Scandinavia: The Viking Inheritance
from How to Invent a Country Hosted by BBC Radio 4
The Swedes are very proud that they have not fought in a war since 1814, but they have not always been the knitwear pacifists they are today. Following a traumatic moment in their history - the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520 - they set off on a two century rampage fuelled by religion and military skill. This reached a crazy crescendo when - like Napoleon and Hitler - King Charles XII of Sweden took on the Russians in what some have described as a defensive war. The Swedes don't talk much about this period today. With brilliant contributions from Erika Sandstrom, Gunnar Wetterberg, Peter Wilson, Anna Toon, Michael Pye and Ulf Zander. The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde
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