History of Sweden: A Captivating Guide to Swedish History, Starting from Ancient Times through the Viking Age and Swedish Empire to the Present (Scandinavian History)

Did you know that Viking-age Swedes were the founding dynasty of what eventually became Russia? In contrast to their Danish and Norwegian cousins, Swedish Vikings traveled east rather than west in search of riches, land, and power. The extensive river systems of Russia provided economic and military “super-highways” to the adventurers from the north, who journeyed down them all the way to the Black Sea and Constantinople in search of fame and riches. The rise in TV shows and movies has renewed the people’s interest in Vikings, but the Swedish Vikings have been notably absent from these accounts. In Captivating History’s History of Sweden, you will learn more about these Swedish adventurers, along with other parts of Sweden’s fascinating history. In this book, you will discover: The Swedes’ fierce struggle to gain independence The “Father of Sweden,” King Gustav Vasa and his dynasty that spawned some of the greatest military minds in Europe How the Swedish Empire achieved success and expanded as far as North America Sweden’s revolutionary war tactics and how that led to victories on the battlefield Why Sweden adopted its famous policy of neutrality The hero Raoul Wallenberg and his role in WWII And much more! Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn more about the history of Sweden! IntroductionWhen asked to name something they know about Sweden, many people (especially in the English-speaking world) will name the following, in no particular order: the ready-to-make furniture brand IKEA, the famously safe Volvo cars, the Vikings, the somewhat infamous Old Milwaukee Beer “Swedish Bikini Team” commercials, the Nobel Prize, and ABBA.Among the more concrete and serious things that many know (or think they know) about Sweden are the so-called “cradle to the grave” welfare state and the nation’s famous neutrality. Sweden has not been involved in a war in some two hundred years. Recently, many might know that Sweden is starting to struggle with issues over immigration from the war-torn Middle East, especially since 2015.Obviously, there is much more to Sweden than Vikings, cars, furniture, and blondes. (Though a recent study concluded that somewhere between 50 and 80 percent of Swedes have light hair, not all are blonde, although they are some of the tallest people in the world.) In Captivating History’s History of Sweden, you’ll find out all you want to know about this famous Nordic country.