The adoption of Christianity is believed to have aided in the absorption of Viking communities into the greater religious and cultural framework of the European continent. In the wave of Viking attacks in England after 851, only one kingdomWessexwas able to successfully resist. Besides, he was a monarch in 970. According to the Old Norse language history of the Viking Age known as the Heimskringla, Harald Bluetooth (ruled c. 958-986) was the first Christian King of Denmark. Unlike other groups, these strange new invaders had no respect for religious institutions such as the monasteries, which were often left unguarded and vulnerable near the shore. Denmark was the most easily transformed, as the Viking raids slowly introduced the religion through the Christian wives and slaves brought back as war prizes. Adolf Frederick or Adolph Frederick was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin, and Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach. [5] Many of the legendary kings would have ruled during the Migration Period (c. 375550) and subsequent Vendel Period (c. 550790), but larger political structures in Scandinavia (i. e. the medieval kingdoms of Sweden, Norway and Denmark) are not believed to have formed and centralized until the Viking Age. Ynglinga saga appears to have been based on an earlier scaldic poem, Ynglingatal, which is quoted at length by Snorri. Something went wrong. Vlvas, practitioners of seid, a Scandinavian pre-Christian tradition, were executed or exiled under newly Christianized governments in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Between 1820 and 1920 just over two million Scandinavians settled in the United States. While the nationality of Rollo is in disputesome sources say Norwegian and others say Danishthere is no question that most of his followers were Danes, many from the Danelaw area. Sacrifice-Svein) ruled between 1084 and 1087. [13] The Ynglinga saga might also be an example of anti-royal social commentary rather than an attempt to tell history. Norway and Denmark subsequently became signatory parties of the North Atlantic Treaty and members of NATO. In addition, Germany highly valued the Swedish iron ore they received through Norway and could not afford to lose it. This new people advanced up to Uppland and the Oslofjord, and they probably provided the language that was the ancestor of the modern Scandinavian languages. Canute (I), byname Canute the Great, Danish Knut, or Knud, den Store, Norwegian Knut den Mektige, (died Nov. 12, 1035), Danish king of England (1016-35), of Denmark (as Canute II; 1019-35), and of Norway (1028-35), who was a power in the politics of Europe in the 11th century, respected by both emperor and pope. From c. 9,000 to 6,000 B.P. From this time archaeologists have found swords, shieldbosses, spearheads, scissors, sickles, pincers, knives, needles, buckles, kettles, etc. In the first half of the 10th century, English armies led by the descendants of Alfred of Wessex began reconquering Scandinavian areas of England; the last Scandinavian king, Erik Bloodaxe, was expelled and killed around 952, permanently uniting English into one kingdom. Eric the Victorious was the first ruler to be accepted by the Greats around Lake Vattern and the original Swedes around Lake Malaren. He invaded England and Ethelred fled to France. The countries had given up their sovereignty but not their independence, and diverging interests (especially Swedish dissatisfaction over the Danish and Holsteinish dominance) gave rise to a conflict that would hamper it from the 1430s until its final dissolution in 1523.[24]. The Goi-chieftain orgeirr Ljsvetningagoi was instrumental in bringing this about. After a short war with Sweden, Norway had to concede to a personal union with Sweden at the Convention of Moss. On 14 January 1814, at the Treaty of Kiel, the king of Denmark-Norway ceded Norway to the king of Sweden. While many Germanic tribes sustained continued contact with the culture and military presence of the Roman Empire, much of Scandinavia existed on the most extreme periphery of the Latin world. [14] The first king of the Swedes, Eric, was married to Gunhild, of the Polish House of Piast. This region of northern France is now known as Normandy, or land of the Northmen.. In Denmark industrialization began in, and was confined to, Copenhagen until the 1890s, after which smaller towns began to grow rapidly. Historia de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus, http://blog.svd.se/historia/2011/10/13/varfor-jag-inte-tror-pa-sagokungar/, "Concerning Mass Graves: the Use, Development and Identities Within Mass Graves During the Scandinavian Iron Age and Middle Ages", "Kungalngder och historieskrivning: Fornsvenska och fornislndska kllor om Sveriges historia", "De ldsta sveakungarna enligt Ynglingasagan", "Kings and Queens of Sweden A thousand year succession", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_legendary_kings_of_Sweden&oldid=1135221997, This page was last edited on 23 January 2023, at 10:58. The Christianization of Scandinavia occurred nearly simultaneously with the end of the Viking era. His sister, Sophie, gained renown as the first female scholar in Scandinavia. The legendary kings of Sweden ( Swedish: sagokonungar, sagokungar, lit. [28] Britain thereafter attacked the Danish fleet at the battle of Copenhagen (1801) and bombarded the city during the second battle of Copenhagen (1807). Since he was childless, Sweden chose as his successor the