The Swedish monarchy Home / Society / The Swedish monarchy The Swedish monarchy In 1980, Sweden became the first monarchy to change its succession rites so that the first-born child of the monarch is heir to the throne, regardless of gender. Ambitious and with charm to spare, Crown Princess Victoria seems more than ready for the task. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT The Swedish monarchy In 1980, Sweden became the first monarchy to change its succession rites so that the first-born child of the monarch is heir to the throne, regardless of gender. Ambitious and with charm to spare, Crown Princess Victoria seems more than ready for the task. In the spotlight The Swedish monarchy is certainly used to the eyes of media. Recent years have offered up a series of weddings and births that have put them even more into the spotlight – nationally and internationally. Perhaps none was as widely followed as the marriage on 19 June 2010 between Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling. As the eldest of three siblings, Victoria is first in line to the Swedish throne, and as such she has become a high­ly popular ambassador for the country.

Heir apparent Already before Victoria was born, there were discussions about changing the Succession Act and make it gender neutral. The change eventually took place three years after her birth but was made retroactive, which immediately changed Victoria’s title from Princess to Crown Princess. The celebrations around her marriage to Daniel, previously a gym owner and personal trainer, lasted for three days, and thousands of people assembled to offer their congratulations. International press, meanwhile, spread the news around the globe. Daniel Westling was given the title H.R.H. Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland. Eighteen months later they had their first child, a baby princess. Second in line to the Swedish throne, Princess Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary was born on 23 February 2012 at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. They are expecting their second child in March 2016. Royal nuptials Almost on the day two years later, on 20 February 2014, Victoria’s younger sister Madeleine gave birth to Princess Leonore Lilian Maria. The father is British–American businessman Christopher O’Neill. Their second child, Prince Nicolas, was born on 15 June 2015.

The couple were married on 8 June 2013 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, and celebrations were held afterwards at the family home at the Palace of Drottningholm. To retain her H.R.H. title, Princess Madeleine has not taken the O’Neill surname. Unlike Prince Daniel, O’Neill has not added Bernadotte to his name, preferring instead to retain his UK and US citizenships. He therefore has no royal titles and is not an official member of the Swedish Royal Family. Prince Carl Philip, the second oldest of the three siblings, is third in line of succession to the Swedish throne after Crown Princess Victoria and her daughter Princess Estelle. On 13 June 2015 he got married to Sofia Hellqvist, now H.R.H. Princess Sofia. She is a former model and reality television contestant. The two have lived together since 2011. Royal family with French origins Swedish monarchs date back around a thousand years and have belonged to eleven dynasties, with the current one, the House of Bernadotte, ruling the longest. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was the first Bernadotte on the Swedish throne.

Born in France in 1763, he was named heir to the Swedish throne in 1810. His name as king was Karl XIV Johan. The Swedish Royal Family is related to all the reigning royal courts of Europe. Carl XVI Gustaf It was not a coincidence that Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel chose to get married on 19 June. On that date in 1976, Sweden’s current King Carl XVI Gustaf married Queen Silvia. King Carl XVI Gustaf is the seventh monarch of the House of Bernadotte. He was born on 30 April 1946 as the fifth child and only son of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla. Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf died in an air crash in Denmark the following year. In 1950, Carl Gustaf became Crown Prince of Sweden when his great-grandfather Gustaf V died and was succeeded by the then 68-year-old Gustaf VI Adolf, the Crown Prince’s grandfather. After serving as monarch for 23 years, Gustaf Adolf passed away in 1973. That same year, at the age of 27, the Crown Prince became King Carl XVI Gustaf.

His motto is ‘For Sweden – with the times.’ Queen with a career In 1972, when still the Crown Prince, Carl Gustaf met his German-Brazilian future wife, Silvia Sommerlath, who was born in 1943 in Germany. They met in Munich during the Olympic Games, where Silvia was chief hostess. A trained interpreter without either royal or noble origins, Silvia is the first Swedish queen to have had a professional career. She married King Carl Gustaf in 1976. At the time royal weddings that included non-nobility were highly unusual, and Queen Silvia has since modernised the position of queen so that it is in step with the times. Her relationship with the King is considered very equal, and she has taken strong initiatives to pursue several social issues close to her heart, in particular children’s rights.

The King and Queen have three children: Crown Princess Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée, Duchess of Västergötland, born on 14 July 1977; Prince Carl Philip Edmund, Duke of Värmland, born on 13 May 1979; and Princess Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, born on 10 June 1982. Drottningholm Palace Drottningholm Palace, just outside Stockholm, has been home to the Swedish Royal Family since 1981. Today, however, only the King and Queen live there. Built by the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder in the 17th Century, the palace is highly characteristic of European royal architecture of the time. With large parts open to visitors, the palace is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Three generations of the Swedish Royal Family, with life partners. Clockwise from left: Christopher O’Neill, Princess Madeleine with daughter Leonore, Prince Daniel, Crown Princess Victoria with daughter Estelle, Prince Carl Philip, Sofia Hellqvist, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström/Kungahuset.se For Sweden – with the times Sweden is one of the world’s most stable and egalitarian democracies, with a monarchy that has strong roots and public support. As head of state, the King is Sweden’s foremost unifying symbol. According to the 1974 constitution, the monarch has no political affinity and no formal powers. The King’s duties are mainly of a ceremonial and representative nature. King Carl XVI Gustaf has a strong commitment to the global environment and is a recognised authority on environ­mental issues. Among other things, he has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Award. He is likewise deeply committed to the preser­vation of Sweden’s cultural heritage and con­siders it important that the public has access to the royal palaces with their collections and parks. Keeping busy King Carl XVI Gustaf is an active monarch who keeps up to date on current affairs and the Swedish business sector. In addition to two or three state visits abroad each year, he takes part in inter­national trips organised by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the World Scout Foundation .

