Consolidation of Sweden

The consolidation of Sweden was a long process during which the loosely organized social system consolidated under the power of the king. The actual age of the Swedish kingdom is unknown. Also, for various reasons, scholars differ in characterizing early Sweden as a country, state or kingdom by definition.

Unlike the history of Norway and Denmark, there is no agreement on a reliable date for a "unified Sweden". Historians judge differently the sources for the history of Sweden's consolidation. The earliest history blends with Norse mythology. Early primary sources are foreign; secondary sources were written at a later date.

Older sources

Based on the origins of the name for the kingdom (kingdom of the Suiones) and a reading of the Roman historian Tacitus, who described the early social system with several tribes, historians argue that Sweden was unified when the Swedes (Suiones) first inhabited the region. However, since the rigor of the historical method in 20th century Sweden, historians such as Curt Weibull maintain that these perspectives have become obsolete. The historians note that a millennium had passed between Tacitus and more reliable documented accounts of Swedish history. The work of Birger Nerman (1925), which argues that Sweden held a senior rank among the existing European states at the time, is exemplary of a nationalist reaction to the academic historiography that is critical of the older sources of history.

Geats-Swedes arguments

A common definition of Sweden is that it was formed when the Swedes and Geats were ruled by one king. This is partly because Swedes wanted to glorify themselves as being the same people as the historical Goths, who left Scandinavia, settled close to the mouth of the Vistula river (in present day Poland), and in the 3rd and 4th centuries settled several mighty nations. (see Gothicismus)

In both Medieval Icelandic sources and contemporary Swedish sources, Götaland and Sweden were separate nations. In Sögubrot af Nokkrum for instance, Kolmården between Svealand and Östergötland is described as the border between Sweden and Östergötland: "Kolmerkr, er skilr Svíþjóð ok Eystra-Gautland". Also, in Hervarar saga , king Ingold I rides from Västergötland to Sweden through Småland and Östergötland: "Ingi konungr fór með hirð sína ok sveit nokkura ok hafði lítinn her. Hann reið austr um Smáland ok í eystra Gautland ok svá í Svíþjóð." The lord Bo Jonsson Grip was probably best acquainted with the geography of the Swedish Kingdom since he owned more than half of the land in the region. In 1384, he stated in his will that the kingdom consisted of Swerige (Sweden, i.e. Svealand), Österland (i.e. Finland) and Göthaland (i.e. Götaland).

Timeframe arguments

Rather than the unification of tribes under one king, others maintain that the process of consolidation was gradual. Nineteenth century scholars saw the unification as a result of a series of wars based on evidence from the Norse sagas. For example, according to the Norwegian Historia Norwegiae and the Icelandic historian Snorri Sturlusson, a 7th century king called Ingjald illråde burnt a number of subordinate kings to death inside his hall, thus abolishing the petty kingdoms in the consolidation of Sweden.

To solve the problem of defining an early history of Sweden that coincides with reliable sources, a group of modern Swedish historians have narrowly defined stat (based on the concept state), using Christianity as a necessary and sufficient condition for a stat. The same connection between Christianity and consolidation is used in other countries where written sources are less scarce, such as England or Harald Bluetooth's Denmark. The definition is based on the fact that English and German priests would have brought organizational and administrative skills, establishing the use of the abstract concept of a stat (including by local rulers). The process of consolidation would have required this important ideological shift. While an Iron Age Germanic king would claim the elective support of his people, and the Norse gods, a crowned Christian king would claim that his rule was divinely inspired.

That Sweden went through a process of consolidation in the early Middle Ages is generally agreed upon. The full and complete process of consolidation was only reached in the 17th century with the treaty of Roskilde and the treaty of Brömsebro, which annexed all the present-day territories. The current borders of Sweden, however, were not defined until 1809 with the loss of Finland to Russia in the Finnish War.

Notes

References

• Hagerman, Maja (1996) Spåren av kungens män. (In Swedish).
• Harrison, Dick (2002) Jarlens sekel. (In Swedish).
• Hadenius, Stig; Nilsson, Torbjörn; Åselius, Gunnar (1996) Sveriges historia: vad varje svensk bör veta. Bonnier Alba, Borås. ISBN 91-34-51857-6 (in Swedish)
• Hellström, Jan Arvid (1996) Vägar till Sveriges kristnande. (In Swedish).
• Nerman, Birger (1925) Det svenska rikets uppkomst. Stockholm.
• Sawyer, Peter (1989) The Making of Sweden.

See also

• Sweden proper
• History of Scandinavia
• Early Swedish history