Another notable effect was the Swedish parliament's adoption of a new constitution and a new royal house, that of Bernadotte. Little evidence remains in Scandinavia of the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, or the Iron Age except limited numbers of tools created from stone, bronze, and iron, some jewelry and ornaments, and stone burial cairns. Even if it was not initially foreseen, the perceived security led to a situation where the formally separate currencies were accepted on a basis of "as good as" the legal tender virtually throughout the entire area. The Christianization of Scandinavia was a long and painful process, filled with blood, sweat, and war. 986: Viking ships sight Newfoundland.L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site is the only authenticated Norse site in North America. Harald Bluetooth & the Conversion of Denmark - World History Encyclopedia Sven died the following year, leaving his son Knut (or Canute) to rule a Scandinavian empire (comprising England, Denmark, and Norway) on the North Sea. LONDON The first crown King Charles III will wear at his May 6 coronation is a daunting five pounds of solid gold, velvet, ermine and gems. Several other wars with Poland, Denmark-Norway, and German countries enabled further Swedish expansion, although there were some setbacks such as the Kalmar War. The nations reacted quite differently. From around A.D. 800 to the 11th century, a vast number of Scandinavians left their homelands to seek their fortunes elsewhere. 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. Constitutional Monarchs: The Royal Families of Scandinavia Germany eventually reacted by eliminating Denmark's representative government and imposing martial law. Vikings - History, Origins & Tactics During this period Scandinavia gave rise to the first known advanced civilization in this area following the Nordic Stone Age. There are also many bog bodies from this time in Denmark, Schleswig and southern Sweden. Before long other Vikings realized that Frankish rulers were willing to pay them rich sums to prevent them from attacking their subjects, making Frankia an irresistible target for further Viking activity. Maria Noyen. On these stones, it is Harald Bluetooth who is recorded as being the first King of Norway - as well as Denmark. In A.D. 793, an attack on the Lindisfarne monastery off the coast of Northumberland in northeastern England marked the beginning of the Viking Age. 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. Who is the first King of Scandinavia? - Sage-Advices All Rights Reserved. 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. For example, Hygelac (500 A.D.) is believed to have historical basis due to his name being attested in Frankish, English, Danish and Icelandic sources. During the last centuries, influences from the Central European La Tne culture spread to Scandinavia from northwestern Germany, and there are finds from this period from all the provinces of southern Scandinavia. Viking | History, Exploration, Facts, & Maps | Britannica Eric the Victorious was the first ruler to be accepted by the Greats around Lake Vattern and the original Swedes around Lake Malaren. [28] Britain thereafter attacked the Danish fleet at the battle of Copenhagen (1801) and bombarded the city during the second battle of Copenhagen (1807). Olaf I Tryggvason, King of Norway | Encyclopedia.com By conquering rival jarls (earls) and forcing them into subservient positions, he created the precedent of one ruler for the many districts of Norway. (Middle to Late Mesolithic), Scandinavia was populated by mobile or semi-sedentary groups about whom little is known. Kalmar Union - Wikipedia The first monarch of this union was not a king, but a queen cal. The legendary kings of Sweden (Swedish: sagokonungar, sagokungar, lit. Their addition to the saga might thus have been another attempt by Sturluson to undermine royal ideology. The beginning of the Viking Age is commonly given as 793, when Vikings pillaged the important British island monastery of Lindisfarne, and its end is marked by the unsuccessful invasion of England attempted by Harald Hrdrde in 1066 and the Norman conquest.[13]. Rollo, also called Rolf or Rou, French Rollon, Old Norse Hrlfr, (born c. 860died c. 932), Scandinavian rover who founded the duchy of Normandy. 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. