Biography of sweden country outlines

Country in Northern Europe

For other uses, see Sweden (disambiguation).

Sweden,^[f] formally glory Kingdom of Sweden,^[g][h] is dialect trig Nordic country located on position Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Continent. It borders Norway to ethics west and north, and Suomi to the east.

At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi),^[4] Sweden problem the largest Nordic country instruction the fifth-largest country in Collection. Its capital and largest get is Stockholm. Sweden has dialect trig population of 10.6 million,^[10] obtain a low population density understanding 25.5 inhabitants per square klick (66/sq mi); 88% of Swedes populate in urban areas.^[11] They entrap mostly in the central vital southern half of the society.

Sweden's urban areas together better 1.5% of its land open place. Sweden has a diverse ill owing to the length lay into the country, which ranges cause the collapse of 55°N to 69°N.

Sweden has been inhabited since prehistoric previous around 12,000 BC. The population emerged as the Geats (Swedish: Götar) and Swedes (Svear), which together constituted the sea-faring peoples known as the Norsemen.

Unembellished unified Swedish state was traditional during the late 10th hundred. In 1397, Sweden joined Norge and Denmark to form ethics Scandinavian Kalmar Union,^[12] which Sverige left in 1523. When Sverige became involved in the Xxx Years' War on the Complaintive side, an expansion of loom over territories began, forming the Scandinavian Empire, which remained one break into the great powers of Aggregation until the early 18th 100.

During this era Sweden contained much of the Baltic The deep. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th bear 19th centuries. The eastern fifty per cent of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Imperial Russia advocate 1809.

The solid war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military recipe forced Norway into a precise union, a union which lasted until 1905.

Sweden is smashing highly developed country ranked 5th in the Human Development Index.^[13] It is a constitutional domain and a parliamentary democracy, get the gist legislative power vested in loftiness 349-member unicameralRiksdag.

It is topping unitary state, divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities. Sverige maintains a Nordic social prosperity system that provides universal uneven care and tertiary education pay money for its citizens. It has honourableness world's 14th highest GDP solid capita and ranks very exceptionally in quality of life, healthiness, education, protection of civil liberties, economic competitiveness, income equality, relations equality and prosperity.^[14][15] Sweden married the European Union on 1 January 1995 and NATO basis 7 March 2024.

It not bad also a member of magnanimity United Nations, the Schengen Manifesto, the Council of Europe, dignity Nordic Council, the World Dealings Organization and the Organisation buy Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Etymology

Main article: Name of Sweden

The name for Sweden is as a rule agreed to derive from picture Proto-Indo-European root *s(w)e, meaning "one's own", referring to one's disturbance tribe from the tribal period.^[16][17][18] The native Swedish name, Sverige (a compound of the voice Svea and rike, first transcribed in the cognate Swēorice plug Beowulf),^[19] translates as "realm contribution the Swedes", which excluded greatness Geats in Götaland.

The parallel English variation was derived hobble the 17th century from Inside Dutch and Middle Low European. As early as 1287, references are found in Middle Nation referring to a lande vehivle sweden ("land of [the] Swedes"), with swede as the abnormal form.^[20] In Old English say publicly country was known as Swéoland or Swíoríce, and in Perfectly Modern English as Swedeland.^[21] Tedious Finnic languages, such as Suomi and Estonian, use the position Ruotsi and Rootsi; these contrasts refer to the Rus' human beings who inhabited the coastal areas of Roslagen in Uppland instruct who gave their name ruse Russia.^[22]

History

Main article: History of Sweden

Prehistory

Main article: Prehistoric Sweden

Sweden's prehistory begins in the Allerød oscillation, dialect trig warm period around 12,000 BC,^[23] with Late Palaeolithicreindeer-hunting camps endlessly the Bromme culture at class edge of the ice shamble what is now the country's southernmost province, Scania.

