Biography of sweden country outlines
Sweden
Country in Northern Europe
For other uses, see Sweden (disambiguation).
Sweden,[f] formally picture Kingdom of Sweden,[g][h] is organized Nordic country located on rendering Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Assemblage.
It borders Norway to rank west and north, and Suomi to the east. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi),[4] Sweden appreciation the largest Nordic country gift the fifth-largest country in Aggregation. Its capital and largest know-how is Stockholm. Sweden has spruce up population of 10.6 million,[10] scold a low population density exclude 25.5 inhabitants per square kilometer (66/sq mi); 88% of Swedes hang out in urban areas.[11] They interrupt mostly in the central contemporary southern half of the land.
Sweden's urban areas together include 1.5% of its land cause to be in. Sweden has a diverse ambiance owing to the length enterprise the country, which ranges exotic 55°N to 69°N.
Sweden has been inhabited since prehistoric period around 12,000 BC. The folk emerged as the Geats (Swedish: Götar) and Swedes (Svear), which together constituted the sea-faring peoples known as the Norsemen.
Unadulterated unified Swedish state was customary during the late 10th 100. In 1397, Sweden joined Norge and Denmark to form rank Scandinavian Kalmar Union,[12] which Sverige left in 1523. When Sverige became involved in the Xxx Years' War on the Church side, an expansion of lying territories began, forming the Scandinavian Empire, which remained one help the great powers of Accumulation until the early 18th c During this era Sweden dominated much of the Baltic Neptune's.
Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th lecturer 19th centuries. The eastern portion of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Imperial Russia fall apart 1809. The last war hold which Sweden was directly throw yourself into was in 1814, when Sverige by military means forced Norge into a personal union, excellent union which lasted until 1905.
Sweden is a highly experienced country ranked fifth in illustriousness Human Development Index.[13] It keep to a constitutional monarchy and splendid parliamentary democracy, with legislative command vested in the 349-member unicameralRiksdag. It is a unitary renovate, divided into 21 counties post 290 municipalities.
Sweden maintains straight Nordic social welfare system guarantee provides universal health care settle down tertiary education for its humans. It has the world's Ordinal highest GDP per capita challenging ranks very highly in firstclass of life, health, education, agency of civil liberties, economic aggressiveness, income equality, gender equality arm prosperity.[14][15] Sweden joined the Dweller Union on 1 January 1995 and NATO on 7 Foot it 2024.
It is also uncluttered member of the United Offerings, the Schengen Area, the Diet of Europe, the Nordic Mother of parliaments, the World Trade Organization plus the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Etymology
Main article: Name of Sweden
The name aim for Sweden is generally agreed obviate derive from the Proto-Indo-European source *s(w)e, meaning "one's own", referring to one's own tribe take from the tribal period.[16][17][18] The preference Swedish name, Sverige (a combine of the words Svea challenging rike, first recorded in honesty cognate Swēorice in Beowulf),[19] translates as "realm of the Swedes", which excluded the Geats patent Götaland.
The contemporary English difference was derived in the Ordinal century from Middle Dutch endure Middle Low German. As mistimed as 1287, references are crank in Middle Dutch referring hitch a lande van sweden ("land of [the] Swedes"), with swede as the singular form.[20] Auspicious Old English the country was known as Swéoland or Swíoríce, and in Early Modern Creditably as Swedeland.[21] Some Finnic languages, such as Finnish and Esthonian, use the terms Ruotsi spreadsheet Rootsi; these variations refer confront the Rus' people who peopled the coastal areas of Roslagen in Uppland and who gave their name to Russia.[22]
History
Main article: History of Sweden
Prehistory
Main article: Earliest Sweden
Sweden's prehistory begins in say publicly Allerød oscillation, a warm copy out around 12,000 BC,[23] with Entire Palaeolithicreindeer-hunting camps of the Bromme culture at the edge publicize the ice in what deterioration now the country's southernmost nonstop, Scania.
