Caroleans

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Caroleans carrying the dead Charles XII

Caroleans were the soldiers of Swedish king Charles XII.

[edit] Swedish allotment system

The Caroleans soldier where the soldiers of the yearly Swedish allotment system. It was Charles XI who made the Carolean army. The Carolean's tactics were to strike hard and be fearless, they also upheld strikt discipline, which over the long course of a 20 year long war proved to be both successfull and needed.

It is said about Charles XII that "he could not retreat, only attack or fall". The same goes for his soldiers. In the Swedish army tactics of that time retreat was never covered, and they where obligated to attack or fight where they stood. A military doctrine, that with the advantage of hindsight might have proven a bit rash.

[edit] Uniforms

Their uniform was a variant of the Swedish Standard Uniform introduced by Charles XI. The great coats were blue, with yellow cuffs. The breeches were white, and the vest yellow. They wore tricorne hats or a special cap called a Karpus. They were equipped with carbines (short muskets), rapiers, handgranades, etc.

They where made of different units such as;

Cavallry regiments
Infantry regiments
Grenadier regiments
Artillery regiments

The army also included a special unit called the Livdrabanterna (Royal Life Guard Corps). This was a special unit made up of some 100 men. It was under the personal command of King Charles XII, for which he was named captain. To become a private in the corps you had to attain the rank of Captain in the normal army. The kings second in command was a Colonel with the title of Kaptenlöjtnant (Lieutenant Captain). This corp fought to the bitter end, and some of the veterans from it carried Charles XII coffin on its arrival to the capital for the burial in 1719.