Around 14,000 years ago, Sweden was covered with ice but with the roots of civilization growing there.
Some brave people emerged from hard winter circumstances to carve out their living as the snow melted slowly. But Sweden really started to really shine on the historical scene only during the Viking Era.
Using simple stone tools for survival, our predecessors coexisted peacefully with the land throughout the Stone Age, which ran roughly from 8000 to 6000 BC. For food, these early people hunted, fish, and gathered. And yet today, traces of their presence abound, with artifacts and ruins strewn throughout the Swedish countryside from 1800 BC.
About 1800 BC, Sweden saw the beginning of the Bronze Age. This era brought forth a burst of cultural growth accompanied by the production of more advanced tools and relics. As Sweden’s prehistoric people made use of bronze, this was a period of invention and advancement.
But Sweden started a new chapter in its history – the Iron Age – when the Bronze Age declined around 600 BC. Iron became the metal of choice as bronze objects disappeared, transforming society, the economy, and agriculture. It was a turning point because Sweden started to define its identity and find a more steady way of living.
The Vikings ruled highest across the Western Hemisphere during the ninth and the eleventh century AD.
Driven by their insatiable need for adventure and conquest, they extended the reach of their dominion to the East and set out bold trade trips along the Baltic shore.
Along their way, the Vikings attempted to enrich themselves by attacking cities and villages, thus their travels were not only for trade but also for plunder.
The Vikings came into touch with far-off areas like the budding Russian provinces as their trade routes grew.
The Vikings influence went much beyond, linking the Arab kingdoms across the Black Sea and the Caspian with the Byzantine Empire, thereby promoting a rich flow of products, ideas, and civilizations.
In the middle of Viking invasions, Christianity started to grow in Sweden. Sweden formally adopted the Christian religion by the eleventh century, therefore ushering in a fresh phase of religious and cultural change.
Earlier, in the ninth century, the seeds of conversion were sowed by missionaries such as Ansgar, who risked the unknown to bring the gospel to the Swedish people.
But Sweden did not come together into a single kingdom until the late 1000s AD, combining its many regions under one banner.
Still, internal strife simmered and the specter of feudalism loomed huge even as the kingdom developed.
King Magnus Ladulås’s rule in the thirteenth century marked a turning point in Swedish history, as he established a noble class, therefore laying the foundation for a feudal society
Thanks to the impact of the Hanseatic League, led by the city of Lübeck, Sweden found itself at the center of a thriving commerce network in the 14th century.
As Sweden become a major participant in the profitable trade routes of Northern Europe, this era witnessed the development of new cities and the blossoming of industry.
But among the wealth, disaster came in the shape of the Black Plague in 1350 AD, darkening Sweden. The kingdom had an amazing drop in population and economic activity, which would leave marks for next generations.
Still, from the ruins of hopelessness seeds of solidarity sprang. Under the Danish Queen Margareta, the three Scandinavian crowns—Sweden, Denmark, and Norway—joined together in 1389 to build the Kalmar Union.
Designed to unite strength and stability at a period of uncertainty, this alliance developed in the wake of Europe’s plague recovery.
Still, Sweden really came into its own under Gustav Vasa’s rule, from 1523 until 1560. Under visionary leadership, Vasa saw the Swedish States established and authority consolidated by seizure of church grounds.
Sweden adopted the Protestant Reformation under his direction, therefore bringing in a fresh period of political and theological transformation.
Sweden saw the flows of imperial greatness from 1560 until 1900. Sweden’s focus on controlling the Baltic Sea area after the Kalmar Union broke apart caused strife with nearby Denmark.
But when the Thirty Years’ War started, the tide changed and Gustav II Adolf shot to the height of European might.
However, this golden period was fleeting as Sweden’s mostly agrarian economy battled to maintain its imperial aspirations, leading to coalition defeat in 1721.
Change continued as Sweden dealt with relational changes. Finland was lost to Russia during the Napoleonic Wars; meanwhile, the alliance of Swedish and Norwegian troops under Marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte marked a fleeting time of unity until disintegration in 1814.
Sweden’s cultural vitality survived adversity. With the fall of royal absolutism and the creation of parliament in 1718, arts, literature, and innovation flourished.
Sweden did not really embrace industrialization until the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries; by the early 20th century it had become one of the main industrial powers in Europe.
Sweden has been steadfastly committed to neutrality since 1814; it has stayed out of wars and concentrated on diplomacy and peacekeeping initiatives.
Joining the League of Nations in 1920 and subsequently the United Nations in 1946, Sweden has been influential in international affairs by serving several UN and NATO peacekeeping operations.
Sweden took a huge step toward European integration and cooperation by joining the EU in 1995. Sweden has actively supported the activities of the EU throughout the years; it has twice presided over the Union and significantly shaped its policies and projects.
Under the direction of Fredrik Reinfeldt, a coalition of center-right lawmakers stormed to victory in Sweden’s elections in 2006, therefore sparking an era of reform and economic revival.
Sweden overcame record-high unemployment in 2009 to build a thriving economy with falling unemployment by 2017.