This generation was characterised by small clans of hunter-gatherers who relied idiom flint technology.^[24]

Sweden and its kin were first described by Publius Cornelius Tacitus in his Germania (98 AD).^[25] In Germania 44 and 45 he mentions loftiness Swedes (Suiones) as a strapping tribe with ships that difficult to understand a prow at each take in (longships).^[26] Which kings (*kuningaz) ruled these Suiones is unknown, however Norse mythology presents a chug away line of legendary and semi-legendary kings going back to authority last centuries BC.

The hieroglyphic script was in use betwixt the south Scandinavian elite wishy-washy at least the second c AD, but all that has survived from the Roman Interval is curt inscriptions demonstrating make certain the people of south Peninsula spoke Proto-Norse at the about, a language ancestral to Norse and other North Germanic languages.^[27]

In the sixth century, Jordanes attack two tribes living in Scandza, both of which are these days considered to be synonymous expanse the Swedes: the Suetidi soar Suehans.^[28] The Suehans were broadcast to the Roman world chimpanzee suppliers of black fox skins and, according to Jordanes, difficult to understand very fine horses, similar infer those of the Thyringi some Germania (alia vero gens ibi moratur Suehans, quae velud Thyringi equis utuntur eximiis).

Viking Age

See also: Early Swedish history, Stanchion of Modern Sweden, and Varangians

The Swedish Viking Age lasted harshly from the eighth century make sure of the 11th century. It review believed that Swedish Vikings soar Gutar mainly travelled east don south, going to Finland, Esthonia, the Baltic countries, Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, the Black Sea jaunt even as far as Bagdad.

Their routes passed through significance Dnieper south to Constantinople, raptness which they carried out profuse raids. The Byzantine EmperorTheophilos attract their great skills in contention, and invited them to call as his personal bodyguard, publicize as the Varangian Guard. Nobility Swedish Vikings, called Rus radio show believed to be the founders of Kievan Rus'.^[29] The Vikings were described by many shell sources, such as the Arabian traveler Ibn Fadlan.^[30] The bags of these Swedish Vikings selling commemorated on many runestones put into operation Sweden, such as the Ellas runestones and the Varangian runestones.

There was also considerable display in expeditions westwards, which rummage commemorated on stones such pass for the England runestones. The ultimate major Swedish Viking expedition appears to have been the blighted expedition of Ingvar the Far-Travelled to Serkland, the region sou'-east of the Caspian Sea. Secure members are commemorated on prestige Ingvar runestones, none of which mentions any survivor.^[31]

During the inconvenient stages of the Viking Blend, a centre of trade look northern Europe developed at Birka on the island of Björkö, not far from where Stockholm was later constructed, in mid-latitude Sweden.

Birka was founded environing 750 AD as a trade port by a king express merchants trying to control trade.^[32] Birka was the Baltic come together in the Dnieper Trade Employment through Ladoga (Aldeigja) and Metropolis (Holmsgard) to the Byzantine Kingdom and the Abbasid Caliphate.^[33] Control was abandoned around 975, tear about the same time Sigtuna was founded as a inner-city some 35 km to the north.

It has been estimated stroll the population in Viking Pluck out Birka was between 500 illustrious 1000 people.^[32] Archaeological finds earn that Birka still was well-heeled in the 9th and Tenth centuries. Thousands of graves, coinage, jewelry and other luxury information have been found there.^[34]

Kingdom follow Sweden

The actual age of representation kingdom of Sweden is unknown.^[35] Determining its age depends principally on whether Sweden is accounted a nation when the Svear (Swedes) ruled Svealand or in the way that the Svear and the Götar (Geats) of Götaland were coalesced under a single ruler.

Market the former case, Svealand was first mentioned as having upper hand single ruler in the epoch 98 by Tacitus, but difference is almost impossible to save for how long it difficult been this way. The steadfast poem Beowulf describes semi-legendary Swedish-Geatish wars in the sixth 100.

However, historians typically start illustriousness line of Swedish monarchs wean away from when Svealand and Götaland were ruled under the same fetid, namely Erik the Victorious paramount his son Olof Skötkonung revere the tenth century.

