A brief overview of Swedish history

The following historical section is by no means complete from a historical perspective. The purpose of this page is to provide a chronological historical overview of events in Sweden that may have had a connection with or impact on the lives and livelihoods of my and others’ Swedish ancestors.

The Reformation and King Gustav I

Nobleman Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa dynasty succeeded in driving the Danes out of Sweden during their occupation. He led a rebellion against the Danes, who claimed the throne of Sweden according to the Kalmar Union. With help from Lübeck and an armed peasantry, Gustav won against the Danes. This war is known as the War of Liberation (1521-1523). During the war, Gustav Eriksson was elected Protector of the Realm (Swedish: Riksföreståndare) in 1521 and crowned King of Sweden on June 6, 1523, in Strängnäs city. Gustav I was the Swedish monarch until his death in 1560. The war led to the deposition of Danish King Kristian II from the Swedish throne, and Sweden ultimately left the Kalmar Union.

The Reformation

The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and the authority of the Catholic Church hierarchy. The Reformation is typically dated to Martin Luther's publication of the Ninety-five Theses in 1517 against the sale of indulgences, which gave rise to Lutheranism. In general, the Reformers argued that justification was based on faith in Jesus alone and not both faith and arising charitable acts, as in the Catholic view. It was foremost England and the countries in Northern Europe that adopted the Lutheran faith, thus becoming Protestant nations.

The Reformation in Sweden

The Reformation in Sweden refers to how, through the two parliament meetings in Västerås in 1527 and 1544, the country transitioned from the Catholic Church to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden. The Reformation began when King Gustav I (better known as Gustav Vasa), during the Västerås Parliament meeting in 1527, nationalized the Catholic Church province of Uppsala and severed its ties with the Pope in Rome through the Västerås Recess. At the Uppsala synod of 1536, canon law was abolished, which became the final break between Sweden and Rome. At the Uppsala synod of 1572, the Swedish church order was adopted, which culminated in the liturgical dispute (1574–1593). This was settled at the Uppsala synod of 1593, convened by Duke Karl (later King Karl IX), which adopted the Lutheran Augsburg Confession. The Uppsala synod ratified the last Swedish Catholic monasteries and schools, contact with Rome ceased, and the Swedish Church was definitively established as an Evangelical Lutheran national church. Catholicism was to be abandoned; the Swedish church was to return to the doctrines of the Swedish Church Ordinance of 1571. Through the Reformation, King Gustav I was able to eliminate the church as a power that had previously hampered the growth of a strong state power in Sweden, owing in part to the church's strong economic position as a landowner. Gustav Vasa's first direct blow against the church was to enforce the decisions made at the parliament meeting in Västerås in 1527 (see above). The decisions in Västerås also recognized the king as the head of the church instead of the pope. With regard to church doctrine, the principle established in 1527 was that the word of God should be preached purely, i.e., in Swedish. The first entirely Swedish Bible, Gustav Vasa's Bible, was published in 1541. Church practices did not change to reflect Protestantism's direction until 1544. And, as was customary in Protestant countries at the time, the monarch became the head of the national church. Sweden, England, Denmark, Finland, Norway, etc., are examples of countries that have a state church or have had one. For example, in England, in 1534, the Act of Supremacy declared the king the "only supreme head of the Church of England." The Church of Sweden was separated from the state in 2000.

The Reduction

Gustav Vasa's reduction from the church took place in connection with the Swedish Reformation. The phrase "reduction" refers to the process by which the Crown reclaims possessions that it formerly owned. After the War of Liberation, despite the church's fundamental exemption from taxation, the Crown began to impose various taxes on the church. In 1527, the Västerås Parliament approved of a major church reduction, known as the Västerås Recess, to improve public finances. The War of Liberation had cost huge sums of money. The war had been financed through Lübeck, and the debt to Lübeck was immense. The confiscation of the Church's wealth was a way of obtaining money to pay the debt and rebuild Sweden. The Reformation and the transition to Protestantism made this possible. So, one reason why Gustav I demanded the church's property was that Sweden had become dependent on Lübeck, which had supported the country during the War of Liberation and thus had large claims on the Swedish crown. In addition, Lübeck had succeeded in obtaining privileges that gave it control over Sweden's trade. The Reduction in church property and income placed assets at the disposal of the crown, which enabled Gustav to give the monarchy a solid financial foundation. Although the monarchy underwent such a radical change during his reign, it resulted in only one change in the constitutional provisions of the law, but a very important one: the statute on the introduction of hereditary succession (1540, 1544). Regarding the church's reduction to the crown, it should be noted that it only partially deserves the term "reduction," as what the crown obtained did not always belong to it previously.

Resistance

However, this development did not take place without resistance—particularly against the Reformation, but also against higher taxation—and the regime was challenged by several rebellions: in Dalarna in 1524–1525, 1527–1528, and 1531–1533. Each time, the king managed to regain control through diplomatic means before punishing those responsible. However, the worst threat to the king's power came in 1542–1543, during the Dacke Rebellion, when peasants from Småland, Öland, eastern Västergötland, and southern Östergötland rose up against the king and held control over these parts of the kingdom for a long time (with the exception of the cities of Kalmar and Jönköping). In the end, however, the king was able to regain control of the provinces with the help of mercenaries.

Summary

So, the Swedish Reformation caused the Church of Sweden to break with the Roman Catholic Church, becoming an Evangelical Lutheran Church. Catholicism was completely banned in Sweden, in other words, and the only faith permitted was the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden. There are no monasteries in Protestant doctrine.