commander in chief of the Norwegian army, Prince Christian August of Augustenborg. No more Danish attempts would be made to re-create the Kalmar Union following this war. First Look With Surveillance: Microsoft, Alphabet. Mycenaean Greece, the Villanovan Culture, Phoenicia and Ancient Egypt have all been identified as possible sources of influence in Scandinavian artwork from this period. Rollo Rollo became the first ruler of Normandy in the early 10 th century. Denmark called up much of its military, but Germany still violated Danish sovereignty to some extent, for example by mining the resund. Scandinavia was divided during the Napoleonic Wars. However, his sudden death in 1810 forced the Swedes to look for another candidate, and once more they chose an enemy officer. The Thirty Years' War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the Central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire but also involving most of the major continental powers. Some valleys close to the watershed were indeed ice-free around 30 000 years B.P. The Nstvet and Lihult tribes learnt new technology from the advancing farmers (but not agriculture) and became the Pitted Ware cultures towards the end of the 4th millennium BC. However, they were able to work around that with trade agreement with Britain. The Kalmar War in 16111613 was the last serious (although possibly unrealistic) attempt by a Danish King (Christian IV) to re-create the Kalmar Union by force. In 844, Vikings stormed Seville (then controlled by the Arabs); in 859, they plundered Pisa, though an Arab fleet battered them on the way back north. Denmark and Norway were also unlike in their cooperation with Germany's genocidal policy. Try again The Kalmar Union (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish: Kalmarunionen) was a series of personal unions (13971520) that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden under a single monarch. These repressive measures ensured that the cooperation was small. Denmark also maintained colonies in India, Tranquebar and Frederiksnagore. witosawa 3. Approximately 200 burial sites have been investigated in the region from this period of 3,000 years.[2]. Having seized Rouen and practically razed it to the ground, the Vikings entered an agreement with the King of France. As a result of the war, Finland which formed the eastern third of Sweden proper became the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within Imperial Russia. The war did have a significant impact on the economy of the area, primarily as a result of the British blockade of Germany. It is possible that the saga preserves a grain of the truth, perhaps being an embellishment of vague memories of an ancient warrior king, but most of what is said of Ivar Vidfamne has to be considered legendary and fictional. The nine greatest Viking kings and leaders are: Ragnar Lodbrok Cnut the Great Erik the Red Rollo of Normandy Herald of Norway Olaf Tryggvason Leif Eriksson Ivar the Boneless Gorm the Old These leaders and kings are known for their incredible reigns, legacies, and famous discoveries. Large-scale raids, often organized by royal leaders, hit the coasts of Europe and especially England, where the line of kings descended from Alfred the Great was faltering. The Western allies sent military assistance, but the campaign was not effectively run. Harald Fairhair (c. 870-c. 930) is generally recognized as Norway's first true king. After the war, all of the Scandinavian countries agreed that some form of mutual defense policy was necessary. Britain believed Germany was planning to invade and made counter plans for its own invasion. A relatively large number of ethnic Danes from southern Jutland fought in the German army.[32][33]. Updated: June 7, 2019 | Original: November 4, 2009. Many Swedish runestones tell tales of Swedish Vikings, such as Skoglar Toste and Ulf of Borresta, who left for glory and Gld (ransom money) in England.Ulf of Borresta is memorized on a runsetone in Sweden, commemorating that Ulf had taken three danegelds in England; with Skagul Toste in 991, with Thorkel the High in 1012, and with Canute the Great . Alone out of the three Scandinavian countries, Sweden was not invaded and remained nominally neutral during the war. As an administrator, Christian IV had done remarkably well, obtaining for his kingdom a level of stability and wealth that was virtually unmatched elsewhere in Europe, paid for by the resund toll and extensive war reparations from Sweden. The union provided fixed exchange rates and stability in monetary terms, but the member countries continued to issue their own separate currencies. As the story goes, King Gylfi thinks he will be able to sneak into Asgard without anyone knowing who he was, but the gods foresaw his arrival and made the realm appear even more grand than it was in . This period is known for being poor in archaeological finds. All Rights Reserved. Near the beginning of World War II in late 1939, both the Allies and the Axis Powers feared their enemies gaining power in Scandinavia. No written source mentions a king by the name Eyvsl, though the context of the stone does not make it clear whether he ruled as king or whether he was simply a prince.