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Skåneland

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For the cargo ship, seeMV Skåneland.

Skåneland

Halland·Scania·Blekinge·Bornholm

The historic regionSkåneland(the Scanian provinces) in brown, consisting of theSwedishprovincesBlekinge,HallandandScania,and theDanishislandBornholm


Theflag of Skåneland,registered withScandinavian Roll of Armsas a cultural symbol for the region

Skåneland(SwedishandDanish) orSkånelandene(Danish) is a region on the southernScandinavian peninsula.It includes theSwedishprovincesofBlekinge,Halland,andScania.TheDanishisland ofBornholmis traditionally also included.[1]Skåneland has no official recognition or function and the term is not in common usage. Equivalent terms in English and Latin are "the Scanian Provinces" and "Terrae Scaniae" respectively. The term is mostly used in historical contexts and not in daily speech. In Danish,Skånelandeneis used more often. The terms have no political implications[dubious–discuss]as the region is not a political entity but acultural region,without officially established administrative borders.

The provinces making up Skåneland were part of Denmark from at least the 9th century,[2]sometimes referred to as the "Eastern Provinces"; since a 12th-centurycivil war,Denmark has been a kingdom with a single king.[3]Blekinge was a part ofSwedenuntil the early 13th century when it became part ofDenmark[4](theDanish Census Bookcontains the first secure written evidence of Danish control).[5]The provinces were part of the territory ceded to Sweden in 1658 under theTreaty of Roskilde,but after an uprising on Bornholm, that island was returned to Denmark in 1660, under theTreaty of Copenhagen. In July 1720, a peace treaty between Sweden and Denmark again confirmed the status of Skåneland as part of Sweden.[6]

Etymology

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The nameSkånelandwas first recorded in print (in Swedish) in 1719.[7]It is unclear what area is meant. Later (1751)Carl Linnaeususes it, meaning the province ofScania.[8]The modern use of the denomination as a short form forDe skånska landskapen("The Scanian provinces"), for the combined area of the provinces of Blekinge, Halland and Scania, was launched by the Swedish historian andScandinavistMartin Weibull(1835-1902) in Samlingar till Skånes historia(Föreningen för Skånes Fornminnen och Historia. published 1868-73 in six volumes) in order to illuminate the common Danish history of Scania, Blekinge, and Halland.[9]

Weibull used the term as a combined term for the four provinces where theScanian Lawhad its jurisdiction, as well as the area of thearchdioceseofLunduntil theReformationin 1536, later the DanishLutherandioceseof Lund. This form of Skåneland was then used in the regional historical periodicalHistorisk tidskrift för Skåneland,beginning in 1901, published by Martin's son,Lauritz Weibull.[10]

Administration

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An earlier administrative and political function of the area was to serve as a core area for one of the three provincialthingsthat together elected theking of Denmark.The first Danish administrative sub-divisioning occurred as part of the centralization process, when the area became divided into administrative units calledhundreds(herrederin Danish). The hundreds were possibly based on older, already existing units,[11]but the establishment of the new form of hundreds was prompted by an increase in royal power during theHigh Middle Ages.These differed from the provincial thing areas in that they were not local communities joined under a governing assembly buttop-downregional divisions established to ensure royal authority. These medieval Danish hundreds were used to implement military obligations and to expedite the collection of renders due to the king in the provinces. They were first established inJutland,where they replaced previous administrative units calledsyssel.According to some scholars, they were introduced in Skåneland possibly as early as the 11th century.[12]

In the 13th century, a newfiscalsystem was introduced and the hundreds were gradually included into larger administrative units calledlen,with a castle serving as the administrative center. This new administrative development was a result of the increased power of thearistocracy.In eachlen,anobleman was put in charge, with the titlelensmand.[13]

Each of the four provinces of Skåneland had representation in the Scanian Thing, which, along with the other two Things of the Danish state (Jutland and Zealand), elected the Danish king.[citation needed]

The four Scanian provinces were joined under the jurisdiction of theScanian Law,dated 1200–1216,[14]the oldest Nordic provincial law. In the chapter "Constitutional history" inDanish Medieval History, New Currents,the three provincial Things are described as being the legal authority that instituted changes suggested by the elected king. The suggestions for changes submitted by the king had to be approved by the three Things before being passed into law in the Danish state.[3]