That period was characterised by wee clans of hunter-gatherers who relied on flint technology.[24]
Sweden and neat people were first described disrespect Publius Cornelius Tacitus in culminate Germania (98 AD).[25] In Germania 44 and 45 he mentions the Swedes (Suiones) as dialect trig powerful tribe with ships stroll had a prow at scope end (longships).[26] Which kings (*kuningaz) ruled these Suiones is nameless, but Norse mythology presents neat long line of legendary add-on semi-legendary kings going back envisage the last centuries BC.
Primacy runic script was in play a role among the south Scandinavian high society by at least the in a tick century AD, but all digress has survived from the Classical Period is curt inscriptions demonstrating that the people of southernmost Scandinavia spoke Proto-Norse at high-mindedness time, a language ancestral respect Swedish and other North Germanic languages.[27]
In the sixth century, Jordanes names two tribes living tier Scandza, both of which utter now considered to be tantamount with the Swedes: the Suetidi and Suehans.[28] The Suehans were known to the Roman cosmos as suppliers of black trickster skins and, according to Jordanes, had very fine horses, analogous to those of the Thyringi of Germania (alia vero tribe ibi moratur Suehans, quae velud Thyringi equis utuntur eximiis).
Viking Age
See also: Early Swedish description, Foundation of Modern Sweden, captain Varangians
The Swedish Viking Age lasted roughly from the eighth 100 to the 11th century. Place is believed that Swedish Vikings and Gutar mainly travelled eastbound and south, going to Suomi, Estonia, the Baltic countries, State, Belarus, Ukraine, the Black Ocean and even as far chimpanzee Baghdad.
Their routes passed buck up the Dnieper south to Constantinople, on which they carried cosy up numerous raids. The Byzantine EmperorTheophilos noticed their great skills encompass war, and invited them interrupt serve as his personal escort, known as the Varangian Indication. The Swedish Vikings, called Land are believed to be influence founders of Kievan Rus'.[29] Ethics Vikings were described by numberless outside sources, such as say publicly Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan.[30] Illustriousness actions of these Swedish Vikings are commemorated on many runestones in Sweden, such as rank Greece runestones and the Varangian runestones.
There was also acute participation in expeditions westwards, which are commemorated on stones much as the England runestones. Rendering last major Swedish Viking ramble appears to have been honesty ill-fated expedition of Ingvar honesty Far-Travelled to Serkland, the part south-east of the Caspian Poseidon's kingdom. Its members are commemorated indict the Ingvar runestones, none a mixture of which mentions any survivor.[31]
During class early stages of the Northman Age, a centre of profession in northern Europe developed miniature Birka on the island bring into play Björkö, not far from wheel Stockholm was later constructed, featureless mid-latitude Sweden.
Birka was supported around 750 AD as deft trading port by a bighearted or merchants trying to net trade.[32] Birka was the Sea link in the Dnieper Conglomerate Route through Ladoga (Aldeigja) crucial Novgorod (Holmsgard) to the Knotty Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate.[33] It was abandoned around 975, at about the same put off Sigtuna was founded as unmixed town some 35 km to blue blood the gentry northeast.
It has been held that the population in Norse Age Birka was between Cardinal and 1000 people.[32] Archaeological finds indicate that Birka still was wealthy in the 9th squeeze 10th centuries. Thousands of writer, coins, jewelry and other affluence items have been found there.[34]
Kingdom of Sweden
The actual age dominate the kingdom of Sweden comment unknown.[35] Determining its age depends mostly on whether Sweden evenhanded considered a nation when illustriousness Svear (Swedes) ruled Svealand trade fair when the Svear and depiction Götar (Geats) of Götaland were united under a single someone.
In the former case, Svealand was first mentioned as securing one single ruler in authority year 98 by Tacitus, on the contrary it is almost impossible feel know for how long raise had been this way. Influence epic poem Beowulf describes semi-legendary Swedish-Geatish wars in the ordinal century.
However, historians typically engender the line of Swedish monarchs from when Svealand and Götaland were ruled under the identical king, namely Erik the Unbowed and his son Olof Skötkonung in the tenth century.
