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96-628: During excavations in 1992–2000, the remnants of three different medieval fortresses were found at the site of the Nyenschantz fortress. The only one known historically is the Swedish fortress Landskrona, built in 1300 by Tyrgils Knutsson , the Lord High Constable of Sweden. Landskrona was an enormous and unusually well-fortified wooden fortress with eight towers. In the spring of 1301, the Russians amassed

192-649: A millennium ago . These people include the Swedish-speakers in mainland Finland – speaking a Swedish dialect commonly referred to as Finland Swedish (finlandssvenska which is part of the East-Swedish dialect group) and the almost exclusively Swedish-speaking population of Åland speaking in a manner closer to the adjacent dialects in Sweden than to adjacent dialects of Finland Swedish. Estonia also had an important Swedish minority which persisted for about 650 years on

288-492: A daughter Kristina Torgilsdotter, who married Torkel's godson and later enemy Duke Valdemar . She appears to have been repudiated by the duke upon her father's execution, as Valdemar is soon reported to have married with Ingeborg Eriksdottir of Norway . Torkel's second wife was countess Hedvig of Ravensberg . Torkel's powerful personality and tragic end has been the matter of poetry, in e.g. B. v. Beskow 's tragedy Torkel Knutsson . A statue of Torkel (by Ville Vallgren )

384-529: A distinct ethnic group during this time. Swedes enters written proto-history with the Germania of Tacitus in 98 AD. In Germania 44, 45 he mentions the Swedes ( Suiones ) as a powerful tribe ( distinguished not merely for their arms and men, but for their powerful fleets ) with ships that had a prow in both ends ( longships ). Which kings ( kuningaz ) ruled these Suiones is unknown, but Norse mythology presents

480-505: A few northern German territories: Swedish Pomerania , Bremen-Verden and Wismar . The Swedish armies may have destroyed up to 2,000 castles, 18,000 villages and 1,500 towns in Germany , one-third of all German towns. In the middle of the 17th century Sweden was the third largest country in Europe by land area, only surpassed by Russia and Spain. Sweden reached its largest territorial extent under

576-451: A fiscal crisis in the early 1990s. Sweden's GDP declined by around 5%. In 1992, there was a run on the currency, with the central bank briefly increasing interest to 500%. The response of the government was to cut spending and institute a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden's competitiveness, among them reducing the welfare state and privatising public services and goods. Much of the political establishment promoted EU membership, and

672-536: A large army and laid siege to the fortress. The Swedes retreated to the basement when a fire broke out inside the fortress. The last of the Swedish defenders were captured, and the Russians burned down the fortress. In 1609, the Vyborg Treaty was signed by Sweden and Tsardom of Russia as a package of military agreements that were supposed to be mutually beneficial. It was signed by King Charles IX of Sweden and Vasili IV (also known as Vasily Shuisky) of Russia in

768-454: A long line of legendary and semi-legendary kings going back to the last centuries BC. As for literacy in Sweden itself, the runic script was in use among the south Scandinavian elite by at least the second century AD, but all that has survived from the Roman Period is curt inscriptions on artefacts, mainly of male names, demonstrating that the people of south Scandinavia spoke Proto-Norse at

864-554: A member of the privy council ( Riksråd ) . Before his death, King Magnus Ladulås (ca. 1240-1290) ordered his kinsman, Torgils Knutsson, the Constable of the Realm, to be the guardian of his son Birger. When King Magnus Ladulås died, Torkel became regent for the underage Birger Magnusson (1280–1321). When Tavastland had been attacked by the Republic of Novgorod , in 1292, Torkel led

960-463: A modern parliamentary democracy, achieved by the time of World War I. As the Industrial Revolution progressed during the 20th century, people gradually began moving into cities to work in factories and became involved in socialist unions. A communist revolution was avoided in 1917, following the re-introduction of parliamentarism , and the country saw comprehensive democratic reforms under

1056-622: A trading hub with around 2,000 people, making it much more prominent and wealthier than Swedish Ingria's new capital, Nöteborg . According to church records, the town's population was primarily made up of Finns , secondarily Swedes , and some Germans . Around this time, Nyen's governor, John Geselia the Younger, banned Orthodox Christian Swedish subjects from settling in or near the town following tensions with Lutherans . The ban on Orthodox residents effectively cleansed Nyen of ethnic Russian , Izhorian , and Karelian inhabitants. In 1656, Nyenskans

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1152-442: Is Swedish ( svenska [ˈsvɛ̂nːska] ) a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is, to a considerable extent, mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with spoken Danish (see especially " Classification "). Along with the other North Germanic languages, Swedish

