Kingdom: Swedish Rulers

Sten Sture the Younger is taking his turn to rule Sweden as regent! Denmark are angry and there are also forces moving against him within the Swedish council, after his replacement of the short-reigned regent Erik Trolle. We also see what happens when you fire a cannonball over an icy lake... You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: F...

What would you do if you were regent of Sweden for a week or so? That's the question Erik Trolle might have asked himself when he got a shot at the top job for a bit in the 1510s. We'll see what he gets up to and how he fares in the ranking... 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 K...

We cover the man in the middle of the two Sten Stures. How will Svante Nilsson go about succeeding his frenemy Sten Sture the Elder as regent and what exactly was that crazy plan to make sure his succession went off without a hitch? We also have more fighting with Denmark before our most unhinged Carving their Runestone round ever. Check out why by taking a look at Svante Nilsson's seal ... You ca...

Hans finally manages to get his father's throne back. But now he's wrangled the Swedes back into the Kalmar Union, what does he actually get round to? After all, the Swedes are often less than happy about having a Dane on the throne... Oh, and what even is his name in the first place?? You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook...

We finally have a clean slate and can move the story forward with someone we haven't covered before! We also get to cover our second "the Elder" which is fun. The name Sten Sture is quite famous in Swedish history, but what does this chap get up to as Sweden tries to move on from the backstabbing era of Karl Knutsson Bonde! There will of course be more war with Denmark though, don't worry... Here...

He's back for one more try (and another)! After spending some time in exile down in Poland, Karl Knutsson Bonde is now back and this time he has a plan. Sort of... How does one even go about trying to pick up the pieces when Sweden has been torn apart more times than we can remember over just this one man's lifetime? Join us to find out and see what score KKB gets, both for this period and what hi...

We hope you are hungry for some more Swedish history content, as today we cover our sixth regent; EAT! Erik Axelsson Tott won't starve you of excitement, coming from a powerful border nobility family with all the credentials needed for a 15th century nobleman. But having a powerful family doesn't mean you can deal with an exiled Swedish king, a kicked out Danish ruler and a whole bunch of other an...

Last time we had our first bishop on the podcast and today we upgrade and see our first archbishop! Why does Åsa not want to seem soft on torture, why is JBO Chris' favourite character we have covered so far and how will our man navigate the choppy waters of the 1400s during not one but two spells as regent? Let's look into our 5th person to serve as Riksföreståndare in the past thirty years! You...

It is time for our third episode covering a regent. But how will Kettil Karlsson Vasa manage as Riksföreståndare after he leads a revolt to avenge his cousin the archbishop and remove the deeply unpopular Kristian I from Sweden? Perhaps his great education in Germany and connections to the powerful Oxenstierna family will help lead him towards claiming The Three Crowns? You can find out more infor...

We have a German king of Denmark on the throne of Sweden this time. There's tumult within the Kalmar Union and a lot of Swedes aren't keen for this chap to come in and start ruling them. However, as long as Kristian sticks to two very simple rules, we're sure he'll be fine... You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media here: Facebook Bluesky T...

It is time for the second part of KKB's life. Karl Knutsson Bonde will be the first, but not last person to be both riksföreståndare and king, but how will his terms as regent and monarch be judged in the cold light of history? Listen to find out! 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 Kingd...

We've reached one of our favourite, or at least most interesting rulers. Karl Knutsson Bonde, or KKB, will go on to bend Swedish political life to his will, but how does he go about doing it? In this first part, we look at his early travels around Europe, how he received political offices very young and discuss the first few of his many rivalries with other nobles. He also manages to squeeze in a...

This time we're not judging or ranking anyone, but looking into the way castles dominated the landscape of Sweden, both physically and politically. We have seen in the last few episodes how commanders of castles played key roles and even rose to the heights of being a regent of all Sweden, but what did they do when they were back at home in the castle? Who lived there, what jobs were done and what...

We have our first regents and our first episode on two people; the Oxenstierna brothers! In this very long titled episode, we cover the life of and political rise of Bengt Jönsson Oxenstierna and Nils Jönsson Oxenstierna. We look into how they rose through the ranks before judging their brief time at the helm as they rule Sweden as Riksföreståndare! One of them likes castles and one of them likes...

King Chris is brought in from abroad after Erik of Pomerania was unceremoniously removed from his throne. But will Chris really lead the Kalmar Union into its most calm and stable period, or is he going to have a fight on his hands to pick up all the pieces? 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...

Erik was the result of a wide search to find an heir for Margareta, following the death of her son Olof. He's been taking on ruler-responsibilities whilst his foster mother was still alive, but now he's on the throne for real. Will he be able to follow in Margareta's footsteps and keep the kingdoms of the Kalmar Union together, or will the independent minded Swedes eventually tire of his constant...

This time we conclude the epic story about the life of Queen Margareta. How will she hold together everything she has built so far and how will her actions shape the surrounding region? Plus, how will people react when her adopted son Erik gradually wields more power as the ruler of all three Scandinavian kingdoms, in the brand new and unprecedented Kalmar Union? You can find out more information...

Finally, after 30 episodes, it's time for a woman ruler! And not just any woman. Margareta is born a Danish princess and her journey to the Swedish throne is quite a remarkable one. So remarkable in fact, we need two episodes to cover it. In this first one, we will see Margareta using her skills to manoeuvre both her son and herself to tremendous positions of power across all three Nordic kingdoms...

Albert's dad, confusingly also called Albert, gives him the throne of a foreign country. But what will our Albert do once he has an entire realm to rule by himself? The most important question is though; why is nobody turning up to his meetings? 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...

The second son of Magnus IV was perhaps more successful than his brother Erik XII, but does that mean he scores more points? He had to deal with his brother's rebellion, his father's capture by Albert of Mecklenburg and a whole bunch of stuff to do with his rule over in Norway. Plus at the end he had a formidable woman by his side too. Lots to talk about this week! You can find out more informatio...

Erik XII doesn't spend too much time on the throne, as we saw last time in his father's episode, but he does manage to get up to a fair amount of stuff. Plus, rebelling against your father to get there in the first place is a pretty big deal. But how will we judge him when it comes to the categories? You can find out more information about the podcast on our website , and follow us on social media...

The Black Death has arrived in Sweden and promises to upend Magnus IV's reign. Add in money woes and problems in the family and you get a choatic mix that even the best rulers of medieval Europe would struggle to deal with. But how does Magnus go about dealing with all of this and will he come out of it with The Three Crowns on his head? You can find out more information about the podcast on our w...

We're back with the next king and ready to kick start 2026 with the reign of another King Magnus! We cover his early life, the period his mother was in control whilst he was busy being a child, as well as the beginnings of his own rule. We'll see how he expands the kingdom, creates some new laws but also sees the beginnings of some discontent brewing. If you want some homework before Part Two, you...

We've covered around 300 years of Swedish history on our first year of Kingdom and a lot has changed in the country since the time of Olof Skötkonung. So what does Sweden look like now we enter the new century of the 1300s? What are the major towns and cities and what sort of things have stood out on the way so far? We look back into the Flatpack archives for an episode that fits in perfectly here...

King Birger comes to throne on the back of a lot drama in recent decades. His grandfather was his namesake Birger Jarl and his father Magnus Ladulås had taken the throne by overthrowing Valdemar. The drama will only continue in Birger's reign, as we see a famous event in Swedish history, worthy of Shakespeare or Game of Thrones. But what else will this ruler get up to and will he be worthy of rece...