European Kingdoms

Kingdom of Sweden
AD 565? - Present Day

Sweden had earlier kings who emerged from semi-legendary beginnings. These account for the first five Erics, six Karls, and some Knuts. Those without a firm footing in history may still have existed, and, where possible, are listed here with a lilac backing. Alternate dates are shown in red text alongside relevant entries. There seems to be a lot of confusion and contradiction on ninth century kings, but for the moment this must remain as it is.

Finland initially emerged into European history as a dependency of Sweden. while Estonia was a later conquest that was taken by Russia during the collapse of Sweden's seventeenth century Northern empire.

Karl I

Karl II

Karl III

Karl IV

Karl V

Karl VI

450s

From this point, Sweden's legendary kings emerge partly into history, or at least become less legendary. The ancient dynasty of the Ynglings (or Scylfings) are now occasionally mentioned in various sources other than the Norse sagas.

fl 490s - 610s

Egil / Ongentheow

Ottar / Ohthere

Ale / Onela

c.530 - 575

Adils / Eadgils

Östen

Sölve

Ingvar / Yngvar Harra

Died early 7th century.

early 7th century

Ingvar ventures into Estonia to pillage from the Eastern pirates in retribution for attacks on Sweden. When he arrives at an unidentified place named Stein, he is attacked by a great Estonian army which had been assembled much further inland. The Estonians overwhelm the Swedish force and Ingvar falls. The surviving Swedes withdraw and Ingvar is buried in a mound on the Estonian shore.

Anund

623 - 647

Ingjald Illrade

King of Norway and Sweden.

650

By now Swedes have established the stronghold of Seeburg (near modern Grobina) in Courland. This is succeeded by a trading post which survives until the beginning of the ninth century, when the invaders are defeated by the local population.

Swedish forces also establish strongholds at Truso and Viskiautias, in the territory of the Prussians. According to some sagas, Scandinavian kings are likely to rule over all the countries on the eastern shores of the Baltic, although in reality this probably means various strongholds and trading centres along the coastline.

c.655 - 695

Ivar Vidfamne

Founder of the house of Ivar Vidfamne.

c.705 - 735

Harald Hildetand

Or d.c.750.

735 - 770

Sigurd Ring

Or c.770-812. Sole ruler from c.750.

c.770 - 785

Ragnar Lodbrok

750

Eystein Beli / Östen Beli

Or 860.

794

With the accession of Björn Järnsida, Sweden's kings become more solidly footed in history.

794 - 804

Björn Järnsida / Ironside

Or c.856.

804 - 808

Erik II

Or d.c.870.

808 - 820

Erik III

820 - 859

Edmund I

820 - 859

Björn

Joint rulers.

Erik I

d.c.870. Must have ruled before Eriks II & III.

Eric IV Väderhatt

Eric V

930?-965.

859 - 873

Eric VI Emundson

870s

It is around this point in time that the Swedes begin to take an interest in the Finnic lands, with Swedish settlers beginning to arrive along the coast. Eventual domination follows.

860 - 865

Ragnar Lodbrok

Or 750-794. Also king of Denmark (c.860-865).

873 - 923

Björn

Possibly the same as in 820-859.

920 - 930

Olaf I Ring

923 - 993

Eric VII (VI) the Victorious

Or 970-995.

950 - 965

Edmund II

965 - 970

Olaf II

993 - 1001

Eric VIII (VII) Arsaell

1001 - 1026

Olaf III Skutkonung

Or 995-1022. First Christian king.

1026 - 1051

Arund Jakob Kolbrenner

1051 - 1056

Edmund III Slemme

1056 - 1066

Stenkil

1066 - 1080

Inge I the Elder

1066 - 1070

Halsten Stenkilsson

Died 1070.

1080 - 1083

Blot-Sven

1083 - 1110

Inge I the Elder

Restored?

1110 - 1118

Filip Halstensson

1118 - 1125

Inge II the Younger

1125 - 1130

Magnus Neilsson

1130 - 1156

Sverker I the Elder

1150 - 1160

St Eric IX

1161 - 1167

Karl / Charles VII

1167

In the course of forming the bishopric of Lund in Sweden, the monk Falco of France is appointed bishop of Estonia. It appears that an Estonian-born monk named Nicolaus is appointed to be his assistant, although their attempts to establish Christianity in Estonia can hardly be considered successful.

