A Clash of Visionaries. King Charles XII of Sweden, TSAR Peter I of Russia and the Great Northern War.

At the dawn of the eighteenth century, Europe witnessed the phenomenon of the absolute monarch in full stride. Legitimized and by the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, the institution of the all-powerful monarch dictated the course of events that drove nation-states. The Second or Great Northern War, 1700-1721, pitting Sweden against Russia, witnessed a clash representing a collision of monarchial obsessions, those harbored by Charles XII and Peter the I. This study critically examines two very different strategic leaders their visions for the future stood in diametric opposition their legacies endure to a remarkable degree to the extent that their successes and failures significantly color the contemporary worlds political landscape. Scrutinized IAW draft FM 22-103, Strategic Leadership, this research project assesses the absolute monarchs strategic visions and effectiveness in accordance with the USAWCs strategic leader criteria.