Scandinavia
Modern-day Countries in this region
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages were dominated by the Viking Age (c. 793-1066 AD). Scandinavian seafarers, traders, and warriors explored, raided, and settled across Europe, reaching as far as North America (Vinland), the Middle East, and Central Asia. The Norse established settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and northern England.
This period saw the rise of Scandinavian kingdoms, including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Paganism flourished, with gods like Odin and Thor central to Norse culture. However, the Christianization of Scandinavia began in the 10th century, influenced by contact with Christian Europe and missionary efforts.
Norse/Viking Polities
Polities created by the Norsemen in Europe and North America during the Middle Ages.
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Norwegian Petty Kingdoms
Small kingdoms that existed before the unification of Norway (872 AD).
Early Middle Ages
Establishment of Norway
Was the establishment of the Kingdom of Norway through the unification of the petty kingdoms of the region.
Barbarian kingdoms
Polities created by Germanic people (and a few other like the Alans) during the early Middle Ages.
Early Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages marked the consolidation of Scandinavian kingdoms. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden became centralized monarchies, adopting Christianity as the dominant religion.
High Middle Ages
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Viking Era in Britain
Russian Principalities
Polities that emerged from the fragmentation of the Kievan Rus' from around 1240 AD.
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The Kievan Rus'
Civil war era in Norway
Was a period in the Kingdom of Norway were several rival kings and pretenders waged wars to claim the throne.
Mongol invasions and conquests
Were a series of military campaigny by the Mongols that created the largest contiguous Empire in history, the Mongol Empire, which controlled most of Eurasia.
States emerged from the Northern Crusades
States founded during the Northern Crusades (12th and 13th century).
Holy Roman Empire
Polities that at some point were part of the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806).
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Swedish-Novgorodian Wars
Were a series of conflicts in the 12th and 13th centuries between the Republic of Novgorod and Medieval Sweden over control of the Gulf of Finland.
Mongol Civil Wars
Were a series of wars between the successor states of the Mongol Empire.
High Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
In 1397, the Kalmar Union united Denmark, Norway (including Iceland), and Sweden under a single monarch, though internal conflicts weakened this alliance.
Late Middle Ages
European wars of religion
Were a series of wars in Europe (and the overseas possessions of European countries) the 16th, 17th and early 18th that started after the Protestant Reformation. Although the immediate causes of the wars were religious, the motives were complex and also included territorial ambitions.
Late Middle Ages
Russo-Kazan Wars
Was a series of wars fought between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Khanate of Kazan from 1439, until Kazan was finally conquered by the Tsardom of Russia under Ivan the Terrible in 1552.
Early modern period
The Protestant Reformation swept through the region in the 16th century, leading to the establishment of Lutheranism as the dominant faith. Denmark-Norway and Sweden emerged as major regional powers, engaging in frequent wars, including the Nordic Seven Years’ War (1563-1570) and the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
The Swedish Empire reached its zenith in the 17th century under leaders like Gustavus Adolphus, becoming a dominant force in Northern Europe. Meanwhile, Denmark retained control of Norway and the North Atlantic territories, though its influence waned after defeats in wars with Sweden.
Early modern period
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Northern Wars
A series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe from the 16th to the 18th century.
Early modern period
Time of Troubles
Was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty, and ended in 1613 with the accession of Michael I of the House of Romanov.
Franco-Dutch War
Was a war between the Kingdom of France and the Dutch Republic.
German Confederation
Polities that at some point were part of the German Confederation (1815-1866).
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Period (1789-1815)
Denmark-Norway aligned with Napoleon, resulting in British attacks such as the 1807 Bombardment of Copenhagen. Following Napoleon’s defeat, the 1814 Treaty of Kiel dissolved the union between Denmark and Norway, with Norway entering a union with Sweden. Denmark retained control of Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.
Sweden, after losing Finland to Russia in 1809, sought to maintain its position in Northern Europe, though its imperial ambitions had largely faded.
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Were a series of conflicts between France and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompass first the French Revolutionary Wars against the newly declared French Republic and from 1803 onwards the Napoleonic Wars against First Consul and later Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. They include the Coalition Wars as a subset: seven wars waged by various military alliances of great European powers, known as Coalitions, against Revolutionary France - later the First French Empire - and its allies.
XIX Century
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
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19th Century
The 19th century was marked by political reform and the rise of nationalism in Scandinavia. Norway sought greater autonomy within its union with Sweden, ultimately dissolving the union peacefully in 1905.
Denmark transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy in 1849.
With the Schleswig Wars, Denmark lost Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg to Prussia and Austria.
XIX Century
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Revolutions of 1848
Was a revolutionary wave in Europe that started in France. The revolutions were essentially democratic and liberal in nature, with the aim of removing the old monarchical structures and creating independent nation-states, as envisioned by romantic nationalism.
Schleswig Wars
Were two wars caused by the Schleswig-Holstein question (a series of issues deriving from the status of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein to the Danish Crown and to the German Confederation).
German Unification Wars
Were a series of wars that resulted in the creation of the German Empire under Prussian leadership in 1871.
From 1900 to the End of World War II
All three Scandinavian countries remained neutral throughout the First World War. Following the defeat of Germany in the war (1918), the Treaty of Versailles (1919) mandated the Schleswig Plebiscites, which resulted in the return of Northern Schleswig (now South Jutland) to Denmark.
Denmark and Norway were occupied by Nazi Germany, while Sweden maintained neutrality but provided aid to Finland during the Winter War (1939-1940) against the Soviet Union.
Iceland gained independence from Denmark in 1944, and the Faroe Islands and Greenland assumed greater autonomy.
World War I
Was a global conflict between two coalitions, the Allies (primarily France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States) and the Central Powers (led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). It was mainly caused by the competition of the western countries over domain in Europe and in the rest of the world with their colonial empires. The war ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war also caused the Russian Revolution and the ensuing Russian Civil War.
1900-1945
Bolsheviks (Russian Civil War)
Bolshevik territories during the Russian Civil War (1917-1923).
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Separatists (Russian Civil War)
Local secessionist polities during the Russian Civil War (1917-1923) that were neither communists nor whites.
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Whites (Russian Civil War)
Conservative countries - in many cases created with the support of western europeans, japanese and U.S. - during the Russian Civil War (1917-1923).
Russian Civil War
Was a Civil War in Russia that involved varios factions but mainly the Bolsheviks and the conservative White Army in the core Russian territories, as well as a multitude of local secessionist states. At the end of war the Bolsheviks were victorious and established the Soviet Union.
1900-1945
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Finnish Civil War
Germany after World War I
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World War I
World War II
Was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945 (it started sooner in certain regions) between the Axis Powers (mainly Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (mainly the Soviet Union, the U.S.A., the U.K., China and France). It was the war with more fatalities in history. The war in Asia began when Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. The war in Europe began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The war ended with the complete defeat of the Axis powers, which were occupied by the Allies.
World War II
Vichy France Colonies
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Cold War Period
During the Cold War, Scandinavia remained divided in its alliances. Denmark and Norway joined NATO, while Sweden maintained its neutrality, focusing on diplomacy and peacekeeping. Finland, bordering the Soviet Union, adopted a policy of neutrality but maintained close ties with the West.
Allied withdrawals after World War II
Was a series of withdrawals from territories occupied by the Allies during World War II in the aftermath of the war.