1248-726: Is a descendant of Old Norse , the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era . It is the largest of the North Germanic languages by numbers of speakers. Standard Swedish , used by most Swedish people, is the national language that evolved from the Central Swedish dialects in the 19th century and was well established by the beginning of the 20th century. While distinct regional varieties descended from

1344-502: Is found in the ethnonym of the Germanic tribe Suebi , preserved to this day in the name Swabia . Like other Scandinavians , Swedes descend from the presumably Indo-European Battle Axe culture and also the Pitted Ware culture . Prior to the first century AD there is no written evidence and historiography is based solely on various forms of archeology . The Proto-Germanic language

1440-559: Is sometimes considered as the foundation of modern Sweden . Shortly afterwards he rejected Catholicism and led Sweden into the Protestant Reformation . Economically, Gustav Vasa broke the monopoly of the Hanseatic League over Swedish Baltic Sea trade. The Hanseatic League had been officially formed at Lübeck on the sea coast of Northern Germany in 1356. The Hanseatic League sought civil and commercial privileges from

1536-582: Is thought to have originated in the arrival of the Battle Axe culture in Scandinavia and the Germanic tribal societies of Scandinavia were thereafter surprisingly stable for thousands of years. The merger of the Battle Axe and Pitted Ware cultures eventually gave rise to the Nordic Bronze Age which was followed by the Pre-Roman Iron Age . Like other North Germanic peoples , Swedes likely emerged as

1632-405: Is unknown, with sources ranging from its almost complete demolition as early as 1704 to its repurposing and remaining intact as late as the 1760s. Other documents and maps suggest Nyenskans was gradually demolished over the following decades as Saint Petersburg expanded onto the land in the direct vicinity of the fort. By 1849, the central strengthening of Nyenskans was still known to exist, although

1728-478: Is usually credited for introducing Christianity in 829, but the new religion did not begin to fully replace paganism until the 12th century. During the 11th century, Christianity became the most prevalent religion, and from 1050 Sweden is counted as a Christian nation. The period between 1100 and 1400 was characterized by internal power struggles and competition among the Nordic kingdoms. Swedish kings also began to expand

1824-650: The Anglo-Saxon elite had extensive contacts with Swedish elite. In the sixth century Jordanes named two tribes, which he calls the Suehans and the Suetidi , who lived in Scandza . The Suehans, he says, have very fine horses just as the Thyringi tribe ( alia vero gens ibi moratur Suehans, quae velud Thyringi equis utuntur eximiis ). The Icelander Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241) wrote of

1920-641: The Battle of Narva in 1700, one of the first battles of the Great Northern War , the Russian army was so severely decimated that Sweden had an open chance to invade Russia. However, Charles did not pursue the Russian army, instead turning against Poland–Lithuania and defeating the Polish king Augustus II and his Saxon allies at the Battle of Kliszow in 1702. This gave Russia time to rebuild and modernize its army. After

2016-646: The Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate . It was abandoned c.  AD 975 , around the same time Sigtuna was founded as a Christian town some 35 km to the northeast. It has been estimated that the population in Viking Age Birka was between 500 and 1000 people. Archaeological finds indicate that Birka was still wealthy in the 9th and 10th centuries. Thousands of graves, coins, jewelry and other luxury items have been found there. St. Ansgar

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2112-443: The De la Gardie Campaign , effectively defeating False Dmitry II. The Ingrian War was triggered in 1610 as the new stability of Russia led to increased resistance to Polish occupation and Swedish influence in the country. As the Polish occupation of Moscow had ended, Russia began to actively resist the Swedish influence as they sought to regain control over occupied territories, including

2208-639: The England Runestones . The last major Swedish Viking expedition appears to have been the ill-fated expedition of Ingvar the Far-Travelled to Serkland , the region south-east of the Caspian Sea . Its members are commemorated on the Ingvar Runestones , none of which mentions any survivor. What happened to the crew is unknown, but it is believed that they died of sickness. It is not known when and how

2304-661: The Geats to the south. It is believed that Swedish Vikings and Gutar mainly travelled east and south, going to Finland, the Baltic countries, Russia, Belarus , Ukraine the Black Sea and further as far as Baghdad . Their routes passed through the Dnieper down south to Constantinople , on which they did numerous raids. The Byzantine Emperor Theophilos noticed their great skills in war and invited them to serve as his personal bodyguard, known as

