A Flatpack History of Sweden

Welcome to A Flatpack History of Sweden! In this perhaps too long introductory episode, we say hello to our new podcast, explain the format and give a brief lowdown on what we are going to be talking about on our journey through Swedish history!

Update: We have just re-released the first 8 episodes of the podcast, so people can enjoy the first episodes with an improved sound quality! We give a longer explanation at the start of the episode.

We kick off our podcast with a look at how Sweden physically formed after the last ice age. We meet the first people to move in after this change and see how they lived during the Paleolithic and Mesolithic Ages. Expect Mammoths, hunter-gatherers and a very special lady - Bäckaskogskvinnan! 

Please do follow us on Twitter on too! @FlatpackSweden 

We continue investigating the Stone Age in Sweden, this time focusing on the Neolithic period. We find out how farming was developed, why so much fire was involved and touch on the amazing graves and burial chambers we will focus on more next time around.

Please do follow us on Twitter on @FlatpackSweden and give us a like and a follow on Facebook too! 

In this episode we delve much deeper into the three major cultures of the Swedish Neolithic Period: The Funnel Cups, The Pitted Ware Culture and the Battle Axe Culture. Listen as we learn more about these three different cultures and lifestyles, explore their differing burial methods and learn about what was happening around the world too!

Please do follow us on Facebook and Twitter and give us a review or follow.

This time we welcome you to the Swedish Bronze Age, a time of trading and adventure. Packed full of new discoveries, contacts across Europe and even potentially a bit of murder, Sweden begins its journey into the world of metals. See how Sweden developed into a real export powerhouse, funding some of the more impressive developments back home. 

It's time for part two of our Bronze Age journey. This time we focus on graves, rock art and a little bit of a phallic obsession. From 1800 BCE to 500 BCE, there's a lot of physical evidence to talk about!

In this episode we introduce the Iron Age to our story of Swedish history. This week we cover the first two major periods of the Iron Age; The Pre-Roman Iron and the Roman Iron Age, as we look at nearly 1,000 years of history. Bonus: There are Romans included... 

Welcome to Part 2 of our investigation of the Iron Age in Sweden and south Scandinavia. This time we take a look at the Germanic Iron Age, with its Migration Period and Vendel Period. See how society gradually shifts as we head towards the Viking Age. We also visit one of our favourite Swedish historical sites, Ales Stenar! 

In this episode we're taking a break from the chronological narrative, as we stop to reflect on the crossover between fact and fiction, and the problems this may cause going forward. We discuss the Nordic Sagas, crazy kings and the many peoples who may or may not have existed in Sweden in the gap between the Iron Age and the Viking Age. We will meet colourful characters like King Weatherhat and a travelling Icelandic storyteller, plus many more. 

Surprise! This is our first special episode, breaking the chronological order to talk about an interesting historical object we found in our flat recently. Sweden issued civilian dog tags to all new born citizens for 50 years between 1960 and 2010. But why? We look into it and also have a brief chat about the history of dog tags in general. 

They have arrived! The Vikings are finally here. In the first of many episodes on this famous period of Swedish history, we give a rough introduction to the Viking period as we look at origins of the name Viking, where they lived, what they got up to and what kind of people they were. Were they even all Vikings?

We also hear from Jerry of the Presidencies Podcast as he reads out a quote from us, so do check out his great podcast. You can find him on Twitter at @Presidencies89 and at presidencies.blubrry.com for his website.

In this episode we start the real chronological journey through the Viking period. We begin with a look at the first large Viking raids on western Europe, in the rough period of 790-850. The Vikings started their now famous raids in this period, with the pivotal moment being the attack on the Christian monastery of Lindisfarne in 793. We look at the reaction to this attack and the following raids over the next few decades, before having a look at what day to day life would have been like in rural Sweden during the Viking Age. Chris even dusts off some of his basic Maltese to thank our guest reader! 

In this episode, the Vikings get a visit from our most interesting character so far. Ansgar is the fascinating first Christian missionary to Sweden, who tirelessly tries to spread his religion throughout Sweden, in the town of Birka. We meet many other interesting characters, including the Viking "Kings" Björn and Anund, Father Witmar, Gautbert, King Louis the Pious and a host of supporting characters in this exciting story of exploration, violence and religion. We also look in detail at Birka itself to see what life was like in Viking towns. 

We begin this episode by getting to know the Rus in more detail, a name for the Swedish Vikings as they headed east towards modern day Russia, Ukraine, Greece and Turkey. We see how the Byzantine and Arabic sources describe these new arrivals and determine exactly how "Swedish" they remained after their many trips to the region. We also talk about how some of these Rus ended up back in western Europe, as part of a Byzantine diplomatic mission to Louis the Pious from the last episode, and how this explains in more detail how these Vikings could be Rus and Swedish at the same time.  

