The Hanseatic League compete successfully with the Guthnish and Swedish traders. The League establish Visby on Gotland as a major Hanseatic town. The Hanseatic League dominates all of Norden. The high aristocracy does of course obstruct. The kingdoms are several times united in personal unions.
Danish kings struggle with Swedish magnates over the relation to Germany.
The Christianization of Scandinavia came in particular to influence the law-system. The written recording of laws was probably introduced by arch-bishop Absalon in Lund, who at the university in Paris around year 1150 had studied not only theology and philosophy but also laws and political science. In the 12th and 13th century the papal administration showed a great interest in secular laws, and now we are grateful for this, since the archives in Rome have some of our earliest sources. The conflict between pope and emperor in Europe was mirrored also in Scandinavia. 1258 it was agreed that priests were to be ordained by bishops.