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A Flatpack History of Sweden

A fun history podcast chronologically charting Swedish history in a light-hearted and conversational way. Each week we introduce a new step along our journey through the history of Sweden, from the Stone Age to the modern day. Vikings included!

Hello from Colombia! 

We pop back on the feed to thank you for all your kind messages and to let you know about a special guest appearance we did recently on the Presidencies of the United States Podcast.

We talked to host Jerry over three episodes about the incredibly eventful life of John Quincy Adams. Do give it a listen, just search for Presidencies wherever you find your podcasts!

Greetings From Colombia

Flatpack is going on a break!

Work is taking Åsa to Colombia for the rest of 2025 and that means we will pause the production and release of this podcast. We'll be back at the start of 2026 ready to jump into the 1600s, and you can find out more about the break in this episode. 

In the meantime, you can continue to listen to our second podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers, where we're judging and ranking all the Swedish kings, queens and regents, which will be continuing throughout the time Flatpack is on a break! Available wherever you get your podcasts and more information on www.aflatpackhistoryofsweden.com

See you in 2026!

Flatpack Takes a Break in Colombia

As promised at the end of our Q&A episode, we're diving into the fate of the crew of the three Polish submarines that managed to escape to Sweden during the Second World War. What was life like in their internment camps, what was the attitude of the Swedish authorities and how did the crews get on with the locals in the small town of Mariefred?

S13. Polish WW2 Submarines in Sweden

It is here! Our first Q&A episode has arrived and we have some excellent things to talk about. We'll discuss the avocado of Sweden in 1500s, how the Reformation changed attitudes towards sexuality and meet the medieval version of Huey, Dewey, and Louie!

Thank you to everyone for sending in the great questions!

123. Questions and Answers

Last time in our two-part look at the life and achievements of Swedish inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel, we covered his life and contributions to science and business. This time we are looking at the prizes named after him.

Why does Norway award the Nobel Peace Prize, why was the Swedish king angry about this, who has won the most Nobel Prizes and why has Åsa interviewed a prize winner? All this and more in this episode!

We mention Norwegian writer and Nobel Literature Prize winner Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in this episode. Here he is!

S12b. Alfred Nobel: The Nobel Prizes

In a very special episode, we interview the Speaker (Talman) of the Swedish Parliament, Andreas Norlén. The Speaker reflects on the history behind his historic office, the period in history he would have most liked to have been Speaker and how he sees the reign of current king Carl Gustaf XVI. Bonus content includes Swedish poetry, tomatoes, a historical clock and how heavy the parliamentary gavel is!

Links to some of the topics covered

The poet Karin Boye

Speaker Olof Håkonsson from the 1700s

The Speaker's instagram account

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I ett mycket speciellt avsnitt intervjuar vi Riksdagens talman, Andreas Norlén, på engelska. Talmanen reflekterar över historien bakom sitt historiska ämbete, den historiska perioden han helst skulle ha varit talman och hur han ser på regeringstiden för nuvarande kung Carl Gustaf XVI. Med bonusinnehåll såsom talmannes favoriter i svensk poesi, tomater, en historisk klocka och hur mycket rikdagens klubba väger!

Andreas Norlén: Interview with the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament

The first in a two-part special about famous Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. We look at the life of the man who opened more factories than anyone could count! This biography looks into his exploits, inventions and explosions, from his childhood to last days spent in Italy. Next time we'll dive deep into the history of the famous prizes created by him by his will.

S12a. Alfred Nobel: The Man

Uppsala Cathedral is a place that has appeared multiple times in the podcast; hosting rebellions, funerals and coronations. In this episode, we do a deep dive into the history of the cathedral and its construction, including the lengthy building process and even the original French contractors! 

 

Some images to help you along:

The final floor plan

A timeline floorplan:Dark red: 1270s, Red: 1287-1331, Blue: 1360s-1380s, Light Blue: c.1400, Light Green: 1430s, Dark Green: 1440s or later

122. Three Centuries of Uppsala Cathedral

After much back and forth, it is time for King Sigismund to face his uncle Duke Karl in battle for the throne of the Sweden. Karl is using every trick and tactic in the book, but Sigismund has a load of cannons and even a dragon! But how will it end and who will end up in charge of the Swedish kingdom?

121. Battle of the Bridges

The end of the 1500s is fast approaching, but there's still time for some classic Swedish history events! This time we see a peasant revolt, religious turmoil as the Archbishop goes on a tour of the country and of course some more family feuding in the top dynasty of the country. We also visit a place that will become much more famous in the 20th century!

120. Karl's Your Uncle

Sweden seems to be stuck in a loop in the early 1500s: there's internal conflict, and there's conflict with Denmark. After their villages have been ravaged by Danish troops, a group of peasants writes to the regent saying "such fire and plunder was not useful", which is the understatement of the age. We also see someone get a new job, but not for long... 

Meanwhile, we also address the confusion around Sweden and Switzerland - here's a link to the video we mention in the episode!

And for those of you who want to check out the wreck of the Gribshunden ship that we mention in the episode, you can find that here.

95. The Liz Truss of Medieval Sweden

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