Surely he wouldn't have been able to survive so many battles? Wouldn't the leader be the obvious target to try and kill?
Sweden's two greatest warrior kings, Gustav II Adolf and Charles XII, also known as Gustavus Adolphus and Carolus Rex, were both famed for leading from the front. Gustavus Adolphus reportedly refused to wear armour, claiming that god would protect him. Not entirely surprisingly, both died on the battlefield.
Gustavus Adolphus died at the Battle of Lützen in 1632, after personally leading a cavalry charge and being separated from his bodyguards. Charles XII died during the Siege of Fredriksten in 1718 after being shot in the head. A popular theory is that he was shot by one of his own men, but there is no proof for this.
Frederick the Great did, although probably not in the very front line. In the battle of Kunersdorf he got two horses shot dead underneath him and was allegedly saved by his own sniff box. After losing the battle, he wrote ''my greatest misfortune is to still be alive''.
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