History of Sweden

This is the history of Sweden. See also the Swedish monarchs, history of Europe, history of the European Union, history of present-day nations and states

the following is an outline - to be improved

one source of information is the Nordic FAQ, http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/

Viking age
Middle Ages
- Crusade against Finland in the early 13th century
- Black Death
- Magnus II new laws, slavery abolished
- Saint Birgitta
Kalmar Union
king Gustav I Vasa
Reformation of the church, the state church of Sweden keeping the episcopal continuity, despite breaking with the Roman Catholic church, changing to Lutheran reformation
Thirty Years War - Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Sweden being a Baltic superpower in the 17th century
King Charles XII - Narva, Poltava
Age of freedom, early to mid 18th century, weak kings, strong parliament
Gustav III
- Culture: Carl Michael Bellman, Sergel, ..., the king assassinated on the royal opera in 1792
- War: against Russia
19th century:
- loss of Finland in 1809
- Union with Norway 1814-1905
- Parliamentary reform 1866
- Popular movements: Baptism, Temperance, Labour (Trade unions, social democracy)
- Heavy emigration: 1/6 of population lives in the USA
20th century
- Democracy and social reform: Cooperative stores, suffrage (for workers, for women), action to stop emigration, "egnahem", Lubbe Nordström: Lort-Sverige, public housing, post-war boom
- Language: Spelling reform in 1906
- International politics: Bondetåget, neutrality in both world wars, controversial transit of Nazi German soldiers, controversial cooperation with NATO during the cold war, Olof Palme protesting against US involvement in the Vietnam war, joining the European Union
- Olof Palme shot dead on February 29, 1986
- M/S Estonia sinking in the Baltic Sea (November?) 1994

From the CIA World Factbook 2001

Background: A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements has recently been undermined by high unemployment, rising maintenance costs, and a declining position in world markets. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe caused Sweden not to join the EU until 1995, and to forgo the introduction of the euro in 1999.

Not from CIA factbook

The country that is now known as Sweden once consisted of three smaller kingdoms, Västra Götaland, Östra Götaland and Svealand. Svealand was the region around today's central Sweden, the area where Stockholm lies. In the 13th century, the three countries were united under a single king, who founded Sweden. The Swedish name for Sweden is Sverige, which is close to the Danish pronunciation of Svea rike, which in English is roughly The kingdom of the Swedes. The Swedish national symbol "Three Crowns" represents the three countries, and that one king had all three crowns.

Another theory is that the crowns orinally represent the three wise men from the new testament of the bible. It was used in several places during the middle ages as a coat of arms for knights, and eventually kingdoms. This symbol was adopted by the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Sweden and Norway. It could therefore also be said that the crowns represent the three countries Denmark, Sweden and Norway. When the union broke up, Sweden and Denmark were fighting over who could use the three crowns as their symbol. In the end Denmark gave up the use. Later on, Swedish kings came to use the title ´rex Suecorum, Gothorum et Vandalorum´, supposedly signifying them as not only king of Sweden, but also inheritor of the throne of the old Goths, Germanic tribes as well as over the Vandals.

See also Sweden