THE EAST AND THE NORTH 309 on the River Pruth. Instead of annihilating him, however, the vizier was content with a treaty which deprived Russia of Azof. Charles was only induced to leave Turkey, where he was becoming an extremely unwelcome guest, by the news that his territories on the German Baltic coast were on the verge of being lost. Even his return could not save them. It is curious at this point to find Charles and Peter contem- plating an alliance under which Peter was to be secured in all that he had gained, and was to help Charles in The End of the recovery of the German provinces. But the Charles XII. schemes of Charles were brought to a sudden end by his death before Friederichshalle in Norway, which he 1718 had invaded. Its annexation to Sweden was part of the scheme in which Peter and certain other powers were proposing to act in concert. A further effect of the king's death was a domestic revolution in Sweden which ended the system of absolutism that Charles xi. had instituted, and placed the effective control of the government in the hands of a narrow oligarchy. The remaining years of Peter's life were spent mainly in working out the organisation of the empire he had created, and in making the new city of St. Petersburg which The End he had founded on the Neva a capital, represen- of Peter the tative of new Russia as Moscow stood for the Great - Russia of tradition. In spite of the attempts which were made during the three years following his death to curtail the royal power, it was completely re- established on the accession of his niece the Tsarina Anne. English history so far as it was directly connected with continental affairs has been included in the narrative of the last chapter. Our domestic history however has 3. England its bearings on history at large, and requires to and Scotland, be sketched here along with that of the other northern powers. The Restoration of 1660 placed Charles 11. on the throne, just at the time when his cousin Louis was on the point of assuming active control in France. He returned The to England on terms which secured to parliament Restoration, a command of the purse so complete as to ensure to it ultimate
