The death of King Charles XII--the forensic verdict

King Charles XII of Sweden was killed in 1718 during his siege of the Danish fortress of Fredriksten. For 276 years, it remained an open question whether the lethal bullet came from the enemy or from a Swedish assassin. Now, a treatise published by a Swedish historian finally proves that the King's death was a case of political murder. Ballistic circumstances and the Danish ammunition then available are incompatible with a random shot from enemy quarters. Major-general Carl Cronstedt possessed the expertise needed to make an assassination look like a war casualty. It appears that the King was shot with a makeshift jacketed bullet long before jacketed bullets came into common use.