A Flatpack History of Sweden

Our milestone 50th episode is a case study on the Great Copper Mountain Mine (GCMM)! Since the Viking Age, we have seen great examples of entrepreneurship and business in Sweden, but nothing as long lasting as the Great Copper Mountain Mine, or Stora Kopparbergs Gruva. First mentioned in text way back in 1288 when the bishop of Västerås bought a share in the mine, but in reality a lot older, the G...

Welcome to the third and final instalment of the Shakespearean tale of an epic Swedish royal brotherly feud! Last time we saw Sweden being split in three with Birger, Erik and Valdemar getting one part each to rule over. At first it looks like this might work out, but it's not long before the three brothers are at each other's throats again. And this time, it's a fight to the death! The final show...

This episode will start and end with two of Sweden's most famous historical events from the Medieval period. That means that the 11 years between the two dramatic incidents are sometimes skimmed over in histories of the era. However, so much happens and the royal family drama somehow manages to go up a level! Bonus mini story at the end as we recount the tale of Botulf, the only Swede to ever be c...

Our history of Sweden podcast has reached a point often compared to a level of drama usually seen in a Shakespeare play! King Birger is finally old enough to take the reigns from the regency council but it doesn't take long for his two brothers Erik and Valdemar to try and grab that power for themselves. Thanks to their web of marriage alliances, the brothers' feud lights the touch paper and all o...

King Magnus III is dead and his young son Birger is too young to steer the Kingdom through choppy waters. Instead it is up to Marsk Torgil Knutsson to lead Sweden for the time being as head of the Regency Council. The 1200s end with Swedish attention turning to the east and a series of campaigns against old enemy Novgorod are launched. Back home, King Birger gets married to a Danish princess, sett...

King Magnus gets a chance to spend at least some of his time formalising royal control in Sweden during the 1280s. His brother gets a Dukedom, influential figures get the titles of Drots, Marsk and Kansler, and the important building project of Uppsala Cathedral comes under new management. The King mediates in two high profile conflicts and we also explain his unusual Swedish name, Ladulås. Oh, an...

After nearly 10 years feuding with his brother King Valdemar over who should rule Sweden, Magnus Birgersson finally gets his way and takes the throne after the Battle of Hova in 1275. The next five years are action-packed for Magnus and the Kingdom, as ex-King Valdemar sticks around stirring up trouble for his brother. Magnus quickly realises that Danish mercenaries are expensive as he starts his...

King Valdemar is finally free of the shackles that his father, Birger Jarl, placed on his rule and he is ready to do some actual kinging! He will reign, he will rule, he will change things, and he will build things. Or no, he actually will not do much at all. Because Valdemar has brothers, and one brother in particular, Magnus, will cause endless trouble for him and hamper his reign.  Still, he do...

Moi and welcome to Finland! From now, Finland will play an integral role in the history of Sweden. In this episode we go back in time, to cover hundreds of years of Finnish history until the Swedes come into the story. We cover how Finland developed, what the different societies living there looked like and what they go up to around the Baltic Sea. We then look at how the first interactions with S...

This time we introduce a new landmass to our chronological story: The island of Gotland! We cover thousands of years of Gotland's history, with a focus on trade and how it fits into the story of the Baltic Sea and the surrounding regions. We'll see why as time goes on, the island becomes more and more integrated with the Swedish Kingdom, but it definitely is a gradual process. We then look at the...

April 2021 saw the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Whilst widely known around the world as a disastrous industrial accident, Sweden's involvement in the aftermath is usually overlooked. In this new special episode, we will explore how the world outside the USSR found out about the disaster, with help from a Swedish power plant worker's shoes!    As it is a special episode, we h...

In our third and final episode about Birger Jarl, the mighty Jarl continues to rule as the puppet master of his son, King Valdemar. He appoints his other sons dukes and even uses the title himself occasionally. He has a second marriage and with that creates an unholy alliance that annoys the Danes. Plus, Sweden fights some more in the east, along with other developments. But even a mighty man like...