[7]. Near the end of the 6th millennium BC, the Kongemose culture was replaced by the Erteblle culture in the south. From 1630 to 1634, they drove the Catholic forces back and regained much of the occupied Protestant lands. According to later Icelandic histories, some of the early Viking settlers in Greenland (supposedly led by the Viking hero Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red) may have become the first Europeans to discover and explore North America. Aud Haakonsdottir of Lade. During the Ingrian War Sweden expanded its territories eastward. A Carolingian mission (c. 820) was welcomed by King Bjorn of Sweden. Swedish settlers were mostly present in Rus, Livonia, and other eastern regions while the Norwegians and the Danish were primarily concentrated in western and northern Europe[citation needed] . Derry, T.K. During the Viking Age, the Vikings (Scandinavian warriors and traders) raided, colonized and explored large parts of Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, as far west as Newfoundland. More than 96% of the Jewish population was boated to safety in Sweden, while others found refuge with Christian Danish families and organizations. [4] The Ynglings are described in the Ynglinga saga as the first royal blood line of the Swedes. The inept government of King Gustav IV Adolf led to his deposition and banishment. By the late 10th century, some Vikings (including the famous Erik the Red) moved even further westward, to Greenland. On 17 May 1814 the Constitution of Norway was signed by the assembly, and Christian Frederik was elected as king of independent Norway. [4] According to the Ynglinga saga, the earliest rulers used the title drotin (modern Swedish: Drott). [9], The sequence of kings presented below is given by the Hervarar saga, a saga written in the 12th or 13th century. [11] As a historical source, the Ynglinga saga is much better used as a source on historiography and society during Sturluson's own time than as a source on Sweden's early history. [6], According to the Ynglinga saga, the Yngling dynasty's rule in Sweden was succeeded by Ivar Vidfamne, previously a petty king in Scania, who founded a new royal line. The Danish East India Company operated out of Tranquebar. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Labor unions could only exist if they accepted Nazi control. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. Apr 25, 2023, 12:06 PM PDT. The Nordic countries established the Nordic Council in 1952 and the Nordic passport union two years later. The Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe established Uraniborg, one of Europe's finest research centers, in the late 1570s. In the writings of his companion Rimbert, the Vita Ansgari, several Swedish kings (who all precede Eric the Victorious) and who they met or heard of at Birka, an important Viking Age trading center, are mentioned. Norway, which was in union with Sweden entered the union two years later, in 1875 by pegging its currency to gold at the same level as Denmark and Sweden (.403grams [2]). Rollo (Norman: Rou, Rolloun; Old Norse: Hrlfr; French: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who, as Count of Rouen, became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France.He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had secured a permanent foothold on Frankish soil in the valley of the lower Seine.After the Siege of Chartres in 911, Charles the Simple . During the 5th millennium BC, the Erteblle people learned pottery from neighbouring tribes in the south, who had begun to cultivate the land and keep animals. On these stones, it is Harald Bluetooth who is recorded as being the first King of Norway - as well as Denmark. However, they would occasionally aid the Allies. In Iceland, the Vikings left an extensive body of literature, the Icelandic sagas, in which they celebrated the greatest victories of their glorious past. Denmark: Queen Margrethe II is the first female monarch to reign in Denmark since her name sake, Margrethe I, who was credited for uniting the three Scandinavian countries within the Kalmar Union in the 1400s. He is the first Swedish king in a consecutive regnal succession, who is attested in sources independent of each other, Sweden's list of rulers usually begins with him. The vast majority of emigrants left from the countryside in search of better farming and economic opportunities. Through the 5th century and 6th century, gold and silver became more common. In 113101 BC two Germanic tribes originating from Jutland,[4] in modern-day Denmark, attacked the Roman Republic in what is today known as the Cimbrian War. The Danes and then Swedes intervened at various points to protect their interests. His reign saw an extended period of internal peace, although state finances stagnated following failed mercantilist doctrines pursued by the Hat administration. The Norwegian vice-roy and heir to the throne of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederik took the lead in a national uprising, assumed the title of regent, and convened a constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll. After invading, they simply did not want to relinquish it, seeing it as a permanent part of their empire. [6], The legendary kings of Sweden, as presented in the sagas, covers three legendary dynasties of rulers; the Yngling dynasty, claimed to have been descended from the Norse god Odin, the dynasty founded by Ivar Vidfamne, who conquered Sweden and deposed the Ynglings, and the House of Muns, which succeeded Vidfamne's dynasty. They successfully cultivated peace with the Germans, supplying them with needed raw materials. During the fall of the Roman empire, there was an abundance of gold that flowed into Scandinavia, and there are