Around the end of the first millenia, followed the important rule of the well regarded regional strongman Harald the Bluetooth of Denmark. His son King Svein Forksbeard, would be successor who took a more aggressive position in glorifying his native Danish country.

In Sweden, Svein Forksbeard was able to acquire greater importance whereas their was little central authority before. He wed the widow of Olaf SkotKonung who had been patriarch of the prominent Swedish family mentioned previously. This marriage provided Svein greater regional control for the influence it offerred him in Sweden and pronounced his new wife as Queen of Denmark. The royal families of Sweden though still were left to govern much of their own affairs in the manner that they choose buttaxing authority by Svein’s rulebeen upheld over the Swedish population.

Having grown perturbed by the Danish grasp of authority in the region over several centuries, Sweden looked to fortify a political defense with Germany who still was on uneasy terms with Denmark from a non-cooperative stance posed by Svein. The Swedish noble Olaf Skotkonung sent to Hamburg for a bishop to reside in the area of Stockholm to promote the church’s theocracy throughout the country. A daughter of Olaf married Olav Harraldsson of Norway which established cross regional ties to the other Nordic country during the early eleventh century. Both of these actions defied the overlordship which Denmark still was in a position to uphold at the time.

Sweden languished through the eleventh century with little momentum for individual self rule. But perhaps to it's own advantage, the people carried along in their existence with little discouragement for several centuries.

In 1520 Denmark under Christian II defeated Sweden in an invasion and further assumed brutal attacks over the Swedes for what came to be known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. A few years later Sweden revolted and many joined the Swedish cause to dispel their King Christian II who had become largely unpopular. Upon appointment of a new Danish King, Sweden was left largely govern itself and proclaim it's own ruler as it did with Gustav Vasa. This established the Vasa dynasty leaving a long lineage who would control the country.

In short time, a strengthening Sweden emerged and expansion became a national policy. Sweden’s influence strengthened through the Baltic Sea eventually declaring wars against Poland and Russia. These disputes were resolved within a decade, resulting in Swedish acquisition of Latvia.

Beginning in 1618, the Thirty Year War that would come to delegitimize the exclusive power of the Catholic Church, Sweden entered on the side of the Protestants against the German Holy monarch. The Protestant position fought in favor of regional European sovergnity being granted to the local princes who mostly oversaw the central European affairs at the time and who also supported the Lutheran cause.

With inspiration from the results of the war and upon a successful defense from a Denmark invasion in 1658, Sweden held itself in high regard as an emerging power. They retaliated against Denmark for the recent attack and also likely in response to the centuries of resentment from having been subjected to their control, Sweden infilitrated large parts of Denmark. The result forced the treaty of Roskilde in 1658 that established the borders between the two countries as they largely exist today.

Looming opportunities for greater Swedish conquests showed hope that the country might associate themselves as a major European Power. This mentality soon would lead them into an audacious attempt to fight against Russia.

The Swedish King, Charles XII at the turn of the eighteenth century proved his success early on as a warrior king, managing to resist an initial invasion from Russia. This gained the young King's confidence and led him in attacking Poland that soon engulfed the three nations into what came to be known as the Great Northern also involving Denmark.

Several years later, confident from his success in avoiding the Russian attack, he sought an offensive against the large European nation. But the Swedish King soon realized the fight was more than he had bargained for and Sweden was heavily defeated by the Russians at Poltava in 1709. The defeat forced Charles XII to flee outside of the country to an area in the Ottoman Empire where he still managed exert rule until 1718. In 1721 concessions were made in the finality of Sweden's defeat in the Great Northern War which ceded Latvia, other Baltic areas, some of Denmark and largely ending what had come to be known as a Swedish Empire.

In split loyalty at the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars around 1807, Sweden thought it would be wise to ally itself with France in protection against Russia. It later changed course though after securing commitments from Russia that it would stand to gain Scandinavian territories if it took up the fight with Britain and Russia instead. So Sweden supported the other European nations in opposing France and as compensation, the unvictorious Danes who had sided with France, were made to award Norway to Sweden as a victory spoil at theTreaty of Kiel. Most likely though as a compromising maneuver in preventing a reason to provoke problematic relations with Russian from futher invasions, Sweden dismissively gave Norway its own autonomy with only minor oversight in its politics.

/Sweden, who had been on strained terms with the Kingdom of Denmark for centuries over the attempts of enforced cooperation to Denmark, saw the feebleness of it's once powerful neighboor as an opportunity to reclaim Swedish dominance in Scandinavia. They launched a brief attack and while falling short of winning and all out victory, Sweden proved itself as an emerging resielant nation who had correctly aligned themselves with the victorious forces opposing the French during the embattled Napoleanic. Sweden therefore won out large on the reparations agreement known as the Treaty of Kiel in 1814 that forced Denmark to relinquish Norway to Sweden./

Sweden proclaimed neutrality in both world Wars but did observe some German occupation during World War II.