WAS THERE FEUDALISM IN SWEDEN?

Was medieval Sweden a feudal country? Specialists who acknowledge the presence of feudal relations in medieval Sweden base themselves on different definitions of feudalism. Some historians regard fiefs as the key elements of feudalism, some underline the role of the local forms of feudal rent, some stress the importance of the delegation of the judicial prerogatives of the Crown, and some highlight the significance of medieval horizontal connections. In spite of the differences, historians’ approaches and viewpoints, in fact, complement each other. It seems appropriate to view the medieval Swedish society as a local form of feudal society, due to the presence of such essential features as the fiefs, the noble estates, tlie peasant rent and the role of castles as administrative, fiscal and military centres.

history, historiography, the Middle Ages, Sweden, feudalism