Under the collective label ‘Royal Colloquium’, the King also organises high-level seminars on various themes in collaboration with Swedish scientists. The Royal Family receives thousands of invitations each year. Once a week, the King holds a planning meeting with the Queen, the Crown Princess and their closest staff members to discuss the invitations and decide which are most important. They make sure that their appearances are spread across Sweden. When the King is prevented from performing his duties as head of state, for example during a trip abroad, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip or Princess Madeleine, in that order, assume the duties of temporary regent. Famous Swedish monarchs Gustav II Adolf (1611-1632) By intervening in the Thirty Years’ War, Gustav II Adolf came to assume great political importance, and internationally is the best known of Sweden’s kings. Under his rule, Sweden became a leading military power. Gustav II Adolf was killed in 1632 at the Battle of Lützen.

Kristina (1632-1654) Excepting the short caretaker government of Queen Ulrika Eleonora 1719–20, Kristina is the only female monarch of the modern Swedish kingdom. She succeeded Gustav II Adolf in 1632, just before her sixth birthday, and ruled for 22 years. Kristina abdicated in 1654, converting to Catholicism and settling in Rome, and was succeeded by her cousin, Karl Gustav. When he died in 1660, she traveled to Sweden in the hope of reclaiming the throne. Her claim was rejected by parliament, however, and Kristina returned to Rome. Gustav III (1771-1792) Usually called the Theatre King, Gustav III was a keen patron of the arts, and founded the first opera in Stockholm in 1782, the Swedish Academy and the Royal Aca­demy of Music. His reign was not popular with the high nobility, however, and opposition culminated in a conspiracy in 1792, when he was shot at a masked ball held at the opera. He died shortly after.

Crown Princess Victoria, on a visit to the United Nations in New York City in 2013. Photo: J. Countess/WireImage Crown Princess Victoria – Sweden’s future queen When she succeeds her father, Crown Princess Victoria will become Sweden’s 70th monarch, the third female monarch in the history of the Kingdom of Sweden, and the first since 1720. The heir to the throne should be raised so as to represent Sweden in an appropriate and constitutionally correct way. This is in part to maintain the popular support of the Swedish people, a key to be effective. Crown Princess Victoria’s agenda includes attending official dinners, openings and visits from foreign dignitaries. She also attends the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs and the information councils with Government ministers, and steps in as a temporary regent when needed. Victoria has by now made many official trips abroad as a representative of Sweden. Her first major official visit on her own was to Japan in 2001, where she promoted Swedish design, music, gastronomy and environmental sustainability. She speaks English, French and German and is in great demand as an ambassador for Swedish ventures in culture, art and design – which are also personal interests.

Issues surrounding crisis and conflict management, including international peace-building, are also of particular interest to Victoria. During her first few months as a mother in 2012, Victoria’s calendar was completely cleared, but she has now more or less returned to her usual schedule. Thorough education Victoria began her formal education at local public schools, switching to a private school when she began her secondary school studies. Despite having dyslexia, she graduated in 1996 with good grades thanks to a steadfast commitment and devotion to learning. The Crown Princess’ studies at universities and other academic institutions constitute an important part of her edu­cation – but as heir to the throne she must also continuously maintain a breadth of knowledge on social issues. Courses in individual subjects have been prioritised over a specific academic degree. After graduating from upper secondary school, the Crown Princess studied French for foreign students at the Université Catholique de l’Ouest in Angers, France. In 1998, she enrolled at Yale University in the US where she studied for five semesters, taking courses in geology, history and international relations.

During her time at Yale, her interest in international issues deepened and she took private lessons in current affairs, wrote an essay on the role of the United Nations in Iraq and completed internships at the UN in New York and the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC. In the spring of 2002, she continued her international studies at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University , Sweden. She has studied the structure and functioning of Swedish society, partly through internships at Swedish government offices and various other institutions. Through a study programme at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), she visited Uganda and Ethiopia. She has also served as an intern at the offices of the Swedish Trade Council in Berlin and Paris, has undergone basic military training and has taken courses at the Swedish National Defence College (Försvarshögskolan) in Stockholm. More about Crown Princess Victoria Artistic talents The Crown Princess enjoys both painting and drawing. She appreciates the cultural heritage left by her ancestors, and is also proud to wear the jewellery worn by previous generations of the Royal Family at major celebrations. Royal ties The Crown Princess is in contact with other European heirs to the throne.

She has had especially close ties with her Nordic counterparts, the heirs to the thrones of Denmark and Norway. Office in Old Town Along with the King and the Queen, Crown Princess Victoria has her office and staff at the Royal Palace in Stockholm’s Old Town. Leisure interests Crown Princess Victoria enjoys spending time in nature. She likes to take long walks, ski and pursue other outdoor activities. She is genuinely fond of animals and dogs are her favourites. As a young mother she spends time with her daughter Estelle in the gardens of their home. Living in Haga Palace Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel and their daughter Estelle live in Haga Palace outside Stockholm, the birthplace and early home of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Fund for children The Crown Princess Victoria Fund was set up in 1997 to help provide recreational activities for children with functional disabilities or chronic illnesses. Approved grants cover expenses for recreational trips. Every summer, Swedish public service television (SVT) carries out fundraising drives for the Victoria Fund. The fund mainly survives thanks to donations by the public, but companies also contribute. Useful links The Swedish system of government Home / Society / The Swedish system of government The Swedish system of government All public power proceeds from the people.

