The name “Sweden” derives from Old English Sweoðeod, which means “people of the Swedes”. This word derives from Sweon / Sweonas (Old Scandinavian Sviar, Latin Suiones). The Swedish name, Sverige, literally means “Kingdom of the Suiones”, excluding the Geats in Götaland. The etymology of Suiones, and of Sweden, is probably derived from the Proto-Germanic Swihoniz which means “property of one” referring to the property of a Germanic tribe.
Variations of English Sweden is used in most languages, except Danish and Norwegian, where the name is the same as in Swedish, Sverige. In the Finnish (Ruotsi) and Estonian (Rootsi) languages, the name comes from the same root as the word ” Russia “, referring to the Rus ethnic group, originally from the coastal areas of Uppland and Roslagen.
Prehistory
Prehistory in Sweden begins in the period called the Allerød Oscillation, around 12000 BC during the Upper Paleolithic, with the arrival of nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers in the southern part of the country, characterized by the use of arrowheads made of stone.
According to youremailverifier.com, Southern Sweden was part of the area where the Norse Bronze Age developed. This period began around the year 1700 BC with the beginning of the importation of bronze from central Europe. Mining was not practiced during this period, and since Scandinavia does not have large deposits, all metals were imported.
In the absence of the domination of the Roman Empire, the Swedish Iron Age is considered from the introduction of stone architecture and monastic orders around 1100 BC
At the beginning of the 2nd century, much of the cultivated soil in southern Sweden was divided into lots with small fences made of stone. On one side of the wall would be the permanent crops and meadows for winter fodder, while on the other would be the forest and the land that was used to graze livestock. This division of the land was used until the 19th century.
Viking Age and Middle Ages
The Swedish Viking Age spans from the 8th to the 11th centuries. During this period, it is believed that the Swedes expanded into eastern Sweden and mixed with the southern geese. The Swedish Vikings and the Guter Vikings raided mainly east and south, going to Finland, the Baltic States, Russia, the Mediterranean, and cities as far away as Baghdad.
The Byzantine emperor Theophilus proved their prowess for war, and invited them to serve as his personal guard, known as the Varangian Guard. The Swedish Vikings, called “Rus”, are also believed to be the founding fathers of Russia.
Swedish Empire
During the 17th century Sweden emerged as a European power. Before the rise of the Swedish Empire, Sweden was a very poor, sparsely populated country, little known in Northern Europe, without any important power or reputation. It was suddenly turned into one of the leading nations in Europe by Axel Oxenstierna and King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, thanks to the conquest of territories from Russia and Poland – Lithuania, but also thanks to their participation in the 30 Years’ War, which made Sweden the continental leader of Protestantism until the collapse of the empire in 1721.
In the middle of the 17th century, Sweden was the third largest country in Europe, second only to Russia and Spain. Sweden reached its maximum territorial expansion under the reign of Charles X of Sweden (1622 – 1660) after the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658.
Carlos XII tried to invade Norway in 1716 ; however, he was killed on the site of Fort Fredriksten in 1718.
In the seventeenth century, Sweden no longer had sufficient resources to keep its territories outside of Scandinavia, as a result of which it lost most of these, culminating in the loss of eastern Sweden by Russia, territories that would become semi-autonomous. Duchy of Finland in Imperial Russia.
King Charles XIII of Sweden launched a military campaign against Norway on 27 of July of 1814, ending with the Convention of Moss, which forced Norway into a personal union with Sweden under Swedish power, which remained until 1905. The campaign of 1814 was the last war in which Sweden participated as a belligerent.
