The purpose of this essay was to use a content analysis to investigate how the image of Charles XII's person and political actions has been presented over time in overviews of Sweden's history. The essay also aims to investigate what needs and interests lie behind the use of Charles XII with the help of Klas-Göran Karlsson's use of history typology. The investigated period was defined against the background of Sweden's democratic development during the years 1824–1948. To structure the survey, three periods were generated: early democratization, parliamentarism and universal and equal suffrage. The material consists of eight overview works on Sweden's history; the focus of the investigation has been the chapter that concerns the lifetime of Charles XII. 

The analysis of the material shows that there is a predominantly positive portrayal of Charles XII's person over the entire period with occasional exceptions. The survey also shows that Charles XII's deed tends to a greater extent to be portrayed negatively compared to his person. The use of Charles XII has varied during the examined period, but it appears that Charles XII is actualized as a symbolic figure in times when Russia projects its power towards Europe and Sweden. Charles XII is highlighted as ahead of his time by having realized the threat Russia would pose to Europe and Sweden. Such use occurs mainly in works published after the Crimean War and reappears in works published after World War I and World War II. The investigation shows that the representation of Charles XII is strongly dependent on the time in which its author lives and which needs and interests are served by a particular representation.