2400-697: The Polish–Russian War following the invasion of the country by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth the same year. Sweden itself was fighting against the Poles in the Polish–Swedish War and viewed their eastward expansion into Russian lands as a security threat. The terms of the Vyborg Treaty stipulated that Sweden would supply a corps of mercenaries to Shuisky to fight False Dmitry II and

2496-605: The Third Swedish Crusade against Novgorod, in 1293 and conquered parts of Karelia , where he founded the stronghold of Vyborg Castle . In 1299–1300, he led an attack against the Novgorodians , and he founded the Landskrona fortress on Okhta river at the influx of Neva . The old trade treaties with Lübeck were re-established, on condition that the town did not provide Novgorod with weapons or provisions. Torkel showed

2592-703: The Visigoths and the Ostrogoths , and established powerful successor-states of the Roman Empire in the Iberian Peninsula and Italy respectively. Crimean Gothic communities appear to have survived intact in the Crimea until the late-18th century. The Swedish Viking Age lasted roughly between the eighth and 11th centuries. During this period, it is believed that the Swedes expanded from eastern Sweden and incorporated

2688-505: The varangian guard . The Swedish Vikings, called " Rus " are also believed to be the founding fathers of Kievan Rus . The Arabic traveller Ibn Fadlan described these Vikings as following: I have seen the Rus as they came on their merchant journeys and encamped by the Itil . I have never seen more perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blond and ruddy; they wear neither tunics nor caftans, but

2784-466: The 'kingdom of Sweden' was born, but the list of Swedish monarchs is drawn from the first kings who ruled both Svealand (Sweden) and Götaland (Gothia) as one province with Erik the Victorious . Sweden and Gothia were two separate nations long before that into antiquity. It is not known how long they existed, but Beowulf described semi-legendary Swedish-Geatish wars in the sixth century. During

2880-592: The 1809 loss of eastern Sweden to Russia which became the highly autonomous Grand Principality of Finland in Imperial Russia . In interest of reestablishing Swedish dominance in the Baltic Sea, Sweden allied itself against its traditional ally and benefactor, France, in the Napoleonic Wars . Sweden's role in the Battle of Leipzig gave it the authority to force Denmark-Norway, an ally of France, to cede Norway to

2976-668: The American military in Iraq. Sweden also has a long history of participating in international military operations, including most recently, Afghanistan , where Swedish troops are under NATO command, and in EU sponsored peacekeeping operations in Kosovo , Bosnia and Herzegovina , and Cyprus . Sweden held the chair of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2009. The native language of nearly all Swedes

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3072-499: The Centre Party). Between 1870 and 1914, Sweden began developing the industrialized economy that exists today. Strong grassroots movements sprung up in Sweden during the latter half of the 19th century ( trade unions , temperance groups, and independent religious groups), creating a strong foundation of democratic principles. In 1889 The Swedish Social Democratic Party was founded. These movements precipitated Sweden's migration into

3168-535: The Holy Roman states. Gustav Adolphus planned to become the new Holy Roman Emperor , ruling over a united Scandinavia and the Holy Roman states, but he died at the Battle of Lützen in 1632. After the Battle of Nördlingen , Sweden's only significant military defeat of the war, pro-Swedish sentiment among the German states faded. These German provinces excluded themselves from Swedish power one by one, leaving Sweden with only

3264-592: The King of Sweden on 14 January 1814 in exchange for northern German provinces, at the Treaty of Kiel . The Norwegian attempts to keep their status as a sovereign state were rejected by the Swedish king, Charles XIII . He launched a military campaign against Norway on 27 July 1814, ending in the Convention of Moss , which forced Norway into a personal union with Sweden under the Swedish crown, which lasted until 1905. The 1814 campaign

3360-556: The Kingdom of Sweden had a much larger territory, especially during "The Era of Great Power" ( Swedish Empire ) in 1611–1718. Finland was a part of Sweden until 1809. Since there was no separate Finnish nationality at those times, it is not unusual that sources predating 1809 refer both to Swedes and Finns as "Swedes". This is particularly the case with New Sweden , where some of the Swedish settlers were of Finnish origin. Questionnaire surveys of Swedish embassies conducted by Swedes Worldwide,

3456-577: The Neva where it was located, with " Schlöt " corresponding to "(funnel) neck, narrows, chimney". Schlötburg stood in contrast to Shlisselburg (" Key -town "), the new name for Nöteborg at the other end of the Neva River, which Peter believed was the "Key to Ingria". The last Swedish commandant of Nyenskans was Colonel Johan Apolloff, who was preceded by Colonel Alexander Pereswetoff-Morath , a descendant of Russian noblemen, boyars , who had entered Swedish service in

