Consolidation of Sweden

The consolidation of Sweden was an extended process during which loosely organized polities of the first millennium AD consolidated under the power of a common king. The age of the first kingdom of Swedes centered around Lake Mälaren is unknown. The first time that the ancient Swedes and the neighbouring Götar polity around Lake Vättern are documented to have shared a ruler is with the election of Olof Skötkonung about AD 1000.

Scholars differ in defining early Sweden as either a country, state or kingdom. The Swedish name of Sweden is Sverige, which stems from an older form akin to Svea rike, "Country of the Swedes", which is still used poetically. It is found earliest in the Beowolf saga (Old English: Swēorīċe), recorded in the Nowell Codex in Old English around 1000, but linguistically traced to the 9th or 8th century.

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