Kingdom: Swedish Rulers

We've already seen Johan play a starring in his father's reign as "The Trouserless Jarl" but what will the lad get up to now he is the monarch? He witnessed his dad Sverker II's reign come to a crushing end at just seven years old, so he'll be keen to at least do better than that. At least he has the lovely Näs castle to visit from time to time and get away from it all... You can find out more inf...

What goes down must come up again in the 11 and 1200s in Sweden! That means we are back with the Erik dynasty and Erik X, who we saw kick out Sverker II in the previous episode. But after claiming the throne by force, what will he get up to and how will go he go about dealing with internal opposition across the country? You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follo...

This is part two of our two-part look into law and order in medieval Sweden. We will be back with the regular judging of rulers next time! You can catch up with the rest of the entire Flatpack archive wherever you find your podcasts; just search for A Flatpack History of Sweden. You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook Bluesk...

Sweden is changing quite dramatically with the help of a bunch of ambitious kings and jarls, all eager to put their stamp on the kingdom. One way we have seen a lot of changes recently was in how law and order was dealt with and how justice could be administered. Therefore, we are going to jump into the archives of A Flatpack History of Sweden and share with you this first part of a two-part look...

Sverker was just three years old when his father was brutally murdered at Näs castle and his life was flipped turned upside down. But just as night comes after day, the Sverker dynasty eventually returns to power after the Erik dynasty when Sverker takes to the throne, and he has grand plans. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the country don't really approve of him giving the most powerful role i...

Letters, seals, coins and documents; for once, we're drowning in information about a ruler's reign! All the evidence points to a great double act between Knut I and his Jarl Birger Brosa. But does this evidence of what was going on in Sweden lead to Knut receiving the three crowns, or is it just a case of knowing more about the day to day lives of the kings? Either way, there is a lot going on! Yo...

On paper, Karl VII's reign has everything you would want from a Swedish Medieval king: there's regicide, battles against Novgorod, lawmaking and church building. But does that mean it's interesting enough to merit him winning the Three Crowns? You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook Bluesky Twitter P.S. If you like Kingdöm,...

Just like his namesake Magnus I, this episode's Magnus spends most of his early life involved in Danish politics. However, as we saw last time, he jumps feet first into Swedish politics by organising the murder of king Sverker and then Erik the Holy last time around! But how will this Danish interloper deal with being king of a foreign country and how will he try and deal with the various factions...

It's Christmas Day when Erik gets the news that King Sverker has met his end outside a church. Erik has built up a lot of power locally, but will he be ready for the big job? And why is face all over Stockholm today? Bonus content: his wife has a beef with some monks that she decides to resolve in an unusual manner! You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us...

After four meatballs in a row, will Sverker the Elder fare better in our judgement of his reign? He will get round to founding his own dynasty, he marries his former enemy's mum and he builds two abbeys. However, he fails to control his son, who causes his reign massive problems. We will also hear a promo for the podcast Prime Factors , which you can find anywhere you get your podcasts! You can fi...

In a very special episode which we are sharing from the feed of our other podcast, A Flatpack History of Sweden, we interview the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Andreas Norlén. The Speaker reflects on the history behind his historic office, the period in history he would have most liked to have been Speaker and how he sees the reign of current king Carl Gustaf XVI. Bonus content includes Swedi...

This time we see our very first King Magnus, someone who essentially gets the throne of Sweden by virtue of being the last man standing... But does being the only sensible choice do him any favours amidst some more classic back and forth between Sweden and Denmark? This episode also gives us a chance to look into the election of Swedish kings and the ceremony behind such a process. It can provide...

Inge the Younger's name has good pedigree, but how will he get on ruling Sweden after the death of his brother Filip, who we saw last time around? Let's hope that he's at least a tiny bit more interesting! You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook Bluesky Twitter P.S. If you like Kingdöm, how about you check out A Flatpack His...

We're in the early 1100s and no one seems to be staying on the throne for very long. On paper though, Filip has the potential to be a good, long-lasting king. He's got strong royal heritage and manages to secure a good marriage alliance with Norway. On the other hand, he also manages to get himself into a border dispute with the same country. We'll see how he handles that and if it makes him worth...

Inge the Elder, who we met in our previous episode, had a brother called Halsten who also assumes the throne. But it's a stormy period in Swedish history. Will King A be able to hold on for long enough to actually leave a mark or will he only get a brief mention in the history books? You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook B...

We finally get a ruler who sticks around for a while! He's even around for so long that the Pope notices him and writes him a letter. But what should be the punishment for someone eating your horse and who really was Baron Bang? We answer all these important questions and more about Inge's reign! You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media her...

Håkan the Red was a true Viking style leader, coming to the forefront after the chaos of Erik and Erik. But what's his connection to U11 (which may or may not be a German submarine) and does he have what it takes to claim The Three Crowns? You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook Bluesky Twitter P.S. If you like Kingdöm, how...

Will the dynamic duo of Erik and Erik be a partnership to remember? Don't hold your breath... You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook Bluesky Twitter P.S. If you like Kingdöm, how about you check out A Flatpack History of Sweden? It’s available wherever you find your podcasts! You can find out more information about the podc...

Local legend Stenkil was a good archer and apparently quite pious. But that probably won't win him The Three Crowns on its own, so does this king with quite a cool name do anything else worthy of taking home the main prize? You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook Bluesky Twitter P.S. If you like Kingdöm, how about you check...

How many points do you get for a weird nickname and how many points do you lose for being conned by a fake archbishop? Listen as we review and judge the reign of Olof Skötkonung's other son, Emund. You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook Bluesky Twitter P.S. The podcast is called Kingdom: Swedish Rulers, but we will use the...

Following in the footsteps of your father, who also happens to be the first king of Sweden can’t be easy. Anund certainly has his job cut out for him, but he has learnt a few lessons from his dad Olof Skötkonung that he puts to good use. Will it be enough for him to walk away with The Three Crowns? You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media h...

It is time to judge our first ever ruler, the first king of Sweden, Olof Skötkonung! We cover the life of this interesting character who straddled eras, as we enter a country in the dying days of the Viking period. Will Olof do enough to win the coveted Kingdöm prize of The Three Crowns, or is his life story a bit of a bore? Here are a few maps which might help visualise where the various regions...

Welcome to our brand new podcast, Kingdom: Swedish Rulers!   In this new adventure, we are going to be ranking and judging all the Swedish kings, queens and regents, from Olof Skötkonung to Carl XVI Gustaf. In this episode we cover the background to the podcast, go through how we are going to judge each ruler and explain a little bit more about how the format works.  You can find out mor...

Welcome to Kingdom: Swedish Rulers, the new podcast ranking all the Swedish rulers from Olof Skötkonung to Carl XVI Gustaf! Brought to you by the podcasters behind the Swedish history podcast A Flatpack History of Sweden. Join us on our journey as we launch this new adventure on 1st January 2025! Find out more information here: www.aflatpackhistoryofsweden.com You can find out more information abo...