Nordic History
Most know of the five main Nordic countries- Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, and Norway. They all took important places in history, and changed our society in ways that some will notice, and some won’t. Really, it’s important to learn about what happened before, in history so it doesn’t repeat right under our noses, so we need to notice these mistakes and victories, and take a look, a very good look, at a history of the Nordic countries.
The Viking Age ( approx. 800 - 1050 AD )
This was a time where the countries we know today were pagan seafarers, that sailed along raiding and trading with other countries. Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were just one country that we call Scandinavia. Iceland was just a viking settlement, and …show more content…
The kingdoms fought wars together, and the people were tightly interwoven. The Danes and Swedes would go on lengthy crusades against the pagan people of the Baltic Southern and Eastern coasts, and at its peak, Denmark’s territory reached as far as Estonia. For a brief period, Norway, Sweden, and the Scanian provinces (which is pretty much modern day the tip of Sweden) were ruled over by the same king, so from the late 14th century to the 16th century, the whole region united under the Kalmar Union, which was a loose union in which each country kept its own laws, and was ruled by its native elite. There were common unions at the time, such as Poland-Lithuania and Castilla-Aragon, but unlike these the Kalmar union didn’t become a permanent state. Anyway, the Kalmar monarchs tried to extend their power, but that lead to resistance from the aristocracy and church leaders. Even the peasants revolted against the raised taxes. Sweden effectively remained outside the union for long periods, but would eventually be drug back in again. The union was originally made to bring peace, but it lead to constant civil wars and fighting. Finally, it collapsed at the start of the 16th century after a series of crises about the royal
Most know of the five main Nordic countries- Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, and Norway. They all took important places in history, and changed our society in ways that some will notice, and some won’t. Really, it’s important to learn about what happened before, in history so it doesn’t repeat right under our noses, so we need to notice these mistakes and victories, and take a look, a very good look, at a history of the Nordic countries.
The Viking Age ( approx. 800 - 1050 AD )
This was a time where the countries we know today were pagan seafarers, that sailed along raiding and trading with other countries. Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were just one country that we call Scandinavia. Iceland was just a viking settlement, and …show more content…
The kingdoms fought wars together, and the people were tightly interwoven. The Danes and Swedes would go on lengthy crusades against the pagan people of the Baltic Southern and Eastern coasts, and at its peak, Denmark’s territory reached as far as Estonia. For a brief period, Norway, Sweden, and the Scanian provinces (which is pretty much modern day the tip of Sweden) were ruled over by the same king, so from the late 14th century to the 16th century, the whole region united under the Kalmar Union, which was a loose union in which each country kept its own laws, and was ruled by its native elite. There were common unions at the time, such as Poland-Lithuania and Castilla-Aragon, but unlike these the Kalmar union didn’t become a permanent state. Anyway, the Kalmar monarchs tried to extend their power, but that lead to resistance from the aristocracy and church leaders. Even the peasants revolted against the raised taxes. Sweden effectively remained outside the union for long periods, but would eventually be drug back in again. The union was originally made to bring peace, but it lead to constant civil wars and fighting. Finally, it collapsed at the start of the 16th century after a series of crises about the royal