The union of Kalmar or union of Squid (in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian: Kalmarunionen ) joined together the three Scandinavian kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden and Norway under only one monarch of 1397 with 1523. These three kingdoms slackened their sovereignty, while maintaining their independence. Swedish dissatisfaction towards centralization with the capacity in Denmark was the cause of the conflict which put an end to the union.

The situation

Scandinavia at the 14th century had an appearance different from that of the 21e century. From this time remains the current national flag; Dannebrog which of all the flags of the world is oldest (XIIIe century). Indeed, at that time, the Denmark was the country more populated and richest of Scandinavia. It was extended more, had the richest part southernmost, of the Scandinavian Péninsule (which is connected today with the Scanie). It thus controlled all the straits leading to the the Baltic. The Norway also was wider, it had territories on the current Western coast Swedish. Moreover it had the islands the Orkneys, the Shetland, Féroé, the Iceland and the Greenland. The Sweden although decreased on the Scandinavian peninsula had current the Finland.

The Hanseatic League directed the trade around the the Baltic. The island independent of Gotland was then one of its principal counters.

Union

The union was created in 1397 on the initiative of the queen Marguerite I {{Re}} of Denmark (1353 - 1412), in the Swedish city of Kalmar, then near to the Danish border of Scanie after the Swedish and Danish troops had gained against the Swedish king, Albert de Mecklembourg, in 1389 and that it had not been able to pay the tribute of 60.000 marks money three years after his release. King Albert, born in Germany, was appreciated little by the Swedish nobility. This one rebelled, constant by the Danes who wanted to put an end to the hand put Hanseatic League on the Scandinavian trade. The Margerite queen is the girl of king de Danemark, Valdemar Atterdag and the woman of the king de Norvège Haakon VI. She brought her great nephew, Eric de Poméranie, with being recognized king de Norvège, then elected king of the two other countries. Marguerite promised to protect the influence and the privileges of the nobility but Eric wished to reinforce monarchy.

Final conflicts

The unhappy Swedes against the Danes at the time of the wars of Schleswig, Holstein, Mecklembourg and Poméranie which affected Swedish exports, in particular of Fer did not appéciaient the concentration of the capacity to the Denmark. The Swedish senate ( Riksrådet ) asked more for autonomy. The union was exhausted as from the years 1430, until armed revolts in particular showing the will to return the Danish troops out of Sweden. The king of the union, Eric, fell in 1438 - 1439. Christophe of Bavaria although without children the head of the union under the name Christophe I {{er}} succeeded to him. At the time of the vacancy of the capacity following the death of Christophe Ier in 1448, the Swedes élirent Charles VIII king of Sweden. It wished to become leading union and to bring back the capacity under the Swedish crown. Charles VIII was elected king of Norway the following year, but the counts of Hostein were more powerful than the Norwegians and Swedish units. Thanks to their support Christian I {{er}} of Olembourg was established king de Danemark by the Danish senate ( Statsrådet ); compromising the intentions suédo-Norwegian. The seventy following years were remembered by the conflicts of being able and the wars of supremacy between Sweden and Denmark.

After the resumption of the Sweden by Christian II of Denmark and the Blood bath of Stockholm in 1520, the Swedes revolted again, the Danes then left the Sweden in 1521. From now on the Swedes asked for their independence, the election of Gustav I {{er}} Vasa the June 6th 1523 marked the dissolution of the union.

Consequences

The last structures of the union of Kalmar remained until in 1536 when the Danish senate, following a civil war, declared unilaterally that the Norway was a kingdom depend on the Denmark. The Norway could preserve its autonomy but its possessions: Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands passed under Danish control. In 1814, the Denmark had to yield the Norway to the Sweden.

See too

External bond

A page on this alliance

Be-X-old: Кальмарскаяунія Simple: Kalmar Union

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