Country history · Europe

History of Sweden

11 recorded states lay in what is now Sweden, from the Kingdom of the Geats (500 CE) to the Kingdom of Sweden. 2 of them have a full profile, and 3 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)Open in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

6th century

  1. Kingdom of the Geats500 CE – 1000 CE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of the Swedes500 CE – 970 CE · kingdom

8th century

  1. Värmland700 CE – 1000 CE · kingdom

10th century

  1. Gotland900 CE – 1361 CE · republic
  2. Jämtland900 CE – 1178 CE · republic
  3. Kingdom of Sweden970 CE – present · profile

11th century

  1. North Sea Empire1016 CE – 1035 CE · kingdom

12th century

  1. Visby1161 CE – 1361 CE · city state

14th century

  1. Hanseatic League1356 CE – 1669 CE · profile
  2. Kalmar Union1397 CE – 1523 CE · kingdom

19th century

  1. Sweden-Norway1814 CE – 1905 CE · kingdom

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Scandinavia and the Baltic → States of Germany and Central Europe → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Sweden. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/sweden
MLA
“History of Sweden.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/sweden. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Sweden.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/sweden.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Sweden’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/sweden (Accessed: ).