1167 - 1196

Knut VI

1187

The 'pagans of the Eastern Sea' (Estonians of Saaremaa, Couronians, and Zembs of Prussia) conquer Sigtuna, the most important town in Sweden, which they then burn down.

1196 - 1208

Sverker II the Younger

Died 1210.

1208 - 1216

Eric X

1216 - 1222

John I

1222 - 1229

Eric XI

1229 - 1234

Knut VII the Long

1234 - 1249

Eric XI

Restored.

c.1249

Birger Magnusson of Bjälbo establishes Swedish rule over the Finns, and the Swedish king soon begins to appoint a governor or duke to manage the populace. Additional, localised, governors are placed in Vyborg, while the bishops of Turku also wielded some authority.

1250 - 1275

Valdemar

1275 - 1290

Magnus I

1290 - 1320

Berger

1320 - 1365

Magnus II

Also Magnus VII of Norway.

1356 - 1359

Eric XII

Also duke of Finland.

1359

Eric is the last of the dukes to govern Finland, and a more normalised system of governors takes over from this point onwards.

1365 - 1388

Albert

Duke of Mecklenburg (1379-1412).

1371 -1386

Albert proves unpopular with his subjects, so much so that the governor of Finland, Bo Jonsson Grip, rules the territory as an independent state in opposition to him.

1380

Union of Denmark & Norway.

1387 - 1412

Queen Margaret I

Queen of Denmark & Norway.

1397

Union of Kalmar. Denmark & Norway are united with Sweden.

1412 - 1439

Eric XIII of Pomerania

Also Eric VII of Denmark, III of Norway, and I of Pommern-Stolp.

1439 - 1448

Christopher

Son. Also Christopher III of Denmark.

1448 - 1457

Karl / Charles VIII

1448 - 1481

Christian I of Oldenburg

1464 - 1465

Karl / Charles VIII

Second rule.

1467 - 1470

Karl / Charles VIII

Third rule.

1481 - 1513

John / Hans II

Also John of Denmark & Norway.

1513 - 1523

Christian II

King of Denmark & Norway.

1523

Sweden leaves the Union of Kalmar.

1523 - 1560

Gustavus I Vasa

1560 - 1568

Eric XIV

1561 - 1562

During the Livonian Wars (1558-1583), Tallinn in North Estonia, together with its vassals of Harju-Viru and Järva, asks Sweden for military support, and in June 1561 they pledge allegiance to King Erik to be incorporated into the kingdom as the duchy of Estonia. Sweden also gains Ingermanland, creating a Scandinavian empire.

1568 - 1592

John III

Previously grand duke of Finland.

1581 - 1583

The reign of John III sees Finland raised to a grand duchy, with the king himself holding the title and governors being appointed to handle the day-to-day running of the country. In the same year, 1581, the Estonian county of Läänemaa is conquered by Sweden, giving it control of all of North Estonia. The following year an armistice agreement is concluded between the Russian czar and the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom proclaiming Livonia a possession of the latter. In 1583, Russia concludes a similar agreement with Sweden, acknowledging its supreme power in North Estonia.

1592

Sigismund III of Poland-Lithuania inherits the Swedish throne, but his inflexible politics and passionate Catholicism causes opposition from the Swedish Protestant population, forcing the king to return to Poland.

1592 - 1604

Sigismund

King of Poland-Lithuania.

1599 - 1604

In the absence of Sigismund III, the Swedish Diet elects Sigismund's uncle, Karl, duke of Södermanland, to be the new ruler. In 1604 he is crowned, but by then, hostilities are already underway between Sweden and Poland-Lithuania. The First Polish-Swedish War sees Swedish troops assembled in Tallinn in order to attack Livonia, but instead the army suffers significant losses at Cesis and Koknes, in spite of the fact that Poland-Lithuania's main forces are fighting the Ottomans. The Swedes are driven out of Livonia in 1601. Further attacks on Riga in 1604 and Courland in 1605 also fail.

1604 - 1611

Karl / Charles IX

Uncle.

1609

Sweden allies itself with Russia, and taking advantage of restless times there, the king of Poland-Lithuania launches a pre-emptive war, capturing Moscow and Smolensk. Resistance by the population of Moscow eventually forces the invading army out, but the war rumbles on until 1618, when an armistice is agreed in the village of Deulino.