In this episode we continue the story of our Swedish Vikings as they venture both east and south, heading towards Kiev, the Black Sea and Constantinople. The Rurik dynasty of rulers take hold of a few major towns in the region, such as Kiev and Novgorod and begin to set up a bit of a power base. We look at about 50 years of relations between these Rus and the Byzantine Empire, covering attacks, trade and treaties as we delve into what happened during this dramatic period in Viking expansion eastwards.

Still with the Viking Rus in the east, this time we quickly finish off leader Oleg with a dramatic, prophecy heavy death. We then examine his successor Igor and look at what we know about the events from his time ruling the Rus from Kiev. Spoilers: Heavy use of Greek Fire as the Byzantine Navy appears, more trade treaties with help from the Primary Chronicle and another ugly death to finish with.

News Update: We are moving to live in Sweden and the podcast is coming with us! Listen to this brief announcement as we talk more about it and explain how the move might have an impact on the next few episodes, but also the exciting opportunities to come. Tack så mycket! 

We are back in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia after our trip eastwards to look at the Rus. We are now starting a short series of episodes on the lives of women in the Viking age. We will look at everything they had to face in society in the next few episodes. This time we give an overview of all the things that these women would have got up to, including childbirth, running the farm, owning businesses and getting involved with politics and marriage. 

This is Part Two of our mini series on the lives of women during the Viking Age in Sweden and across the Viking world. We examine which sources can help us find out about these amazing people, then look at the role women played in marriage, politics, battle and what they might have worn. We also look at the darker side of Viking life as we see how women slaves would have been treated. 

A slight change of format whilst Åsa is in Sweden, so this time we'll see Chris describe the lives of four Viking women to a special guest host. We look at the stories of a Swedish Princess, two residents of Birka and finally get to see how Olga led the Rus from Kiev after Igor's brutal death!

In our final thematic episode about the Viking Age in Sweden and Scandinavia, we explore what some Vikings would have believed and which Gods existed in their world. Prepare for a few strange stories and a godlike cow with a crazy name! 

(1: Unfortunately our resident artist (Chris) no longer has access to a fancy stylus to create the image art for our episodes, but hopefully they will return soon!)

(2: Republishing to remove 10 minutes of silence that snuck into the end of the episode!)

In a first for the podcast, we head outside to explore our new home city of Stockholm. We explore the island of Lidingö and find three Viking sites; two runestones and one grave site burial mound. Check out our social media pages for photos of all three places!

As we approach the end of the Viking Age in Scandinavia, we summarise everything we've learned so far and touch on some other topics we didn't cover in detail in the last few episodes. We set the scene for the arrival of the first "proper" Swedish Kings as we prepare to soon say goodbye to the Vikings. But first, let's talk more about runes, laws and thralls, plus other subjects.

Bonus jokes included after the outro theme tune! 

We have finally reached the real beginning of the Swedish monarchy! Or have we? Erik Segersäll sometimes gets the credit for being Sweden's first King, after establishing a new town and even taking over most of Denmark. We'll see how much his royal claim stacks up as we reach the final century of the Viking Age. Listen for a story full of blood, battles and bovine secret weapons! 

This time we examine the first real King of Sweden, Olof Skötkonung (The Coin King!) His Viking dad set the stage, but now the son truly takes on the mantle of ruling Sweden. Olof makes coins in Sigtuna (with the help of some English immigrants), becomes Christian and his main enemy might have swum all the way to Rome! 

We're out and about again! This time we visit Sweden's oldest town, Sigtuna. Founded by Viking leader Erik Segersäll and improved on by his son and King, Olof Skötkonung, the town still has lots of remains from that time visible today.  Listen to us explore the runestones, church ruins and Sweden's oldest main street, in our second on-location recording. Unfortunately, it also has some not very podcast-friendly ducks!

Bonus: brief history of the Dala horse included in the review section at the end.

We're taking a break from our usual chronological journey and instead visit a historical site in our own home. In what could be seen as part two of our special episode about dog tags, we continue to look at Sweden's preparations for war in the 20th century. Just like with the dog tags, we found that we're living with a reminder of history, namely a bomb shelter in our own basement! We go to have a look and explore the background as to why there were so many shelters built in Sweden. 

This time we celebrate one whole year of us talking about Swedish history! We look back at our favourite moments, and reflect on all the things we have talked about so far. We both go through our top 5 favourite things from the first year, thank all you lovely listeners and give a few shout outs to some fellow podcasts we have met along the way. 