excellent works in gold from this period. The Cimbri and the Teutons were eventually defeated by the Roman legions. These eastern-traveling Scandinavian migrants were eventually known as Varangians (vringjar, meaning "sworn men"),and according to the oldest Slavic sources[citation needed] , these varangians founded Kievan Rus, the major East European state prior to the Mongol invasions. Norway remains outside the European Union to this day after referendums on membership in 1972 and 1994, although it is a signatory of the Schengen treaty and a member of the European Economic Area. [19], The Muns dynasty of kings is the earliest royal lineage that is mentioned not only in Icelandic sagas, but also in medieval Swedish sources. The culpritsprobably Norwegians who sailed directly across the North Seadid not destroy the monastery completely, but the attack shook the European religious world to its core. At least one settlement appears to be mixed, the Alvastra pile-dwelling. His position as the father of Njrr should not be seen as certain. However, new analyses revealed that the woman was a Slav from present-day Poland. Leaving Wessex, the Danes settled to the north, in an area known as Danelaw. Many of them became farmers and traders and established York as a leading mercantile city. Their creation might thus stem from political and social needs (i. e. justifying the rule of a dynasty), rather than a desire to tell genuine history. . Ingrid Henriksen and Niels Krgrd. In the ninth century, Scandinavians (mainly Norwegians) began to colonize Iceland, an island in the North Atlantic where no one had yet settled in large numbers. During the 6th millennium BC, southern Scandinavia was covered in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests. Another Norse tradition was that of blood feuds, which particularly had devastated Iceland. Ferdinand II dismissed Wallenstein in 1630. After Knuts death, his two sons succeeded him, but both were dead by 1042 and Edward the Confessor, son of the previous (non-Danish) king, returned from exile and regained the English throne from the Danes. During Vasa's reign the right to inherit the Swedish crown was ratified through so called succession agreements. [22], The Icelandic Commonwealth adopted Christianity in 1000 AD, after pressure from Norway. In the 7th millennium BC, when the reindeer and their hunters had moved for northern Scandinavia, forests had been established in the land. Petroglyphs and archeological findings such as settlements dating from about 10,000B.C. Sweden remained neutral after a heated debate. [12] Most of the sagas known today, the Ynglinga saga included, were composed during a relatively brief period, from the 12th to 13th century, a time when royal power was being consolidated in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The most popular destinations in North America were Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Canadian prairies and Ontario. In 1635 he became Administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen too.) Swedes join Danes and Norwegians in England. North of the Kongemose people lived other hunter-gatherers in most of southern Norway and Sweden called the Nstvet and Lihult cultures, descendants of the Fosna and Hensbacka cultures. Another reason was that they had no real agenda in Denmark. However, bitterness towards Germany grew, and small sabotages directed against Germany became commonplace. Furthermore, there are historical records of Vikings arriving on the North African coast multiple times in the late 9th century. The Nordic Bronze Age was characterized by a warm climate (which is compared to that of the Mediterranean), which permitted a relatively dense population, but it ended with a climate change consisting of deteriorating, wetter and colder climate (sometimes believed to have given rise to the legend of the Fimbulwinter) and it seems very likely that the climate pushed the Germanic tribes southwards into continental Europe. After planning for months, Germany invaded both Denmark and Norway the same day, 9 April 1940, days before Britain planned to invade.[34]. Cnut was a strong ruler and England became . Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, and Princess . The political relationships between the different kings of Scandinavia also influenced the course of events. In 911 the Viking leader Rollo became the first duke of Normandy, as a vassal of Charles III of France. Catholicism almost completely vanished in Scandinavia, except for a small population in Denmark.[25]. Danes were notable for their devoted efforts to protect Danish Jews. Apart from raiding, they were also settlers and traders who traveled through much of Europe and Central Asia, trading goods and slaves. Clerc, Louis; Glover, Nikolas; Jordan, Paul, eds. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Thank you for visiting Scandinavia Facts. Although it was from its outset a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics, the self-preservation of the Habsburg dynasty was also a central motive. As the ice receded, reindeer grazed on the flat lands of Denmark and southernmost Sweden. [1] Heather, the chair of medieval history at King's College London, is the author of Christendom: The Triumph of Religion, AD 300-1300 As Ivar is described as building a vast empire, including parts of Britain and northern Germany, it is unlikely that contemporary and later writers in Europe would not have written of him, had he existed. [23] Adam of Bremen's line of kings is thus: The Sparlsa Runestone, created c. 800, mentions several names, including the name Alrkr (Alaric) in an unclear context, the name Eirkr (Eric) in reference to a king at Uppsala and the name Eyvsl as the son of this Eirkr. [20] In some respects, the royal sequence is more correct in the Langfegatal; Swedish medieval sources tend to omit the kings Anund Jacob and Emund the Old, who can be verified through foreign documents and through the coins they minted, and where the Swedish sources present kings as successive, some (such as Inge the Elder) are known to have co-ruled with others, which is accurately presented in the Icelandic versions.