Sweden - national flag
The flag was officially introduced in 1906, but has been in use since the
1500's. The colors are heraldic and originate from the Swedish national coat of
arms' three yellow crowns on a blue background, which date back to the 1300's. In
the great coat of arms, the shield is quadrupled by a yellow cross. Dannebrog is
possibly the model for Sweden's choice of a flag with the so-called Scandinavian
cross.
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Sweden - prehistory
Sweden's elongated form implies that several different natural zones are
represented, and that immigration and influence from outside has come from the
south, west and east. This means that several partly different
cultural-historical courses have existed within the borders of the kingdom.
Paleolithic and Mesolithic (approximately 11,000-4000 BC). At the end of the ice age,
immigration took place through a headland from Denmark. The Bromme culture is
well represented in Scania, and the Ahrensburg culture in western
Sweden. Settlements from the Maglemose culture in Scania have clear similarities
with similar ones in Denmark. On the east coast, in central Sweden and in
Norrland, settlements occur where quartz and quartzite tools are the most
common. In the Late Mesolithic, there were large settlements in Scania,
sometimes with burial sites, just as in Eastern Denmark. Similarly is also known
from the northernmost part of Sweden with influence from chamber-ceramic
culture.
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Neolithic (4000-1700 BC). Agriculture and cattle breeding were introduced
with the funnel cup culture that spread to Central Sweden. At the end of the
period, large stone tombs were built as dolmens and burial chambers, most of
which are found in Scania, on the west coast and in Falbygden. Climate change at
the beginning of the Middle Neolithic led to the abandonment of agriculture in
Central Sweden. Through influence from the east, the pottery culture emerged. In
Norrland, the eastern cultural influence continued, primarily from
chamber-ceramic culture.
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Through continental influence, the battle-ax culture emerged in southern
Sweden. In the Senneolithic, the material expressions are similar; for
example, coffins appear both on the coasts and in the interior of the country.
Bronze Age (1700-500 BC). Influence from the Bronze Age on the continent and
in Denmark was greatest in southernmost Sweden, but can be traced in the
construction of roses all the way up to the Norrland coast. Large-scale grave
monuments such as the Kivik tomb in SE-Skåne and King Bjørn's mound in Uppland
suggest the existence of regional chiefdoms. Rock carvings are found in southern
and central Sweden, but are best represented in western Sweden.

Iron Age (500 BC-400 AD). The forms of society in southern Sweden and in
central Sweden are similar to those in Denmark. However, no actual village
formation took place until the Late Iron Age. Iron production is attested as
early as the pre-Roman Iron Age (500 BC-birth) and became an important
occupation in the Late Iron Age through its rich deposits, especially in central
Sweden. Imported goods from the Roman Empire reached Öland and Gotland in
particular, but also settlements in southern Norrland. The settlements on the
Baltic Sea are easily recognizable on the many houses with walls built of
limestone.
Migration and Turning Time (400-800). Rich centers for settlement are found
in southern and central Sweden, Helgö, and the laying down of gold and the
construction of fortifications suggest a political unrest. In the Vendel period
(550-800) small kingdoms arose, in Central Sweden, where the burial mounds
in Old Uppsala were laid out, and where the important Vendel site, which has
given the period its name, is found.
Viking Age. The period was expansive with the creation of trading posts
with Birka as the most significant. At the end of the period, actual cities were
laid out. The close contact primarily to the east is reflected in the rich
silver deposits, especially on Gotland, as well as in texts that occur among the
large number of rune stones in the Mälardalen valley.
Sweden - history
A king is mentioned around 830, when Ansgar served a mission in Birka. I
800-900-t. a Swedish superpower is suspected, based on trade between the
Frankish Empire and the Near East on the Russian rivers. A probably Swedish
prince, Rurik, is mentioned as the founder of the Russian Empire (see
the Rurikids). Sweden's oldest known rulers are Erik Sejrssæl (d. approximately 995)
and Olof Skötkonung, who ruled 995-1021/22 and appears on coins. Adam of
Bremen mentions in his chronicle his two sons, Anund Jakob and Emund the Old,
who were replaced by Stenkil. The historical core is questionable in the
battles betweensveer og göter, as the Old English poem Beowulf and the
Icelandic poets describe. Most recently at the border treaty between Denmark and
Sweden in the middle of the 1000's. Sweden acts as a political entity.
