The Swedish Way of Warfare – with Privateers and Pirates
In the 1700s, the Swedish way of warfare was regarded as highly effective. It was also, not infrequently, highly anachronistic. The Swedish army’s persisting – and convincing – use of pikes against enemies armed with muskets is well known. Less noted perhaps, is the fact that the Swedish king, Charles XII, was the last European monarch who personally – and eagerly – participated in hand-to-hand combat inside a burning building, a feat more reminiscent of the Middle Ages than the era of Isaac Newton…
