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Why did Voltaire write about the reign of Charles XII of Sweden?

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Life-sized plaster sculpture Seated Voltaire by Jean-Antoine Houdon shows Voltaire draped in a robe, seated with a thoughtful expression and a ribbon crown, against a dark background. — Voltaire *Voltaire*, plaster sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon; in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California.

Voltaire was initially drawn to write Histoire de Charles XII (1731) due to his fascination with the extraordinary character of the Swedish king Charles XII, having met a former companion of the monarch while in London.1

However, as he researched and wrote the narrative, the project evolved into a vehicle for his developing philosophical ideas regarding leadership and civilization. Voltaire used the life of Charles XII to contrast the destructive nature of a "warmonger" with the constructive legacy of Peter the Great, who transformed Russia into a vast, civilized empire.1

Ultimately, Voltaire concluded that true "great men" are those who further civilization rather than those who bring desolation through war. This perspective aligned with his broader advocacy for progress in the sciences and arts, a theme he would later expand upon in his influential work, Lettres philosophiques.1