Sweden Silver Medal 1718 - Death of King Charles XII at Fredrikshald, 30 November 1718 - Karl XII (1697–1718)
28.42g. 41mm. UNC/AU. Beautiful exemplar with attractive old cabinet tone and nice relief details.
Medalier: unsigned.
Delzanno (SKM) 321a (Ag) RR – 6–10 known specimens in private collections; Hildebrand 218.
Very rare.
Obv.: Right-facing bust of King Charles XII.
Inscription around:
CAROLVS XII · DG · SVECORVM · GOTHOR · VANDALOR · REX · / IN TERRIS BELLATOR · / ✶ NAT · 1682 · D · 17 · IVN ✶
(Charles XII, by the Grace of God King of the Swedes, Goths and Wends / A warrior on earth / Born 1682, died 17 June.).
The king lying dead upon a bier under an opened field tent, still in armor; beside him the crown, scepter, the king’s sword and helmet. Above him floats the star-crown of immortality between two crossed palm branches.
Inscription around and in exergue:
IN COELIS TRIVMPHATOR / GLOBOLO CADENS · AD · FRIDRICHSHALL · AN · / 1718 · D · 11 · DEC ·
(Triumphant in the heavens / Falling by a projectile at Fredrikshald / In 1718, on 11 December.).
This medal commemorates the death of King Charles XII during the siege of the Fredriksten fortress near Fredrikshald in Norway on 30 November 1718, a turning point that effectively ended Sweden’s long military dominance in Northern Europe. After years of continuous campaigning throughout the Great Northern War, the king was struck and killed while inspecting forward positions near the fortress works. His body was transported to Sweden and buried in Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm on 26 February 1719. The medal’s imagery reflects both the military character of his reign and the immediate elevation of his death to a symbol of heroic sacrifice, with the bier, regalia, and star-crown representing royal authority, mortality, and the transition to immortal remembrance.
