The Caroleans: The Strengths and Weaknesses of Gå–På

If wargamers, reenactors, and heavy metal fans have anything in common, it is what sometimes feels like a universal awe at the military prowess of Carolus Rex and his Caroleans. If you're unfamiliar with them, the Caroleans were soldiers of the Swedish Empire during its final days of greatness from the late 17th to the early 18th Century. They were renowned for their zeal, courage, and extreme discipline in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Repeatedly on their campaigns they would engage and defeat enemies many times their own size, and march on to do it again. How did the Caroleans, a short lived force to be sure, achieve such successes and gain this reputation? Who were they, and how did they fight? And how, ultimately, did the Carolean army fail and the Swedish Empire lose its status as a Great Power to the Russians?

If you would like to learn more about this subject, this book may be a good place to start:

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