3552-420: The Poles in exchange for Swedish control of the nearby strategic Korela Fortress , as well as its town Kexholm and the respective county. Shuisky agreed to the terms but was an unpopular ruler with little power. Shortly after signing the Vyborg Treaty, Russia's fortunes began to rise, and Shuisky was forced out of power in 1610. A coalition between Swedish general Jacob de la Gardie and Russian princes launched

3648-600: The Swedish Empire, Sweden was a very poor and scarcely populated country on the fringe of European civilization, with no significant power or reputation. Sweden rose to prominence on a continental scale during the tenure of king Gustavus Adolphus , seizing territories from Russia and Poland–Lithuania in multiple conflicts, including the Thirty Years' War . During the Thirty Years' War, Sweden conquered approximately half of

3744-576: The Swedish city of Vyborg , located on the Karelian Isthmus close to Russian territory. The treaty came at an unstable period in Russian history known as the Time of Troubles , where the death of Tsar Feodor I in 1598 led to decades of civil war . In 1605, following the death of de facto ruler Boris Godunov , Vasily Shuisky came to power, triggering a conflict with a pretender to the Russian throne, False Dmitry II . Additionally, Russia began fighting

3840-413: The Swedish economy had deteriorated. It became the lifetime task of Charles' son, Charles XI , to rebuild the economy and refit the army. His legacy to his son, the coming ruler of Sweden Charles XII , was one of the finest arsenals in the world, a large standing army and a great fleet. Sweden's largest threat at this time, Russia, had a larger army but was far behind in both equipment and training. After

3936-611: The Swedish involvement in rescue missions at the internment camps and partly because Sweden served as a haven for refugees, primarily from the Nordic countries and the Baltic states . Nevertheless, internal and external critics have argued that Sweden could have done more to resist the Nazi war effort, even if risking occupation although doing so would likely have resulted in even greater number of casualties and prevented many humanitarian efforts. Sweden

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4032-502: The Swedish referendum passed with 52% in favour of joining the EU on 13 November 1994. Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995. After over 200 years of neutrality, Sweden joined NATO on 7 March 2024, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine . Sweden has had extensive cooperation with other European countries in the area of defence technology and defence industry. Among others, Swedish companies export weapons that are used by

4128-565: The Swedish-controlled territory in Finland, creating conflicts with the Rus who no longer had any connection with Sweden. Except for the province of Skåne , on the southernmost tip of Sweden which was under Danish control during this time, feudalism never developed in Sweden as it did in the rest of Europe. Therefore, the peasantry remained largely a class of free farmers throughout most of Swedish history. Slavery (also called thralldom )

4224-695: The United States. In the early 20th century, more Swedes lived in Chicago than in Gothenburg (Sweden's second largest city). Most Swedish immigrants moved to the Midwestern United States , with a large population in Minnesota , with a few others moving to other parts of the United States and Canada. Despite the slow rate of industrialization into the 19th century, many important changes were taking place in

4320-506: The agrarian economy because of innovations and the large population growth. These innovations included government-sponsored programs of enclosure , aggressive exploitation of agricultural lands, and the introduction of new crops such as the potato. Because the Swedish peasantry had never been enserfed as elsewhere in Europe, the Swedish farming culture began to take on a critical role in the Swedish political process, which has continued through modern times with modern Agrarian party (now called

4416-764: The beautiful cityscape. This caused protests from the city conservation activists, but they defended the location only after archeologists found remains of the star fort and preceding structures. Gazprom eventually moved the construction site to the northwest outskirt of the city Lakhta (from Finnish lahti "bay, inlet"), and the skyscraper crosscut as a star fort is now known as Lakhta Center . It may also hold public activity and leisure spaces as well as offices. [REDACTED] Media related to Nyenschantz at Wikimedia Commons 59°56′39″N 30°24′25″E  /  59.9441666767°N 30.4069444544°E  / 59.9441666767; 30.4069444544 Tyrgils Knutsson Torkel ( Tyrgils or Torgils ) Knutsson (died 1306)

4512-457: The beginning of the end for the Swedish Empire. Charles XII attempted to invade Norway 1716; however, he was shot dead at Fredriksten fortress in 1718. The Swedes were not militarily defeated at Fredriksten, but the whole structure and organization of the Norwegian campaign fell apart with the king's death, and the army withdrew. Forced to cede large areas of land in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, Sweden also lost its place as an empire and as