It is time to continue our discussion about the life and deeds of Birger Jarl. This time we look specifically at what happens in the 1250s, a busy decade for our rising leader. He is occupied by marrying off his kids to form political alliances, quashing domestic rebellions, and buttering up visiting German traders. We also see what happened in a war that never was! Finally we skip forward to the...

If Hollywood were to make a film on Sweden in the 1200s, the main character would be Birger Jarl. We saw him introduced to the story last time, but now we look at his life in detail, in the first of three episodes looking at his achievements and the impact he had on his country. In this first episode we cover his early life, entrance into politics and everything he does up until he declares his so...

We pick up where we left off in Episode 34, with the death of King Johan. Previously exiled Erik returns to Sweden from his mother's family in Denmark to take the throne as a young man. A regency council is appointed, before drama ensues amongst its members. Later in the episode, we witness the emergence of one of Sweden's most famous and important figures, as Sweden's first great statesman enters...

Surprise! It's not time for a regular episode this week, but instead we're bringing you an extra special episode. Back in April we had the pleasure of giving a talk at the Intelligent Speech Conference 2021. This is the recording of said talk, plus a brand new intro and outro that we've recorded specially.  In our talk we look at how and why Sweden, unlike all of its neighbours, escaped invasion d...

After a brief discussion of windmills in England, we pick up where we left off last time and continue our discussion of the legal system in the High Middle Ages in Sweden. Today we take a closer look at the practical aspects of legal practice, such as how courts worked and what punishments there were as society gradually moves away from Viking justice. We'll also meet Sweden's very first written d...

Welcome to the office of Law and Order: Medieval Sweden Unit! In the first of this two-part mini series on crime, laws and justice in Sweden during the 12th and 13th centuries, we're looking into some overarching changes to legal practices. In Part One, we examine what and who influenced these changes, such as the church and more contact with northern Europe. There will be blood feuds and the chur...

We kick off this episode with Sverker II, who returns from exile and becomes King of Sweden as the Jarl, Birger Brosa of the Bjälbo family, is busy pulling the strings behind the scenes. However, a few years later, after Birger Brosa finally leaves the scene, Sverker II quickly moves against the established system and the jenga tower of Swedish political power promptly comes toppling down. Who wil...

Finally, after 32 episodes and thousands of years of Swedish history, we can welcome you to the nation's capital Stockholm! It hasn't been around until now, but from the late 1100s onwards, it will explode onto the scene, with German merchants, forts and a royal presence. And, as a bonus, the Swedish phrase of the week also has a Stockholm theme!   P.S. Have a closer look at this week's episode pi...

King Sverker is dead. He will be followed by decades of fighting over the throne between his own Sverker dynasty and the rival Erik dynasty. In this episode, we cover the first four decades of this drama, which includes a King being proclaimed a Saint, more royal intermingling and the rise of a powerful, non-royal family of Jarls.  Seeing as the crazy marriages and family relations from last time...

Today we are dedicating an entire episode to the tumultuous times of King Sverker! No shortage of drama here, as we see another extended Danish civil war, introduce the Novgorod Republic (who are worthy of their own podcast series!) and discuss an evil crime committed by Sverker's horrendous son... We also meet the only English Pope, continue the story of Queen Rikissa, and try to figure out more...

In another episode full of regal drama, sometimes playing out more like a South American telenovela than Swedish history, we finish the story of the Stenkil dynasty, beginning with the brothers Filip and Inge the Younger. We also meet Ingegerd, in whom so many great historical narratives converge. Religious matters continue to keep the Swedes on their toes, as the Crusades turn local! We end up wi...

As Sweden progresses through the High Middle Ages, Christianity is becoming an increasingly important part of everyone's lives, from the kings down to the peasants. The church is taking control over some parts of local administration, education, taxation and large public building works such as Sweden's first abbeys. We can't understand life in Sweden at this point, and going forward, if we don't u...

The relative stability of the Olof Skötkonung dynasty is thrown into chaos. Strap yourselves in for power struggles, pagan revolts, more Scandinavian wars and the construction of Sweden's first Abbey. We rattle through half a century of political and royal drama as the crown changes hands back and forth throughout the period.    If you want to skip ahead in the narrative, on 24th April we will be...