Historical overview |
ca. 11,000 BC |
reindeer hunters immigrate to southern Sweden |
8200-4000 BC |
Mesolithic; Central and northern Sweden is populated by hunters and
fishermen; The Maglemose, Kongemose and Ertebølle cultures |
4000-1700 BC |
neolithic; agriculture and cattle breeding are introduced; the
funnel cup culture; dolmens and burial chambers; pit ceramic culture and
the battle ax culture |
1700-500 BC |
Bronze Age; regional chiefdoms arise |
500 BC-400 AD |
Iron Age; imports of Roman goods |
400-550 |
migration period; rich centers in southern and central Sweden |
550-800 |
Vendeltid; small kingdoms in central Sweden |
800-1050 |
Viking Age; Birka, Sigtuna and Lund are founded; Viking expeditions
especially to the east along the Russian rivers |
1000-t. |
Christianity is gaining ground; the first episcopal sees are
established in Skara and Sigtuna |
1100-t. |
bishoprics established in Linköping, Strängnäs, Uppsala (archdiocese
from 1164), Västerås and Växjö |
approx. 1238 and 1293 |
2nd and 3rd crusades to Finland |
approx. 1250 |
Stockholm is founded |
1332-60 |
Scania in union with Sweden |
approx. 1350 |
the plague, the black death, kills many |
1397-1523 |
The squid union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden |
1434-36 |
rebellion led by Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson |
1477 |
The Nordic region's first university is founded in Uppsala |
1520 |
The Stockholm Massacre |
1527 |
at the Reichstag in Västerås, the Reformation is announced,
completed 1536-37 |
1561 |
Estonia under Swedish rule |
1563-70 |
The Nordic Seven Years' War |
1570-95 |
war between Sweden and Russia; Sweden's possession of Estonia is
confirmed |
1599-1629 |
The Polish-Swedish War; Livland becomes Swedish |
1609-17 |
war between Sweden and Russia; Ingermanland and Karelia become
Swedish |
1611-13 |
The Kalmar War |
1630-48 |
Sweden is engaged in the Thirty Years' War; Pre-Pomerania, Wismar
and the Bremen World become Swedish |
1643-45 |
Torstenssonfejden; Gotland, Saaremaa (Øsel), Jämtland and Härjedalen
become Swedish, Halland is available as a mortgage for 30 years |
1657-60 |
The Karl Gustav Wars; Skåne, Halland and Blekinge as well as
Bohuslän will be Swedish |
1675-79 |
The Scanian War |
1680's |
the king gains autocratic power |
1700-21 |
Great Nordic War; the Baltic and German provinces as well as eastern
Karelia are lost |
1719 |
autocracy is abolished. The Age of Freedom (until 1772) |
1741-43 |
war between Sweden and Russia; western Karelia is lost |
1757-62 |
Sweden participates in the Seven Years' War against Prussia |
1808-09 |
war between Sweden and Russia; Finland becomes autonomous Russian
Grand Duchy |
1809 |
by a new constitution, power is divided between the king and the
Reichstag |
1814-1905 |
Norway in union with Sweden |
1865-66 |
with the representation reform, the two-chamber system is
introduced; industrialization is intensifying |
1880's |
emigration to America reaches its peak |
1889 |
Sweden's Social Democratic Workers' Party is founded |
1914 |
Gustav V's courtyard speech triggers parliamentary crisis; Sweden is
neutral during World War I. |
1917 |
the parliamentary state is introduced |
1919-21 |
universal and equal suffrage, including for women |
1921 |
Finland is awarded the Åland Islands |
1930's |
economic crisis; the foundation for the Swedish welfare state, folkhemmet,
is laid |
1939-45 |
Sweden is neutral during World War II, but has to make big
concessions due to German supremacy; a military rearmament begins |
1946 |
Sweden becomes a member of the UN |
1960 |
Sweden is a co-founder of EFTA |
1971 |
the unicameral parliament is introduced |
1986 |
Prime Minister Olof Palme is assassinated |
1991-94 |
years of economic crisis and high unemployment give rise to tight
economic policies from a bourgeois four-party government |
1995 |
Sweden joins the EU |
The introduction of Christianity and the rise of the kingdom
Christianity really took hold in Sweden in the 1100's. In Uppsala, the old
pagan vi (cult site) was overthrown, and in its place was built a cathedral,
where the Swedish archdiocese was established in 1164. The victorious among
several warring royal subjects, Knut Eriksson, came to power in 1167 and had his
father elevated to national the saint, Erik the Holy; but for the next half
century the Eriksætten and Sverkerætten fought for royal power, until both
dynasties became extinct with Johan Sverkersson (1222) and Erik Eriksson
(1250). The turbulent period was marked by strong expansion in the Baltic
countries, and Finland was colonized; see also Finland (history).
