Sweden biography

The Kalmar Union

In , the crowns of Denmark, Norway and Sweden were united under the rule of the Danish Queen Margareta. In , the Kalmar Union was formed, with the three Scandinavian countries under a single monarch.

However, the union (–) was scarred by internal conflicts that culminated in the ‘Stockholm Bloodbath’ in , when 80 Swedish nobles were executed at the instigation of the Danish union king, Kristian II. The act provoked a rebellion, which in led to the deposition of Kristian II and the seizure of power by a Swedish nobleman, Gustav Vasa, who was elected king of Sweden in

The Vasa period

The foundations of the Swedish state were laid during the reign of Gustav Vasa (–60). The church was nationalised, its estates confiscated by the crown, and the Protestant Reformation was introduced. Power was concentrated in the hands of the king and hereditary monarchy came into force in

The Swedish empire

Following the dissolution of the Kalmar Union, the Swe

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The history of Sweden

But the political changes were successful in many ways, and things improved for Sweden. Many of the changes were possible because different groups in society negotiated with each other and reached agreements on things that were good for Sweden. One famous negotiation took place in , when two big organisations met in Saltsjöbaden, southeast of Stockholm, to negotiate workers' salaries. The organisations were the workers' trade union, Landsorganisationen i Sverige (LO), and Svenska Arbetsgivareföreningen (SAF), the Swedish Employers' Association. They decided during the negotiation on how they would collaborate and agree on workers' salaries in the future. This collaboration between employers and employees became known as "the Swedish model" and has been very important for the development of the Swedish economy. The Swedish model meant that things improved for people with lower salaries and that the differences in wealth between differ

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History of Sweden

The history of Sweden can be traced back to the melting of the nordlig Polar Ice Caps. From as early as &#;BC, humans have inhabited this area. Throughout the Stone Age, between &#;BC and &#;BC, early inhabitants used stone-crafting methods to make tools and weapons for hunting, gathering and fishing as means of survival.^[1] Written sources about Sweden before AD&#; are rare and short, usually written by outsiders. It is usually accepted that Swedish recorded history, in contrast with pre-history, starts around the late 10th century, when sources are common enough that they can be contrasted with each other.

The modern Swedish state was formed over a long period of unification and consolidation. Historians have set different standards for when it can be considered complete. Some common laws were present from the second half of the 13th century. At this time, Sweden consisted of most of what is today the southern part of the country (except for S