Thank you as ever for all the lovely messages, reviews and emails! :) 

After two special episodes, we return to the chronological narrative. We enter the High Middle Ages and prepare to finally say goodbye to the Vikings. We find out about the lovely herring people would have eaten, see slavery begin to disappear and generally see how life was changing for people in this period.

We start this episode in 1022 as Anund Jakob ascends the throne of Sweden, becoming King after his father, Olof Skötkonung. We look at his reign and how he was followed by his half-brother Emund. There is as always more war among the Scandinavian nations, religious turmoil and an intriguing historical dilemma surrounding some coins minted in Sigtuna! 

(Had to briefly take down the episode as we noticed some bad editing at the end, if you got that copy, enjoy the rare outtakes!) 

The relative stability of the Olof Skötkonung dynasty is thrown into chaos. Strap yourselves in for power struggles, pagan revolts, more Scandinavian wars and the construction of Sweden's first Abbey. We rattle through half a century of political and royal drama as the crown changes hands back and forth throughout the period. 

If you want to skip ahead in the narrative, on 24th April we will be talking about Sweden during the Second World War at Intelligent Speech 2021! Get your tickets here and use the code "Sweden" for an extra 10% off:

https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/product/intelligent-speech-spring-2021/ 

As Sweden progresses through the High Middle Ages, Christianity is becoming an increasingly important part of everyone's lives, from the kings down to the peasants. The church is taking control over some parts of local administration, education, taxation and large public building works such as Sweden's first abbeys. We can't understand life in Sweden at this point, and going forward, if we don't understand how religion played its role in the running of the country. 

In another episode full of regal drama, sometimes playing out more like a South American telenovela than Swedish history, we finish the story of the Stenkil dynasty, beginning with the brothers Filip and Inge the Younger. We also meet Ingegerd, in whom so many great historical narratives converge. Religious matters continue to keep the Swedes on their toes, as the Crusades turn local! We end up with a three-way fight for the Swedish throne as the Stenkil dynasty comes to an end, just before a potential hostage situation confuses things. 

Today we are dedicating an entire episode to the tumultuous times of King Sverker! No shortage of drama here, as we see another extended Danish civil war, introduce the Novgorod Republic (who are worthy of their own podcast series!) and discuss an evil crime committed by Sverker's horrendous son...

We also meet the only English Pope, continue the story of Queen Rikissa, and try to figure out more complicated marriage alliances. All this before the story ends in a bloody, unexpected way!

Plus, a massive thank you to our listener Barbora for the amazing picture she sent us - we are using it as this week's episode picture as we love it so much!

King Sverker is dead. He will be followed by decades of fighting over the throne between his own Sverker dynasty and the rival Erik dynasty. In this episode, we cover the first four decades of this drama, which includes a King being proclaimed a Saint, more royal intermingling and the rise of a powerful, non-royal family of Jarls. 

Seeing as the crazy marriages and family relations from last time just keep getting more and more complicated, we have uploaded a couple of helpful family tree images to our social media pages! Check them out if you need a refresher on who is related to who.... 

Finally, after 32 episodes and thousands of years of Swedish history, we can welcome you to the nation's capital Stockholm! It hasn't been around until now, but from the late 1100s onwards, it will explode onto the scene, with German merchants, forts and a royal presence. And, as a bonus, the Swedish phrase of the week also has a Stockholm theme!

P.S. Have a closer look at this week's episode picture. Notice something different? This week it's not Chris who has drawn the picture, like he usually does, but rather Åsa, who tried her hand as the artist.

We kick off this episode with Sverker II, who returns from exile and becomes King of Sweden as the Jarl, Birger Brosa of the Bjälbo family, is busy pulling the strings behind the scenes. However, a few years later, after Birger Brosa finally leaves the scene, Sverker II quickly moves against the established system and the jenga tower of Swedish political power promptly comes toppling down. Who will try to pick up all the pieces and will the tower be put back together again?

Remember to check out our social media for some family trees, which should hopefully help clear up some of the complicated family connections!

Welcome to the office of Law and Order: Medieval Sweden Unit! In the first of this two-part mini series on crime, laws and justice in Sweden during the 12th and 13th centuries, we're looking into some overarching changes to legal practices. In Part One, we examine what and who influenced these changes, such as the church and more contact with northern Europe. There will be blood feuds and the church dictating who can have sex!

After a brief discussion of windmills in England, we pick up where we left off last time and continue our discussion of the legal system in the High Middle Ages in Sweden. Today we take a closer look at the practical aspects of legal practice, such as how courts worked and what punishments there were as society gradually moves away from Viking justice. We'll also meet Sweden's very first written down legal text, and its great list of Kings. Finally, someone will be stealing watermelons, even though they don't exist in Sweden yet. But Chris likes the idea.... 

