Before Sweden

1. Swedes (Germanic tribe) The Swedes were a North Germanic tribe who inhabited Svealand ("land of the Swedes") in central Sweden and one of the progenitor groups of modern Swedes, along with Geats and Gutes. The first author who wrote about the tribe is Tacitus, who in his Germania, from 98 CE mentions the Suiones. They are possibly first mentioned locally by the Kylver Stone in the 4th century. Jordanes, in the 6th century, mentions Suehans and Suetidi. Beowulf mentions the Swedes around 1000 A.D. According to early sources such as the sagas, especially Heimskringla, the Swedes were a powerful tribe whose kings claimed descendence from the god Freyr. During the Viking Age they constituted the basis of the Varangian subset, the Norsemen that travelled eastwards (see Rus' people).

2. The Runestone DR 344 is one of the earliest surviving instances of the name Svíþjóð, in Scandinavia (only Runestone DR 216, Beowulf and probably also the Getica are earlier). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedes_(Germanic_tribe)#/media/File:Dr344_Runsten.jpg

3. Gamla Uppsala was the main religious and political centre of the tribe. As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre. Early written sources claim that already during pre-history, Gamla Uppsala was well known in Northern Europe as the residence of Swedish kings of the legendary Yngling dynasty. In fact, the oldest Scandinavian sources, such as Ynglingatal, the Westrogothic law and the Gutasaga talk of the King of the Swedes (Suiones) as the "King at Uppsala https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedes_(Germanic_tribe)#/media/File:Royal_mounds.JPG

4. The Roman empire under Hadrian (ruled 117-38), showing the location of the Suiones Germanic tribe, inhabiting central Sweden As the dominions of the Swedish kings grew, the name of the tribe could be applied more generally during the Middle Ages to include also the Geats. Later it again meant only the people inhabiting the original tribal lands in Svealand, rather than the Geats. In modern North Germanic languages, the adjectival form svensk and its plural svenskar have replaced the name svear and is, today, used to denote all the citizens of Sweden. First mention of tribe of the Swedes (Suiones) by Tacitus in his Germania https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedes_(Germanic_tribe)#/media/File:Roman_Empire_125.png

5. Battle on the Ice of Lake Vänern year 530 The Battle on the Ice of Lake Vänern was a 6th-century battle recorded in the Norse sagas and referred to in the Old English epic Beowulf. It has been dated to c. 530. Beowulf is an epic poem that refers to the conflict, but not to a battle on lake Vänern. In Beowulf, the Swedish king Ohthere (Ottar Vendelkråka, who is often called the first historical king of Sweden) had died and his brother Onela (Áli) had usurped the Swedish throne. Ottar's sons Eanmund and Eadgils (Adils) had to flee to Geatland and seek refuge with the Geatish king Heardred. This induced Onela to attack the Geats and kill both Eanmund and Heardred. In order to avenge his king and kinsman, Beowulf decided to help Eadgils gain the throne of Sweden. During the battle Eadgils slew Onela and became the king of Sweden.

6. https://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Birka#/media/Fi le:Bj%C3%B6rk%C3%B 6_in_Sweden.png Map of Björkö, late 17th century was an important Viking Age trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia and Finland as well as Central and Eastern Europe and the Orient. Björkö is located in Lake Mälaren, 30 kilometers west of contemporary Stockholm, in the municipality of Ekerö. Birka was founded around AD 750

7. Birka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birka#/media/File:Birka_Karte_2008.jpg

8. Guests from Overseas, Nicholas Roerich (1899) Rus' people Scandinavian people trading and raiding on the river-routes between the Baltic and the Black Seas from around the eighth to eleventh centuries AD. Thus they are often referred to in English- language research as "Viking Rus'". The scholarly consensus is that Rus' people originated in what is currently coastal Middle Sweden around the eighth century and that their name has the same origin as Roslagen in Sweden (with the older name being Roden).

9. Europe in the 9th century. Roslagen is located along the coast of the northern tip of the pink area marked "Swedes and Goths".

10. Ship burial of a Rus chieftain as described by the Arab traveler Ahmad ibn Fadlan who visited north- eastern Europe in the 10th century.

11. The Invitation of the Varangians by Viktor Vasnetsov: Rurik and his brothers Sineus and Truvor arrive to the lands of Ilmen Slavs.

12. Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks Map showing the major Varangian trade routes: the Volga trade route (in red) and the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks (in purple). Other trade routes of the 8th to the 11th centuries shown in orange. The route began in Scandinavian trading centers such as Birka, Hedeby, and Gotland, crossed the Baltic Sea, entered the Gulf of Finland, and followed the Neva River into Lake Ladoga. Then it followed the Volkhov River upstream past the towns of Staraya Ladoga and Velikiy Novgorod, crossed Lake Ilmen, and continued up the Lovat River, the Kunya River and possibly the Seryozha River [ru]. From there, a portage led to the Toropa River [ru] and downstream to the Western Dvina River. From the Western Dvina, the ships went upstream along the Kasplya River and were portaged again to the Katyn River, a tributary of the Dnieper. Along the Dnieper, the route crossed several major rapids and passed through Kiev. After entering the Black Sea, it followed its west coast to Constantinople

13. The approximate extent of Old Norse and other Germanic languages in the early 10th century. Old West Norse Old East Norse Old Gutnish English (West Germanic) Continental West Germanic languages, with which Old Norse still retained some mutual intelligibility (viz. Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old Dutch, Old High German). Crimean Gothic (East Germanic) See also: Template:Old Norse language map - a template on the English Wikipedia containing this map and key. Norse language Old Old East Norse

14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /R%C3%B6k_runestone#/me dia/File:R%C3%B6kstenen_1. JPG Rök runestone The Rök runestone (Swedish: Rökstenen; Ög 136) is one of the most famous runestones, featuring the longest known runic inscription in stone. It can now be seen beside the church in Rök (between Mjölby and Ödeshög, close to the E4 and Lake Vättern and Tåkern), Östergötland, Sweden. It is considered the first piece of written Swedish literature and thus it marks the beginning of the history of Swedish literature

15. 6th century - 9th century Year Date Event 530 ca 551 Constantinople 750-790 Stockholm, established 750s (Baltic states to Black Sea) ca 793 800 Rök Runestone carved 829 Ansgar's first mission to introduce Christianity to Sweden 850s Olof I campaigns in Courland (present day eastern Latvia) Posited date of possibly legendary Battle on the Ice of Lake Vänern Getica of Jordanes, history of the Gothic people, written in Trade center Birka, island on Lake Mälaren near present-day Beginnings of Scandinavian colonisation along Varangian trade routes Approximate beginning of Viking age

16. 10th century Year Date Event 960 Settlement at Birka abandoned 980 City of Sigtuna founded 984 Battle of Fyrisvellir near present day Uppsala; Swedish and Geat tribes unite for first time under Eric the Victorious 990 City of Lund founded 995 knowledge, succeeds to throne Olof Skötkonung, first Swedish king of whom there is substantial historical

17. Sigtuna Sigtuna was founded on what was then the shore of Lake Mälaren just over 1,000 years ago.

18. The Battle of Fýrisvellir was a battle for the throne of Sweden which was fought in the 980s on the plain called Fýrisvellir, where modern Uppsala is situated, between King Eric the Victorious and his nephew Styrbjörn the Strong. I

19. Lund Lund is sometimes mentioned as the oldest town or city in present-day Sweden, although it has only been formally been established as such for 300 years of its at least thousand-year history. It is old enough that its origins are unclear, but is presumed to have existed by the end of the Viking Age. Until the 1980s, the town was thought to have been founded around 1020 by either Sweyn I Forkbeard or his son Canute the Great of Denmark.

20. Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung (c. 980–1022) was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in c. 995. He stands at the threshold of recorded history, since he is the first Swedish ruler about whom there is substantial knowledge. He is regarded as the first king known to have ruled both the Swedes and the Geats. King Olaf Scotking of Sweden (Olov Skötkonung), as depicted on a coin of his

21. 11th century Event Year Date 1000 Gothi (pagan chieftain-priest) Þorgeirr Ljósvetningagoði endorses Christianity 1004 Olof Skötkonung baptized; begins adoption of Christianity as official religion 1036 Ingvar the Far-Travelled leads unsuccessful Viking attack against Persia 1085 City of Helsingborg founded 1087 destroyed at order of King Inge the Elder. Temple at Uppsala, the central place of worship within Ancient Norse paganism,