This is the foundation of parliamentary democracy in Sweden. Everyone has the same rights and is free to scrutinise how politicians and public agencies exercise their power. Photo: Johnér/Plattform The Swedish system of government All public power proceeds from the people. This is the foundation of parliamentary democracy in Sweden. Everyone has the same rights and is free to scrutinise how politicians and public agencies exercise their power. A parliamentary democracy In Sweden, general elections are held every four years, with the last one held in September 2014. Around 7 million people are entitled to vote and thereby influence which political party will represent them in the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament), county councils and municipalities. People can also influence Swedish politics in other ways – by taking part in referendums, joining a political party or commenting on reports presented by the Government. The Swedish Constitution The Swedish Constitution defines how Sweden is governed. It regulates the relationships between decision-making and executive power, and the basic rights and freedoms of citizens. Four fundamental laws make up the Constitution: the Instrument of Governmen t, the Act of Succession , the Freedom of the Press Act and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression .

Among other things, the Instrument of Government guarantees citizens the right to obtain information freely, hold demonstrations, form political parties and practise their religion. The Act of Succession regulates the right of members of the House of Bernadotte to accede to the Swedish throne. The Freedom of the Press Act sets out the principle of public access to official documents in order to guarantee an open society with access to information about the work of the Riksdag, the Government and public agencies. This law allows people to study official documents whenever they wish. Another principle in the Freedom of the Press Act is the freedom to communicate information. Under this principle, everyone in Sweden is entitled to give information to the media that they consider important and that they feel should be made public. The publisher of the material is not entitled to reveal the source if the individual in question wishes to remain anonymous. The Law on Freedom of Expression, which came into force in 1992, largely mirrors the Freedom of the Press Act, in regards to the prohibition of censorship, the freedom to communicate information and the right to anonymity. Fundamental rights To amend a fundamental law, the Riksdag must pass the amendment on two separate occasions, separated by a parliamentary election.

The fundamental laws take precedence over all other statutes and no law may contravene the Constitution. DID YOU KNOW… National referendums A total of six national referendums have been held in Sweden. These polls are consultative in character and the Riksdag may reach decisions that run counter to their outcome. This has only happened on one occasion, in 1955, when a referendum was held on the introduction of right-hand traffic. The Swedish people voted against it but the Government chose to introduce it nonetheless. Sweden’s last two referendums: 1994: Membership of the EU Result: Yes 2003: Introduction of the euro Result: No The Riksdag has 349 members who are chosen by Sweden’s citizens every four years in general elections. Photo: Frank Chmura/Nordic Photos The Riksdag – representing the people The Riksdag makes the decisions and the Government implements them. The Government also submits proposals for new laws or law amendments to the Riksdag. The 349-member Riksdag is Sweden’s primary representative forum.

The entire Riksdag is chosen by direct elections based on suffrage for all Swedish citizens aged 18 or over who are, or previously have been, residents of Sweden. Since 1971, Sweden has had a unicameral (one-chamber) Riksdag. General elections to the Riksdag are held on the third Sunday of September every four years. Eligibility to serve in the Riksdag requires Swedish citizenship and the attainment of voting age. All elections employ the principle of proportional representation, to ensure that seats are distributed among the political parties in proportion to the votes cast for them across the country as a whole. Four per cent required There is one exception to the rule of full national proportionality: a party must receive at least 4 per cent of all votes in the election to gain representation in the Riksdag, a rule designed to prevent very small parties from getting in.

The eight parties currently represented in the Riksdag are (in order of percentage share, from largest to smallest): the Social Democratic Party (Socialdemokraterna), the Moderate Party (Moderaterna), the Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna), the Green Party (Miljöpartiet de Gröna), the Centre Party (Centerpartiet), the Left Party (Vänsterpartiet), the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet Liberalerna), and the Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna). Appoints the Prime Minister The Government governs the country but is accountable to the Riksdag. The Riksdag appoints a Prime Minister, who is tasked with forming a Government. The Prime Minister personally chooses the ministers to make up the Cabinet and also decides which ministers will be in charge of the various ministries. Together, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet ministers form the Government. Under the Constitution, the Government – not the head of state (the monarch) – is empowered to make governmental decisions. Ministers usually represent the political party or parties in power.

In many cases, they have a seat in the Riksdag, which they retain during their period in the Cabinet, although an alternate takes over the duties of a Riksdag member appointed to Cabinet. In other words, a Cabinet minister must abstain from voting in the Riksdag. All ministers are, however, entitled to participate in parliamentary debates. At the official opening of the Riksdag each September, the Prime Minister delivers a Statement of Government Policy. In it he presents the Government’s policy goals for the coming year and defines priority policy areas at national and international levels. The Government at work The Government rules Sweden by implementing the decisions of the Riksdag and by formulating new laws or law amendments, on which the Riksdag decides. The Government is assisted in this task by the Government Offices and some 360 government agencies. The Cabinet as a whole is responsible for all Government decisions. Although many routine matters are in practice decided by individual ministers and only formally approved by the Government, the principle of collective responsibility is reflected in all governmental work.

As part of its official functions, the Government: presents bills to the Riksdag implements Riksdag decisions allocates the funds appropriated by the Riksdag for expenditure on items in the budget represents Sweden in the EU enters into agreements with other states takes decisions in certain administrative areas not covered by other authorities directs the activities and operations of the executive branch. Did you know… Sweden was the first country in the world to introduce freedom of press, in 1766. Major UN contributor Sweden is one of the largest contributors to the United Nations and one of the few countries to meet the UN’s aid target of 0.7 per cent of GNI (gross national income). Sweden became a member of the UN in 1946 and active involvement in the UN has been a central plank of Swedish foreign policy ever since. Foreign policy Throughout the 20th century, Swedish foreign policy was based on the principle of non-alignment in peacetime and neutrality in wartime. Since 1995 Sweden has been a member of the European Union, and as a consequence of a new global security situation, Sweden has modified its foreign policy doctrine, including playing a more active role in European security cooperation.

