Scandinavian History Podcast

21/10/2025

The latest episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast described the Laki eruption in 1783 and its consequences for events in Europe. But did you know that you can actually go and see the site of the eruption? If you ever visit Iceland, I definitely recommend that you include Laki in your plans. It's one of my favorite day trips when I'm touring the island of ice and fire.

You can find more information here:

At Laki a visitor trail tells the story of the catastrophic Laki Fires eruption in 1783–1784, and informs the visitor about the natural environment of the Lakagígar craters. The trail passes through one of the craters. The start of the visitor trail is marked by an information sign, where the vis...

18/10/2025

If you've ever been to London, I bet you've gone to Trafalgar Square to gawk at Horatio Nelson at the top of his column. The monument was erected to commemorate Nelson's triumph against the French at Trafalgar, but at the bottom are four large bronze panels depicting other important events in Nelson's life. One of the panels depicts Nelson during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.

15/10/2025

You may think that I didn't give a complete picture of the French Revolution in the latest episode. You'd be right, but since the topic of this particular pocast is Scandinavian history, I felt I couldn't go on a 10-50 episode French tangent.

But don't worry: there are other podcasts you can listen to that deal with the goingson in France and on the continent in some detail. Here are my Top Three recommendations:

1) Mike Duncan's Revolutions (season 3)
2) Grey History's French Revolution & Napoleon
3) Everett Rummage's The Age of Napoleon

You'll find them wherever you listen to podcasts.

12/10/2025

The other evening I used AI to generate posters for three movies based on the latest episode of the podcast. Which one of these potential blockbusters would you run to the theaters to see?

10/10/2025

A new episode is here! As Gustav III strengthened the power of the crown, his French colleague Louis XVI was just about to lose his. The French revolution was a cataclysmic event that changed the world forever, both politically and culturally. Scandinavia was no exception. That’s perhaps only fair, since a dramatic Nordic event allegedly contributed to the revolution in the first place.

Listen to the episode to make sense of the attention grabbing pictures. Links in the comments below.

08/10/2025

The opera house that Gustav III built in the 1770s, and where he was shot some twenty years later, no longer exists. It was torn down in the 1880s to make way for the current royal opera. But we have a few photos of the building, taken shortly before it was demolished. The first one shows the facade, facing Gustavus Adolphus Square. The second photo is from the interior, with the royal box at the center (naturally). If you're curious to know what the old opera house looked like in color, you're in luck. At the other end of the square, Gustav's scheeming sister, Sophia Albertina, built a palace with a facade that mirrored the opera exactly. This building still stands, and today it houses the Swedish Foreign Office.

05/10/2025

This is a contemporary cartoon from the British press, showing the king and queen being informed of the murder of Gustav III. While they're on the toilet. The king, George III, suffered from poor health--including well-known stomach issues, leading to constipation. Needless to say, in the late 18th century the press was far freer in Britain than in Scandinavia.

03/10/2025

May I introduce Nils Henric Liljensparre? He was the chief of police in Stockholm in 1792, and it was his job to find the man who shot the king in the latest episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast. It didn't take him long to find the assassin, Jacob Johan Anckarström. The second image is a contemporary depiction of Anckarström being whipped in public before his ex*****on.

29/09/2025

After you listened to the latest episode, the one about the murder of the Swedish Sun King, Gustav III, you may be curious to know what his assassin looked like. Well, look no further: here's a portrait of Jacob Johan Anckarström, made shortly before 16 March 1792. As a bonus, I've added a photo of the mask he wore to the ball where he shot the king--and the weapons he brought with him.

26/09/2025

Episode 117 is here to make you forget that summer is almost over. In this episode, Gustav III decides to neutralize the threat posed by the aristocracy once and for all. unfortunately for the king, instead of caving, the aristos decided to fight back. Links in the comments.

The image depicts the central event of the episode, taking place on 16 March 1792.

23/09/2025

Continuing the trend of visiting the graves of Gustav Vasa's crazy sons, in late August I was in Västerås and popped in to see Erik XIV. As you may remember from episode 81, king Erik was toppled by his brothers John and Karl, locked up and later murdered. To begin with, he was given a discreet, hardly noticeable grave in Västerås cathedral, but none other than the Swedish Sun King, Gustav III, felt that was unfair. He reburied Erik XIV in this much grander sarcophagus that Gustav originally had ordered for himself. Gustav also nicked the funeral regalia originally placed on the grave belonging to Erik's broher/successor/murderer John III, and gave them to Erik.