Status today

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Skåneland is strictly a historic and cultural region. The name has long appeared as a term used in historical contexts in a variety of sources.[15]The southern part of Sweden, including Skåneland, is considered to be included inGötaland,one of three historic "lands of Sweden".The" land "Götaland bears the same name used for the historic province Götaland (a province referred to as" Gothia "on the 17th-century maps); the inclusion of Skåneland (andBohuslän) is described as historically inaccurate by the SwedishNationalencyklopedin.[16]as it is named after theGeats.[citation needed]

As in othercultural regions,regionalism in Scania sometimes has a base in regionalnationalismand sometimes in a more general opposition againstcentralizedstate nationalismorexpansionist nationalism.As noted about regionalism in Norway, Scandinavian regionalism is not necessarily separatist.[17]

Modern usage

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There are a number of minor organisations promoting the use of the term, mainly active online, e.g.Föreningen Skånelands Framtid[18]orSkåneländsk Samling,[19]the Skåneland Football Federation,[20]andStiftelsen Skåneländska Flaggans Dag.[21]

The private foundationStiftelsen Skånsk Framtid( "foundation for a Scanian future" )[22]was a member of theUnrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization(UNPO) from 1993 to 2011, representing Skåneland under the name ofScania.

History

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Anders Sunesøn's 13th-century version of theScanian Lawand Church Law, containing a comment in the margin called the "Skaaningestrof" (the Scanian stanza): "Hauí that skanunga ærliki mææn toco vithar oræt aldrigh æn."(Let it be known that Scanians are honorable men who have never tolerated injustice.)

Population and settlements

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The earliest Danish historians, writing in the 12th and 13th century, believed that the Danish Kingdom had existed since kingDan,in a distant past. Eighth century sources mention the existence of Denmark as a kingdom. According to 9th century Frankish sources, by the early 9th century many of the chieftains in the south of Scandinavia acknowledged Danish kings as their overlords, though kingdom(s) were very loose confederations of lords until the last couple medieval centuries saw some increased centralization. The west and south coast of modern Sweden was so effectively part of the Danish realm that the said area (and not the today Denmark) was known as "Denmark" (literally the frontier of theDaner).[23][24]Svend Estridsen(King of Denmark 1047 – ca. 1074), who may have been from Scania himself, is often referred to as the king who along with his dynasty established Scania as an integral part of Denmark.[25]Blekinge was a part ofSwedenuntil the early 13th century when it became part ofDenmark(theDanish Census Bookcontains the first secure written evidence of Danish control).[26]

From 1397 to 1658

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When theKalmar Unionwas formed in 1397, the union was administered from Copenhagen. By 1471 Sweden rebelled underSturefamily leadership. In 1503, whenSten Sture the Elderdied, eastern Sweden's independence from Denmark had been established.[27]

In 1600 Denmark controlled virtually all land bordering onSkagerrak,Kattegat,andthe Sound.The current Swedish provinces ofSkåne,BlekingeandHallandwere Danish and the province ofBohuslänwas Norwegian. Skåneland became the site of harsh fighting, especially in the 16th, 17th and 18th century, as Denmark and Sweden confronted each other for control of the Baltic.[28][29][30][31][32]

Painting by Swedish-German artistJohan Philip Lemkeof the 1676Battle of Lundduring theScanian War,the bloodiest battle ever fought between Denmark and Sweden

Sweden intervened in the Danish civil war known as theCount's Feud(1534–1536), launching a highly destructive invasion of Skåneland as the ally of later kingChristian III,who upon his coronationintroduced Protestantismto the provinces. Subsequently, in the period between the breakup of the Kalmar Union and 1814, Denmark and Sweden fought in Skåneland in 11 separate wars and other border provinces: theNorthern Seven Years' War(1563–70),Kalmar War(1611–1613),Torstenson War(1644–1645),Second Northern War(1657–1658 and 1659–1660),Scanian War(1674–1678),Great Northern War(1700 and 1709–1720),Theater War(1788), and theNapoleonic Wars(1808–1809 and 1814).[30][31][33]

Vilhelm Moberg(1898–1973) inMin Svenska Historia II(Norstedts. 1971) provides a thoughtful discussion of the atrocities which were committed by both sides in the struggle over the border provinces, and identified them as the source of propaganda to inflame people passions to continue the struggle. These lopsided representations were incorporated into history text books on the respective sides. As an example,Mobergcompares the history texts he grew up with in Sweden which represented the Swedish soldier as ever pure and honorable to a letter written byGustavus Adolphuscelebrating the 24 Scanian parishes he had helped level by fire, with the troops encouraged to rape and murder the population at will, behavior that may well have been mirrored equally on the Danish side. Skåneland was a rather unpleasant place to dwell for an extended period.[33]

Assimilation with Sweden

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Map from 1710 of "Scaniae" (Skåneland), consisting of the provinces "Scania, Hallandia et Blekingia"
Today's Denmark and the former Danish provinces Southern Schleswig, Skåne, Halland and Blekinge.

