Om mordet på Karl XII: Historisk och juridisk undersökning

The final days of Sweden’s warrior king unfold amid the grim siege of the fortress at Fredriksten in November 1718. As artillery thundered and the night was lit by burning beacons, Charles XII inspected the trench work, positioning himself on a breastwork to watch the enemy’s fire. Witnesses later described a sudden, deafening blast that struck the monarch’s head, leaving his followers stunned.

Centuries later, a team of historians and legal scholars revisits the episode, questioning the long‑standing belief that the king fell to a lone assassin’s bullet. Drawing on contemporary reports, diplomatic correspondence, and the 1859 forensic examination of the king’s remains, the study weighs the evidence for a battlefield shot versus a covert murder. The author balances rigorous analysis with vivid reconstruction, inviting listeners to explore how myths arise and how careful investigation can reshape our view of a pivotal moment in Scandinavian history.