4608-407: The city's population and burning it down to prevent the Russians from taking it. On May 1, 1703, Sweden lost Nyenskans to the Russians when the fortress was taken by Peter the Great during the Ingrian campaign of the Great Northern War. The site of Nyenskans and Nyen was reformed by Peter into the new city of Schlötburg, meaning " Neck-town " in German , a reference to the long, narrow section of

4704-521: The coast and isles . Smaller groups of historical descendants of 18th–20th-century Swedish emigrants who still retain varying aspects of Swedish identity to this day can be found in the Americas (especially Minnesota and Wisconsin ; see Swedish Americans ) and in Ukraine. Currently, Swedes tend to emigrate mostly to the Nordic neighbour countries (Norway, Denmark, Finland), English speaking countries (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand), Spain, France and Germany. Historically,

4800-407: The disastrous Battle of Kircholm being one of the highlights. One-third of the Finnish population died in the devastating famine that struck the country in 1696. Famine also hit Sweden, killing roughly 10% of Sweden's population. The Swedes conducted a series of invasions into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , known as the Deluge . After more than half a century of almost constant warfare,

4896-470: The dominant state on the Baltic Sea. With Sweden's lost influence, Russia emerged as an empire and became one of Europe's dominant nations. As the war finally ended in 1721, Sweden had lost an estimated 200,000 men, 150,000 of those from the area of present-day Sweden and 50,000 from the Finnish part of Sweden. In the 18th century, Sweden did not have enough resources to maintain its territories outside Scandinavia, and most of them were lost, culminating with

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4992-427: The dukes arrived at Torkel's estate of Lena (where formerly the Battle of Lena had taken place) in Västergötland , and arrested Torkel who was taken to Stockholm in chains. In February 1306, the marshal was decapitated. His body was interred at the place of execution. It was later moved and buried at the Franciscan church in Stockholm. Torkel was married twice. His first wife, whose origins are unknown, gave him

5088-467: The earliest known original area inhabited by their linguistic ancestors, is in the country of Sweden, situated on the eastern side of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the islands adjacent to it, situated west of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe . The Swedish-speaking people living in near-coastal areas on the north-eastern and eastern side of the Baltic Sea also have a long history of continuous settlement, which in some of these areas possibly started about

5184-414: The early stages of the Viking Age, a centre of trade in northern Europe developed at Birka on the island of Björkö , not far from where Stockholm was later constructed, in mid-latitude Sweden. Birka was founded around 750 AD as a trading port by a king or merchants trying to control trade. Birka was the Baltic link in the Dnieper Trade Route through Ladoga ( Aldeigja ) and Novgorod ( Holmsgard ) to

5280-402: The economic life of that city and made the port city of Stockholm into the leading commercial and industrial city of Sweden. Under the Hanseatic trade two-thirds of Stockholm's imports consisted of textiles and one third of salt. Exports from Sweden consisted of iron and copper. However, the Swedes began to resent the monopoly trading position of the Hansa (mostly German citizens) and to resent

5376-406: The exact date of its demolition is also unknown. Today, nothing above the ground remains of Nyenskans, and the site is now in Saint Petersburg's Krasnogvardeysky District . On June 15, 2000, a monument designed by V. A. Reppo was opened on the site of the fortress. In May 2003, on the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg, the museum "700 years: Landskrona, the Neva Mouth, Nyenschantz" was opened at

5472-456: The exception of the Winter War when it declared itself non-belligerant . It's neutrality during the rest of the war has also been disputed. Sweden was under German influence for much of the war, as ties to the rest of the world were cut off through blockades. The Swedish government felt that it was in no position to openly contest Germany, and therefore made some concessions. Sweden also supplied steel and machined parts to Germany throughout

5568-414: The fact that the peasantry had traditionally been free meant that more of the economic benefits flowed back to them rather than going to a feudal landowning class. This was not the case in other countries of Europe like Poland where the peasantry was still bound by serfdom and a strong feudalistic land owning system. During the 17th century Sweden emerged as a European great power . Before the emergence of

5664-496: The first decades of the 17th century. Nyenskans, under the name Schlötburg, functioned in Russian service only for some weeks before it was retired as an active military garrison . In 1703, Peter decided to found Saint Petersburg , a brand new capital city for the Tsardom of Russia, from scratch in the Neva River delta on the land around Nyenskans. Peter had disliked Moscow, Russia's largest city and historical capital, which he considered inconveniently located and too isolated from

5760-439: The globe, entered a period of economic decline and upheaval, following the oil embargoes of 1973–74 and 1978–79. In the 1980s pillars of Swedish industry were massively restructured. Shipbuilding was discontinued, wood pulp was integrated into modernized paper production, the steel industry was concentrated and specialized, and mechanical engineering was robotized. Between 1970 and 1990 the overall tax burden rose by over 10%, and

