Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
His son, King Magnus Ladulås (1240-90) granted numerous privileges to the church
and the nobility, including freedom from taxation. At the same time, he forbade the aristo-
cracy from living off the peasantry when moving from estate to estate.
After deposing his eldest son, Birger (1280-1321), for fratricide, the nobility looked to
Norway for their next ruler, choosing the infant grandson of King Haakon V. When
Haakon died without leaving a male heir, the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden were
united (1319).
The increasingly wealthy church began to show its might in the 13th and 14th centuries,
commissioning monumental buildings such as the Domkyrka (Cathedral) in Linköping
(founded 1250) and Scandinavia's largest Gothic cathedral in Uppsala (founded 1285).
However, in 1350 the rise of state and church endured a horrific setback when the Black
Death swept through the country, carrying off around a third of the Swedish population.
The Birth & Death of a Union
The Black Death created a shortage of candidates for the throne. In 1364 the nobles in-
stalled Albrecht of Mecklenburg as their ruler but baulked at his attempts to wield his own
power. Their revolt was aided by Danish regent Margareta, and the Union of Kalmar
(1397) united Denmark, Norway and Sweden under one crown.
Erik of Pomerania, Margareta's nephew, held that crown until 1439, his rule marred by a
constant struggle against the Hanseatic League - a group of well-organised merchants who
established walled trading towns in Germany and maintained a strong presence in the
young city of Stockholm.
Out of the chaos following Erik's deposition, Sten Sture the Elder (1440-1503) eventu-
ally emerged as 'Guardian of Sweden' in 1470, going on to fight and defeat an army of
unionist Danes at the Battle of Brunkenberg (1471) in Stockholm.
In a move of retaliation that sounded the union's death knell, Christian II of Denmark
invaded Sweden and killed the regent Sten Sture the Younger (1493-1520), adding a mas-
sacre in Stockholm's Gamla Stan to his list of accomplishments.
The leather jacket (complete with original bloodstains) that Gustav II Adolf was wearing
when killed in battle, as well as his stuffed horse Streiff, can be seen in the Livrustkam-
maren (
Click here
) in Stockholm.
