for by not being Russians" - Ancient Swedish Proverb

[@johnwarosa8972]

sums up the whole series pretty much

[@TheThedisliker]

"what we lack in russians we make up in winter" -ancient russian proverb

[@reallyFrogman]

@Cian Doyle most ass backwards thing I've ever heard

[@beaverbeaver526]

@@reallyFrogman He is most likely referring to the fact that modern day Russia was technically founded by the Rus-vikings, who originally were Swedish. :)

[@julianfalken8861]

CoverDay Bay quite ironic since they lost because of the winter

[@hulkmeister23]

When it said a 14 year old boy had become king, wasn't expecting that kid to become a Swedish Alexander The Great

[@syedferoz2188]

Isn't he the one who dies in battle? Correct me if I'm wrong

[@VG_164]

@@syedferoz2188 Swedish kings tended to die in battles, compared to other European kings they usually joined thr battles.

[@aronhoglund4694]

@@syedferoz2188 He died during a seige. His grandfathers mothers brother was Gustavus Adolphus, who died in battle, at the battle of Lützen 1632.

[@szymonpinkowski256]

@@VG_164 polish kings who were constitutionaly requaired to be generals: you dare oppose me mortals

[@KingErictheRed]

​@@syedferoz2188 Yes he dies in the siege of fredriksten shot while inspecting his trenches no one knows if it was by friend or foe.

[@xiuxiu1108]

This guy is 18 and he's leading armies, here I am, almost 19 just fucking around and playing video games lol

[@Handles-Suck-YouTube]

A predecessor of his, Gustavus Adolphus, began smashing the Holy Roman Empire and creating the Swedish Empire at age 17. No pressure, right?

[@kaljumauri]

You can lead armies in video games. ^^

[@snooderblade315]

Gustavus is also credited as the father of modern warfare.

[@strider3322]

I mean i conquered all of Europe in Rome 2 so who's the real winner here?

[@btdpro752]

Are you a king in a pre-NATO era

[@eliascederfelt366]

I’m a Swede and this is more informative than actual school.

[@felixhaggblom7562]

Ja, svenska historielektioner är ett skämt

[@Notactive7162]

Hm vi går i genom detta så ja och nej dena har mer information så ja

[@felixhaggblom7562]

@@Notactive7162 det är ändå nice, i min skola rörde vi inte vikingatiden över huvudtaget

[@Notactive7162]

Ja jag vet

[@mrthedmitry]

Same about Russian school

[@maplegumm]

Sweden: *I used to rule the world*

[@satyamprakash7030]

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing,...

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

South east asia : "huh? Swede? Who's that?"

[@nextro3014]

??????: Ha noob Sweden: what did you say ??????: I said United kingdom: noob Sweden: uhhh...

[@friedlemons5201]

Roman Empire, Mongolian Empire, and British Empire: *We feel ya*

[@interestingbruh670]

@@friedlemons5201 Don't Forget tha Ottoman empire

[@docslastname2711]

who feels like loading eu4 after this.

[@willepetersson5571]

Vicky2 is hard af tho

[@Dragonbahn]

More like Svea Rike II

[@Xx_BoogieBomber_xX]

I'm terrible at EU4, but I'll try, for glory of the Swedish empire. May the sun never set in the Empire of the Midnight Sun!

[@saskuevsvegeta]

Fredrik Dunge The UK is absolutely useless. If AI France can decisively beat them so can any player.

[@roylandmaines299]

Fredrik Dunge England not that hard really. I feel like they fall to France too much.

[@joshuabowen4799]

Typical Russian strategy; 1. Have more people than the enemy 2. Make sure the enemy has less people. 3. If all else fails wait till winter.

[@woei-sheuwu4037]

They can't out number them, but winter still counts

[@ignemuton5500]

Joshua Bowen seems to work quite well

[@TheoneandonlyDrops]

The House of Romanov should have had 'winter is coming' as their motto.

[@rojavabashur6455]

Sure, but Swedes are no stranger to winter as shown here.

[@ThyRandomGuy]

Orion Lord. Well, there's still the winter.

[@heidi7905]

people: time to take sweden 14 year old: *no*

[@iwillsalt2020]

@Misha Lieskakov Dead.

[@ddgaxelnilsson7855]

nö

[@retsreinyrelgeinthrelaveri1456]

*nej*

[@mortenbund1219]

*Begins to scream-sing Carolus Rex in swedish*

[@whitehorizon2225]

Young but an inspiring ruler and commander? Check. Fighting against the might of numerically superior and experienced forces? Check. Reigns from the north with soldiers capable of fighting in winter? Check. HE IS THE YOUNG WOLF, THE KING IN THE NORTH

[@thotdestroyer458]

WhiteHorizon 22 Bastard? No, we must work on that

[@caesar9708]

I think he meant Robb Stark. Which is fitting cause they both died before the war was over.

[@notalaeyt784]

@@thotdestroyer458 Jon ain't a bastard, he isn't even Ned's son, he is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, his name is Aegon Targaryen and he is the true heir to the iron throne

[@notalaeyt784]

@@thotdestroyer458 Also the young wolf is Robb stark not Jon Jon is "The lone wolf"

[@MURPHYCHACHO]

Just don't let him go to any weddings.

