Sweden

Question 1

Centre of culture

Answer 1

Gamla Uppsala

Question 2

Dynasty at cultural centre

Answer 2

Gamla Uppsala by late 8th c.

Question 3

Uppsala and religion

Answer 3

processional way with monumental pillars leading to the temple

Question 4

Difference of Swedish kings to Denmark and Norway

Answer 4

Single king as early as 9th c. but not based on aggression and fear tactics

Question 5

Evidence of hierarchy among the Svear

Answer 5

runestones mentionkings to subkings, chieftains, laws-peakers, military leaders, emissaries and cult leaders, aristocrats, free farmers, warriors, tenant farmers and slaves.

Question 6

Kings and Runestones Sweden

Answer 6

Konungr only mentioned 3/2000 times
Named kings are not definitively Swedes

Question 7

Vita Anskarii

Answer 7

Anskar lived 9th c., also written 9th c. by Rimbert

Question 8

Weakness of Swedish kings

Answer 8

Couldn’t decide to resume the Swedish mission alone (not unusual)
Assemblies ruled
Extensive aristocracy could overpower the king
Fora rune-ring (9th c.) says “the people are entitled to demand such a thing according to the people’s right.”
Couldn’t stop pagan cult practices at Uppsala until 1080, despite Christian by end of 10th c.

Question 9

Strengths of king Sweden

Answer 9

Commune with the gods through casting of lots
Able to muster an army with the nobles and was spokesman for the army in battle (Curonia 850s)
Assemblies couldn’t gather without the king - as when Önund attacks Birka

Question 10

Archaeological evidence for power of the people

Answer 10

Forsa rune-ring (9th c.)
“the people are entitled to demand such a thing according to the people’s right”

Question 11

Succession in early viking Sweden

Answer 11

not hereditary
king elected at the assembly
unpopular kings could be deposed

Question 12

Religion in Sweden 10th-11c.

Answer 12

Kings couldn’t convert populous - Pagan rituals at Uppsala until 1080
Hundreds of 11th c. Christian runic inscriptions in Uppland
Suggests chieftains and retinues converting individually

Question 13

Birka

Answer 13

mid-late 700s
replaced Helgö which previously had monopoly on trade so king made neutral trading centre

Question 14

Evidence for Birka as a royal foundation

Answer 14

Regular layout
Next to Adelsö a royal estate
Ruled by a praefectus rather than a princep, king had more control as praefectus under him

Question 15

Main export of Sweden

Answer 15

Furs

Question 16

Lake Mälar

Answer 16

Where birka is, one arm reaches nearly to Uppsala

Question 17

Anskar missions

Answer 17

820 and 852

Question 18

Anskar’s missions success

Answer 18

Björn was king, but Anskar mainly talked to Herigar the prefect of Birka who was baptised v. quickly

Question 19

Anskar setbacks

Answer 19

After he left at the end of his first mission apparently there was a compete relapse into paganism and even worshiping Erik, a dead king.
Gaubert was kicked out and Nithard was killed

Question 20

Bad things happening to missionaries

Answer 20

Gaubert refused to return to his see
Nithard was killed
Caused Anskar to return to Sweden in 852

Question 21

Christ after Anskar

Answer 21

Flop

Question 22

Adam’s History

Answer 22

main part completed by 1075

Question 23

Adam reliable

Answer 23

lots of first-hand sources of contemporary events in Sweden
maybe Bishop Adalward the Younger of Sigtuna

Question 24

Adam unreliable

Answer 24

bias
says Olaf the Swede was at the Battle of Siklestad 1030

Question 25

Erik and conversion

Answer 25

Adam says he was converted by Poppo but this is just the story of the conversion of Harald Bluetooth. Especially unlikely because he married his wife Swietoslawa to ally with the Poles against the Danes, so very unlikely would be in Denmark to be converted. Probably converted to marry.

Question 26

Sigtuna

Answer 26

Founded 970s as Birka was abandoned
Christian cemetary from the beginning, so probs built as a christian town, despite Erik not rlly being Christian.

Question 27

Olaf the Swede’s stepfather

Answer 27

Sveinn Forkbeard (married his mother Swietoslawa, the previous wife of Erik the Victorious)
Olaf therefore acknowledging overlordship of Svein

Question 28

Olaf coins

Answer 28

Christian coins minted in Sigtuna

Question 29

Olaf response of his ppl to christianity

Answer 29

told him to stop converting and he left to go to the Götar instead, making a bishopric at Skara

Question 30

Swedish contact with Rus in the 11th c

Answer 30

Olaf the Swede send Edward and Edmund the english princes to safety in Kiev instead of killing them like Knut wanted.
His daughter married Yaroslav

Question 31

Why is Sigtuna a Christian town?

Answer 31

Erik not particularly Christian, but attracting merchants?
980

Question 32

Marriage alliances

Answer 32

Svein Forkbeard married Swietoslawa - Polish princess
Erik also married Swietoslawa
One of Svein’s sons was by an Abodrite princess
Olaf Skotkunning married an Abodrite princess

Question 33

Staraja Ladoga

Answer 33

Founded around 750
Rurik comes 862

Question 34

Capital of the Khazars

Answer 34

Itil

Question 35

Initial rus trade route (9th c.)

Answer 35

East along the Volga to Bulga and then Itil and later also across the Caspian sea to the Abbasid Caliphate

Question 36

10th c. Rus’ trade route

Answer 36

After the devaluation of silver coins, moved to focus more on the Dniper and Constantinople

Question 37

First hoards of silver dirhams in Scandinavia

Answer 37

780

Question 38

Important 9th c. Rus’ towns

Answer 38

Riurikovo Gorodishche
Gnezdovo
Psykov
Rostov
Beloozero
Iaroslavl