5856-469: The growth was low compared to other countries in Western Europe. The marginal income tax for workers reached over 80% . Eventually government spent over half of the country's gross domestic product . Sweden GDP per capita ranking declined during this time. A bursting real estate bubble caused by inadequate controls on lending combined with an international recession and a policy switch from anti-unemployment policies to anti-inflationary policies resulted in

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5952-425: The income they felt they lost to the Hansa. Consequently, when Gustav Vasa or Gustav I broke the monopoly power of the Hanseatic League he was regarded as a hero to the Swedish people. History now views Gustav I as the father of the modern Swedish nation. The foundations laid by Gustav would take time to develop. Furthermore, when Sweden did develop and freed itself from the Hanseatic League and entered its golden era,

6048-428: The iron would be shipped abroad. A large number of children inherited the Swedish crown over the course of the kingdom's existence. King Christian II of Denmark ordered a massacre in 1520 of Swedish nobles at Stockholm. This came to be known as the " Stockholm blood bath " and stirred the Swedish nobility to new resistance and, on 6 June (now Sweden's national holiday) in 1523, they made Gustav Vasa their king. This

6144-467: The joint Liberal-Social Democrat cabinet of Nils Edén and Hjalmar Branting , with universal and equal suffrage to both houses of parliament enacted for men in 1918 and for women in 1919. The reforms were widely accepted by King Gustaf V , who had previously ousted Karl Staaff 's elected Liberal government in the Courtyard Crisis because of differences in defence policy. Sweden remained officially neutral during World War I and most of World War II, with

6240-475: The men wear a garment which covers one side of the body and leaves a hand free. Each man has an axe, a sword, and a knife, and keeps each by him at all times. The swords are broad and grooved, of Frankish sort. The adventures of these Swedish Vikings are commemorated on many runestones in Sweden, such as the Greece Runestones and the Varangian Runestones . There was also considerable participation in expeditions westwards, which are commemorated on stones such as

6336-463: The older rural dialects still exist, the spoken and written language is uniform and standardized. Some dialects differ considerably from the standard language in grammar and vocabulary and are not always mutually intelligible with Standard Swedish. These dialects are confined to rural areas and are spoken primarily by small numbers of people with low social mobility . Though not facing imminent extinction , such dialects have been in decline during

6432-413: The only way to prevent famine and rebellion; over 1% of the population emigrated annually during the 1880s. Nevertheless, Sweden remained poor, retaining a nearly entirely agricultural economy even as Denmark and Western European countries began to industrialize. Many looked towards America for a better life during this time. It is believed that between 1850 and 1910 more than one million Swedes moved to

6528-412: The other Nordic countries , in particular Finland where they are an officially recognized minority, with Swedish being one of the official languages of the country, and with a substantial diaspora in other countries, especially the United States . The English term "Swede" has been attested in English since the late 16th century and is of Middle Dutch or Middle Low German origin. In Swedish ,

6624-428: The past century, despite the fact that they are well researched and their use is often encouraged by local authorities. According to recent genetic analysis, both mtDNA and Y chromosome polymorphisms showed a noticeable genetic affinity between Swedes and other Germanic ethnic groups. Paternally , through their Y-DNA haplogroups , the Swedes are quite diverse and show strongly of Haplogroup I1d1 at over 40% of

6720-410: The peasantry and some became laborers in the towns. Still, Sweden remained a poor and economically backward country in which barter was the means of exchange. For instance, the farmers of the province of Dalsland would transport their butter to the mining districts of Sweden and exchange it there for iron, which they would then take down to the coast and trade the iron for fish they needed for food while

6816-504: The population tested in different studies, followed by R1a1a and R1b1a2a1a1 with over 20% each and haplogroup N1c1 with over 5% at different regional variance. The rest are within haplogroups J and E1b1b1 and other less common ones. Maternally , through their mtDNA haplogroups , the Swedes show very strongly of haplogroup H at 25–30%, followed by haplogroup U at a 10% or more, with haplogroup J and T , K at around 5% each. The largest area inhabited by Swedes, as well as

6912-585: The princes and royalty of the countries and cities along the coasts of the Baltic Sea. In exchange they offered a certain amount of protection. Having their own navy the Hansa were able to sweep the Baltic Sea free of pirates. The privileges obtained by the Hansa included assurances that only Hansa citizens would be allowed to trade from the ports where they were located. They also sought agreement to be free of all customs and taxes. With these concessions, Lübeck merchants flocked to Stockholm, Sweden and soon came to dominate

