Swedish History

Prehistory in Sweden

The first known inhabitants of Sweden migrated there through Denmark around the year 10,000 BCE. These early settlers followed the receding glaciers of the last Ice Age and lived primarily as hunters and gatherers. They began farming by about 4000 BCE and had adopted bronze-working by 1500 BCE. Iron arrived around 1000 years later through Celtic and later Roman influence. For much of this early period, Scandinavia enjoyed a much warmer climate than it sees today. Toward the end of the Bronze Age, however, its climate turned damp and cool, a shift that likely pushed Germanic peoples to migrate into larger Europe.

The people of ancient Sweden were far from isolated, and they maintained trade networks with both Celtic and Germanic cultures as well as the Roman Empire. The tribes of this time appear to have organized on a small scale, with decisions made on a democratic basis. More complex political structures began to form with the development of an elite military class. Through conquest and diplomacy, these small chiefdoms and kingdoms carved up the lands that make up modern Sweden.

Sweden in the Viking Age

The decline of Rome fragmented Europe and brought new possibilities, as well as dangers, for its people. While neighboring Norway and Denmark began sailing west on Viking raids, the Swedes often looked to the east. Their ships carried both raiders and traders along the Baltic Sea coast and down the Volga and Dnieper Rivers. These rivers took them to the ports of rich cities like Kiev, Novgorod, Constantinople, and Baghdad. The Varangians, a Viking group led by Rurik, founded the state of Kievan Rus in the 9th century and the Byzantine Varangian Guard in the 10th. Not all of these relationships were peaceful; in 860, for example, Rus warriors sieged and pillaged Constantinople.

Christianity and the Middle Ages

This network of trade and warfare with Europe and the Byzantine Empire exposed the people of Sweden to many new ideas, including Christianity. Like most of Scandinavia, ancient Sweden practiced a branch of Germanic Paganism closely tied to the natural world. Early missionary efforts in Sweden were met with hostility, including the violent destruction of several churches. The first Christian king of Sweden was Olof Skötkonung, who reigned from 995 to 1022. Olof is also the first recorded Swedish monarch, though less reliable sources depict semi-mythical kings before him.

The pagan beliefs of Sweden did not disappear overnight. Instead, gradual Christianization eroded the older religion throughout the 12th century. Sweden emerged as a unified but somewhat unstable kingdom. Its borders grew and shrank as it competed with Russia and other Scandinavian powers for territory. The Black Death reached Norway in 1349, brought to its harbors by an English ship carrying a dead crew. The plague soon spread to Sweden, where it killed hundreds of thousands over the course of 20 years. Like much of Europe, this initial devastation led to an eventual increase in the quality of life for peasant farmers.

The Kalmar Union

In 1397, Queen Margaret I united the crowns of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, along with Iceland, Finland, and Greenland, under the Kalmar Union. This alliance formed in response to increasing German influence in the region, particularly through the Hanseatic League of merchants. The Union presented a strong front for Scandinavian interests, but its members were never able to fully trust each other. Internal disagreements and power struggles weakened the Union almost from the start. Sweden in particular resented the authority of Norway and Denmark.

Gustav Vasa and the Swedish Empire

In 1520, King Christian II of Norway and Denmark assumed the crown of Sweden. He immediately moved to suppress separatist movements within the state, leading to a series of executions known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. Gustav Vasa, whose father was killed in the purge, launched the Swedish War of Liberation in 1521. His victory two years later cemented his position as king of a newly independent Sweden, free of the Kalmar Union. Vasa was elected to his kingship, but he reformed the Swedish monarchy into a hereditary system. He further limited foreign power in Sweden by embracing the Protestant Reformation and Lutheranism.

King Gustav I founded modern Sweden, ushering in a new era of expansion and wealth. Under the leadership of Gustav II Adolph, Sweden stamped itself as a major military power in the Thirty Years’ War. Over the next century, Sweden expanded into an empire controlling much of the Baltic region. Its dominance in the region came to an end in 1709 with a defeat at the hands of Russia. The Empire came to a close by 1721, though Sweden retained its autonomy. Despite further military defeats and the gradual loss of its conquered lands, the kingdom continued to flourish through the Enlightenment period. Its monarchs were known as patrons of the arts, and the 18th and 19th centuries saw a shift toward more liberal policies.

Modern Sweden

Between 1814 and 1905, the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway unified again. Like the Kalmar Union, this alliance was an uneasy one. Norway had initially attempted to avoid the union by declaring independence, and the two nations remained distinct. The 19th century saw growing industrialization and a large immigration movement to booming countries like the United States. In 1907, men over the age of 24 received the right to vote. Women gained the same right in 1919. Sweden declared its neutrality in both World Wars. The nation ceded its railways to Nazi Germany, resulting in the invasion and occupation of Norway. Similarly, Sweden also remained neutral during the Cold War.

While Europe was occupied with these conflicts, Sweden focused on building an economy based on the principles of social democracy. The Nordic Model emphasizes access to education, union workforces, healthcare, public pensions, and low-regulation markets. This system has led to relatively high happiness levels and economic stability, despite several market dips. Sweden’s current monarch is Carl XVI Gustaf, who has ruled since 1973.

Learn More About Swedish Culture:

Cultural Overview | Geography | History | Daily Life | Society | Economy | Beliefs | Arts & Music

References

Kent, Neil. A Concise History of Sweden. Cambridge University Press. 2008.

Magnusson, Lars. An Economic History of Sweden. Routledge. 2002.

Myrdal, Janken and Mats Morell, eds. The Agrarian History of Sweden: 4000 BC to AD 2000. Nordic Academic Press. 2011.

Scott, Franklin Daniel. Sweden, the Nation's History. SIU Press. 1988.

Sprague, Martina. Sweden: An Illustrated History. Hippocrene Books. 2005.

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