[@poeticider]

I was in Istanbul when you did your series on Justinian, in Seoul when you did Yi Sun Shin and now I'm in Stockholm and you do the great northern war. Stop following me!!! :O

[@The_Kharsharq]

Actually, when in istanbul, you should've watched the series on Suleiman the Magnificient.

[@a.morphous66]

Chaos 3DS Suleiman’s series was put out well after Justinian’s.

[@artofthepossible7329]

Stop going to from country to country then.

[@gokayturumtayturani6730]

And, you will be on earth when they do Genghis Khan episode :)

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

our prophet!

[@robertandersson1128]

Having my roots booth in Sweden and in Russia, and having family currently living in Estonia, I have to say that this was very well explained!

[@Christopher-qq4dl]

Lol

[@ozman8247]

I can't even remember what I was doing when I was 14 and this kid is leading an army. Am out of here

[@thunderbird1921]

Russia, Denmark and Poland: *Launch invasion of Swedish land* Charles XII: So it's destruction you've chosen.

[@GeneralLuigiTBC]

Charles (at least in this part) is reminding me very much of the stereotypical RPG/adventure game protagonist. "Dangerous trek to Narva, inhospitable weather, and a numerically superior and entrenched enemy? Of course I'll do it!" And like the stereotypical protagonist, he actually wins, too. Heck, as much as I respect Peter, his decision to underestimate the Swedish forces and leave behind an incompetent subordinate is very much in line with the stereotypical villain in these kinds of stories. It could be argued that Charles defied the stereotype by not following up the victory at Narva with an invasion of Russia, but it could also be argued that the decision to go after Poland-Lithuania instead was the classic "big sidequest before the final battle." Of course, unlike in games, real people tend not to put everything on hold and wait for their enemies to finish up sidequests, as we will see in due time with this series...

[@GeneralLuigiTBC]

Everyone's the hero of their own story, as I often say. The story of Charles's initial victories and later defeats drive home a harsh reality of warfare: even the best soldiers are not invincible. Unless you can absolutely crush the enemy's will to fight very quickly, you lose the war the instant you run out of replacements for the soldiers you will inevitably lose over the course of the campaign.

[@RubberyCat]

Delightful comparison. ^_^

[@countrybluegrass]

What stereotypical protagonist is that? Examples? I've never encountered a single RPG or adventure game where you're a brazen young king given the freedom to make (or not) daring assaults on superior enemy forces, winning by sheer audacity alone. RPG protagonists are usually designed to be outsiders to make them relatable to the designers' perceived target audience and/or so that NPCs can dump exposition about the game world on the presumably ignorant player so they can know what they're not affecting in any way with their deep moral choices.

[@TheEmm4lpha]

General Luigi I don't know, he sounds more like a shonen anime protagonist, to me.

[@GeneralLuigiTBC]

My knowledge of shonen anime is almost nonexistent, so I'll take your word for it, AW2C.

[@Ben-zg5xb]

It used to own the world... Now it owns KZbin

[@GamerFish99]

KZbin is not swedish and if your talking about pewdiepie please leave

[@fredrikandersson9031]

IKEA and a great weapons creator: Bofors that was founded by Alfred Nobel, we actually invented the wrench and the seat belt in the same town even.

[@alewdlady989]

Pewdiepie influences many of the things that happen on this site. Especially when he says something stupid. One of his videos is what started the advertisers getting upset and boycotting KZbin.

[@fist-of-doom487]

I thought Minecraft died down. I don’t see nearly as much as I used to see.

[@humblemicrobe5597]

Nobody Important I

[@tsuchikarasu2]

*clears throat*..... I WAS CHOSEN BY HEAVEN!!! SAY MY NAME WHEN YOU PRAY!!!! TO THE SKYYYYYYYY! SEE CAROLUS RISE!

[@wintermanthenforcer]

WITH THE LORD MY PROTECTOR! MAKE THEM BOW TO MY WILL!

[@exudeku]

@@wintermanthenforcer *TO THE SKYYYYYY!!!! SEE CAROLUS RISE!!*

[@craven1927]

Carolus Rex (Charles XII) was no joke. He routinely won battle after battle despite being outnumbered. Confidence was not something he lacked. Check out the song of him by the band Sabaton. "Gendemen, I have resolved never to make an unjust war, but to end a just one only with the utter ruin of my enemies. I will attack the first to take the field, conquer him, and then deal with the others.” - Charles XII

[@hydraliskin]

and brought end to his empire by his warmongering even when russia wanted peace..which caused finnish people genocide with great wrath time which made finally finnish people to understand sweden just used em and want to break free...

[@Cloud-dq1mr]

@@hydraliskin yup lots of blood was spilled, of both finns and swedes. I'm not sure why you're angry at this? Russia is looking as ruthless as ever, even assassinating and imprisoning political enemies, while Sweden has been stable for a long time and historically Finland has looked at Sweden to emulate anything good they do. Finland is probably beyond us now, they learned from the good and they rejected the bad. Sweden is in a downward spiral, but would you rather have been ruled by Russia?

[@TheDatadestroyer]

Well, Sweden ruled the gaming world about half a decade ago with a block placing simulator.