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The Vita gives no genealogical information in regards to the kings. Several petroglyphs depict ships, and the large stone formations known as stone ships indicate that shipping played an important role in the culture. Nerthus is often suggested to be the same woman as Njrr's unidentified sister, by whom he begat Freyr and Freyja. Also, Danes were considered fellow Nordics and Aryans by Nazi ideologues, which further helped the country. Scandinavia was divided during the Napoleonic Wars. April 26th, 2023, 3:18 AM PDT. On 14 January 1814, at the Treaty of Kiel, the king of Denmark-Norway ceded Norway to the king of Sweden. in Jaime Reis, ed.. Johan den Hertog and Samul Kruizinga, eds. 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. The inglorious deaths of many of the Swedish Ynglings; with examples such as murder, burning to death, drowning in mead and being "hag-ridden" to death,[15] might be an attempt by Sturluson to say that the kings who ruled Norway in his time and claimed Yngling descent were not to be taken seriously. Thank you for visiting Scandinavia Facts. Both East India Companies folded over the course of the Napoleonic Wars. In the eighth century A.D., Europe was growing richer, fueling the growth of trading centers such as Dorestad and Quentovic on the Continent and Hamwic (now Southampton), London, Ipswich and York in England. Labor unions could only exist if they accepted Nazi control. Contents 1 Terminology and usage 1.1 Usage in geography 1.2 Variations in usage 1.3 Usage by cultural and tourist organizations Olaf Tryggvason started the destruction of pagan cult sites in the late 10th century, but only Olaf Haraldsson achieved the official adaption of Christianity in the 1020s. 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 . Through the 5th century and 6th century, gold and silver became more common. [7], The sequence of legendary kings below derives from medieval Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson's Ynglinga saga, the first section of the saga collection Heimskringla. Scandinavia was never really one country, but in one periode there was a Scandinavian union of Norway, Denmark and Sweden called the Kalmar union, 1397 -1523. Since he was childless, Sweden chose as his successor the commander in chief of the Norwegian army, Prince Christian August of Augustenborg. Ingrid Henriksen and Niels Krgrd. Bernadotte was originally one of Napoleon's eighteen Marshals. No written language existed in the Nordic countries during the Bronze Age. 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. One of the most prominent finds is the Dejbjerg wagon from Jutland, a four-wheeled wagon of wood with bronze parts. Sweden, allied with Britain at the time, seized the opportunity to invade Norway in 1807 but was beaten back. Petroglyphs and archeological findings such as settlements dating from about 10,000B.C. Alone out of the three Scandinavian countries, Sweden was not invaded and remained nominally neutral during the war. A relatively large number of ethnic Danes from southern Jutland fought in the German army.[32][33]. [21] The process of Christianization began in Norway during the reigns of Olaf Tryggvason (reigned 995 ADc.1000 AD) and Olaf II Haraldsson (reigned 1015 AD1030 AD). Industrialization of Sweden experienced a boom during the First World War. The Nordic Bronze Age ended with a deteriorating, colder and wetter climate. Harald Fairhair (c. 870-c. 930) is generally recognized as Norway's first true king. witosawa 3. As the direct predecessors of Eric the Victorious, Icelandic sources give Bjrn Eriksson, preceded by Erik Anundsson. The Scandinavians adopted many central European and Mediterranean symbols at the same time that they created new styles and objects. Upon his death (without heirs) in 1066, Harold Godwinesson, the son of Edwards most powerful noble, laid claim to the throne. In the wave of Viking attacks in England after 851, only one kingdomWessexwas able to successfully resist. Coastal areas were ice-free several times between 75 000 and 30 000 years B.P. In the Caribbean, Denmark started a colony on St Thomas in 1671, St John in 1718, and purchased Saint Croix from France in 1733. 10 Most Famous Swedish Kings - Discover Walks Blog Denmark - The Viking era | Britannica and the final expansion towards the late Weichselian maximum took place after . Beowulf was connected to King Cnut, study finds But the historicity of most legendary kings remains impossible to verify due to a lack of sources. The Maglemosian culture lived in Denmark and southern Sweden. Approximately 200 burial sites have been investigated in the region from this period of 3,000 years.[2]. These pagan Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish warriors were probably prompted to undertake their raids by a combination of factors ranging from overpopulation at . This came about partially because of the domination of the social-democrats in Sweden and Denmark, and the Labour party in Norway. However, bitterness towards Germany grew, and small sabotages directed against Germany became commonplace. 