The People's Kings and the strong aristocracy
The extinction of the two royal families brought the Folkungarne to
power. Sweden's actual regent in Erik Eriksson's last year, Birger Jarl, had his
son Valdemar installed as king in alliance with the church in 1250. The prize
was a series of reforms that laid the foundation for the Swedish church's
strong, independent position in the late Middle Ages. A crusade against Finland
and a treaty with Lübeck and Hamburg, guaranteeing the mighty Hanseatic cities
duty-free in Sweden, were included in the agreement. In addition, Birger built
the heavily fortified Stockholm. After his death, the Folkungarne were divided
by a protracted fratricide that eventually wiped out the dynasty. The question
of the allotment of crown estates and counties to Birger Jarl's younger sons led
to an open revolt in 1275, when Magnus Ladelås defeated Valdemar. Magnus died in
1290, and under his three sons the pattern repeated itself. In the beginning,
Marshal Torgils Knutsson ruled as guardian of Birger Magnusson. Under pressure
from his brothers, Dukes Erik and Valdemar, imprisoned Birger in 1305 the marsh,
which was executed the following year. Nevertheless, in 1306 Birger and his
Danish wife, Margrete, were captured by the brothers (seeHåtunaleken) and was
first released when Birger recognized Erik and Valdemar as Sweden's rulers. In
1317, Birger attempted a counter-coup, capturing Erik and Valdemar at Nyköping's
Gästabud. They both perished in prison, but their followers, led by Drost
Mattias Kettilmundsson, expelled Birger, executed his son and in 1319 installed
Duke Erik's 3-year-old son Magnus Eriksson as king. The weak rule of the peoples
became a time of greatness for the powerful and combative Swedish aristocracy,
which in 1280 had secured tax exemption for its estates. The nobility was
described as savior, and a so-called letter of freedom from
1319 remained as Sweden's constitution for 400 years. The exploits of the great
men were glorified in the national epic Erikskrönikan, perhaps written
for the young Magnus Eriksson as a royal mirror. Another mouthpiece for the
aristocracy was Birgitta of Vadstena.
Magnus came of age in 1332 and immediately celebrated a great foreign
political triumph by acquiring Scania as a mortgage on Holstein's Count Johan
den Milde. Valdemar 4. Atterdag conquered Scania back in 1360, but the Danish
provinces east of the Sound remained a target for Swedish expansion. Magnus also
ruled over Norway, which he had inherited from his grandfather, Håkon V, in
1319, but the external success was paid for by mortgages to the Mecklenburgs and
the Holstein counts, which financially undermined his rule. A revolt in 1356
brought down Magnus and his controversial adviser Bengt Algotsson. The king's
eldest son, Erik, was installed as regent, but died as early as 1359. Magnus
sought support in an alliance with Valdemar Atterdag, which was sealed with the
marriage between Magnus' youngest son, Håkon, and Valdemar's daughter Margrete
(1st).three kroner part of the Swedish national coat of arms, and blue and
yellow became national colors. Albrecht was strongly supported by the Hanseatic
cities, which had major interests in Swedish ore exports. The People's Kings did
not relinquish the throne willingly, however, and a civil war did not end until
1371, when the first councilor, Drosten Bo Jonsson Grip, actually took over the
government, while Magnus and Håkon were left to western Sweden. After the
drost's death, the Royal Council recognized Queen Margrethe as ruler in 1388,
and when she defeated Albrecht at the Battle of Åsle in 1389, the Nordic
three-state union was a reality.
Union time
Squid Unionbrought Sweden a long period of peace. Already under Margrete's
authoritarian rule, however, a reluctance to Danish hegemony sprouted, and when
exports from the mines were hampered during Erik VII of Pomerania's war against
the Holstein and Hanseatic cities, a revolt broke out in 1434 in Dalarna, led by
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson. At a rebellion meeting in Arboga in 1435, which has
been mistakenly perceived as "Sweden's first Reichstag", he was elected the
king's captain. Soon, however, he was maneuvered out by Marshal Karl Knutsson
(Bonde), who became head of state in 1438. Thus began the long rivalry between
Danish union kings and national heads of state. In 1441, the union king
Christoffer III was recognized by Bavaria, but after his death in 1448, Karl
(8th) Knutsson was elected king in a coup. It was the signal for the first of
the Danish-Swedish union wars, which first ceased in 1523. Inner Swedish
divisions drove Karl to flee to Danzig (now Gdańsk) in 1457, and Christian I was
able to ascend the throne. A revolt against Christian in 1464 called Karl
Knutsson back, but he soon came into conflict with the powerful family
Oxenstierna and had to leave Sweden again in the beginning of 1465. In 1467,
Karl was summoned for the third time, this time by the Danish-Swedish
Akselsønner (of the familyThott). On his death in 1470, his nephew Sten Sture
(d.æ.) became head of state. With his crushing victory over Christian I at
Brunkeberg in 1471, Sten Sture effectively secured his position of power, thus
initiating an almost unbroken series of stable national empires of a dynastic
nature. Sten Sture d.æ. died childless in 1503. He was succeeded by Svante
Nilsson Sture (1504-12) and his son Sten Sture (dy) (1512-20).
Sten Sture d.æ. and his successors, however, ruled far from unchallenged. A
pro-union opposition was led by the Trolle family, who trumped the call of King
Hans (1497-1501) and later paved the way for Christian II
(1520-21). The Stockholm Massacre in 1520 was intended to crush the entire Sture
party and secure Christian II's dominance, but instead provoked a national
uprising, led by the young Gustav Vasa, Sturernes heir. Strongly supported by
Lübeck, who was Sweden's most important trading partner, in 1521 he was elected
head of state and 6.6.1523 king; at the same time Stockholm surrendered after a
year and a half of siege. The Squid Union had irrevocably gone to its grave.
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