[@TheRacoonGhost]

we still do, just different titles ;)

[@caboose.20]

TheRacoonGhost *Roblox death sound*

[@wisedonkey7644]

*oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooof*

[@roylandmaines299]

TheDatadestroyer and paradox games

[@warmonster12345]

Ah yes the acclaimed developer of games such as Battlefield and... uh one sec... (googles other games Dice has made (oh they made mirror's edge!? huh.)) Mirror's edge! Maybe if you're not a part of the PCMR you'd say they have Paradox beat, but Paradox has a slew of grand strategy games (Crusader Kings, EU, HOI, Vic, Stellaris) several excellent rpgs (PoE, Tyrrany, M&B) and an excellent city builder as well (cities:skylines). I gotta say though BF1 was way better than Hardline or Battlefield:star wars, although I guess that wasn't high bar to reach. xD

[@Sogrim100]

Wow... i just listened to Carolux Rex by Sabaton before watching this...

[@rateater420]

Sogrim the moment i read the title i thought anout that

[@VuldEdone]

Carolus Rex is how I came to know about Charles XII in the first place. Happy to get another opportunity to learn about the man, and what actually happened.

[@JonathanLundkvist]

Listen to the piano version of A lifetime of war with this extra history episode in the background. its awesome.

[@VonKrauzer]

I've listened Poltava before the video. Russian double headed eagle will fly high.

[@JonathanLundkvist]

Talking about Poltava when talking about the Great Northern War is like mentioning Hitler in an argument. You can do it but everybody just loses.

[@MRCSANY]

“Charles was a great military leader that beat out three great powers in europe. By the way, he was only 18, so maybe it’s time you moved out of your mom’s basement.”

[@arandommemer9926]

I see you're a man of culture

[@plantlover3741]

dude ... uncool

[@stevenuniverse1422]

Dismantled an entire empire before the age of 16. Checkmate.

[@d2rg754]

EPIC, CROSS, OVERRRRR

[@joshuasepeda3289]

Are you making an Oversimplified reference? There's a tax for that.

[@wallhackergotdammit]

Ugh! It makes me so angry that Charles XII never accapted the peace treaty. Scandinavia could've been one big nation if it wasn't for his hopeless ambitions.

[@dVector13]

Happyfunrun it was his hopeless ambitions and unrelenting energy that got him so far, if he was more reserved the entire northern war would have turned out differently.

[@Tytoalba777]

It also helps that Peter refused to surrender unless he got Ingria, which of course Charles XII wouldn't accept

[@adampigott9677]

If scandinavia was unified it would be SO POWERFUL!!!

[@Rosencrona]

Scandinavia being one nation sounds like a fucking terrible idea.

[@vandal3170]

Count of Liljenborg why?

[@TimesChu]

I am SO stoked. This is my favorite historical war with some of my absolute favorite historical players.

[@TimesChu]

Charles the Twelfth, Carolus Rex, is one of the coolest monarchs in world history and one that gets so little attention.

[@Nimroc]

Always Charles XII getting all the mention when his father Charles XI was responsible for much of the military and economic reforms that made his sons victories possible in the first place. And then there is his grandfather Charles X that invaded denmark by marching an army across a frozen sea.

[@soveryumble7250]

"Always Charles XII getting all the mention when his father Charles XI was responsible for much of the military and economic reforms that made his sons victories possible in the first place." Just like how Alexander the Great gets all the mention when it was his father Philip II who both made Macedon a powerful nation and upgraded the military, which made Alexander's victories and conquest possible. All men build on what their predecessors have left them.

[@micn.8054]

*starts a war against Sweden in the 1700's* Charles: I'm about to end this man's whole career

[@brennan_exe]

0:13 * *sabaton stars playing* *

[@desmondofarrel1250]

*Carolus Rex intensifies*

[@baldkevindurant]

I WAS CHOSEN BY HEAVEN, SAY MY NAME WHEN YOU PRAY TO THE SKIES

[@aggressivesetwas1419]

@@baldkevindurant See carolus fries!

[@vallraffs]

Peter the Great: History's most powerful westaboo.

[@Marylandbrony]

Valter Östberg Emperor Meji?

[@coyote47713]

"I was chosen by heaven! Say my name when you pray! To the skies see Carolus rise! With the Lord my protector! Make them bow to my will! To skies see Carolus rise!" Sabaton-Carolus Rex

[@maticstudios]

I am Swedish and my great great great grandfather commanded cavalry in the Swedish army during this war. Thanks for shedding some light on this part of history.

[@ZEALOUS_MOTIVATION]

How did you find out about that?

[@johanbranstrom9992]

very easy. we have churchrecords and militaryrecords. everything is very accessable

[@johanbranstrom9992]

I for example have a forefather who died at poltava. I even know his hight

[@Mr.Praetor]

One for Great Northern War Lies: Showing the majority of Swedish soldiers having bayonets instead of their mix of sword/musket troop and pikemen (bayonets were reserved for grenadiers)

[@adrienof95]

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ACCESS SUCH KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE 1ST MILLENIUM IMPERIAL CITIZEN. GO BACK TO YOUR WORK OR THE ARBITRATORS WILL DISPATCH YOU.

