Livgardet and the Kalabalik at Bender
In 1765, when Axel Erik Roos lay on his deathbed at the age of 81, he could reflect on a successful lifetime of service for the Swedish crown. He had
Livgardet and the Kalabalik at Bender
In 1765, when Axel Erik Roos lay on his deathbed at the age of 81, he could reflect on a successful lifetime of service for the Swedish crown. He had been wounded in battle 16 times, and doctors had extracted nine bone fragments, four rifle-bullets and two pieces of shrapnel from his body. His long military career had begun in 1700, when he joined Swedish King Karl XII’s court as a page at the age of 16.
When Karl went out into the field to make war, Roos followed him, battling for the future of the Swedish Empire at Narva, Kliszow, Fraustadt, Thorn and Holowczyn. Each time he was noted for his skill and bravery. By 1707, he was a lieutenant and welcomed into the Royal Drabant Corps, the King’s bodyguard, later to be known as Livgardet (the Royal Guard). The Drabants enjoyed the absolute trust and confidence of their king.
In exile on Ottoman soil
At Poltava, Roos led a battalion of Swedish infantry into battle, hoping to reverse what was a hopeless outcome. Nearly the entire Drabant Corps fell in the gunsmoke that day. Roos, himself, was captured, but managed to escape and rejoin his defeated King when Karl withdrew into exile on Ottoman soil.
By the winter of 1713, Karl and his Swedes had been guests of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III for nearly three and a half years. Karl had wanted to leave for quite a while, but feared for his safety once across the border, since spies and agents of his mortal enemies, Russia and Poland, lay in wait. And so, they remained.
For Roos and the Royal Drabants, their compound became a second home, and over the years, tents became a permanent military compound. While their King lived in a large furnished brick house, the men spent their days in the coffee houses and shops of Bender with the locals. And with the Janissaries – the Royal Guard of the Ottoman Sultan – stationed there, the Drabants enjoyed an almost brotherly relationship. The Turkish soldiers admired and even revered the Swedish monarch, claiming that with a General like him, they could conquer the world.
“Iron-Head”, as Karl was known to them, was a brave, generous and noble man, who understood the hardships of the common soldiers. Yet, while the men enjoyed the extensive Muslim hospitality, both the local rulers and the high officials of the Sublime Porte grew weary of Karl’s endless presence.
A volatile situation
Roos knew little of the politics and the intrigues that surrounded them in their exile, but it became clear from the increasingly hostile atmosphere outside the camp that something wasn’t right. By 1713, the men were not allowed to visit Bender anymore, and those that did were arrested. Then on January 18, by the order of the Seraskier – the Ottoman Minister of War – all food supplies were stopped and communications were cut. The Janissary Honor Guard was recalled, and all Moldavan merchants and handymen were forced to leave. In their stead, a well-armed force of 4,000 Tatar warriors surrounded the camp.
The situation grew ever more volatile, and Roos and the Drabants built a makeshift palisade of wagons and barrels filled with dirt.
At midday on February 1, to the sound of trumpets, the thousands of Turks and Tatars marched towards the Swedish camp. Twelve canons and two small mortars were brought into position, but they were fired with a minimum charge of powder, and their rounds bounced harmlessly off the walls. It seemed like a sham attack, so when the Turks and Tatars moved towards the Swedish lines, the defenders only fired in the air, but this time it was the real deal, and the attackers did not stop. Surprised and overwhelmed by the sudden rush, the Swedes of the regular army surrendered without a fight.
Enraged at the sight, Karl drew his sword and cried out: “Who still has courage and loyalty in his breast, shall follow me! We will fight pro aris et focis!” He was left with only 40 men against a horde of thousands, yet among his men were four men of the Royal Guard – Roos, Carpelan, von Tsc