[22]. Leif Erikson is the man credited with discovering the region, but according to stories it was Bjarni Herjolfsson who first discovered the land, having been blown off course from a journey to Greenland. For the first time in 900 years, kings and queens from around the world are going to a British coronation. From this period there are many mounds and fields of petroglyphs, but their signification is long since lost. A brief Swedish civil war ensued in 1066 primarily reflecting the divisions between practitioners of indigenous religions and advocates of Christianity; by the mid-twelfth century, the Christian faction appeared to have triumphed; the once resistant center of Uppsala became the seat of the Swedish Archbishop in 1164. The legendary kings of Sweden (Swedish: sagokonungar, sagokungar, lit. While there had been a handful of silent films and some smaller movies, the first Viking film with real cultural impact is Richard Fleischer's aptly named The Vikings in 1958. Coastal areas were ice-free several times between 75 000 and 30 000 years B.P. The Ynglinga saga was composed by Sturluson c. 1230 and details the reigns and lives of the kings of the Yngling dynasty (Swedish: Ynglingar), a legendary line of kings said to descend from the Norse god Odin. Norway declared its independence, adopted a liberal constitution, and elected Prince Christian Frederik as king. The Swedish intervention began in 1630 and lasted until 1635. The oldest objects were needles, but swords and sickles are found as well. MS King of Scandinavia, a Danish cruiseferry The monarch of one of the Scandinavian countries: King of Denmark King of Iceland King of Norway King of Sweden A fictional character referred to in A Scandal in Bohemia and The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor, two Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle No written language existed in the Nordic countries during the Bronze Age. What is genuine history and what is myth and legend is today impossible to determine, and everything contained in the saga must as such be regarded as legendary, if not fictional. All three countries developed social welfare states in the early to mid-20th century. In the peace negotiations, Christian Frederik agreed to relinquish claims to the Norwegian crown and return to Denmark if Sweden would accept the democratic Norwegian constitution and a loose personal union. For instance, the figure of Aun, described as being driven from Uppsala and taking up court in Vstergtland instead, is similar to the historical Swedish king Inge the Elder (r.c. 10791084, 10871105), who was driven from Uppsala into Vstergtland in the 11th century. Cnut the Great, King of Denmark, England and Norway, was the son of a daughter of Mieszko I of Poland,[20] possibly the former Polish queen of Sweden, wife of Eric. Olaf Tryggvason: Olaf Tryggvason (964-1000) was the first to have widespread evangelistic success in Norway. For all these reasons, Denmark was able to retain their parliament, king, and much of their normal domestic function. Denmark suffered many defeats during this period. However, brave Norwegians managed to save over half of the Jewish population from Nazi death camps and help them to escape to safety in Sweden, even though they ran the risk of being severely punished for aiding Jews. They founded Irelands first trading towns: Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow and Limerick, and used their base on the Irish coast to launch attacks within Ireland and across the Irish Sea to England. Before and during this age, the Norsemen significantly intermixed with the Slavs. Sweden abandoned the tie to gold on 2 August 1914, and without a fixed exchange rate the free circulation came to an end. We strive for accuracy and fairness. [5][6][7], Since prehistoric times,[8][9] the Sami people of Arctic Europe have lived and worked in an area that stretches over the northern parts of the regions now known as Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Russian Kola Peninsula. The monetary union was one of the few tangible results of the Scandinavian political movement of the 19th century.[31]. These early peoples followed cultural traditions similar to those practised throughout other regions in the far north areas including modern Finland, Russia, and across the Bering Strait into the northernmost strip of North America. Sweden also chartered a Swedish East India Company. [7] It mentions the following four kings: In terms of sources on Viking Age kings, Adam of Bremen, who worked in the 11th century and wrote of Swedish kings, is significantly closer in time and place to the kings he describe than the centuries of separation in the sagas, only being separated from the mentioned rulers by at most about 150100 years.
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