According to the Treaty of Kiel, signed in January 1814, Sweden was supposed to hand over Swedish Pomerania to Denmark as compensation for taking Norway. But, since the Norwegians made a fuss, the Swedes renegged on their end of the deal as well and refused to let go of Pomerania.

The results of the Spotify poll from episode 125 are in! Q: what line would you have supported at Eidsvoll? 1) Full independence, even if it meant war 2) Negotiate with Sweden for autonomy within a union 60% of you would have risked war to declare full independence.

Once again we have an episode that's rather heavy on relatively obscure Scandinavian geography. To make it easier to envision what was happening in episode 126, here's a map of the south-eastern corner of Norway. I hope that helps.

Episode 126: War or Peace?

OK, I may be 70 years late here, but someone needs to tell the Platters: if your deriding friends laugh at tears you cannot hide, they're not your friends. #SmokeGetsInYourEyes

The Union Party at Eidsvoll said it was crazy to go for full Norwegian independence, since that would lead to an unwinnable war against Sweden. They suffered abuse from other members of the assembly. Three of the leading members were: Wedel-Jarlsberg, Wergeland and Løvenskiold.

Right before the assembly at Eidsvoll was dissolved, the members swore to stay "united and faithful until the Dovre mountains fall". In the early 19th century, it was widely assumed that the highest peak of Dovre, Snøhetta (pictured here), was the highest mountain in Norway.

After episode 125 about the assembly at Eidsvoll, I bet you're all asking yourselves how much the whole thing cost. Lucky for you, I have the answer. Feeding and housing the 112 delegates had cost 71,000 thaler. Adding travel expenses, the final cost was 99,000 thaler. Totally worth it.

The patriotic song "Norges skaal!" became popular in Norway, and the members of the assembly at Eidsvoll liked to sing it. It's a melody with a clear anthemy feel, but the lyrics focus on "booze and babes" a tad more than national anthems usually do. www.youtube.com/watch?v=35Hl...

Have the last few weeks got you thinking about why Greenland belongs to Denmark? The Scandinavian History Podcast has all the answers. All the answers.

The 1814 constitution banned Jews and Jesuits from Norway. Nicolai Wergeland pushed for this decision. Later in life, he changed his mind, and supported his son (Henrik), who worked to lift the ban. It succeeded in 1851. Jesuits had to wait until 1956 (!) before they were allowed in.

This is Christian Magnus Falsen, an important assembly member at Eidsvoll, and a leading voice in the Independence Party. He was close to the regent Christian Fredrik, and has been called his instrument at Eidsvoll. More flatteringly, he's also been called the Father of the Constitution.

The Norwegian constitution was signed on May 17, and so that date is now the National Day of Norway. It's a big deal, not least since Norwegian independence has been under threat in living memory. Lots of flags, people dressing in traditional costumes (bunader) and generally having a good time.

A new episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast has dropped! During a few intense weeks in 1814, 112 representatives of the Norwegian people convened at Eidsvoll to draw up a constitution. Preferrably before the Swedes would show up and ruin everything. Links in the comments.

In the unlikely event that you still haven't figured out exactly how king Frederik VI of Denmark and his heir Christian Fredrik were related, this chart should clear things up.

This jolly fellow is Carsten Anker, a wealthy Norwegian landowner, politician and a BFF of prince Christian Fredrik, governor of Norway. Anker kindled Christian Fredrik's interest in the place. The constitutional assembly that met in April 1814 did so at Anker's estate at Eidsvoll.

Claus Pavels, priest in the Norwegian capital, called 1814 an “annus Mirabilis”, or "a year of wonders". Like most other years, it had 365 days, but centuries had passed when less happened than in this one year. That may be a spoiler for the next episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast.

This dashing fellow is none other than Christian Fredrik, painted by Johan Ludvig Lund in 1813. In other words, this is what Christian Fredrik looked like when he was governor of Norway in the latest episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast.

If you're sitting at home thinking that you'd have enjoyed the latest episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast so much more if you had a clue about Norwegian geography, this post is for you. Here's a map helpfully pointing out places of interest in episode 124, "Crisis Means Opportunity".

Let's kick off 2026 with a new episode! As you may remember from episode 119, the Napoleonic Wars strained the Danish-Norwegian union. Even worse, now Sweden exploited the fact that Copenhagen had sided with the losing French, and wanted king Frederik VI to hand over Norway to Sweden.

Everyone here at the Scandinavian History Podcast HQ wishes you a Happy New Year!

Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was married to Désirée Clary. She hated Sweden, much preferring France. In these two portraits, it shows. In the first, she's living her best life in Parisian high society. In the second, she's queen of Sweden. You can almost see the desperation in her eyes.

In 1806, France conquered Pontecorvo. Napoleon made Bernadotte prince of it, and this was his coat of arms: the imperial eagle & the curved bridge. When Bernadotte became king of Sweden, he put the symbol on his royal coat of arms, and that's why you can still find it in the coat of arms of Sweden.

