A Flatpack History of Sweden

This is part one of our fascinating conversation with Professor Steve Murdoch of the Swedish Defence University (Försvarshögskolan).

In this first discussion, we introduce Prof. Murdoch and his career, talk about Scottish soldiers in the Thirty Years' War and examine how some of those ended up fighting for Sweden, and why some of them built a life here during and after the war. 

You can find out more about Prof. Murdoch and his publications here.

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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We have finally reached the entrance of Sweden and Gustav Adolf into the Thirty Years' War, a conflict that will change Europe forever. But in order to cover it properly in the future, we're going to quickly run through the entire war in one episode... Quickly being a relative term for us on Flatpack! 

As we know some of you will be interested, some of our sources for this episode include: 

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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It is time! We discuss the ship that was Sweden's most famous maritime disaster and then became it's most popular museum. Along with our friends at Beyond the Breakers, we look into the construction, sinking, raising and preservation of Gustav Adolf's navy's pride and joy, The Vasa. 

You can find out a lot more about the ship on the Vasa Museum website and you can check out Taylor and Tanner on Beyond the Breakers here. 

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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This time we finish off our look into everyday life during the 1600s in Sweden. How did Swedes relate to their own bodies, what was transportation like and what about writing letters and spreading news? We'll look into all of this and more! 

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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It is time for the first part of our look into everyday life in the 1600s. We look at religion, guilds, paying (and avoiding) tax, and how the recent reforms in Sweden were changing the relationship people had with the state and church. Come back for part two next time!

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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Gustaf Adolf and his chancellor Axel Oxenstierna are busy ruling Sweden, but also collecting their frequent sailor points as they sail back and forth across the Baltic Sea. They're dealing with reform at home and expansion abroad, with war upon war for the king to pursue. But most importantly, will he let some of his soldiers keep a few small cows??

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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Välkommen till Göteborg - Welcome to Gothenburg! Sweden's modern day second largest city has taken 134 episodes to appear, but when it does, it is a fun entrance. We see the Dutch digging canals, the king ordering constructions and a tumultuous time trying to establish Swedish presence on the west coast. But it will all be worth it!

We also take the time to answer a listener's question about the origin of Swedish surnames, so listen to the end for that.

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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Sweden's most famous administrator grabs the reins of Sweden and starts to rewrite how the country does business. Everything is up for debate under Axel Oxenstierna; new economic policies, the courts, working hours in the chancellery and much more. We'll also hear about how he hosts Sweden's first trade conference, struggles with gout and finds time to grow a big family!

Here is the link to the metallurgy documentary on YouTube we mentioned.

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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We're taking a break from the timeline as Flatpack has been on the road! We visited Stegeborg Castle on Sweden's national day, the 6th of June, to check out this famous historical site and see what role it has played over the centuries in Swedish history.

Whilst there we did some live recording and investigated the ruins, before talking more about what we have seen happen at Stegeborg so far during the podcast. 

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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Gustaf Adolf is now in the driving seat and it is time to take the fight to the enemy. Or rather enemies. The king decides to settle the score, one opponent at a time, starting with Denmark. But how will it go and how much will it cost in money and blood?

If you would like to listen to Scott's interview about his family history, search for Letters from America by Martin Wærn and the episode "Scott Segerstrom: From famine to fortune: A Swedish immigrant story with a golden twist" You can listen on Spotify here.

You can find out more information about the podcast and our sister podcast Kingdom: Swedish Rulers on our website, or send us an email or follow us on social media here:

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