Kalmar Union

Kalmar Union
Kalmarunionen
1397–1523
The Kalmar Union, c. 1400
The Kalmar Union, c. 1400
StatusPersonal union
Capital
55°40′N 12°34′E / 55.667°N 12.567°E / 55.667; 12.567
Common languages
GovernmentPersonal union
Monarch 
• 1397–1442a
Eric of Pomerania (first)
• 1513–23b
Christian II (last)
LegislatureRiksråd and Herredag
(one in each kingdom)
Historical eraLate Middle Ages
• Inception
17 June 1397
1434–1436
November 1520
• Gustav Vasa elected as
King of Sweden
1523
• Denmark-Norway was established.
1523
Area
• Total
2,839,386 km2 (1,096,293 sq mi)
CurrencyMark, Örtug, Norwegian penning, Swedish penning
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Kingdom of Denmark
Kingdom of Norway
Kingdom of Sweden
Denmark–Norway
Kingdom of Sweden
  1. Margaret I ruled Denmark 1387–1412, Norway 1388–1389, and Sweden 1389–1412
  2. Christian II ruled Denmark and Norway 1513–1523; Sweden 1520–1521

The Kalmar Union[a] was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523,[1] it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including much of present-day Finland), and Norway, together with Norway's overseas colonies[b] (then including Iceland, Greenland,[c] the Faroe Islands, and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland).

The union was not quite continuous; there were several short interruptions. Legally, the countries remained separate sovereign states. However, their domestic and foreign policies were directed by a common monarch. Gustav Vasa's election as King of Sweden on 6 June 1523, and his triumphant entry into Stockholm eleven days later, marked Sweden's final secession from the Kalmar Union.[2] Formally, the Danish king acknowledged Sweden's independence in 1524 at the Treaty of Malmö.


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  1. ^ Gustafsson, Harald (September 2006). "A STATE THAT FAILED?: On the Union of Kalmar, Especially its Dissolution". Scandinavian Journal of History. 31 (3–4): 205–220. doi:10.1080/03468750600930720. ISSN 0346-8755.
  2. ^ Sampson, Anastacia. "Swedish Monarchy – Gustav Vasa". sweden.org.za o. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.