Surprise! It's not time for a regular episode this week, but instead we're bringing you an extra special episode. Back in April we had the pleasure of giving a talk at the Intelligent Speech Conference 2021. This is the recording of said talk, plus a brand new intro and outro that we've recorded specially. 

In our talk we look at how and why Sweden, unlike all of its neighbours, escaped invasion during the Second World War. We discover how one natural resource can make all the difference, and how the decisions of a few politicians on one fateful weekend echoed throughout history. Last but not least, we have a quick look at how Sweden was affected by the war, even though it wasn't invaded. Beware of accidental bombings! 

We pick up where we left off in Episode 34, with the death of King Johan. Previously exiled Erik returns to Sweden from his mother's family in Denmark to take the throne as a young man. A regency council is appointed, before drama ensues amongst its members. Later in the episode, we witness the emergence of one of Sweden's most famous and important figures, as Sweden's first great statesman enters the scene... 

If Hollywood were to make a film on Sweden in the 1200s, the main character would be Birger Jarl. We saw him introduced to the story last time, but now we look at his life in detail, in the first of three episodes looking at his achievements and the impact he had on his country. In this first episode we cover his early life, entrance into politics and everything he does up until he declares his son Valdemar the King of Sweden in 1250. Strap in! 

It is time to continue our discussion about the life and deeds of Birger Jarl. This time we look specifically at what happens in the 1250s, a busy decade for our rising leader. He is occupied by marrying off his kids to form political alliances, quashing domestic rebellions, and buttering up visiting German traders. We also see what happened in a war that never was!

Finally we skip forward to the 20th century to examine a rather rash decision by Stockholm City Council...

In our third and final episode about Birger Jarl, the mighty Jarl continues to rule as the puppet master of his son, King Valdemar. He appoints his other sons dukes and even uses the title himself occasionally. He has a second marriage and with that creates an unholy alliance that annoys the Danes. Plus, Sweden fights some more in the east, along with other developments. But even a mighty man like Birger Jarl will eventually lay down for his final rest, and once he's done that, we look back at his life and rule and ask ourselves if he was Birger Jarl, or was he in fact more like Birger King?  

Stay tuned at the end of the episode to hear more about our new website: www.aflatpackhistoryofsweden.com

April 2021 saw the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Whilst widely known around the world as a disastrous industrial accident, Sweden's involvement in the aftermath is usually overlooked. In this new special episode, we will explore how the world outside the USSR found out about the disaster, with help from a Swedish power plant worker's shoes! 

As it is a special episode, we have a special creator of the episode picture; Åsa!

This time we introduce a new landmass to our chronological story: The island of Gotland! We cover thousands of years of Gotland's history, with a focus on trade and how it fits into the story of the Baltic Sea and the surrounding regions. We'll see why as time goes on, the island becomes more and more integrated with the Swedish Kingdom, but it definitely is a gradual process. We then look at the origins of a new northern European trade network!

Includes our funniest/worst mispronunciation blooper so far at the end of the episode!

Moi and welcome to Finland! From now, Finland will play an integral role in the history of Sweden. In this episode we go back in time, to cover hundreds of years of Finnish history until the Swedes come into the story. We cover how Finland developed, what the different societies living there looked like and what they go up to around the Baltic Sea. We then look at how the first interactions with Swedish Kings and their expeditions shaped the future of this land of lakes! 

King Valdemar is finally free of the shackles that his father, Birger Jarl, placed on his rule and he is ready to do some actual kinging! He will reign, he will rule, he will change things, and he will build things. Or no, he actually will not do much at all. Because Valdemar has brothers, and one brother in particular, Magnus, will cause endless trouble for him and hamper his reign. 

Still, he does find time to get nice and cosy with a runaway Danish nun...!

After nearly 10 years feuding with his brother King Valdemar over who should rule Sweden, Magnus Birgersson finally gets his way and takes the throne after the Battle of Hova in 1275. The next five years are action-packed for Magnus and the Kingdom, as ex-King Valdemar sticks around stirring up trouble for his brother. Magnus quickly realises that Danish mercenaries are expensive as he starts his reign off deep in debt and it only gets worse. He even manages to find the time to get married, fight off a rebellion and lay the foundations for the Swedish nobility with the Alsnö Stadga. Busy times!

King Magnus gets a chance to spend at least some of his time formalising royal control in Sweden during the 1280s. His brother gets a Dukedom, influential figures get the titles of Drots, Marsk and Kansler, and the important building project of Uppsala Cathedral comes under new management. The King mediates in two high profile conflicts and we also explain his unusual Swedish name, Ladulås. Oh, and he imprisons his brother, former King Valdemar!