Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Imagine Sweden's history as a play in three acts. There's plenty of action,
from the blood and gore of the Viking raids to medieval battles, cross-dress-
ing, and assassinations galore.
Act I: in the beginning, there is only ice. As the ice slowly melts and retreats,
with a clatter of hooves, reindeer tentatively set foot on stage, pursued by
fur-clad hunter-gatherers - the predecessors of the Sami. Curious Greek ex-
plorers and Roman traders are minor characters who venture into the land of
the midnight sun and the Arctic night. Then in a flash of steel and fearsome
yells, the Vikings charge on stage to raid and plunder, eventually settling
down to more peaceful pursuits.
Act II: the action is split between the court and the battlefield, and the
bloody, intrigue-filled plot is worthy of Shakespeare. Royal dynasties follow
one another in rapid succession; nobles conspire against the king; another
king's brother commits fratricide by poisoned pea soup; an androgynous
girl-king ascends the throne only to flee, dressed as a man; a king is assas-
sinated at a masked ball and another during battle. Skirmishes are fought on
frozen lakes, at sea and in the mountains. Sweden's territory expands and
then rapidly contracts.
Act III: Sweden's dreams of greatness lie in tatters following military de-
feats and the loss of its colonies. The peacetime population grows. Railways
are laid, mines are dug, trees are felled, cities expand. Sweden is largely un-
touched by the turmoil of the World Wars and improves the lives of its own
citizens before turning its sights to the rest of the world. An international
player and a member of the UN, Sweden welcomes scores of refugees; the
homogenous-looking cast quickly becomes a diverse one. And just when a
happy ending is near, a dramatic plot twist brings murder and tragedy,
closely followed by international scandal and controversy.