For the period of 2017–2018, Sweden will be a member of the UN Security Council , promoting international peace and security as well as the Swedish view on democracy, human rights, gender equality and development. Local and regional administration Sweden has three levels of domestic government: national, regional and local. In addition, the European level has become increasingly important since Sweden joined the EU in 1995. The regional level At the regional level, Sweden is divided into 20 counties. Political tasks at this level are undertaken by the county councils. The county councils are responsible for overseeing tasks that cannot be handled at the local level by municipalities but which rather require coordination across a larger region, most notably health care. The county councils are entitled to levy income taxes to cover their costs. At the regional level there are also county administrative boards, the government bodies for the counties. The local level At the local level, Sweden is divided into 290 municipalities, each with an elected assembly or council. Municipalities are responsible for a broad range of facilities and services including housing, roads, water supply and waste-water processing, schools, public welfare, elderly care and childcare. The municipalities are entitled to levy income taxes on individuals.

They also charge for various services. As a result, municipalities have significant latitude in deciding what services they should offer. They are however legally obliged to provide certain basic services. The European level On entering the EU in 1995, Sweden acquired a further level of government: the European level. As a member of the European Union, Sweden is subject to the EU acquis communautaire – the accumulated legislation, legal acts and court decisions that constitute the cumulative body of European Union law. Sweden takes part in the decision-making process when new common rules are drafted and approved. The Swedish Government represents Sweden in the European Council of Ministers, which is the EU’s principal decision-making body. Some issues previously decided by the Riksdag are nowadays decided at the EU level. Social Democrat Stefan Löfven was appointed prime minister of Sweden after the 2014 general elections. Photo: Janerik Henriksson /TT The political landscape Sweden’s general elections in September 2014 saw a minority coalition of Social Democrats and Greens take over after the centre-right Alliance. For many decades, the Social Democratic Party had a dominant role in Swedish politics.

However, over the past 30 years or so, power has changed hands several times between the Social Democrats and the ‘non-socialist’ political bloc. In the 2014 general elections, Stefan Löfven became prime minister – although his coalition of Social Democrats and Greens could not gain an absolute majority. The prime minister’s Social Democratic Party garnered 31 per cent of the votes. Together with the Green Party’s 6.9 per cent, the left-of-centre coalition thereby achieved 37.9 per cent. The centre-right Alliance, which includes the Moderate Party, the Liberal Party, the Centre Party and the Christian Democrats, collected 39.4 per cent of the votes. Since Sweden has a system of negative parliamentarism, meaning that a government can stay in power as long as it doesn’t have a majority against it, the Social Democrats and the Greens could still form a government by themselves. In short, the 2014 elections left Sweden in a complicated parliamentary situation. A left-of-centre minority coalition is in government and the far-right Sweden Democrats are in a so-called swing vote position, having gained nearly 13 per cent of the votes.

History of Swedish elections 2014: A minority left-of-centre coalition takes over after the Alliance. 2010: The ruling centre-right Alliance beats the left-of-centre coalition, but fails to gain an outright majority. 2006: The non-socialist parties form a four-party coalition government called the Alliance. 2002 and 1998: The Social Democrats remain in office after both elections, but in order to implement their policies are forced to form a parliamentary alliance with the Left Party and the Green Party. 1994: The Social Democrats form a new minority government. Starting from this year, general elections are held every four years instead of three. 1991: A non-socialist minority government of the Moderates, Liberals, the Centre Party and Christian Democrats is formed. 1988 and 1985: The Social Democrats remain in power after both elections. 1982: The non-socialist parties lose their majority and a Social Democratic minority government is formed. 1979: The non-socialist parties retain their parliamentary majority, and a new three-party government is formed. In the spring of 1981, the Moderate Party leaves the Government.

1976: The Social Democrats are defeated by a coalition consisting of the Centre Party, the Moderates and the Liberal Party. 1932–1976: The Social Democrats rule without interruption, except for a period of 109 days in 1936 when Sweden has an interim government. LEARN MORE Foundations of Swedish democracy In Sweden, parliamentary democracy evolved during the earliest decades of the 20th century. Voting rights reforms in 1909 created universal male suffrage and introduced proportional elections. In 1921, universal suffrage was extended to women. After World War II, democracy became the wholly dominant concept in Swedish politics. Head of state without formal power The monarch occupying the Swedish throne under the Act of Succession is the country’s head of state. The Swedish head of state, since September 1973 King Carl XVI Gustaf, exercises no political power and does not participate in political life. As head of state, he is the representative of the country as a whole, and in that capacity performs mainly ceremonial duties and functions. The monarch’s duties include chairing meetings of the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman The Parliamentary Ombudsman, commonly known as the Ombudsman for Justice ( JO ), handles complaints from anyone who feels that he/she, or somebody else, has been wrongly treated by a public authority or a civil servant. The person concerned does not have to be a Swedish citizen or to be a certain age; even children can lodge a complaint. Useful links House of Bernadotte | Swedish dynasty | Britannica.com House of Bernadotte Valois Dynasty House of Bernadotte, royal dynasty of Sweden , from 1818. The name derives from a family of old lineage of Béarn , France , whose earliest known member (17th century) owned an estate in Pau known as “Bernadotte.” In 1810, Jean-Baptiste-Jules Bernadotte, a celebrated marshal of France under Napoleon, was elected crown prince of Sweden, went to Stockholm, acted officially as regent during the illnesses of the aged, childless king Charles XIII , and in 1818 became king, as Charles XIV John .

