This is a timeline of Swedish history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Sweden. To read about the background to these events, see History of Sweden. See also the list of Swedish monarchs and list of prime ministers of Sweden.
1st century – 5th century
6th century – 9th century
10th century
11th century
12th century
13th century
14th century
15th century
16th century
| Year |
Date |
Event
|
| 1505 |
|
First Kalmar Bloodbath
|
| 1520 |
|
Christina Gyllenstierna defends Stockholm but is defeated by the Danes under Christian II of Denmark; Christian is crowned king of Sweden and orders Stockholm bloodbath
|
| 1523 |
|
Gustav Vasa liberates Stockholm, leading Sweden out of the Kalmar Union and initiating monarchical rule of the House of Vasa
|
| 1524 |
|
Treaty of Malmö signed: The Danish king formally renounce his claim to Sweden; Sweden in return renounces claims to Scania and Blekinge
|
| 1525 |
|
First Dalecarlian Rebellion occurs in parallel with attempt by Christina Gyllenstierna and Sören Norby to take Swedish throne
|
| 1526 |
|
First Swedish translation of New Testament published
|
| 1529 |
|
Westrogothian Rebellion
|
| 1531 |
|
Third Dalecarlian Rebellion, also known as the Bell Rebellion (Klockupproret) begins; suppressed two years later
|
| 1535 |
|
War with Lübeck leads to expulsion of Hanseatic traders, ending previous Hanseatic League monopoly on foreign trade
|
| 1540 |
|
First full Swedish translation of Bible, the Gustav Vasa Bible, published
|
| 1542 |
|
Nils Dacke starts peasant uprising in Småland, defeated the following year
|
| 1554 |
|
Border skirmishes between Sweden and Russia lead to outbreak of Russo-Swedish War (1554-1557)
|
| 1555 |
|
A Description of the Northern Peoples (Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus) by Olaus Magnus published
|
| 1561 |
|
Estonia becomes a Swedish dominion
|
| 1567 |
|
Sture Murders carried out on the orders of Eric XIV
|
| 1577 |
26 February |
Eric XIV dies in imprisonment
|
| 1584 |
|
City of Karlstad founded
|
| 1592 |
|
Poland and Sweden enter into a short-lived personal union following crowning of Sigismund III Vasa as King of Sweden
|
| 1598
|
|
Conflict between Duke Charles, later King Charles IX, and Sigismund, King of Sweden and Poland, leads to outbreak of the War against Sigismund
|
| 25 September |
Battle of Stångebro
|
| 1599 |
|
War against Sigismund ends, resulting in deposition of King Sigismund; Sigismund's followers targeted in second Kalmar Bloodbath and the Åbo Bloodbath
|
17th century
| Year |
Date |
Event
|
| 1600 |
20 March |
Linköping Bloodbath
|
| 1610 |
|
Ingrian War between Russia and Sweden begins
|
| 1611 |
|
Denmark declares war on Sweden, initiating Kalmar War
|
| 1613 |
|
Treaty of Knäred ends Kalmar War: Sweden obligated to pay Älvsborg Ransom of one million rixdollars for return of fortress of Älvsborg
|
| 1614 |
|
City of Kristianstad founded
|
| 1617 |
27 February |
Treaty of Stolbovo ends Ingrian War: Russia cedes province and fortress of Kexholm, southwestern Karelia and province of Ingria to Sweden, laying foundation for Sweden's rise as a Great Power
|
| 1621 |
|
City of Gothenburg founded
|
| 1628 |
10 August |
Sinking of the Swedish warship Vasa
|
| 1630 |
|
Sweden enters the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
|
| 1631
|
13 April
|
Battle of Frankfurt an der Oder
|
| 7 September |
Battle of Breitenfeld
|
| 1632 |
6 November |
Battle of Lützen: King Gustav II Adolf killed
|
| 1638 |
|
Colony of New Sweden established along the Delaware River in North America
|
| 1648 |
|
Thirty Years' War ends, with Sweden among the winners; Peace of Westphalia grants Sweden the provinces of Western Pomerania, Wismar, and the bishoprics of Bremen-Verden
|
| 1650 |
|
Colony of Swedish Gold Coast established on Gulf of Guinea in present-day Ghana
|
| 1654 |
|
Queen Christina abdicates throne and converts to Roman Catholicism, creating major scandal
|
| 1658 |
26 February |
Treaty of Roskilde: Denmark-Norway cedes provinces of Blekinge, Bornholm, Bohuslän, Scania, Trøndelag and Halland to Sweden
|
| 1663 |
|
Colony of the Swedish Gold Coast seized by Denmark, and integrated into Danish Gold Coast
|
| 1666 |
|
Foundation of Lund University
|
| 1668 |
|
Foundation of Sweden's central bank, Sveriges Riksbank
|
| 1674 |
24 December |
Sweden invades Brandenburg, triggering Swedish-Brandenburg War
|
| 1675 |
|
Denmark invades Scania, triggering Scanian War
|
| 1676
|
1 June
|
Battle of Öland
|
| 17 August
|
Battle of Halmstad
|
| 4 December |