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. They subsisted by hunting, fishing and gathering. 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. The modern use of the term Scandinavia rises from the Scandinavist political movement, which was active in the middle of the 19th century, chiefly between the First war of Schleswig (18481850), in which Sweden and Norway contributed with considerable military force, and the Second war of Schleswig (1864) when the Riksdag of the Estates denounced the King's promises of military support for Denmark. Apr 25, 2023, 12:06 PM PDT. By the late 10th century, some Vikings (including the famous Erik the Red) moved even further westward, to Greenland. It is not known what language these early Scandinavians spoke, but towards the end of the 3rd millennium BC, they were overrun by new tribes who many scholars think spoke Proto-Indo-European, the Battle-Axe culture. Ynglinga saga appears to have been based on an earlier scaldic poem, Ynglingatal, which is quoted at length by Snorri. Denmark was still willing to enter into an alliance with Sweden, but the Swedes saw few advantages in this and the proposal fell. The foreign influence is believed to originate with amber trade, and amber found in Mycenaean graves from this period originates from the Baltic Sea. On the Union of Kalmar, especially its dissolution. The events of 1066 in England effectively marked the end of the Viking Age. [29] Norway had the largest percentage of emigrants and Denmark the least. He succeeded his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, since his own father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, had died in a plane crash in 1947, when Carl Gustaf was less than a year old. However, his sudden death in 1810 forced the Swedes to look for another candidate, and once more they chose an enemy officer. [18], The existence of Ivar Vidfamne and his dynasty, at least in the way described in the sagas, is considered highly unlikely in modern scholarship. 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. 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. 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. In Denmark industrialization began in, and was confined to, Copenhagen until the 1890s, after which smaller towns began to grow rapidly. 'saga kings / fairy tale kings') according to legends were rulers of Sweden and the Swedes who preceded Eric the Victorious and Olof Sktkonung, the earliest reliably attested Swedish kings. 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. Neither the place nor the date of his birth is known. One million came from Sweden, 300,000 from Denmark, and 730,000 from Norway. 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. ", Erik Thomson, "Beyond the Military State: Sweden's Great Power Period in Recent Historiography,". can be found in the traditional lands of the Sami. Who is the first King of Scandinavia? Together with the bodies, there are weapons, household wares and clothes of wool. In Denmark Harald Bluetooth Christianized the country around 965. Royal Hotel, Denmark. The fierce sons of these northern lands dominated the sea routes of northern Europe for centuries and singlehandedly changed the course of many a nation's history. Some objects appeared for the first time, such as shears and pawns. Viking Kings | Viking Kings Timeline | Famous Viking Kings | VKNG Many of the elements of the Ynglinga saga appear to be based on later, documented, events and people in Scandinavia. 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. All three Scandinavian countries remained neutral throughout the First World War. Vikings placed heavy emphasis on battle, honor and focused on the idea of Valhalla, a mythical home with the gods for fallen warriors. The final few kings considered part of the Muns dynasty by the Icelandic sagas; Eric the Victorious, Olof Sktkonung, Anund Jacob and Emund the Old, were real historical kings, though that does not mean that their legendary ancestors were real historical figures. Haralds rebellious son, Sven Forkbeard, led Viking raids on England beginning in 991 and conquered the entire kingdom in 1013, sending King Ethelred into exile. Olaf Tryggvason: Olaf Tryggvason (964-1000) was the first to have widespread evangelistic success in Norway. The Nordic countries established the Nordic Council in 1952 and the Nordic passport union two years later. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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]. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 brought an end to the monetary union. During the 6th millennium BC, southern Scandinavia was covered in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests. History of Scandinavia - Wikipedia Were There Ever African Vikings? - Scandinavia Facts By that time, all of the Scandinavian kingdoms were Christian, and what remained of Viking culture was being absorbed into the culture of Christian Europe. The first Christian missionary was the Anglo-Saxon Willibord (c. 700), who accomplished little. The Bishop of Winchester later confirmed him. There was little forest in this region except for arctic white birch and rowan, but the taiga slowly appeared. The Vikings were great shipbuilders and explorers. Some valleys close to the watershed were indeed ice-free around 30 000 years B.P. The Early History of Scandinavia - Origins, Vikings and More Another Norse tradition was that of blood feuds, which particularly had devastated Iceland. Sweden abandoned the tie to gold on 2 August 1914, and without a fixed exchange rate the free circulation came to an end. Coastal areas were ice-free several times between 75 000 and 30 000 years B.P. The earlier kings are for the most part only attested in Icelandic sagas, sometimes contradictory mixtures of myths and poetry, written in the 11th13th centuries, several centuries after the events described in them. The Sami have been recognized as an indigenous people in Norway since 1990 according to ILO convention 169, and hence, according to international law, the Sami people in Norway are entitled special protection and rights. Derry, T.K. The Norwegian parliament offered the vacant throne to Prince Carl of Denmark, who accepted after another plebiscite had confirmed the monarchy. In 1976 King Carl Gustaf married the German-Brazilian Silvia . Several petroglyphs depict ships which could possibly be Mediterranean. [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. Even though Scandinavians joined the European Bronze Age cultures fairly late through trade, Scandinavian sites present rich and well-preserved objects made of wool, wood and imported Central European bronze and gold. [17], If some of the Ynglings were real historical figures, they would have ruled during the Migration Period (c. 375550) and the subsequent Vendel Period (c. 550790), predating the Viking Age. Viking, also called Norseman or Northman, member of the Scandinavian seafaring warriors who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the 9th to the 11th century and whose disruptive influence profoundly affected European history. Catholicism almost completely vanished in Scandinavia, except for a small population in Denmark.[25]. In Scandinavia, there was a great import of goods, such as coins (more than 7,000), vessels, bronze images, glass beakers, enameled buckles, weapons, etc. 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. List of legendary kings of Sweden - Wikipedia Contemporary primary sources from 9th11th century Germany, such as the accounts of Adam of Bremen and Rimbert, contradict the line of Muns kings purported to have existed by the sagas. Battles were short and decisively won by the Swedes. Vlvas, practitioners of seid, a Scandinavian pre-Christian tradition, were executed or exiled under newly Christianized governments in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. For all these reasons, Denmark was able to retain their parliament, king, and much of their normal domestic function. Apart from raiding, they were also settlers and traders who traveled through much of Europe and Central Asia, trading goods and slaves. From around A.D. 800 to the 11th century, a vast number of Scandinavians left their homelands to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Denmark and Norway were also unlike in their cooperation with Germany's genocidal policy. Norway however, refused to give in and fought valiantly and with the full strength of her limited and badly prepared forces. The Great Northern War was fought between a coalition of Russia, Denmark-Norway and Saxony-Poland (from 1715 also Prussia and Hanover) on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721. Sweden also chartered a Swedish East India Company. Viking armies (mostly Danish) conquered East Anglia and Northumberland and dismantled Mercia, while in 871 King Alfred the Great of Wessex became the only king to decisively defeat a Danish army in England. Cnut was a strong ruler and England became . The Swedish king rejected the premise of an independent Norway and launched a military campaign on 27 July 1814, with an attack on the Hvaler islands and the city of Fredrikstad. To the north, in Norway and most of southern Sweden, lived the Fosna-Hensbacka culture, who lived mostly along the edge of the forest.