Following theTreaty of Roskildein 1658 – but in direct contradiction of its terms – the Swedish government in 1683 demanded that the leading social groups of Skåneland accept Swedish customs and laws. Swedish became the only language permitted in Church liturgy and in schools, religious literature in Danish was banned, and all appointed politicians and priests were required to be Swedish. However the last Danish bishop,Peder Winstrup(1605–1679) remained in charge of theDiocese of Lunduntil his death in 1679. To promote further Swedish assimilation, theUniversity of Lundwas inaugurated in 1666; the inhabitants of Scania were not allowed to enroll inCopenhagen Universityuntil the 19th century.[35] [36]

The population initially opposed the Swedish reforms, as can be ascertained from church records and court transcripts. The Swedes did encounter civil revolts in many areas, including theGöingedistrict, in dense forest regions of northern Scania. The Swedish authorities resorted to extreme measures against the 17th-century rebels who were described assnapphanar,a term used for raiding enemy soldiers or bandits. The punishments included the use ofimpalementbreaking on the wheel,as well as the nailing of bodies to church doors. In that way, it could take four to five days before the victim died.[37]

The transformation of age-old customs, commerce and administration to the Swedish model could not be effected quickly or easily. In the first fifty years of the transition, the treatment of the population was quite harsh. Denmark made several attempts to recapture the territories, the last in 1710, but ultimately conceded the territories as lost.[28]

Before 1658, one of the provinces of Skåneland,Scaniaproper, had consisted of four counties: the counties of Malmøhus, Landskrone, Helsingborg and Christianstad. When Skåneland was annexed by Sweden, one of the counties of Scania, Kristianstad County, was merged with Blekinge to form one of a total of three Blekinge counties.[citation needed]

Bornholm rebellion

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In 1658, shortly after the Swedish Lieutenant Colonel Johan Printzensköld (ca. 1615 – 8 December 1658) was sent to Bornholm to start the assimilation process, the population of Bornholm rebelled. Led byJens Pedersen Kofoed(1628-1691) andPoul Anker(1629-1697) the rebellion formed in the town ofHasle,north of the largest city,Rønne.Before the rebel army reached the Swedish headquarters in Rønne, Printzenskiold was shot byWillum Clausenin the street of Sølvgade, in central Rønne. The Swedish fled the island as a result of the confusion and fear amongst the conscripts; Jens Kofoed installed an intermediate rule and sent a message to KingFrederick III of Denmarkthat Bornholm had liberated itself, and wished to return to Danish rule. This was confirmed in the 1660 peace settlement between Denmark and Sweden.[38][39]

Klågerup riots in 1811

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The last Swedish assault on the civilian population occurred as late as 15 June 1811, when Swedish military killed "around 30" and wounded "around 60" peasants in Klågerup. The Swedish army units also arrested 395 people of which 2 were beheaded at Stortorget square inMalmöat 4 November 1811. [40]

Swedish administration

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Further information:Swedish Governors-General
Gustaf Otto Stenbock, Swedish field marshal

Sweden appointed aGovernor General,who in addition to having the highest authority of the government, also was the highest military officer. The first to hold the post of Governor General wasGustaf Otto Stenbock,between 1658 and 1664.[41]His residence was in the largest city,Malmö.

The office of Governor General was abandoned in 1669, deemed unnecessary. However, when theScanian Warerupted in 1675, the office was reinstated, andFabian von Fersen(1626–1677) held the office between 1675 and 1677, when he died in the defence ofMalmö. He was replaced byRutger von Ascheberg(1621–1693) in 1680 who held it to his death in 1693. It was during Ascheberg's time in office that the stricter policy of Swedification was initiated, as a reaction to the threats of war and possible Danish liberation.[citation needed]

Following the death of Ascheberg, the Governor Generalship was dismantled into a separate county governor for each of the Swedish provinces Blekinge, Halland and Scania. However, a Governor Generalship was reinstated in the province of Scania during theNapoleonic War,whenJohan Christopher Toll(1743–1817) became the last Governor-General in the region, a post he held 1801–09.[42]

