Det svenska väldet : Ett konglomerat av uttrycksformer och begrepp från Vasa till Bernadotte

Sammanfattning: During the so-called early modern time, i.e. from 1500 to 1800, Sweden as well as other European states went through fundamental changes. The central power increased its influence and control over society and its people. But this period also coincided with considerable Swedish territorial expansion and decline. As this expansion went on, several new territories were united under the crown on different legal terms, and made the Swedish state more heterogeneous in economic, social, political, judicial, and administrative respects, i.e. Sweden became one among other European conglomerate states. The aim of this thesis is to analyse how Swedish state leaders perceived the composition of the Swedish sphere of dominion and supremacy, which was larger than the realm. How were concepts like Sweden and the realm expressed before the time of the nation state, when the territorial outlines of Sweden as we know them today not at all were obvious? Did these concepts change meaning because of more or less perpetual territorial change? The thesis focuses on certain areas in which perceptions of the composition of the Swedish state were clearly expressed. It is analysed how Sweden appeared in four different contexts. The first chapter covers the formation of the royal title corresponding to different forms of lordship around Sweden. The next one deals with how Sweden was defined constitutionally. How the Swedish state was configured also appeared in the way the coats of arms of the provinces were arranged, and this is the scope of chapter five. Finally the graphical expression of the Swedish sphere of dominion is described by analysing maps. The results demonstrate that the concept of Sweden has been perceived and expressed in different ways throughout recorded history due to the passage of time and the fluid nature of boundaries due to time and space.