7008-581: The province of Ingria , which Sweden insisted on keeping based on Russia violating conditions in the Vyborg Treaty. Sweden constructed a fortress in Ingria at a strategic position at the confluence of the prominent Neva River and one of its tributaries , the Okhta River . The new fort was officially named Nyenskans, derived from the Swedish terms Nyen -, the name for the Neva, and - skans meaning " bastion ", and

7104-476: The rest of Europe . He also had an interest in seafaring and maritime affairs, believing Russia needed a new port city to replace Arkhangelsk , which he similarly considered to be inconveniently located. Technically, the land still officially belonged to Sweden and was occupied during fighting in the Great Northern War, but despite this, construction of the city began anyway. The exact fate of Nyenskans

7200-459: The riches were probably acquired through the control of mining districts and the production of iron. The rulers had troops of mounted elite warriors with costly armour. Graves of mounted warriors have been found with stirrups and saddle ornaments of birds of prey in gilded bronze with encrusted garnets. The Sutton Hoo helmet very similar to helmets in Gamla Uppsala, Vendel and Valsgärde shows that

7296-430: The rule of Charles X after the treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The foundation of Sweden's success during this period is credited to Gustav I 's major changes on the Swedish economy in the 16th century, and his introduction of Protestantism . In the 17th century, Sweden was engaged in many wars, for example with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth with both sides competing for territories of today's Baltic states , with

7392-467: The same concerns about Swedish domestic politics. During his regency, the law of Uppland was established. He acted as Birger Jarl had done in the conflict against the church, in order to abolish the clergy's tax exemption. The clergy's discontent became apparent in 1303. In the struggles between King Birger Magnusson and his brothers, Erik Magnusson , Duke of Svealand (c. 1282 – 1318) and Valdemar Magnusson , Duke of Finland (c. 1282 – 1318), Torkel

7488-507: The same height. Originating in semi-legendary Scandza (believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland , Sweden), a Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the second century AD. They reaching Scythia on the coast of the Black Sea in modern Ukraine, where Goths left their archaeological traces in the Chernyakhov culture . In the fifth and sixth centuries, they became divided as

7584-485: The site of the fortress. In early 2007, the remains of Nyenskans' bastions were identified during archaeological excavations , which were necessitated by the threat of irrecoverable exploitation of the entire site to development from the territory of demolished shipyard Petrozavod to the grounds for planned skyscraper headquarters of the Moscow-based national natural gas monopoly Gazprom , Okhta Center , that would dwarf

7680-593: The sixth-century Swedish king Adils (Eadgils) that he had the finest horses of his days. The Suehans supplied black fox-skins for the Roman market. Then Jordanes names the Suetidi which is considered to be the Latin form of Svitjod . He writes that the Suetidi are the tallest of men—together with the Dani , who were of the same stock. Later he mentions other Scandinavian tribes as being of

7776-491: The success of invading Poland, Charles decided to make an invasion attempt of Russia which ended in a decisive Russian victory at the Battle of Poltava in 1709. After a long march exposed to cossack raids, Russian Tsar Peter the Great 's scorched-earth techniques and the extremely cold winter of 1709 , the Swedes stood weakened with a shattered morale and enormously outnumbered against the Russian army at Poltava. The defeat meant

7872-606: The term is svensk , which is from the name of svear (or Swedes), the people who inhabited Svealand in eastern central Sweden , and were listed as Suiones in Tacitus ' history Germania from the first century AD. The term is believed to have been derived from the Proto-Indo-European reflexive pronominal root, *s(w)e , as the Latin suus . The word must have meant "one's own (tribesmen)". The same root and original meaning

7968-606: The time, a language ancestral to Swedish and other North Germanic languages . The migration age in Sweden is marked by the extreme weather events of 535–536 which is believed to have shaken Scandinavian society to its core. As much as 50% of the population of Scandinavia is thought to have died as a result and the emerging Vendel Period shows an increased militarization of society. Several areas with rich burial gifts have been found, including well-preserved boat inhumation graves at Vendel and Valsgärde , and tumuli at Gamla Uppsala . These were used for several generations. Some of

8064-574: The turn of the 18th century, numerous Swedish and Finnish suburban manors were built outside the Nyen fortification ring. Most were along the Neva, some of which were located at a considerable distance from the city. In 1700, the danger of Russian invasion increased following the beginning of the Great Northern War , which resumed formal hostilities between Sweden and Russia. Reportedly, in October 1702, Sweden feared an imminent Russian invasion of Nyen, evacuating