Succeeding rulers were his son Oscar I (reigned 1844–59), Charles XV (1859–72), Oscar II (1872–1907), Gustav V (1907–50), Gustav VI Adolf (1950–73), and Charles XVI Gustav (or Carl XVI Gustaf; 1973– ). Learn More in these related articles: Charles XIV John Jan. 26, 1763 Pau, France March 8, 1844 Stockholm, Swed. French Revolutionary general and marshal of France (1804), who was elected crown prince of Sweden (1810), becoming regent and then king of Sweden and Norway (1818–44). Active in several Napoleonic campaigns between 1805 and 1809, he... Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles.

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Close Article Title: House of Bernadotte Website Name: Encyclopædia Britannica Date Published: July 20, 1998 URL: Access Date: January 19, 2017 Share 73 Interesting Facts about Sweden 73 Interesting Facts About . . . Sweden Despite being a military power in the 17th century and one of the world’s largest producers of weapons, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries, including both world wars.q Around 2,000 years ago, the Svear people gave Sweden its name. In their language, svear meant “us” and rike meant “kingdom.” So, Sverige, the modern Swedish name of the country, means “Our Kingdom.”q With a tax rate of 51.4% of GDP, Swedes are one of the most highly taxed populations in the world. Ironically, they are generally happy to pay a high tax rate, and the Swedish word for tax is skatt, or “treasure.”q Swedish parents are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leaveï¿½and of those, 60 days are reserved for the father.

In 2012, dads used 24% of the total parental leave.i Sweden has had seven Nobel Prize winners in Literature, including Selma Lagerlöf, who was the first woman to win the prize in 1909. Her birthplace at Mårbacka is a national shrine.k An average of 1,836,000 meatballs are eaten daily in all of Swedish company Ikea’s 313 stores worldwide An average of 1,836,000 meatballs are eaten daily in all of Ikea’s 313 stores worldwide. Ikea was founded in Sweden in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad.k The Swedish three-point seatbelt is claimed to have saved 1 million lives. It was launched by Volvo in 1959 and is found in 1 billion vehicles worldwide.k Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been awarded 567 times. It is the legacy of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite in 1866. The Nobel Prizes have been awarded every year in Stockholm, Sweden, since 1901.

That first year, each prize was worth 150,000 kronor. In 2010, it had increased to 10 million kronor (currently about US$1.2 million).b Between 300,000 and 400,000 moose (Alces alces) roam the Swedish woods. Over 100,000 are shot during the annual hunt, and about 250,000 people participate in the hunt. The moose is also considered the most dangerous animal in Sweden. Every year, they cause approximately 6,000 road accidents.k The pacemaker, ultrasound, safety match, astronomical lens, marine propeller, refrigerator, and computer mouse are all famous items that were invented in Sweden or by Swedes who weren’t living in Sweden.l One of the most popular flavors of ice cream in Sweden is salmiakki, or salty licorice, which can also be coal black in color.p ABBA is the fourth-best selling music act in history, after Elvis Presley, the Beatles , and Michael Jackson. The group has sold over 375 million records worldwide.

At one point, ABBA was second only to Volvo as Sweden’s biggest export earner. The group broke up in 1983.h Sweden has won 625.5 Olympics medals in total. 475.5 are from the Summer Olympics (one gold is shared with Denmark ), and 150 are from the Winter Olympics.k Football, or soccer, is the most popular organized sport in Sweden Football, or soccer, is by far the biggest organized sport in Sweden. Runner up is innebandy, or a type of floor hockey played indoors, which attracts 200,000 individuals to gyms all over Sweden during winter .k Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union in area, yet it has the second lowest population density (23.5 people per square km).k According to Sveriges Körförbund (Swedish Choir Union), roughly 600,000 Swedes sing in choirs, and the union represents 500 choirs.

This gives Sweden the highest number of choirs per capita in the world.k Swedish Doctor of Technology Martin Hedström and his team at Lund University are responsible for inventing the HIV tracker, a sensitive device used for mapping out and detecting the spread of HIV and other viruses. The device can detect extremely low concentrations of poisons, viruses, or other substances in liquids, which makes it a potentially valuable tool for fighting bioterrorism as well.k The Swedish term lagom doesn’t have an English equivalent. It is not just a word, it is a concept that means “just right” or “adequate” and it can be used for just about anything and every situation.k Sweden legalized gay sex in 1944, and in 1972, it was the first country in the world to allow for a legal change of gender identity.k Wasps actually kill more people directly than any other animal in Sweden, about one per year.k There are 260,000 reindeer in Sweden. They eat mushrooms, lichen, grass, and herbs. Suovas is a word in the language of the indigenous Sámi people that refers to smoked reindeer meat fillets.

Reindeer milk tastes sweet and looks like melted ice cream.k Sweden has 95,700 lakes larger than 100 meters by 100 meters. That equals 9% of Sweden’s total area.k Sweden was the first country in the world to ban the smacking of children in 1979. Since then, 35 other countries have followed suit.k Sweden has about 20,000 Sámi living in the country today. Since 1993, this indigenous people have had their own parliament. In 2000, the Swedish government officially recognized Sámi as an official language.k Halloween has been celebrated in Sweden only since the 1990s and it is celebrated on Maundy (Holy) Thursday just before Easter. Children and teenagers mainly dress up for fancy parties and ghost parties, light lanterns, and venture forth to scare their neighbors and trick-or-treat.q The Swedish monarchy is one of the oldest in the world. It dates back a thousand years and has included 11 dynasties, with the current one, the House of Bernadotte, ruling the longest.

Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was the first of his line on the Swedish throne. He was born in France in 1763 and was named heir to the throne in 1810. He changed his name to Carl XIV Johan. The Swedish royal family is related to all the reigning royal courts of Europe.q Minecraft, which is the brainchild of Swedish programmer Markus “Notch” Persson, made US $39.1 million in 2013 The Minecraft world-building video game was Swedish programmer Markus “Notch” Persson’s one-man hobby project. It is basically a digital version of Lego. Minecraft contributed to Persson’s company Mojang’s 2013 record profit of 325 million kronor (approx. US$39.1 million). Mojang means “gadget” in Swedish.k The Swedish company King is behind the app game Candy Crush. It has been downloaded almost 500 million times and counting. That’s almost one game for every person in the United States and Brazil .

King was named “Sweden’s Best Employer” in a 2013 survey.k Sweden has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, 74 years for men and 80 years for women, and one of the lowest birthrates (1.7 children per woman).q Sweden has the highest number of McDonald’s restaurants per capita in Europe, with 227 restaurants. Only the United States has more McDonald’s per capita in the world.a Sweden is home to the Ericsson Globe—originally the Stockholm Globe Arena—which is the largest spherical building in the world at 85 m (279 ft.) high and a diameter of 110 m (328 ft.). It also hosts the largest scale model of the solar system in the world at 1:20,000,000.m The Swedish word gift can mean married or poison.l St. Lucia is a nationally celebrated saint in Sweden, despite the fact her tradition can be traced back to both St. Lucia of Syracuse, a martyr who died in A.D. 304, and to the Swedish legend of Lucia as Adam’s first wife, who supposedly consorted with the devil and gave birth to invisible demons.

Little girls dress up like her on the night of December 13th, and there are baked goods and a nationally televised Lucia competition devoted to her.l In terms of geography, Kiruna, Swedenï¿½located north of the Arctic Circleï¿½is the northernmost town in Sweden and one of the largest northernmost cities in the world. The city’s leaders have declared that the city’s limits are the same as the borders of the township, so it contains 5,000 square miles (13,000 square km).b From the 1850s to the 1930s, 1.5 million of Sweden’s population of 3.5 million immigrated to North America.d Born in Småland in 1701, Carl von Linné, née Carl Linnaeus, is Sweden’s most revered scientist. He is best known for the introduction of his binomial classification, a two-part nomenclature that enabled plants and animals to be consistently named and classified into families.

Linnaeus himself invented the word Homo sapiens.j There are around 250 wolves in Sweden, and a wolf’s howl can be heard over 6 miles (10 km) away There are around 250 wolves (Canis lupus) in Sweden. They are protected and may not be killed unless they repeatedly attack humans or property. Swedish wolves mainly eat moose, and one family can kill about 120 moose each year. A wolf’s howl can be heard over 10 kilometers (6 miles) away.k Sweden’s Uppsala University is home to a famous 4th-century silver Bible that some consider the world’s most valuable book. The incomplete version of the New Testament in ancient Gothic language was written on parchment with silver and gold ink.q Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has been called the “Venice of the North” because it is a city built around water with 12 islands and 42 bridges.q The Viking age had its beginnings in Denmark, Norway , and Sweden in the 9th century A.D., and it was a Viking who settled Iceland. Swedish Vikings mainly sailed east across the Baltic Sea.

They landed on the coast of what is now Lithuania and rolled their long ships to the Dnieper and Volga Rivers. From there, they sailed to the Black and Caspian Seas and as far as Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and even northern Persia (modern-day Iran ). They tried to sack Constantinople twice, in 860 and 941, but failed both times.q Sweden has played a leading role in the United Nations. One of the most respected and effective leaders since World War II was Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld, the second secretary general of the U.N.q A traditional Swedish drink is glögg, which is the result of mulled wine being poured over aquavit (a clear, caraway-flavored liquor), and then set aflame.q In Sweden, the traditional Christmas visitor is the nisse or gnome, a short, good-humored sprite with a long beard and a tasseled red cap. Swedes believe he is thousands of years old. On Christmas Eve, they leave him bowls of porridge on their doorsteps.

Santa Claus has become popular now, though, with Swedish children, and they write to him at his “home” in Lapland.q The famous Swedish smörgåsbord was once a peasant custom where whole villages would gather at the end of the summer to celebrate the harvest with roast game; boiled potatoes and turnips; fresh, smoked, or pickled fish; meatballs; pancakes; and soups. Today the term refers to a meal made up of many different dishes, similar to a buffet, where diners choose what they want to eat.q Sweden’s first coin was struck in the late 10th century by King Olof Skötkonung and is still on display in the Royal Coin Cabinet. Also featured is Queen Kristina’s coin from 1644, which weighs 19.7 kg (43 lb.) and may be the world’s heaviest coin.b Sweden’s Astrid Lindgren wrote around 100 children’s books, which have been translated into 74 languages, making her the 9th most read children’s author in the world.

Publishers originally rejected her first book about Pippi Longstocking, but she went on to win a children’s book competition in 1945. Pippi Longstocking soon won the hearts of children worldwide. After her death in 2002, the government created the world’s largest prize for children’s literature in Lindgren’s name.b No other athletics arena can compare with Stockholm’s Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium) when it comes to world records. Eleven world records were set there in the 1912 Olympics, including American gold medalist Ted Meredith’s time of 1 min., 51.9 sec, in the 800m event. The last word record set there was Wilson Kipketer’s 1997 time of 1 min., 41.73 sec. over the same distance.

In total, 83 world records have been set inside the stadium; London is second with 68 and Los Angeles is third with 66.b Guests checking into the world’s first ice hotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, are issued thermal jumpsuits upon checking in to survive interior temperatures as low as -8 degrees F (-22 degrees C) The world’s first ice hotel was built in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, in the 1980s by architect Yngve Bergqvist. The hotel has 60 rooms and is carved out of 4,000 tons of densely packed snow and ice with occupancy available between December and April. Guests are issued thermal jumpsuits of “beaver nylon” upon check-in, and their air-lock cuffs help the wearers survive the interior temperatures as low as -8° F (-22° C).o Aquavit is a liquor of about 40% alcohol by volume enjoyed in Sweden and all of Scandanavia.

