The Kalmar Union
In 1350 the aristocracy became more and more discontent with King
Magnus Eriksson. He tried to reduce the influence of the aristocracy and to
strengthen his own power. Sweden was a monarchy where a council of aristocrats
elected a king. This meant that the aristocracy was quite powerful and took an
important part in the ruling of the country.
When their position of power was threatened, they decided to get
rid of the king. The king lost the power struggle and was dethroned. The
principality of Mecklenburg in northern Germany had helped the instigators of
the rebellion with troops. Because of this, Albert of Mecklenburg was elected
King of Sweden.
The German influence in Sweden now grew very quickly. The Germans
influenced government with German sheriffs who collected taxes, often quite
brutally. The situation between the Swedish aristocrats and King Albert slowly
became precarious. They then turned to the Danish/Norwegian queen Margareta for
help. She was then recognised as the monarch of Sweden by the Council of
Aristocrats. Shortly thereafter, in 1389, Danish and Swedish troops defeated
Albert of Mecklenburg. This was the prelude to the Kalmar Union.
The Union was formed in 1397 in the town of Kalmar on the Swedish
east coast. A relative to Queen Margareta, Erik of Pomerania, was elected king
over Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The agreement between the countries, among
other things, stated that the monarch of the Union had to be Danish. King Erik
wanted, as many kings before him, to strengthen the influence of the monarchy.
As we have seen, this was never popular among the aristocracy.
When the Union was formed, Queen Margareta had promised the
Swedish aristocrats that she would protect their political influence and
privileges. She also promised that Sweden would be ruled with Swedes in all the
important positions in society. But King Erik did not keep these promises. The
Danish influence over Swedish politics increased rapidly. The discontent of the
Swedish aristocracy rose again.
King Erik conducted a "traditional Danish" foreign policy. This
meant controversy with the Hanseatic League. The controversy led to war which
had a serious impact on the Swedish economy. When trade with the Continent was
almost cut off and taxes continued to increase, the domestic political
situation in Sweden deteriorated.
A rebellion, led by Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, shook the country
in 1434. The Council of Aristocrats joined the rebellion. They wanted to keep
the Union but, at the same time, decrease the influence of the king. Finally
Erik of Pomerania was dethroned. During the 15th century there were two main
fractions in Swedish politics, the supporters of the Union and those who were
against it.
Great Men from the aristocracy functioned as regents
(riksföreståndare), i.e., as leaders of the country instead of a
king. The formal Swedish king was the King of Denmark. In 1512, Sten Sture jr.
was elected "riksföreståndare". During this time, the Danish king
Kristian II claimed that he was the legitimate king and should rule the
country. Danish troops invaded Sweden and Sten Sture jr. was killed. His
supporters were rounded up and executed. This was the notorious "Bloodbath of
Stockholm" and the beginning of the end of the Kalmar Union.
During the late Middle Ages there is cause to talk about
political anarchy in Sweden. Constant struggle for power between a number of
families and the Danish King Kristian II ended in "The Bloodbath of Stockholm"
in 1520. The result of this struggle enabled Gustav Vasa to become king in
1521.
Autocracy
As king, Gustav Vasa started to transform Sweden into an
autocratic nation- state. At that time this meant strong central authority led
by an absolute monarch. Gustav Vasa made the tax-system much more efficient
than it had been before. Earlier a number of farms or a village formed a tax
unit; from now on every single farm was a unit. All farms, and how much each
farm had to pay was precisely written down. The king had sheriffs who ensured
that everyone paid their taxes. This meant heavily increased taxes for most
farmers and caused rebellions in some parts of the country. The king handled
the rebellions successfully (most rebels were killed). This strengthened his
authority even more.
From catholicism to protestantism
The most important reform Gustav Vasa made was the reformation of
the Church. In order for the king to gain political control and control over
the property of the Church, all Swedes suddenly became Protestants instead of
Catholics. This made it possible for the king to establish himself, not the
Pope, as head of the Church, and also to use the Church as a pedagogic tool on
the people. Because everyone had to attend church on Sundays, the state could
reach almost the entire people with information, propaganda and also a certain
amount of education.
The Bible was, for instance, translated from Latin to Swedish.
This had a positive impact on literacy among the ordinary people. Negative
consequences following the Reformation were the total breakdown of the
health-care and education system. This was an effect of the closing of the
abbeys, which were mainly responsible for such activities before the
Reformation. The Reformation also meant that almost all connections with the
Continent were cut off. This led to cultural isolation from the rest of
Europe.
King Gustav Vasa is known for his correspondence with his
subordinates. He personally wrote letters even to common farmers, telling them
how to do things and solve problems. Some hundred years later in history when a
quite romanticised picture of the king was drawn, this was used as an example
of his greatness and one of the facts that, for many generations of Swedes,
made him a beloved monarch. The people who received critical letters from King
Gustav Vasa probably did not think of him as a "beloved monarch". Most people
were presumably terrified.
Literature on Sweden´s Middle Ages
There are lots of interesting books available; Medieval
Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia by Phillip Pulsiano, Kirsten Wolf .
More books are listed on this list from Print Google.
750 years of Stockholm
history | The Vikings | The
Birth of the Swedish Nation-State | The Great
Power Period 1625-1718 | Sweden in the 18th and 19th
Centuries | Sweden in the 20th century |
