sweden
-
Queen Christina’s life in exile
April 19* marks the 336th anniversary of Queen Christina’s death, and it might be a good idea to examine her life after she left Sweden. Of course, my text is only skimming the surface, simply to function as a blog… Continue reading
-
Murder at the Masquerade Ball
On Friday, March 16, 1792, Gustav III held a public masquerade ball at the Stockholm Opera House, and it did not end as he had planned. Instead, it was an evening that developed into one of the most dramatic events… Continue reading
-
Viking Dynasties – The Royal Families of Lejre and Uppsala Between Archaeology and Text
Red. Tom Christensen, John Ljungkvist & Neil PriceAarhus University Press, 2024623 pages Ancient Scandinavia attracts many with its mythical kings and wars, tales of heroic deeds and grand central places with royal hall buildings, not infrequently adorned with details in… Continue reading
-
Gamla Uppsala, ancient power seat
The entire landscape of Stone Age Uppsala was mostly underwater, and during the Bronze Age, Old Uppsala, in particular, consisted of two islands. Only during the Early Iron Age did the region begin to be populated to any great extent… Continue reading
-
From princess to ortodox saint – Ingegerd Olofsdotter
She is believed to have been born around the beginning of the 11th century, Ingegerd Olofsdotter. Her father, Olof Skötkonung (Scotking), had been king for around five years after his father, Erik Segersäll (the Victorious), died in 995.While Erik was… Continue reading
-
The Nasta runestone
This is probably one of the most personal texts I’ve written about history, but sometimes it comes close. So, this time, I allowed myself some emotions in this blog. It was Friday the 2nd of July in the summer of… Continue reading
-
Runestones of Scandinavia
Runestones rightfully fascinate many. They are a voice from a bygone era that often tells of a loss in the sense that they have mostly been raised by a parent or other relative of someone who no longer exists. There… Continue reading
-
The massacre at Visby ring wall
”In the year of the Lord 1361, King Valdemar of Denmark captured Gotland and Visby, where he killed about one thousand eight hundred peasants in a battle the day before St. James’ Day.” The words are found in the yearbook… Continue reading
-
Queen Elizabeth’s Swedish Lady-in-Waiting
As I previously wrote, Cecilia Vasa had a following of around a hundred people when she arrived in England for her unsuccessful stay at Queen Elizabeth’s court. One of these was Helena Snakenborg, born in 1549, daughter of the castle… Continue reading
Scandinavian History 