[@elizagradient4333]

Wait, the Swedish had PIKMIN?!

[@barkunderjord3708]

There were regiments in Sweden who had bayonets even before the war, and early on they started to give it to the masses (not in 1709 but sometime around 1703 (after the big change in 1701) the whole army who had muskets were equipt with bayonets).. And all soldiers had swords too, even the pikemen. This is because the Swedish army was to a large degree a "steel-army"; always attacking, shot once (ideal) and then broke into the enemy with steel weapons. The pike has a somewhat other use than it had before when everybody had the weapon. Sweden used the pike also as an offensive weapon to break into infantry ranks, in the attacking momentum right after they shot one time at really close range. Both Sweden and Russia, who also had the pike this late, fought many of their wars in the east (not a surprise) and in the east there were more cavalry, so the pike lived on longer there.

[@Sh-kl8gy]

FOR THE EMPORER

[@Leaffordes]

The bayonets in the Swedish army was a progress which started even before the Great Northern War, by 1704 most of the regiments were equiped with bayonets. What's quite uniqe is that the Swedes attacked with the Sword in one hand and the musket with bayonet in the other. I'm not sure if that had ever been done before (or after) in a larger scale.

[@giantkitten910]

+20 infantry combat ability

[@glorvalmacglorvas171]

General Abilities, +8 attack, +6 defense, +78% morale boost

[@chinangel]

I just want to say that I absolutely love your extra history episodes. I love to have them playing while i game or go somewhere, they're just wonderful!

[@petermacdonough9077]

Thank you for posting this!!! I have been studying Peter the Great ever since I was in the 5th grade and have always been fascinated with Russian history. We share the same name, and I have been studying him for a while. I love these videos and how in depth the information is and how well it's told!!! :)

[@Pedrinho8080]

My mame is Pedro(The equivalent of Peter in portuguese) :)

[@birkhoaas2361]

What. WHAT! W H A T!!! I never ever thought in my wildest dreams that you guys ever would make a video about Sweden let alone the Great Northern War. As a proud swede I am sooooo thankful that you guys at extra credits took your time to make this series as I think that Sweden's vibrant and interesting history is all to often forgotten or ignored. Thanks sincerly.

[@minfuichua6029]

Thank you, Extra History! This was my first video of your channel 2 years ago when I stumbled upon this video while I was searching about the history of Sweden. You have educated me a lot and I would like to thank you for teaching me a lot of knowledge. All the best!

[@LegendaryMercDC]

Swedish forces: outnumbered 4-1 Charles: " I like those odds "

[@thadmeboy1129]

*SABATON INTENSIFIES*

[@sammya7745]

Finns were 50% of Swedish military...

[@oobee123]

@@sammya7745 Nope. More like 25%

[@TheDa9L]

Finally been waiting for this series for months! Well done, I very much liked it, was not disappointed :D

[@FerrettyTheClaws]

haha didnt expect to see you here

[@RodrigoValeroArribas]

Oh

[@metalsnakezero]

When it comes to battles in the east of Europe, it always comes down to weather.

[@crabyman3555]

Weather and the landscape. There are some very thick and big forests in Eastern Europe

[@cathulionetharn5139]

there are forests and there are plains. Cavalry remained dominant in the east far longer than west for a reason. And it wasn't just technology difference

[@Javlafan]

craby man Almost all of the battles took place in the Northern Europe, hence the Great Northern War.

[@Zilap9]

cathulion etharn not really, cavalry was only really effectively abolished in WWI in the west.

[@brandonlyon730]

Not for the Mongols

[@ienjoydrpepper5938]

Jeez almost 2 years, like many people I rewatch these episodes and I love extra history. I remember waiting for this and khosro. Thanks to extra credits for making history even more interesting and entertaining

[@Th3NoobQueen]

when i listen to these videos i feel like im really there, you don a great job on these!

[@tecnicstudios]

"Jag har beslutat att aldrig starta ett orättvist krig och aldrig avsluta ett rättvist krig utan att besegra mina fiender" - Kung Karl XII av Sverige (1682 - 1718)

[@soderfjarden3197]

Hälsningar från finland 😃🇸🇪🇫🇮

[@corvo6842]

Kung?

[@tecnicstudios]

@@corvo6842 means king in Swedish, since you know.

[@napalmblaziken]

I remember 1697. Morocco was a colonial powerhouse, and had begun its conquest of Africa, creating a Muslim empire rivaling that of the Ottomans, Sweden had conquered Scandinavia, uniting the former lands of the Norse, the Holy Roman Empire was falling, and Spain nearly had Italy under their control. Or was this a game of Europa IV?

[@napalmblaziken]

Fredrik Dunge I did say the HRE was falling didn't I?

[@yaldabaoth2]

Spain surviving and not being eaten by Portugal, Morocco, Aragon and sometimes France? Hell I've even seen Leon being the major power in Iberia once. You must be playing an older version.

[@addadu8031]

One time, i played as Byzantium, and released Armenia. by 1675 it had conquered the entire Caucasus region, and was pushing north, into Russia. I am very scared of Armenia.