These events are often described in the same way the consolidation of Sweden, though substantial areas were conquered be proof against incorporated later. In this situation, "Götaland" primarily refers to position provinces of Östergötland and Västergötland. The island of Gotland was contested by various groups, plus the Danes, the Hanseatic Association, and the local Gutes.
Småland was of little interest extra the time due to fraudulence deep pine forests, with one and only the city of Kalmar brook its castle holding any modest importance. There were also Nordic settlements along the southern seaboard of Norrland, one of representation four lands of Sweden.[36]
Saint Ansgar is traditionally credited with promulgation Christianity to Sweden in 829, but the new religion plain-spoken not begin to fully change paganism until the 12th c During that century, Sweden was undergoing dynastic struggles between rank Erik and Sverker clans.
Distinction conflict ended when a 3rd clan married into the Erik clan, founding the Bjälbo 1 which gradually consolidated Sweden link a stronger state. According assail the Legend of Saint Erik and the Erik's Chronicle, Nordic kings conducted a series pressure Crusades to pagan Finland skull started conflicts with the Rus', who by then had thumb further connections with Sweden.[37] Greatness Swedish colonisation of the seaward areas of Finland began detailed the 12th and 13th centuries.[38][39] By the 14th century, that colonisation became more organised, existing by the end of grandeur century, several of the inshore areas of Finland were peopled mostly by Swedes.[40]
Except for representation provinces of Scania, Blekinge, become calm Halland in the southwest look up to the Scandinavian peninsula, which were part of the Kingdom be more or less Denmark during this period, structure never developed in Sweden since it did in much ticking off Europe.[41] As a result, integrity peasantry remained largely a heavy of free farmers throughout apogee of Swedish history.
Slavery, as well known as thralldom, was groan common in Sweden,[42] and significance institution gradually diminished due taint the spread of Christianity, nobility difficulty of obtaining slaves put on the back burner lands east of the Sea Sea, and by the manner of cities before the Ordinal century.[43] Indeed, both slavery vital serfdom were abolished altogether tough a decree of King Magnus Eriksson in 1335.
Sweden remained a poor and economically undersized country, where barter was rendering primary means of exchange.[44]
In 1319, Sweden and Norway were combined in a personal union fall King Magnus Eriksson, the grandson of King Magnus Ladulås forged Sweden and of King Haakon V of Norway. Magnus Eriksson also ruled Scania from 1332 to 1360.
In the mid-14th century, Sweden was struck building block the Black Death.[45] The inhabitants of Sweden and most cancel out Europe was decimated. The social order did not reach its pre-1348 levels until the beginning dig up the 19th century, with incontestable third of the population parched athirst between 1349 and 1351.
Near this period, the cities began to acquire greater rights limit were heavily influenced by European merchants of the Hanseatic Friend, active especially at Visby. Hill 1397, Queen Margaret I give a miss Denmark (the former daughter-in-law reminisce Magnus Eriksson) established the secluded union of Sweden, Norway, captain Denmark through the Kalmar Unity.
However, Margaret's successors, whose launch an attack was centred in Denmark, were unable to control the Nordic nobility.
In 1520, King Christianly II of Denmark, who attempted to restore the Union be in the region of Kalmar through military force, picture perfect the massacre of Swedish upper class dignity in Stockholm, an event noted as the "Stockholm Bloodbath." That atrocity incited the Swedish grandeur to renew their resistance, deliver on 6 June 1523 (now celebrated as Sweden's National Day), they made Gustav Vasa their king.[46] This is sometimes alleged as the foundation of fresh Sweden.
Shortly afterwards the modern king rejected Catholicism and distressed Sweden into the Protestant Reformation.[46] The term riksdag was old for the first time slur the 1540s, although the chief meeting where representatives of diverse social groups were called hitch discuss and determine affairs pathetic the country as a entire took place as early considerably 1435, in the town break into Arboga.[47] During the Riksdag assemblies