Caroleans

Caroleans

Caroleans (Swedish: "karoliner") were the soldiers of the Swedish kings Charles XI and Charles XII.

Swedish allotment system

The Caroleans soldiers were the soldiers of the yearly Swedish allotment system. It was Charles XI who drove through the necessary reforms in the Swedish army to raise the Carolean army. The Caroleans' tactics were to strike hard and be fearless; they also upheld strict discipline, which over the long course of a 20 year long war proved to be both successful and necessary.

It is said about Charles XII that "he could not retreat, only attack or fall". The same goes for his soldiers. In the Swedish army tactics of that time retreat was never covered. Troops were obligated to attack or fight where they stood; a military doctrine, that with the advantage of hindsight might have proven a bit rash.

Uniforms

The Carolean uniform was among many variants of the Swedish Standard Uniform introduced by Charles XI. The great coats were blue with yellow cuffs. The breeches were white, and the vest yellow. They wore tricorne hats or a special cap called a Karpus. They were equipped with Muskets, rapiers, grenades, et cetera.

Organization

The Carolean army was organized into regiments according to region.

* Cavalry regiments, including the Jämtlands dragoon regiment, and the king's personal guards, the Livdrabanterna regiment
* Infantry regiments, including the Värmlands and Västerbottens regiment
* Grenadier regiments
* Artillery regiments

The army also included a special unit called the "Livdrabanterna" (Royal Life Guard Corps). This was a special unit made up of some 100 men. It was under the personal command of King Charles XII, for which he was named captain. To become a private in the corps you had to attain the rank of Captain in the regular army. The king's second in command was a Colonel with the title of Kaptenlöjtnant (Lieutenant Captain). This corps fought to the bitter end, and some of its veterans carried Charles XII's coffin on its arrival to the capital for the burial in 1719.

See also

*Swedish army
*Swedish allotment system
*Great Northern War


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Charles XI of Sweden — Charles XI King of Sweden Duke of Bremen and Prince of Verden Duke of Palatinate Zweibrücken Charles XI in his coronation outfit. Painting by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, circa 1690 …   Wikipedia

  • Charles XII of Sweden — Charles XII King of Sweden Grand Prince of Finland Duke of Bremen and Verden Duke of Palatinate Zweibrücken Charles XII in military uniform, David von Krafft (1706) …   Wikipedia

  • Jämtland — Coat of arms …   Wikipedia

  • Battle cry — For other uses, see Battle cry (disambiguation) A battle cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same military unit. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate, although they often aim to invoke patriotic or… …   Wikipedia

  • Viking rock — (Vikingarock in Swedish) is a rock music genre that takes much of its themes from 19th century Viking romanticism, mixing it with rockabilly, oi!/streetpunk and folk elements. Frequent themes occurring in Viking rock include Vikings and Norse… …   Wikipedia

  • Carolean — can refer to: * Restoration style * Caroleans, soldiers of Charles XII of Sweden …   Wikipedia

  • Swedish allotment system — Drawing of Swedish soldiers belonging to the new allotment system and wearing uniforms of the 1830s The allotment system (Swedish: indelningsverket; Finnish: ruotujakolaitos) was a system used in Sweden for keeping a trained army at all times.… …   Wikipedia

  • History of Jämtland — The history of Jämtland dates back thousands of years, starting with the arrival of humans. As the population grew larger and started to settle down Jämtland was turned into an autonomous peasant republic, with its own law, currency and… …   Wikipedia

  • Daniel Jonsson — as portrayed in Mora church Born 1599 …   Wikipedia

  • Noors slott — Noor mansion Noors slott is a mansion from the 14th Century in Knivsta in Sweden. Noors slott was confiscated as part of the reduction by King Charles XI in 1686, whereafter it was used as a royal hunting lodge. In 1689 King Charles XI sold the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”