[@napalmblaziken]

Yaldabaoth Well I was Morocco, and I kinda griefed the hell out of Portugal, causing them to seek an alliance with Spain, and France didn't pay attention to them, instead was caught in an endless war with the HRE. The HRE was holding, and then the Ottomans decided to fuck them after fucking the Mamluks. Don't worry. Once my empire was big enough, I avenged the Mamluks.

[@kevinschultz6091]

Nah, it's your Immortal heritage giving your massive PTSD-style flashbacks again.

[@mandalortemaan7510]

Crushing blow at Narva dealt

[@erikcastro5605]

LIVGARDET, OUR ROYAL GUARD!

[@rolandramos6180]

So that king from Fallen Kingdom is Charles XII?

[@jonbaxter2254]

The original "let's invade Russia in the winter"

[@KungKras]

Karl XII did it before it was cool

[@gurkfisk89]

Don't forget about Jacob De La Gardie. One of the few people who managed to march on Moscow, the secret is to use skis.

[@LORDMEHMOODPASHA]

Actually no one can really say which was the first army in history to invade Russia or the Kievian-Rus during the winter, although the Mongols were the first to do so and actually win whilst simultaneously subjugating the region for 3 centuries.

[@funbro99]

Jon Baxter and actually win a battle

[@HARVEE64]

I know Poland has invaded and won against Russia many times, but I'm not sure if that was in winter or not.

[@tuskinradar8688]

"I have resolved never to start an unjust war, but never to finish one except by the defeat of my enemies" - Carolus Rex Brave words, ill fated, but brave

[@God-yr9rs]

15 Years I've been waiting to sit on this throne.

[@LichsuhoathinhDrabattle]

Amazing video, the quality of the animation only gets better everytime! 💗🤞✨

[@moarice509]

Can you imagine how much history would change if Charles wasn't so cocky and did actually attack Russia after crushing their army? Who knows, maybe he could even turn Sweden into THE new empire of the following century instead of Russia. Maybe Russia would be so crippled by the war that they would still be a backwater regional power mostly occupied with fighting Poles, Turks and random tribes to their east and south. Someone please summon AlternateHistoryHub and tell him of the endless possibilities.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

It is interesting. But often attacking without proper planning can turn to disaster so I don't know how much I say he did wrong. He was not planning a Russian invasion and if he had done it and it would have turned out terribly people would say he was cocky there too.

[@namingisdifficult408]

Sara Samaletdin exactly

[@dimimitrijenogic1272]

Hahahaha, we all know what happens if you march into Russia during the winter. Charles wasn't cocky, just really smart

[@napalmblaziken]

Somebody call Cody of the Alternate History Hub!

[@Angelblue1302]

Ya...even with Sweden winning, odds are Charles knew that the Russian winter was even worse than the Baltic one, and it wouldn't end too well...

[@Mathmachine]

My years of playing EU4 are finally paying off, I recognize that map. Though that border gore is slightly unsettling.

[@declanellery8500]

And Bremen-Verden

[@thomasestes5747]

You know, I had never heard of the Great Northern War before I watched these videos, and I LOVE it for some reason. I've watched this series at least five times.

[@thomasestes5747]

@Aksis, Archon Prime Huh?

[@bthsr7113]

Your theme tune is often so ironic, and I love that.

[@Jeqavy_Wavy]

Carolus Rex!

[@russkayaimperiya5779]

Shut it Sweden lost.

[@rayhanasyari513]

Long Live Carolus Rex

[@Malos_]

SAY MY NAME WHEN YOU PRAY TO THE STARS, SEE CAROLUS REX

[@Aqua.man045]

His name will appear next to nepolean Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler for obvious reasons

[@LAV-III]

Traven Bussell TO THE SKIES SEE CAROLUS RISE!!!

[@markhenley3097]

You missed Swedish Pomerania, Bremen-Verdun and Wismar on the map at the beginning.

[@MrNextMx]

Prins van Oranje nice flag boy!

[@elrickojames988]

Imagine being a so called "Prins" over absolutely nothing.

[@finnishwehraboo8377]

@John Doe what

[@arcticfoxvikingseaking2206]

Rewatching this still my favorite extra credits video

[@Synthetica9]

absolute gamer King

[@X3h0n]

This was a tragic time in Estonian history. Swedish rule had been relatively good to the Estonians, as far as foreign rule gets, but the Northern War was devastating for the Estonians and the following Russian overlordship perhaps even more so. Until this point Estonia had been more populous than Finland, but this turning point continued a trend that would leave Finland more than 3 times more people than Estonia even though Estonia started with around 2 times more than Finland.

[@NotThatJojjo]

It was devastating for sweden too, i think 1/3 or 2/3 of the male population died or was it the entire population i dont remember.

[@Inkompetent]

The entire population? Come on.. Never happened in any war ever. There are no exact numbers for the war of course, and Sweden's first census being in 1749 leaves some to wish for. Estimations are however that Sweden (original borders from 1521) had 1,1 million inhabitants in 1720, and an estimated 200 000 men were lost in the war. It is a lot though, since it is 1/3rd of all men in that "instant". Consider the war went on for so long that there's en entire new generation for it, basically one and a half, and you come down to maybe 1/7th - 1/8th of the male population. Still pretty darn many though!