This is Carl Otto Mörner, a.k.a. the Ultimate King Maker, the man who offered the Swedish crown to Bernadotte. Mörner hoped that a marshal of France would help Sweden reconquer Finland. But his hopes were crushed. The man he helped onto the throne didn't even try to get Finland back.

When you watched king Carl XVI Gustaf's traditional Christmas address today, I hope you noticed the bust on the desk. It's the king's ancestor, Karl Johan Bernadotte, who was elected crown prince in the latest episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast.

In the latest episode, we met 3 candidates in the 1810 Swedish crown prince election. The establishment candidate was the Danish prince Fredrik Christian, but some wanted ex-king Gustav Adolf's son Gustav. The third candidate was an unlikely outsider, the marshal of France Jean Baptiste Bernadotte.

The world's preparing for the Christmas break, but at Scandinavian History Podcast HQ we work as usual. To prove it, here's a new episode for you to enjoy while decking the halls: After the death of Karl August, the Swedes needed to find yet another crown prince. Links in the comments.

In the latest episode, I talked about "the rock bottom of Swedish dishonor", namely the lynching of the marshal of the realm, Axel von Fersen, by an angry mob. This depiction is from the 1840s.

I bet you've been losing sleep wondering where the three towns named after ex-queen Fredrika are located. Here's a helpful map so you'll be able to find your way to Fredrika (177 inhabitants), Dorotea (1208 inhabitants) and Vilhelmina (6,188 inhabitants).

In the latest episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast, I talked about the coup against Gustav IV Adolf and his life as ex-king in exile. In these portraits you can follow his downward trajectory: 1) as king. 2) as count of Gottorp (1811). 3) as colonel Gustavsson (1830s).

On this day, December 10, but in 1896, the Swedish engineer and inventor Alfred Nobel drew his last breath. That's why the world famous prize in his memory is handed out on this day every year.

In the latest episode of the SHP, crown prince Karl August died while inspecting troops. In 1826, a memorial was erected on the site. On 23 June 2025, large parts of the monument were destroyed in a lightning strike. When the lightning struck, parts of the monument flew as far as 30 meters.

My first francophone pun. I regret nothing.

The results of the episode 121 poll are in! The question was: Which aspect of the Finnish realignment surprised you the most? 77.8% answered: that the Finns didn't have to serve in the Russian army. Only one (!) person was most surprised that the elites were so quick to switch loyalties.

In episode 122 of the Scandinavian History Podcast, King Gustav IV Adolf is ousted in a coup. Usually, for a coup to work, only a handful of people can know about it. But in this case, it seems like everyone--except the king--saw it coming. So a bit like the Russian invasion.

Emperor Nicholas I visited Helsinki in 1833, and the city was ordered to commemorate the visit with a monument. The locals weren't keen, but they were too smart to refuse. So what did they do? They put up the monument, but the inscription only mentions the visit of the empress, ignoring her husband.

November 30 is the anniversary of the death of king Karl XII. From 1853, the day was marked with a procession in Lund. With time, the participants became fewer and more right-wing. It ended in 2008. In the last few years, it was mostly attended by a handful of radical nationalists and neo-Nazis.

It's late November, so why not cheer ourselves up with a little imperial bling? This is the throne emperor Alexander I sat on when he attended the Diet of Porvoo in 1809. If you want to examine the chair more closely, you can do so the next time you visit the National Museum of Finland in Helsinki.

Me: Stop tickling me. 8yo: But dad! Your fatness is magical!

The Spotify poll results from episode 120 are in! I asked for the main reason Sweden lost the war: 1) Gustav IV Adolf was incompetent 2) Cronstedt gave up the fortress Sveaborg 3) Russia was too strong 66.7% voted #3. In other words, you think the Russians would have taken Finland no matter what.

Episode 121 of the Scandinavian History Podcast has dropped. We look at how the Finns carved out a new political and economic life for themselves, away from Sweden but still as far from Russia as possible.

Even though I don't approve, I do realize that there are some people out there whose grasp of Finnish geography may be spotty. This is a map to elevate their enjoyment of episode 120, The Finnish War.

Look at these gorgeous photos of the Ribe VikingeCenter! Taken by Christina Wiener, shared by Roland Warzecha of Dimicator. dimicator.com www.patreon.com/posts/143051... www.ribevikingecenter.dk/en

The 8yo analyzes the map of Sweden: ''Gästrikland is far too small for such a long name.''

At the ripe old age of 49 I had my first massage today. As far as I'm concerned I can easily wait another 49 years until the next time.

In episode 120 of the Scandinavian History Podcast, we look at how the Franco-Russian alliance 1807 kept causing trouble for the Scandinavians. This time, it's Sweden's turn to feel the pressure. The Swedes, or at least king Gustav IV Adolf, underestimated the new threat.