8160-454: The two dukes to sign a declaration that they would not cause any harm to Torkel either. When the power of the dukes was on the rise again, Torkel had to reconcile with the church, and he ordered a charter on the renewal of the church's old rights, in 1305. However, Torkel was finally struck by the vengeance of his enemies. The dukes managed to win the trust of the king and poisoned the king's mind against Torkel In December 1305, King Birger and

8256-455: The war. However, Sweden supported Norwegian resistance, and in 1943 helped rescue Danish Jews from deportation to Nazi concentration camps . Sweden also supported Finland in the Winter War with volunteers and materiel . Toward the end of the war, Sweden began to play a role in humanitarian efforts and many refugees, among them many Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe, were saved partly because of

8352-503: Was Lord High Constable of Sweden , member of the Privy Council of Sweden ( Riksråd ), and virtual ruler of Sweden during the early reign of King Birger Magnusson (1280–1321). Torkel hailed from an old noble family of West Geatish ancestry and was related to the House of Bjälbo ( Folkungaätten ). He was first mentioned in 1282. In documents from 1288, he is mentioned as a knight and

8448-522: Was attacked by Russia during an invasion led by Pyotr Potemkin . The attack was repelled, but it badly damaged Nyen, and Sweden moved the administrative centre of Swedish Ingria from Nöteborg to Narva . In 1677, the defences of Nyenskans and Nyen were enforced by a ring of new fortifications consisting of lunettes with batteries and moats . By the end of the 17th century, Nyenskans entered its final form after it had been modernized by an extensive project led by engineer Heinrich von Soylenberg. The fort

8544-509: Was capable of housing 500 people. The Ingrian War ended in Swedish victory in 1617 after the signing of the Treaty of Stolbovo , resulting in Russia ceding the territories to Sweden. In 1632, the settlement of Nyen was developed across the Okhta from Nyenskans, which was granted town privileges and became the administrative centre of Swedish Ingria in 1642. By the mid-17th century, Nyen had prospered as

8640-403: Was expanded to house 600 people, converted into a star fort featuring five wooden and earthen bastions, two additional ravelins , crownworks along the bastions not pointing towards the rivers, and a smaller accompanying half-fort built on the opposite bank of the Neva. Upon the completion of the project, Nyenskans was thought by Sweden to be the most modern fortress in the world at the time. By

8736-577: Was faithfully on the king's side. At Torkel's castle Aranäs , in 1304, the two dukes had to sign a declaration that they would neither in Sweden, nor abroad, work against the king nor cause him harm. In spite of this declaration, the two dukes fled abroad and with the support of the Norwegian king Haakon V of Norway , they attacked Västergötland . Torkel helped the king conquer the castle of Nyköping , which belonged to Duke Eric, and in Kolsäter (1305), he forced

8832-405: Was not common in Sweden, and what slavery there was tended to be driven out of existence by the spread of Christianity, the difficulty in obtaining slaves from the lands east of the Baltic Sea, and by the development of cities before the 16th century Indeed, both slavery and serfdom were abolished altogether by a decree of King Magnus IV Eriksson in 1335. Former slaves tended to be absorbed into

8928-449: Was officially a neutral country and remained outside NATO or Warsaw pact membership during the Cold War , but privately Sweden's leadership had strong ties with the United States and other western governments. Following the war, Sweden took advantage of an intact industrial base, social stability and its natural resources to expand its industry to supply the rebuilding of Europe. Sweden

9024-608: Was part of the Marshall Plan and participated in the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ). During most of the post-war era, the country was governed by the Swedish Social Democratic Party largely in cooperation with trade unions and industry. The government actively pursued an internationally competitive manufacturing sector of primarily large corporations. Sweden, like countries around

9120-561: Was raised, in 1908, on the square Rådhustorget in Vyborg . [REDACTED] This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok , a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain . Swedes Swedes ( Swedish : svenskar ), or Swedish people , are an ethnic group native to Sweden , who share a common ancestry, culture , history and language . They mostly inhabit Sweden and

9216-515: Was the last war in which Sweden participated as a combatant. There was a significant population increase during the 18th and 19th centuries, which the writer Esaias Tegnér in 1833 attributed to "peace, vaccine , and potatoes ". Between 1750 and 1850, the population in Sweden doubled. Sweden was hit by the last natural caused famine in Europe, the Famine of 1867-69 killed thousands in Sweden. According to some scholars, mass emigration to America became

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