Its name comes from aqua vitae, which is Latin for “water of life.” It is distilled from potatoes or grains and flavored with herbs such as caraway seeds, cumin, dill, fennel, or coriander.c Sweden’s oldest glassworks is Kosta Glasbruk. Dating from 1742, it was founded by two former generals, Anders Koskull and Georg Bogislaus Stael von Holstein. Importing glassblowers from Bohemia, their Kosta works pioneered the production of crystal (to qualify for that label, glass must contain at least 24% lead oxide).c Walpurgis Night, an old pagan springtime ritual adopted by Christianity, is celebrated with bonfires, partying, and drinking on the night of April 30 in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia.i Esrange Space Center is Europe’s only civilian rocket base and a major center of space and climate research.

Rocket launches, testing of unmanned aircraft (UAVs), and balloon ascents are all conducted from this Swedish base.i Swedish is the official language of Sweden, but the country officially protects Romani, Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkali (a Finnish dialect), and Sámi.i The 9-foot- (3-m-) long Viking age rock carving Sigurdsristningen (around A.D. 1000) illustrates the story of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer whose adventures are mentioned in Beowulf and the Icelandic sagas. It is also said that his story inspired Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle and JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.i Because of its proximity to the Arctic Circle, Sweden has long, dark winters. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) causes widespread depression among roughly one in five people.

SAD is caused by a lack of daylight, which leads to an increase in the production of the sleep-related hormone melatonin, secreted from a gland in the brain .j The northern lights, or aurora borealis, appear above the Arctic Circle and are visible in Sweden from late September though March The northern lights, or aurora borealis, appear above the Arctic Circle (latitude 66°) and are visible around the equinoxes in late September and March and during the dark of winter in Sweden. These spectacular displays of green-blue shimmering arcs and waves of lights are caused by solar wind, or streams of particles charged by the sun , hitting the atmosphere. The colors are the characteristic hues of different elements when they hit the plasma shield that protects Earth : blue is nitrogen and yellow-green is oxygen.f Legendary Hollywood actress and famous Swedish recluse Greta Garbo began her working life at the Hötorget (Haymarket) city square in Stockholm as a sales assistant in the hat section of the PUB department store. She acted in 34 films, all told, and spent most of her life in the United States, dying in New York City in 1990.

In 1999, her ashes were returned to Stockholm and buried in the Skogskyrkogården Cemetery after a long legal battle.j In 2006, IKEA opened its northernmost store in the world in Swedish Haparanda. The IKEA name is likely a combination of founder Ingvar Kamprad’s initials and the farm and village where he grew up. IKEA was first registered in 1943 and now has stores in 40 countries, including Australia (1975), Saudi Arabia (1983), the United States (1985), Great Britain (1987), China (1998), and Russia (2000).h The foul-smelling iconic Swedish dish surströmming is thought to have begun off of the northern coast of Sweden. Translated as “fermented Baltic herring,” it is thought to have begun in the 16th century on Ulvon when and where salt was very expensive, so the fish was allowed to ferment instead. Today, the dish is made in flat tins containing a weak salt solution.

Over a 4- to 10-week fermentation process, the tins blow up into the shape of soccer balls under the pressure of the odious gasses inside. Restaurants refuse to open the tins indoors because of the lingering stink, similar to an open sewer. The unpleasant job has to be done outside in the open air.j Declaring themselves Eurocities, Haparanda, Sweden, and Tornio, Finland, are so close in proximity that they share the same post office. There are even two phone lines in the office, one for calls to Sweden and one for Finland.j Virtually every timber structure in Sweden is painted a deep red color. In a climate as severe as Sweden’s, the wood has to be treated with a special red paint. Known as Falu Rodfarg, it is produced in Falun and contains a natural copper preservative.j Due to Earth’s uneven orbit, the real Arctic Circle is now 1 km north of the line set at roughly 66° N, about 7 km south of Jokkmokk, Sweden.

The real line is creeping northward at a rate of 14ï¿½15 cm each year, and it won’t be for another 20.000 years that the movement will stop—by which time the Circle will have reached 68° N and then begin moving south again. The Arctic Circle is the northernmost points along which the sun can be seen on the shortest day of the year.j The Åland Islands, although technically Finnish, sport their own flag and culture. It goes back to a decision by the League of Nations decision in 1921 to quash a Swedishï¿½Finnish dispute over sovereignty. Aland took its own flag in 1954 and has been issuing its own stamps since 1984.

Swedish is spoken there, while a few residents speak Finnish.h The Oresund Bridge is the planet’s longest cable-tied road, and Rail Bridge, measuring 7.8 km from Lernacken (on the Swedish side near Malmö) to the artificial island of Peberholm (Pepper Island) south of Saltholm (Salt Island) in Denmark.o On his deathbed, it was discovered that Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (King Carl IV Johan of Sweden, who reigned for 26 years) had a tattoo that read “Death to Kings.”h Famous people of Sámi descent include singer Joni Mitchell and actress Renée Zellweger.h Bill Clinton, Bob Hope, and Elvis Presley are all recipients of a bright red painted Swedish, Dalecarlian, or Dala, horse Bill Clinton, Bob Hope, and Elvis Presley have all received a bright red painted Dalecarlian, or Dala, horse .