[@Secundussy]

🙁

[@lite4998]

Nerd Punk-Fu That's because the population of Finland grew a lot, rather than because the Estonian one declined. Also what exactly did Russian Empire's ownership of Estonia do that impacted it negatively? I have never heard of any sort of discrimination or forced economic hardships being placed on them.

[@patwhw]

Estonia, we miss you. Can we combine ourself together again?

[@macarotto]

All embrace me It’s my time to rule at last Fifteen years have I been waiting To sit upon my throne No allegiance I will swear no oath Crowned by God, not by the Church As my power is divine They thought I was too young to rule the land Just as they failed to understand Born to rule My time has come! I was chosen by heaven Say my name when you pray To the skies See Carolus rise With the lord my protector Make them bow to my will To the skies See Carolus rise

[@evelinaellend7750]

Gary M what is this songs? U don’t understand. Tell please

[@davehoffman4659]

Anna Michel Carolus Rex, by Sabaton.

[@IcecreamMcGuy]

Someone else did this!!!

[@liimlsan3]

0:25 - Dude, no wonder, the Yeerks have been looking for that cube for, like, fifty books.

[@maximaldinotrap]

ALL EMBRACE ME! IT'S MY TURN TO RULE AT LAST 15 YEARS HAVE I BEEN WAITING TO SIT UPON MY THRONE

[@felixexenberger7761]

Thank you guys for bringing up the Swedish empire. Jag är Svensk och jag uppskattar att ni tar upp detta ämne.❤️

[@mrbenoit5018]

Felix Exenberger 30th February 1712, vi älskar dett

[@robinoberg2886]

Felix Exenberger Du är inte den enda svensken här!

[@hugonelsson9114]

Yes! Finally this story! As a swede it feels awesome to have one of my favourite swedish stories retold in your incredebly immersive format! Keep up the good work guys!!!

[@serbian_bear160]

This is like a sabaton song called : lion from the north,The last stand,From whom the bell tolls. 🇫🇮

[@Manyhigh]

That's Gustavus Adolphus.

[@serbian_bear160]

@jasper426 yes

[@jachymhodek1687]

The powers of main character!

[@khigor1]

I miss old Sweden , they were badass

[@vkaivos]

Hans X i miss Simo häyhä basically no scoping all his targets i say basically because he used sniper rifle without a scope

[@shinebrightlikeadoitsu1120]

But now they are just the happy smiling pure bois

[@FlSKMASTER]

Now we are happy and peaceful and friendly and the only mayor problem we have is a racist political party (and of course the ever present threat of -soviet- Russia), i think we're better off without all the wars and casualties.

[@FlSKMASTER]

No seriously we have a political party that is openly racist

[@Aivottaja]

*"Now we are happy and peaceful and friendly and the only mayor problem we have is a racist political party (and of course the ever present threat of soviet Russia), i think we're better off without all the wars and casualties."* Boy, you are one of the tiny nails being hammered into your country's coffin.

[@kevinwallace4635]

Sabaton fans: *heavy breathing*

[@skyleranimates1251]

The enemy: Lmao the king is a unless teenage boy *New king turns out to be a military prodigy* Enemy: 🥲

[@lemat579]

God bless you for making history accesible and fun, with those cartoons. 👏

[@eemelisaurila9940]

It's at moments like these hearing about the great victories of the Swedish empire I become even more proud of our history though I'm Finnish and we probably didn't even participate that much in the battle but still

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

Its nice to see a series where Finland is involved but if you remmeber history this will not end well for us...

[@francogiobbimontesanti3826]

Steel Legionary The Finnish were treated as Swedish citizens back then am sure a great part of the army was Finnish

[@manojanton-rajkumar6923]

Im sure you will be proud once they cover the Winter war

[@HyperlordB]

Well, Nyland and Finland proper (along with åland) were viewed as core swedish provinces, so if your ancestors were from that area they would probably have been considered swedes and not sami (as being a finn wasn't really a thing back then). Not to mention the famous Hakkapeliitta.

[@gloriousmaria5117]

About 1/6th of the men drafted to be soldiers and caroleans were Finnish while only being about 1/10th the population of Sweden at the time. The finns were needed by the swedes who's greatest shortcoming was manpower

[@ram61504]

Will you please do the winter war?:)

[@LORDMEHMOODPASHA]

Coop Dawg If you mean the winter war of WWII then they already covered a part of it in their Battle of Kursk series.

[@timomastosalo]

Winter War was fought November 1939 - March 1940. Before the Operation Barbarossa or the Battle of Kursk

[@jianwenjiang6360]

Coop Dawg The Winter War is a pretty short war. It could be told in 1 video. Or at most 2.

[@harisdelic7414]

I love these animations they really add depth to the story.

