The purpose of this essay was to use a content analysis to investigate how the image of Charles XII's person and political actions has been presented over time in overviews of Sweden's history. The essay also aims to investigate what needs and interests lie behind the use of Charles XII with the help of Klas-Göran Karlsson's use of history typology. The investigated period was defined against the background of Sweden's democratic development during the years 1824–1948. To structure the survey, three periods were generated: early democratization, parliamentarism and universal and equal suffrage. The material consists of eight overview works on Sweden's history; the focus of the investigation has been the chapter that concerns the lifetime of Charles XII.  The analysis of the material shows that there is a predominantly positive portrayal of Charles XII's person over the entire period with occasional exceptions. The survey also shows that Charles XII's deed tends to a greater extent to be portrayed negatively compared to his person. The use of Charles XII has varied during the examined period, but it appears that Charles XII is actualized as a symbolic figure in times when Russia projects its power towards Europe and Sweden. Charles XII is highlighted as ahead of his time by having realized the threat Russia would pose to Europe and Sweden. Such use occurs mainly in works published after the Crimean War and reappears in works published after World War I and World War II. The investigation shows that the representation of Charles XII is strongly dependent on the time in which its author lives and which needs and interests are served by a particular representation.

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Syftet med denna uppsats är att utröna hur Karl XII har använts inom litteraturen under 1700, 1800 samt 1900-talet. Frågeställningarna som ska besvaras är ställda utifrån Karl XII:s personlighet, politiska förmåga som statsman och slutligen Karl XII:s egenskaper som en militär ledare.   Litteraturen som används för undersökningen speglar de verk som kom att bli mest uppmärksammade och uppskattade på det samhälleliga planet – då de kan antas haft den största inverkan på människorna i sin tid. Det förekommer litterära verk om sålts i miljontal, exempelvis Carl Grimbergs och Herman Lindqvists verk. Det verk som utgör starten för denna uppsats är skriven 1731 av François-Marie Arouet, Voltaire, som var en beundrare till den svenske kungen. Författaraktörerna byter av varandra och publicerar med en jämn ström under de följande århundradena.    Den tidigare forskning som ligger till grund för uppsatsen är författaren Eva Östbergs beskrivning av historiebruk – att historien är människans kollektiva förmåga att minnas och att glömma, vilket yttrar sig i historiebruk. Denna beskrivning av historiebruk utmynnar även till John Tosh´s beskrivning av ett socialt minne – vilket yttrar sig på liknande sätt. Författaren Klas-Göran Karlsson ger en förklaring till ett existentiellt historiebruk – vilket är ett resultat av att människor har ett medfött behov av att minnas. Till dessa begrepp kommer även Egeland och Johannissons teori för en koppling mellan kultur, plats och identitet att användas.   Den teoretiska ansatsen är att befästa Karl XII som en historisk aktör och byggsten i den svenska historien med utgångspunkt att detta skiftar i olika kontexter. Undersökningen ska utröna vilken plats författarna ger Karl XII som en historisk byggsten.

With Gods help? A qualitative study of Carolean's perceptions about the Great Northern War and Charles XII The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what perceptions Charles XII’s Caroleans had about him, the Great Northern War and how these perceptions changed during the war. There is also an underlying ambition to show how these perceptions differ. The underlying issues for the thesis are thus: - What perceptions/opinions describes the Caroleans of Charles XII as a person and leader? - What perceptions are described about the war as a whole? - In what way do perceptions concerning loyalty and hopes change during the war?   The theoretical point of departure of the thesis is briefly the fatalistic beliefs and image of the King as the elect of God. A majority of the Swedish army was characterized by this approach and based their experiences and values on it to varying degrees.      The methodology in which the essay's research is based on are threefold and consists of narrative diary analysis, microhistory and mentality history.      The study is based on a source material composed of six diaries from six of Karl XII’s Caroleans with varying positions. Based on analyzes of these diaries, each individual’s experiences and perceptions have been distinguished and reported.      The conclusion of this result is that all of the mentioned Caroleans hulded a great respect for the king and saw him to varying degrees as a role model and the election of God. As the result shows they did not hold him personally responsible for the end of the war, likely due to the fatalistic beliefs that’s already mentioned.      Perceptions of the war in whole occur to some extent but not to the extent expected. From this point of view, the chosen Caroleans were fairly value-free. During the war, one can clearly see that perceptions and hopes changed. This change is strictly linked to the Swedes pros and cons in the war.

This study explores the Swedish portrayals of Russians as compared to Danes and Polesand how they changed over time during the Great Northern War and Russo-SwedishWar (1741–1743). Through the Swedish state-run Posttidningar, the information deliveredby the state indicates that the circumstances of war and the power of the enemy leaderswere more significant than specific attributes of the enemy other in forming collectiveSwedish identity. Creating these collective sentiments was an essential tool for the stateto affirm the cooperation of its population during times of war. The information aboutthe enemy affects the transformation of a semi-public sphere in Sweden by providing acommon knowledge base to discuss and understand a changing view of its place inEurope. By depicting the enemy in flexible terms, the Swedish state desires its populationto cooperate based on the threat of war, common knowledge, and Sweden’s place inEurope, rather than solidarity against a static religious or political other.

- The thesis is focused on relations between Sweden and Brandenburg in the years 1660 - 1701. Although Sweden is considered as an empire practically all over the 17th century, a new, important power rises in its neighbourhood, namely Brandenburg-Prussia, and this rise is finished by the Royal coronation of Fredrick I in 1701. Main part of the thesis is dedicated to the political and military relations, less to the cultural relations. Even other countries, following and protecting their interests in the Baltic region, are taken into account, especially Denmark and France. The aim of the thesis is to analyse relations between Sweden and Brandenburg and to try to find an answer on the question, if Sweden's focus on its internal problems and reforms contributed to the rise of Prussia or if there is no direct connection between these two tendencies. Key terms - Swedish Imperial Period, regency, Charles XI, Charles XII, Louis XIV, Elector Fredrick William, Elector Fredrick III, Scanian War, foreign policy, Baltic Sea hegemony