Stockholm Stockholms Län Sweden

Two breeds of non-wolf dogs appear at sites in Scandinavia dated to around 6500 BCE.

Small Scandinavian kingdoms are formed by various tribes, the most important of which, the Suiones (Svearna) in the Lake Malaren region, are mentioned by Tacitus in 98.

The Scandinavians share extensive trade with Rome from this point.

…Swedes, and …

It is not known when and how the kingdom of Sweden was born, but the list of Swedish monarchs is drawn from the first kings known to have ruled both Svealand (Sweden) and Götaland (Gothia) as one province, beginning with Eric the Victorious.

Sweden and Gothia were two separate nations long before that into antiquity.

It is not known how long they existed: the epic poem Beowulf describes semi-legendary Swedish-Geatish wars in the sixth century.

"Götaland" in this sense, mainly included the provinces of Östergötland (East Gothia) and Västergötland (West Gothia).

The island of Gotland is disputed by other than Swedes, at this time (Danish, Hanseatic, and Gotland-domestic).

Småland is at this time of little interest to anyone due to the deep pine forests, and only city, Kalmar with its castle, is of importance.

The southwest parts of the Scandinavian peninsula consist of three Danish provinces (Scania, Blekinge and Halland).

North of Halland, Denmark has a direct border to Norway and its province Bohuslän.

There are Swedish settlements in southwest Finland, and along the southern coastline of Norrland.

The culture and history of Svealand has been preserved better than that of Götaland.

Sweden's political unification is completed about 1000.

A new had war erupted between Norway and Sweden when Olaf II of Norway reestablished the Norwegian kingdom.

Many men in both Sweden and Norway try to reconcile the kings.

Olof's cousin, the earl of Västergötland, Ragnvald Ulfsson and the Norwegian king's emissaries Björn Stallare and Hjalti Skeggiason had arrived in 1018 at the thing of Uppsala in an attempt to sway the Swedish king to accept peace and as a warrant marry his daughter Ingegerd Olofsdotter to the king of Norway.

The Swedish king had been greatly angered and threatened to banish Ragnvald from his kingdom, but Ragnvald was supported by his foster-father Thorgny Lawspeaker.

Thorgny had delivered a powerful speech in which he reminded the king of the great Viking expeditions in the East that predecessors such as Erik Anundsson and Björn had undertaken, without having the hubris not to listen to their men's advice.

Thorgny himself had taken part in many successful pillaging expeditions with Olof's father Eric the Victorious and even Eric had listened to his men.

The present king wants nothing but Norway, which no Swedish king before him had desired.

This displeases the Swedish people, who are eager to follow the king on new ventures in the East to win back the kingdoms that paid tribute to his ancestors, but it is the wish of the people that the king make peace with the king of Norway and give him his daughter Ingegerd as queen.

Thorgny had finished his speech by saying: if you do not desire to do so, we shall assault you and kill you and not brook any more of your warmongering and obstinacy.

Our ancestors have done so, who at Mula thing threw five kings in a well, kings who were too arrogant as you are against us.

Olof, however, in 1019 instead marries his daughter Ingegerd-Irene to the powerful Yaroslav I the Wise .

An impending war is settled when Olof agrees to share his power with his son Anund Jacob.

Olof is also forced to accept a settlement with Olaf II of Norway at Kungahälla, who already had been married (unbeknownst to Olof) with Olof's daughter, Astrid, through the Geatish jarl Ragnvald Ulfsson.

The death of Olof Skötkonung is said to have taken place in the winter of 1021–1022.

According to a legend, he was martyred at Stockholm after refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods.

…King Canute I of Sweden builds a castle on the island of Stockholm in 1187, one of many such fortifications made necessary by heathen incursions from the Baltic lands.

Construction begins in 1250 on the Great Church of Stockholm, a city established shortly before as a defense outpost on one of the twenty of so channel islands astride a navigable waterway between Lake Malaren and the Baltic Sea.

The location of Stockholm, the modern Swedish capital, appears in Norse sagas as Agnafit, and especially in connection with the legendary king Agne.

The earliest mention of Stockholm in writing, however, dates from 1252, when the mines in Bergslagen have made it an important site in the iron trade.

The first part of the name (stock) means log, while the second (holm) means islet, thought to refer to the islet Helgeandsholmen in central Stockholm.

The city is said to have been founded by Birger Jarl the Regent in order to protect Sweden from a sea invasion by foreign navies, and to stop the pillage of towns such as Sigtuna on Lake Mälaren.

The greatest medieval statesman of Sweden, and one of the principal architects of its rise as a nation, Birger Jarl has practically ruled the land from 1248.

(He is today revered as the founder of Stockholm and as the creator of national legislation; his wise reforms prepare the way for the abolition of serfdom.)