1611 - 1632

Gustavus II Adolphus

1617 - 1629

Hostilities between Poland and Sweden flare up again in 1617, but this time the reorganised Swedish forces are unstoppable, taking Riga and pushing into Lithuanian and Polish territories. The Treaty of Altmark concludes the First Polish-Swedish War by recognising the Swedish capture of most of Poland's southern Estonian and Livonian territories, with Poland retaining just Latgallia in the east of Livonia.

Poland is also forced to temporarily cede the port cities of Braunsberg (Braniewo in Ermland), Elbing (Elblag), Memel (Klaipeda), and Pillau (Baltiysk). The territory is termed Swedish Prussia, but it is regained in 1635.

1632 - 1654

Queen Christina

Died 1689.

1637 - 1638

The death of Bogislaw XIV sees Pomerania taken under Swedish control. The following year, the first wave of Swedish and Finnish settlers arrive in the New World colony of New Sweden, settling around Fort Christina.

1645

The Swedish gain all of modern Estonia when the Danes hand over the island of Ösel (Saaremaa) under the Treaty of Brömsebro.

1648

Sweden loses Further-Pomerania to Brandenburg-Prussia under the terms of the Peace of Westfalia. However, Nearer-Pomerania remains in Swedish hands.

1654 - 1660

Karl / Charles X

1655 - 1660

The colony of New Sweden in the Americas has its main settlement at Fort Christina captured in 1655 in retaliation for a brief Swedish occupation of one of the Dutch forts in New Netherland. This ends the Swedish colony. In the same year, seeing a golden opportunity following the Russian capture of large areas of Lithuania in 1654, Swedish troops enter the duchy of Courland, triggering the Second Polish-Swedish War. Karl X declares himself 'Protector of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth'. This only ends when Livonia is officially ceded to Sweden following Poland-Lithuania's signing of the Treaty of Oliva.

1660 - 1697

Karl / Charles XI

1697 - 1718

Karl / Charles XII Madman of the North

1700 - 1721

The Great Northern War is fought when Sweden finds itself facing Russia, Poland and Denmark. An attack on the unified kingdom of Saxony and Poland in 1702 sees Sweden occupy large areas of Poland until 1710. The situation deteriorates rapidly in 1709, when Sweden suffers a disastrous defeat at the hands of Peter the Great of Russia and the following year loses control of Finland, Estonia and Livonia to the Russians.

The capture of the town of Malmo in 1709 by Count Magnus Stenbock, probably one of the last Swedish victories as Russia and her allies defeated the Swedes later the same year

1718 - 1720

Queen Ulrika

1720 - 1751

Frederick

Landgrave of Hessen-Kassel (1730-1751).

1751 - 1771

Adolphus Frederick

1771 - 1792

Gustavus III

1792 - 1809

Gustavus IV Adolphus

Died in battle against the French.

1807 - 1809

Sweden loses Nearer-Pomerania to Napoleonic France, which occupies it until all of Pomerania is regained by Sweden in 1809. In the same year, Sweden permanently loses its provinces in Finland to the Russians.

1809 - 1818

Karl / Charles XIII

No natural heirs.

1814 - 1815

France is defeated at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and Sweden gains Norway from Denmark as part of the reshuffle of territories and power that follows during the Congress of Vienna. However, Pomerania is lost to Prussia.

1818 - 1844

Karl / Charles XIV (Bernadotte)

Adopted son. Ex-Marshal of French First Empire.

1844 - 1859

Oscar I

1859 - 1872

Karl / Charles XV

1872 - 1907

Oscar II

1905

Sweden loses Norway as the Norwegian crown is restored.

1905 - 1950

Gustavus V

1918 - 1919

On 16 February 1919, the last Swedish administrator of the island of Ösel, or Saaremaa, is assassinated, shortly after Estonian rule is established there.

1950 - 1973

Gustavus / Gustav VI Adolph

1973 - Present

Karl / Charles XVI Gustav

Crown Princess Victoria

Dau and heir. m Daniel Westling in 2010.

2010

Crown Princess Victoria marries her former fitness instructor, commoner Daniel Westling, on 19 June 2010. He assumes the title of Prince Daniel, duke of Vastergotland.