The first written reference to the horse comes from the 17th century, when the bishops of Vasteras denounced such horrors as “decks of cards, dice, flutes, dolls, wooden horses, lovers’ ballads, impudent paintings.” The painted horse gained international attention for the first time at the World Exhibition in New York in 1939.h The joik, or yoik, is a rhythmic poem or song composed for a specific person, object, or event to remember its innate nature and it is a cornerstone of Sámi cultural identity. The yoiking tradition was revived in the 1960s and is now performed in many ways, including experimental yoik and hard yoik.h The Sámi year traditionally has eight seasons, each tied to a period of reindeer herding.o The crayfish party has become one of the most typical of Swedish traditions, held on the first Thursday in August. This unusual custom goes back at least 100 years when Swedish authorities permitted crayfish to be caught during only two months out of the year, starting in August.

Most of the crayfish served today at these parties do not come from Sweden but from Turkey, Spain , and the U.S., as a crayfish plague almost annihilated the Swedish species in 1907.e The Christmas tree tradition in Sweden is a fairly recent one; it was adopted from Germany at the end of the 19th century. Before this, Swedes celebrated with “Christmas straw.” Household members would have to lie on the straw at night, as the beds were reserved for the dead who would come to visit their families on Christmas Eve.e The most famous Swedish sporting event is the Vasaloppet (Vasa race) for cross-country skiers. It is the largest annual cross-country ski race in the world. It takes place on the first Sunday of March with the starting line at Sälen in northern Dalarna province and the goal line at Mora 90 km (55 miles) away. The race traces the route that Gustav Vasa made to escape in order to rally a peasant army in 1521, which then drove out the Danes and caused Vasa to be crowned king.

First run in 1922, the race attracts around 14,000 participants annually.e Sweden was the first country in the world to introduce standardized time, which was necessary to make understandable train tables.e Important Dates g,h,j,o,q House of Vasa | Swedish and Polish dynasty | Britannica.com Swedish and Polish dynasty Sapieha Family House of Vasa, Swedish (and Polish) dynasty descended from an old family of Uppland, related both to the Sture family and to the Bonde family of Sweden’s King Charles VIII (d. 1470). Its founder was Gustav Eriksson Vasa , who became regent of Sweden in 1521 and King Gustav I Vasa in 1523. His descendants reigned until 1818, the last being Charles XIII . It was succeeded by the house of Bernadotte. A grandson of Gustav I Vasa became king of Poland , as Sigismund III Vasa , in 1587 and was concurrently king of Sweden from 1592.

On Sigismund’s death in 1604, a son, Władysław IV Vasa, was elected to the Polish throne; and an uncle, Charles IX , already regent, received the Swedish crown. The Vasa dynasty in Poland ended a generation later, in 1668, with the resignation of Sigismund’s second son, John II Casimir Vasa . Learn More in these related articles: in Poland: Sigismund III Vasa The long reign of his successor, Sigismund III Vasa (1587–1632), raised hopes of a union with Sweden that would strengthen Poland’s standing in the north. Sigismund was the grandson of the legendary Swedish ruler Gustav I Vasa, but, as an ardent Roman Catholic and champion of the Counter-Reformation, he was unable to hold on to the crown of Lutheran Sweden, and a 10-year succession... in Sweden: The early Vasa kings (1523–1611) After Gustav I Vasa was elected to the throne in 1523, he began to restore the power of the Swedish king and to organize a central administration under his own direct leadership.

On the one hand, this task was facilitated by the elimination of a great part of the high nobility by the Stockholm Bloodbath. On the other hand, the influence of the king was limited by the economic dependence of... More about House of Vasa 2 References found in Britannica Articles Assorted References Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval.

Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Article Title: House of Vasa Website Name: Encyclopædia Britannica Date Published: July 20, 1998 URL: Access Date: January 19, 2017 Share New Swedish Baby Prince's Name Is Revealed Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel have revealed the name of their newborn baby prince : Oscar Carl Olof, Duke of Sk ne. Prince Oscar, who’s third in line to the nation’s throne, was born at 8:28 p.m. on March 2, the Swedish Royal Palace confirmed Wednesday. Four-year-old Princess Estelle , who was asleep during the birth, visited Karolinska Hospital, north of Stockholm, early Thursday morning to meet her little brother.

Before leaving the hospital to travel home to Stockholm’s Haga Palace, the new family of four posed for a quick photo – the first to show them all together. Oscar’s grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf announced the newborn prince’s name at a specially convened cabinet meeting on Thursday. At noon, artillery troops celebrated the new prince’s birth at five locations around Sweden as they fired 21-gun salutes. Princess Madeleine , Prince Oscar’s aunt, who flew in from her London home for the event, was among the first with warm wishes for the growing family. “Congratulations to my sister Victoria and Daniel to the birth of their son! He was born today at 20:28 here in Stockholm!” she posted to her Facebook page last night from Karolinska Hospital . Other family members joined her felicitations as diplomats, locals and VIPs mingled at the Hall of State in Stockholm’s Royal Palace during the afternoon to convey their written good wishes to the royal family in greetings books. Meanwhile, family and dignitaries close to the ruling house of Bernadotte attended a traditional Christian thanksgiving service on Thursday to celebrate Prince Oscar’s birth. • Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage?

Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. Proud dad Prince Daniel announced the arrival of his first son yesterday in an emotional press conference. As tears streamed down his cheeks, Daniel told reporters that the couple had kept the baby’s gender a surprise and that he was delighted to welcome a little prince. He even revealed that he cut the umbilical cord and assisted during the birth. couldn’t hold back his emotions as he announced the arrival of their baby prince “I have not had time to feel just yet how it feels to be a father of two,” he said. “But it feels good so far!” And soon the country will be celebrating the arrival of two royal babies! Victoria’s younger brother younger brother Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia are expecting their first child in April . Show Full Article

Question: What is the name of the ruling house of Sweden?
Answer: BERNADOTTE