[@chrillechrillesson6045]

A nice easy to follow history lesson. Thank you from Sweden! :)

[@Yankmi]

All embrace me, it's my time to rule at last Fifteen years have I been waiting to sit upon my throne No allegiance I will swear no oath Crowned by God not by the church as my power is divine They thought I was too young to rule the land Just as they failed to understand Born to rule My time has come I was chosen by heaven Say my name when you pray To the skies, see Carolus rise With the Lord my protector Make them bow to my will To the skies, see Carolus rise To the skies, see Carolus rise Proved in battle, led my men to victory No man alive or dead commands me, I answer to the Lord Hear my orders, question me and die What I say was said in heaven, and so it shall be done I know I was destined to rule alone All for myself I have claimed the throne Born to rule My time is now I was chosen by heaven Say my name when you pray To the skies, see Carolus rise With the Lord my protector Make them bow to my will To the skies, see Carolus rise To the skies, see Carolus rise All that's thine shall be mine there's no stopping me All over Europe my rule shall be questioned by none All I see, give to me, that is my decree My will be done They thought I was too young to rule the land Just as they failed to understand Born to rule My time is now I was chosen by heaven Say my name when you pray To the skies, see Carolus rise To the skies With the Lord my protector Make them bow to my will To the skies, see Carolus rise With the Lord my protector Make them bow to my will To the skies, see Carolus rise To the skies, see Carolus rise

[@hirocheeto7795]

Time has worn the soldiers down Marched for many miles In the eastern lands so cursed Time to make a stand Tsar has scorched his nation's land Nothing to be found Hunger grasp the soliders heart 20 000 men strong Listen, excuse for a king Trust me, this fight you can't win Poltava Rode to certain death and pain Poltava Swedish soldiers met their bane Poltava Sacrificed their lives in vain Poltava In the shade of morning mist Advancing on their foe Bullets break the silent air Wasted battleplan Swedish forces stand alone King has left command Rule is left to lesser men Waiting for their chance Listen, obey my command Hear me, or die by my hand Russian armies blocked their way 20 000 lost that day They bled the ground Peace they found There's no sign of victory King Carolus had to flee And leave the land Leave command Madness, curse your feeble horde Fear me, you'll die by my sword

[@rjonboy7608]

And where was your God when you got wiped off the map? God takes no sides in violence. You can turn the other cheek, or is that the wrong God?

[@hirocheeto7795]

Way to make it religious. I'm Atheist, but I found a chance to find someone else who likes Sabaton.

[@omegraptorch3624]

Hirocheeto And you found one :D

[@alexandre007opa]

R Jonboy it's a song mate

[@eyuin5716]

I'm so freaking excited for this series!

[@MadMusicNerd]

6:46 Crushing blow at Narva delt. SABATON!!!🤘🤘

[@erikcastro5605]

LIVGARDET, OUR ROYAL GUARD!!!

[@lukestryce1465]

The best video of Extra History

[@anttibjorklund1869]

Hope you talk about Charles XII's mysterious death in 1718 at some point.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

Probably at the end...

[@anttibjorklund1869]

Well, maybe not as the Great Northern War continued after Charles' death.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

Well I meant the last episode.

[@anttibjorklund1869]

I'd wager second-to-last, as there was a few years between the two events.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

There might be years but I think the events can summed up pretty quicly in this shows format that does not go much into detail if its not very dramatic. But it kind of depends how many episodes this series has overall. I though originally they would do 6 but these events went by quite fast so they might do 5. 4 seems too little still.

[@TheAzureNightmare]

*I WAS CHOSEN BY HEAVEN; SAY MY NAME WHEN YOU , TO THE SKIIIIIIIES; SEE CAROLUS RISE!!!*

[@baldkevindurant]

*WITH THE LORD MY PROTECTOR, MAKE THEM BOW TO MY WILL, TO THE SKIES SEE CAROLUS RISE*

[@ehs1452]

I'm honestly getting sick of seeing dumbass sabaton songs everywhere

[@amityexe8326]

"I have resolved never to start an unjust war, but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies." Carlous rex

[@alexanderhalvardsson1347]

It's always great to see people talking about my Country's history.

[@vinetu73]

The only thing I hate about Extra History is how they abruptly end it on a cliff hanger, I want mooooore. Will someone die? Will the war end or will it claim more lives? Will that country get conquered? Will the idea spread? Will justice be served? And not just this episode but in general whenever they post any episode on any historic event or person or idea. This is awesome and I love listening to them talk about it as well as watching the video for the art style and visual effect.

[@VonKrauzer]

You know you can read it all in a book, or at the very least in the biggest enciclopedia in the Internet, right?

[@Secundussy]

Yeah but this is more fun.

[@VonKrauzer]

Learning isn't about fun, but whatever.

[@Spooky_man]

Read some history of you want to know before the next episode. I learned this history in Swedish 6th grade (when you're 12 years old). SPOLIER: Charles XII was one of the first. Yep before Napolean and Hitler's to try to rush Moscow. I think that tells the rest of the story... how well it gonna work for Sweden. I'll be commenting here to correct your history telling!!! Love that you bring up Sweden +Extra Credits /A History loving Swede

[@lolmandos]

I'm pretty sure most Extra History characters are dead by now.

[@jaqqu7]

The war that seals the fate of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

[@Dasmaster1]

Same for the Swedish Empire as well as solidifying Russia as a major power.

[@peterfireflylund]

The whole web of large and small wars in the Great Northern War is surprisingly huge. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_War

[@2daysthoughts401]

To think the Commonwealth could be an absolute monarchy again.