Recent history

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The complete history of Skåneland was not taught for a long time in schools in Skåneland, especially during periods with the immediate threat of revolt. Instead a Swedish-centric history was taught, and the Scanian history before 1658, for instance concerning the list of monarchs, was disregarded as a component of Danish history. In reaction, a movement began in the late 20th century to revive awareness of the history and culture of Skåneland. The renewed focus resulted in the publication of several books about Scanian history.[35]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^For popular usage, see for example the publication Populärhistoria:Hjälpreda om SkånelandArchived2009-02-25 at theWayback Machine:"Skåneland, d v s Halland, Skåne och Blekinge",Fredsfördraget firas i AltranstädtArchived2009-02-25 at theWayback Machine:"Sverige ingick mot slutet av århundradet i en västeuropeisk allians med Holland och England och kunde därigenom stoppa Danmarks revanschplaner för förlusten av Skåneland",Ett liv fyllt av skandaler:"År 1660, då Marie Grubbe anlänt till Köpenhamn, satt Fredrik III på Danmarks tron. Det var han som hade förlorat Skåneland till Sverige vid Roskildefreden 1658".
  2. ^"Skånelandene havde altid været en rig og god del af riget og hørt til det siden i hvert fald 800-årene, så det er ikke sært."http:// denstoredanske.dk/Danmarkshistorien/Velstands_krise_og_tusind_baghold/Velstands_krise/Nye_veje/Jysk_opr%C3%B8r_og_nye_krige?highlight=Sk%C3%A5nelandene
  3. ^abHoffmann, Erich (1981). "The Unity of the Kingdom and the Provinces in Denmark During the Middle Ages." In Skyum-Nielsen, Niels and Niels Lund, eds. (1981).Danish Medieval History, New Currents.Museum Tusculanum Press,ISBN87-88073-30-0.(On p. 101, Dr. Hoffmann, Professor at University of Kiel, argues that the contemporary descriptions of Scania as an autonomous polity had merit; Scania was often disagreeing in the choice of kings, which resulted in several, simultaneously elected kings in the early Danish state. Scania became officially integrated as a province in the late 12th century, with the Treaty of Lolland.
  4. ^Thomas Persson, "Blekinges dansktid", Blekinge museum, 2013.
  5. ^Cecilia von Heijne, "Särpräglat - Vikingatida och tidigmedeltida myntfynd från Danmark", Skåne, Blekinge och Halland (ca 800- 1130), Stockholm Studies in Archaeology 31, Stockholm 2004.
  6. ^"Originaltraktater med främmande makter (Traktater), 3 juli 1720, SE/RA/25.3/1/32/A (1720) - Riksarkivet - Sök i arkiven".
  7. ^Svenska Akademiens Ordbok:Skåneland (består) uti af skillde och nog synlige delar af skog och slättmark. 2RA 1: 4 (1719).
  8. ^SkånelandArchived2016-03-03 at theWayback Machinein Svenska Akademiens Ordbok (SAOB) on the Internet, andSkånelandin Nordisk Familjebok.
  9. ^"Martin Johan Julius Weibull den föregåendes broder,historiker, universitetslärare".Nordisk familjebok.Retrieved1 January2019.
  10. ^Swedish National EncyclopediaarticleSkånelandskapen
  11. ^Helle, Knut, ed. (2003).The Cambridge History of Scandinavia.Cambridge University Press, 2003.ISBN0-521-47299-7,p. 183.
  12. ^Sawyer, Birgit and P. H. Sawyer (1993).Scandinavia: From Conversion to Reformation, Circa 800-1500.U of Minnesota Press.ISBN0-8166-1739-2,p. 85.
  13. ^Bonney, Richard (1995).Economic Systems and State Finance.Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-820545-7,p.110.
  14. ^Damsholt, Nanna. "Women in Medieval Denmark". In Skyum-Nielsen, Niels and Niels Lund, eds. (1981).Danish Medieval History, New Currents.Museum Tusculanum Press,ISBN87-88073-30-0:p. 76.
  15. ^Thurston, Tina L. (2001).Landscapes of Power, Landscapes of Conflict: State Formation in the South Scandinavian Iron Age.Kluwer Academic, NY,ISBN0-306-46320-2."Scania—Skåneland, Cultural Region in Scandinavia and in Europe", p. 277.