Battle of Lund
|
| 1677
|
26 June
|
Siege of Malmö
|
| 14 July |
Battle of Landskrona
|
| 1678 |
|
Invasion of Rügen
|
| 1679 |
23 August |
Treaty of Fontainebleau signed, restoring all Danish conquests during the Scanian War to Sweden
|
| 1680 |
|
City of Karlskrona founded
|
|
|
Great Reduction of 1680 enacted, returning to the Swedish Crown lands that had earlier been granted to the nobility
|
| 1697 |
7 May |
Castle of Tre Kronor burns down, destroying a significant portion of Sweden's national library and royal archives
|
18th century
| Year |
Date |
Event
|
| 1700 |
22 February |
Alliance consisting of Denmark-Norway, Saxony, Poland and Russia declares war on Sweden, initiating Great Northern War
|
|
|
Battle of Narva
|
| 1702 |
8 July |
Battle of Kliszów
|
| 1706 |
3 February |
Battle of Fraustadt ends in slaughter of captured prisoners by victorious Swedish army
|
| 1706 |
13 October |
Invasion of Poland by Sweden results in Treaty of Altranstädt forcing King Augustus the Strong to renounce claim to Polish throne and break Treaty of Narva, his alliance with Russia
|
| 1708 |
1 January |
Charles XII crosses Vistula, opening attempted Swedish invasion of Russia
|
| 1709 |
27 June |
Battle of Poltava: destruction of Charles XII's invading Swedish army by defending Russian forces of Peter the Great marks beginning of Sweden's decline as a great power
|
| 1710 |
28 February |
Battle of Helsingborg: final failed attempt by Denmark to regain Scania
|
| 1713 |
1 February |
Skirmish at Bender, battle to remove Charles XII and the remnants of his army from the Ottoman Empire
|
| 1718 |
30 November |
Charles XII killed at Frederikshald
|
| 1719 |
|
Treaties of Stockholm, requiring Sweden to cede parts of Swedish Pomerania to Prussia and Bremen-Verden to Hanover
|
| 1720 |
|
Treaty of Frederiksborg, requiring Sweden to cede Schleswig to Denmark-Norway
|
| 1721 |
|
Treaty of Nystad, requiring Sweden to cede Estonia, Livonia and Ingria to Russia
|
| 1731 |
|
Foundation of Swedish East India Company
|
| 1732 |
|
Carl Linnaeus departs on his Expedition to Lapland
|
| 1734 |
|
Civil Code of 1734 establishes unified code of law for Sweden
|
| 1735 |
|
First edition of Linnaeus' Systema Naturae
|
| 1737 |
|
Swedish language Theater of Bollhuset founded
|
| 1739 |
2 June |
Foundation of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
|
| 1741 |
23 August |
Battle of Villmanstrand
|
| 1742 |
|
Anders Celsius proposes Celsius temperature scale
|
| 1743 |
|
Fourth Dalecarlian Rebellion breaks out
|
| 1747 |
|
Olof von Dalin begins publication of his Swedish history, Svea Rikes Historia
|
| 1749 |
|
Storskifte Enclosure Act begins long period of major land reform in Sweden
|
| 1756 |
|
Quelling of attempted coup d'état by Queen Louisa Ulrika and a few devoted nobles to reinstate absolute monarchy in Sweden
|
| 1757 |
|
Sweden enters Seven Years' War (1756-1763)
|
| 1762 |
22 May |
Treaty of Hamburg concludes Sweden's involvement in Seven Years' War
|
| 1766 |
|
Freedom of the Press Act enacted: censorship abolished apart from limitations on vocal opposition to the king and the Church of Sweden
|
| 1768 |
|
December Crisis (1768) fails to increase royal power
|
| 1772 |
|
Absolute monarchy reintroduced through the Revolution of 1772
|
| 1773
|
|
Discovery of oxygen by Carl Wilhelm Scheele
|
|
Royal Swedish Opera founded
|
| 1782 |
|
Sweden purchases Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy from France
|
| 1786 |
20 March |
Foundation of Swedish Academy
|
| 1787 |
|
First secondary education school in Sweden for girls, Societetsskolan, founded in Gothenburg
|
| 1788 |
|
Sweden declares war against Russia, initiating Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)
|
| 1790 |
|
Treaty of Värälä concludes Russo-Swedish War, confirming status quo ante bellum with respect to borders
|
| 1792 |
16 March |
King Gustav III assassinated at a masked ball
|
19th century
20th century
21st century
| Year |
Date |
Event
|
| 2000 |
1 July |
Øresund Bridge opened, creating road and railway connection between Sweden and mainland Europe
|
| 2003 |
|
Voters decide not to adopt euro as the country's official currency
|
| 2009 |
1 May |
Same-sex marriage legalized in Sweden
|
| 2010 |
|
Military conscription paused
|
| 2018 |
|
Military conscription reactivated
|
| 2024 |
7 March |
Sweden joins in NATO
|
See also
- Timeline of Faroese history
- Timeline of Icelandic history
- Cities in Sweden
- Timeline of Gothenburg
- Timeline of Stockholm history
References
Further reading
External links