[@viliussmproductions]

I'd say it was the Deluge (which was similar to the war covered in this video) Or you could go further back and point to the complete decentralization and liberum veto as causes of the downfall.

[@jaqqu7]

Deluge was disastrous as well as Golden Liberty for nobles. Problems with collecting taxes and passing any changes because of liberum veto, but Northern War was the probably the one war too much for Commonwelth.

[@MrCubFan415]

7:51 Sounds like a good scenario for an alternate history TL.

[@lyonellaverde3135]

This is an excellent history! I wrote a play about Charles and many of the same themes.

[@collinmartin7420]

i want to play empire total war now.

[@rjfaber1991]

You're not alone. It's just such a shame that Empire's map pulls so many historical regions into single massive ones; you can't play as Denmark and reconquer Skane, because the only thing you can do is conquer all of Sweden in one go...

[@Zilap9]

Robert Faber Yes I hate it when I play as the dutch and I cant just grab some land from france I have to take all of france, which just kinda breaks immersion.

[@rjfaber1991]

True, which is why I never played a campaign with the United Provinces, despite being Dutch. Beyond taking Flanders & Wallonia, there isn't a single region you can take while remaining within the bounds of historical plausibility, and while it would be fun to just amass massive wealth from trade theatres without actually conquering a large empire, I think that would tire pretty quickly.

[@collinmartin7420]

i played as the dutch once, i became a superpower because i took the tiny German states instead of taking flanders. It was glorious.

[@rjfaber1991]

I'm now very tempted to just start a Dutch campaign, not conquer any new regions, but just fill all the trade nodes in the East Indies with ships, and use the profits to fund a massive navy... That seems like fun, although I imagine the Pirates could become a nuisance if they keep raiding my trade route where it goes past Madagascar...

[@OKingSizeTv]

Inspired by the sabaton album, I am currently playing a paladin based on Carolus Rex in D&D 5e. Nice to see that you guys are covering Charles at the same time. If I may suggest a future topic, you could talk about the time the portuguese crown fled from napoleon and settled in Brazil. It's got all the elements of a great story.

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

A third thing is that the goal wasn't merely expansion, it was forming a Maere Nostrum in the roman fashion, controlling every port in the Baltic Sea and dominating the trade in the east. They were pretty darn close even before the war started.

[@ScrapironRyann]

Clearly inspired Robb Starks character no? God love GRRM, Thanks for this vid its was utterly brilliant

[@Hazel_Velociraptor]

Ah, Charles XII, what a guy... Great to see some swedish history! And yeah, we had the Carolean army, organised by Charles XI (XII's father) originally, which was an actual proffesional/standing army at a time when not everyone did. Also, I appreciate the accurate ensign on the ship, good work!

[@aidasslavinskas2417]

Firstly, very good video. But I want to mention one little mistake creators of this nice video made. During the Siege of Riga (1700) Augustus II used Saxony army not Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army.

[@Tytoalba777]

Aidas Slavinskas very specifically used the Saxon Army (I don't think the Sejm gave him permission to use the P-L army), but Carolus Rex saw them as one in the same

[@kuramkarameruk]

Very good point.

[@Saeronor]

Unfortunately, when coupled with messed up chronology, video bungles up more than this. Causality Failure #1: Swedes didn't chase Peter after Narva - but not "because Carolus didn't beat Augustus "personally" yet" (or some other doubtful angst). How about "because he still had enemy troops besieging Riga"... (-> why chronology is important) Causality Failure #2: Swedes invaded PLC shortly after, seeing how a country *neither participating in that war nor prepared for it* was the obvious short - term choice. The army had to be fed and it had better "plunder opportunities" than in Russian heartland. @James A Clouder There was a number of Polish nobles accompanying Carolus during his invasion. He knew perfectly well what was going on. There was no "mistake" or "misunderstanding" about this:)

[@omgahandlelol]

thank you for the epic videos

[@Bisheimer]

The russians : We have the winter to use Carolus Rex: Well i am using that against you The russians: Excuse me ?

[@OuterSpacedVideos]

I WAS CHOSEN BY HEAVEN. SAY MY NAME WHEN YOU PRAY.

[@benjaminholt331]

Charles sounds awesome from the way you guys depict him. Can't wait for the next episode!

[@jackwalters5506]

Say what you want, in the context of the military, he was a military genius, though due to his young age he got too cocky and didn't make a victorious peace when he should have.

[@HARVEE64]

Fredrik Dunge Flawed kings are the most interesting to learn about, though

[@allhailoreo2436]

I've leaned more from these videos, than I have in 8 years of history class. Oh, i wish so much that we could jist watch these in school.

[@robertandersson1128]

As a Swede, I can tell you that this is the most accurate depiction of the war I have ever seen! Thank you! I am kind of unique in the way that this battle and part of the war means especially much to me personally. I said that I was a Swede above; that is not 100 % true. From my father's side, I'm Swedish, but from my mother's side, I'm Russian. This makes me kind of torn when reading about these battles, to be honest. Not enough that my mum's Russian, she was actually born in Estonia and was raised not too long from Narva. Thus I feel a strong connection to my ancestors in Sweden, Estonia and Russia when reading about this battle. Again, thank you for the great content!