  16. ^"Götaland" (2007). Nationalencyklopedin, 5 February 2008, (in Swedish): "Ehuru historiskt oegentligt, kom även Skåne, Halland, Blekinge och Bohuslän att räknas dit." (Although historically inaccurate, Scania, Blekinge and Bohuslän came to be counted [as part of Götaland] ",
  17. ^Vikør, Lars S. (2000)."Northern Europe".InLanguage and Nationalism in Europe.Eds. Stephen Barbour, Cathie Carmichael. Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-823671-9,p. 117: "Norway is a country were regionalism has always been strong, [...] a regionalism without any traces of separatism. The idea ofunity in diversityhas always been exceptionally strong in Norway ".
  18. ^"Vägen framåt » Skånelands Framtid".Skanelandsframtid.org. Archived fromthe originalon 24 February 2007.
  19. ^"Skåneländsk Samling".29 April 2007.
  20. ^"Skånelands Fotbollsförbund".Skanelandsfotbollsforbund. Archived fromthe originalon 3 February 2011.
  21. ^"Stiftelsen Skåneländska Flaggans Dag".Skaneflaggan.nu.
  22. ^Scania.org- SSF's Official Website. Accessed January 22, 2011
  23. ^Medieval Scandinavia,by Bridget and Peter Sawyer, University of Minnesota Press, 1993.
  24. ^Kings and Vikings,by P.H. Sawyer, Routledge, 1982. (Sawyer considered sources such asSaxo GrammaticusandSnorri Sturlusonbut validated their material against contemporary primary documents of the period).
  25. ^"Svend Estridsen, ca. 1019-1074/76".Danmarks Historien.Retrieved1 January2019.
  26. ^Magnus Edekling, "När blev Blekinge danskt?"
  27. ^Sweden and the Baltic, 1523 - 1721,by Andrina Stiles, Hodder & Stoughton, 1992ISBN0-340-54644-1
  28. ^abA History of Swedenby Ingvar Andersson, Praeger, 1956
  29. ^Nordens Historie,ved Hiels Bache, Forslagsbureauet i Kjøbenhavn, 1884.
  30. ^abcdeThe Northern Wars, 1558-1721by Robert I. Frost; Longman, Harlow, England; 2000ISBN0-582-06429-5
  31. ^abcdThe Struggle for Supremacy in the Baltic: 1600-1725by Jill Lisk; Funk & Wagnalls, New York, 1967
  32. ^Sweden: the Nation's History,by Franklin D. Scott, Southern Illinois Press, 1988.
  33. ^abMin Svenska Historia II,by Vilhelm Moberg, P.A. Nordstedt & Söners Förlag, 1971.
  34. ^Fra Bondeoppbud til Legdshærby Trygve Mathisen, Guldendal Norsk Forlag, 1952
  35. ^abSkånelands historia,ved Ambrius, J, 1997ISBN91-971436-2-6
  36. ^Bjørn Kornerup (18 July 2011)."Peder Winstrup".Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, Gyldendal.Retrieved1 January2019.
  37. ^Herman Lindquist (1995).Historien om Sverige – storhet och fall.Norstedts Förlag, 2006 (ISBN91-1-301535-4) (In Swedish), Sixten Svensson (2005).Sanningen om Snapphanelögnen.(ISBN91-975695-1-8) (in Swedish), and Sten Skansjö (1997).Skånes historia.Lund (ISBN91-88930-95-5) (in Swedish).
  38. ^(in English)The Swedish Period - revolt against the SwedesArchived2009-03-01 at theWayback Machine- from bornholminfo.dk, a website ofTV 2 (Denmark)-Bornholm and Destination Bornholm - an organisation for tourist enterprises on Bornholm. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  39. ^(in Danish)1658 - opstanden på BornholmArchived2009-02-26 at theWayback Machine- Bornholms Museum, pp.1-6. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  40. ^"Klågerupskravallerna 1811 | Allt om Historia".Archived fromthe originalon 4 September 2014.Retrieved2 September2014.
  41. ^Gustafsson, Harald (2003). "Att göra svenskar av danskar? Den svenske integrationspolitikens föreställningsvärld 1658-1693".Da Østdanmark blev Sydsverige. Otte studier i dansk-svenske relationer i 1600-talletArchived2008-04-08 at theWayback Machine.Eds. Karl-Erik Frandsen and Jens Chr.V. Johansen. Narayana Press.ISBN87-89224-74-4,p. 35-60.
  42. ^"Toll, Kristoffer".Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon.Retrieved1 January2019.

References

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Further reading

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