Charles XII: a different persona (TL)

As I've read about Charles XII, I've often come across many accounts of how his personality made the Great Northern War such a disaster for Sweden. So what I'm proposing in this post is that Charles is, for whatever reason, a much more cautious and pragmatic ruler. My idea is that when Charles takes the throne in (1698?) he surveys the geopolitical situation Sweden is in, and realizes it to be untenable. He also receives word of the triple alliance that is being formed against him, and to counteract these actions, makes the decision to secretly enter negotiations with Russia and Poland-Lithuania, and sells Ingria and Estonia to them respectively. These decisions are widely unpopular within Sweden and viewed as actions of a cowardly leader, but eventually will prove to pay off in time. These actions pay off, as now with only one hostile foe to face (Denmark-Norway), Charles launches a preemptive invasion, routing the enemy as he did in OTL. Now however comes another significant POD, as he (somewhat forcibly) marries Sophia Hedwig of Denmark, and forcibly integrates Denmark into the Swedish crown lands (with the support of France his ally), allowing for its former king Frederick IV to remain in power (albeit as a puppet), in Norway.
-I have a couple of questions for this to proceed. 1) how plausible is this course of events, given the personality difference of Charles XII? And also, could this course of action prevent war between Sweden and Russia for the foreseeable future? My thanks for any answers and hopefully this can become a more official TL! :cool:
 
Wouldn't any aggressive action by Sweden against Denmark-Norway result in a war with Russia as I understand it, Russia & Denmark had an alliance at the time. Also France would be recovering from/involved in the War of Spanish Succession around that time, and since it doesn't directly curtail her main enemies at this point the British (I think they became involved via Hanover in 1710 though) or the Habsburgs I doubt the French will be interested.

I think it would've been better for him to put his Father-in-law James Louis Sobieski (he was engaged to his daughter) on the Polish throne and made a separate peace with Russia the moment he had the opportunity before invading Russia around 1707. It probably would've been easier for Sobieski to hold onto Poland and he has connections with both the French, the Habsburgs, was a candidate for King and is the son of John Sobieski so it'd reduce any sizeable support for the Saxon Elector. PLC could be a useful ally against Russia when Peter come back, and if the Swedes & Pol-Lithis can hold their own Denmark-Norway, Prussia and Hanover will most likely not get involved.
 
Top