Swedish King Charles XII has become so firmly entrenched in Russian history and Russian consciousness that when it comes to the Northern War or the deeds of Tsar Peter I, we automatically remember his historical opponent. Despite the widespread fame of the extraordinary, grandiose personality of Karl and the abundance of legends and myths, not a single detailed monograph has yet appeared about him in Russia. The author of the book, who devoted most of his life to studying the political development of the Scandinavian countries, tried to fill this gap. As a result, the reader got the opportunity to look at famous events from a different, Swedish side.