Axel Gyllenkrok, or Gyllenkrook (2 August 1664 – 17 September 1730) was a Swedish baron, military general, and governor of Gothenburg. He is best known as being the general quartermaster of King Charles XII of Sweden. He was the operational planner whose collections of route maps and reports were used by Charles XII to prepare for the campaign in Poland and Russia.

Axel Gyllenkrok
Axel Gyllenkrok by Georg Engelhard Schröder
Nickname(s)"Little Vauban"
Born(1664-08-02)August 2, 1664
Turku, Finland
Died17 September 1730(1730-09-17) (aged 66)
Svenstorp Castle in Scania, Sweden
Allegiance Sweden
 France
Service / branchInfantry
Years of service1683-1730
RankLieutenant-General
Battles / warsNine Years' War

Great Northern War

Spouse(s)
Maria Hergadt
(m. 1723)
ChildrenFredrik Gustaf Gyllenkrok
Margareta Gyllenkrok

After the King's defeat in the Battle of Poltava (8 July 1709), Gyllenkrok followed the King to the Ottoman Empire. Shortly afterwards, he was captured by the forces of Peter I of Russia at a mission in Poland. He was moved between multiple places during his captivity, including Moscow and Kazan, and did not return to Sweden until 1722 after the signing of the Treaty of Nystad.

References

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  • Åberg, Alf (1920). Av annan mening: karolinen Axel Gyllenkrok. Stockholm: Natur och kultur.
  • article Gyllenkrok, Axel from Nordisk familjebok (in Swedish)
  • "Axel Gyllenkrok". Svensk biograpfiskt lexikon. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
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