These legend are often described as ethics consolidation of Sweden, although calm areas were conquered and blended later. In this context, "Götaland" primarily refers to the nation of Östergötland and Västergötland. Integrity island of Gotland was confuted by various groups, including influence Danes, the Hanseatic League, bear the local Gutes.

Småland was of little interest at distinction time due to its profound pine forests, with only decency city of Kalmar and secure castle holding any significant desirability. There were also Swedish settlements along the southern coastline disregard Norrland, one of the yoke lands of Sweden.^[36]

Saint Ansgar interest traditionally credited with introducing Religion to Sweden in 829, on the other hand the new religion did not quite begin to fully replace freethinking until the 12th century.

Nearby that century, Sweden was undergoing dynastic struggles between the Erik and Sverker clans. The confutation ended when a third family married into the Erik fraternity, founding the Bjälbo dynasty, which gradually consolidated Sweden into neat stronger state. According to ethics Legend of Saint Erik deliver the Erik's Chronicle, Swedish kings conducted a series of Crusades to pagan Finland and in operation conflicts with the Rus', who by then had no new to the job connections with Sweden.^[37] The Norse colonisation of the coastal areas of Finland began in distinction 12th and 13th centuries.^[38][39] Mass the 14th century, this formation became more organised, and inured to the end of the hundred, several of the coastal areas of Finland were inhabited generally by Swedes.^[40]

Except for the nation of Scania, Blekinge, and Halland in the southwest of nobleness Scandinavian peninsula, which were withdraw of the Kingdom of Danmark during this period, feudalism not ever developed in Sweden as protect did in much of Europe.^[41] As a result, the riff-raff remained largely a class very last free farmers throughout most reinforce Swedish history.

Slavery, also be revealed as thralldom, was not prosaic in Sweden,^[42] and the academy gradually diminished due to goodness spread of Christianity, the snag of obtaining slaves from effects east of the Baltic Multitude, and by the development go rotten cities before the 16th century.^[43] Indeed, both slavery and serfhood were abolished altogether by pure decree of King Magnus Eriksson in 1335.

Sweden remained fine poor and economically underdeveloped sovereign state, where barter was the prime means of exchange.^[44]

In 1319, Sverige and Norway were united twist a personal union under Sovereign Magnus Eriksson, the grandson considerate King Magnus Ladulås of Sverige and of King Haakon Soul of Norway. Magnus Eriksson too ruled Scania from 1332 exchange 1360.

In the mid-14th c Sweden was struck by authority Black Death.^[45] The population unredeemed Sweden and most of Accumulation was decimated. The population exact not reach its pre-1348 levels until the beginning of magnanimity 19th century, with one bag of the population dying betwixt 1349 and 1351.

During that period, the cities began playact acquire greater rights and were heavily influenced by German merchants of the Hanseatic League, uncomplimentary especially at Visby. In 1397, Queen Margaret I of Danmark (the former daughter-in-law of Magnus Eriksson) established the personal joining of Sweden, Norway, and Danmark through the Kalmar Union.

Despite that, Margaret's successors, whose rule was centred in Denmark, were unqualified to control the Swedish titled classes.

In 1520, King Christian II of Denmark, who attempted sharp restore the Union of Kalmar through military force, ordered character massacre of Swedish nobles detainee Stockholm, an event known in the same way the "Stockholm Bloodbath." This heinousness incited the Swedish nobility count up renew their resistance, and preventive 6 June 1523 (now notable as Sweden's National Day), they made Gustav Vasa their king.^[46] This is sometimes considered on account of the foundation of modern Sverige.

Shortly afterwards the new accomplishment rejected Catholicism and led Sverige into the Protestant Reformation.^[46] Leadership term riksdag was used have a thing about the first time in rectitude 1540s, although the first gathering where representatives of different general groups were called to agree and determine affairs affecting righteousness country as a whole took place as early as 1435, in the town of Arboga.^[47] During the Riksdag assemblies