Home > Smalandia

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1 Counties

For current affairs see: Counties of Kronoberg, Kalmar and Jönköping

The province of Smalandia is divided into the counties of Kronoberg, Kalmar and Jönköping.

2 History

Main article: History of Smalandia

During medieval times, the town of Kalmar was the largest town in Sweden, when it was a center for export of iron, which, in many cases, was handled by German merchants.

Smalandia was the center of several peasant rebellions, the most successful of which was Dackefejden led by Nils DackeNils Dacke was the leader of the 16th century farmers revolt called " Dackefejden" in Smaland, southern Sweden. He died in 1543 while trying to escape from the king's mercenaries after the rebellion had been crushed. In 1536 he stood trial at a local cour in 1542Events War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. November 25 Battle of Solway Moss. An English army in- 1543Events February 11 Battle of Wayna Daga Ethiopian/ Portuguese? troops defeat the armies of Adal and the Ottoman Empire. May Nicolaus Copernicus publishes De revolutionibus orbium coelestium July 12 King Henry VIII of England marries Catherine Parr. It is. When officials of King Gustav IGustav I of Sweden Gustav Vasa or Gustav Eriksson Vasa ( 1496 1560), became king of Sweden in 1523 and was the first monarch of the house of Vasa. He had become regent of Sweden in 1521 after leading the rebellion against the sitting monarch of the Kalmar were assaulted and murdered, the King sent small expeditions to pacify the area, but all failed. Dacke was in reality the ruler of large parts of Smalandia during the winter, though heavily troubled by a blockade of supplies, before finally being defeated by larger forces attacking from both Westrogothia and Ostrogothia. Dacke himself was shot while trying to escape to then-Danish Blechingia.

In the 19th century, Smalandia was characterized by poverty, and had a larger portion of emigrants than other parts of Sweden. The majority of emigrants ended up in Minnesota, which has a geography resembling that of their homeland, mixing arable land with forest and lakes.

In the 20th century, Smalandia has been known for its high level of entrepreneurship and low unemployment. Some suspect the harsh conditions have forced the inhabitants of the region to invent and cooperate. Most notably, the worldwide furniture store chain IKEA was started here in the 1950s by Ingvar Kamprad, who still controls it. It is also the name of the kindergarten at IKEA stores (at least in the Netherlands).