Scandinavia: A History

by Ewan Butler

Here is the dramatic story of Scandinavia - from its earliest Germanic origins and Viking sea raids to its battles for independence and its involvement in World War II. Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, writes award-winning historian Ewan Butler writes, struggled through unions and separations, with both outsiders and each other, developing their own personalities and languages yet retaining their ancient connections.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Scandinavian Literature, World History, Sweden, Audiobook

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2016

Reviews

[Peter Ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Palace-centric old fashioned view of history. Very much focused on kings and princes and court intrigues with minimal attention to cultural history and virtually none to economic and social issues until the last few pages.

[Marc94 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was initially hesitant to read this book, as some people gave it bad reviews, saying that it simply listed the essential facts, with little analysis. I found this to be true, but it was better than I thought it would be. It was a nice, short read (about 200 pages) on my Kindle. I was looking for an introductory book, having known little about Scandinavia, so I would be better informed on my upcoming travels to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Sometimes, an event would catch my eye and I would search for more information on Wikipedia / look for documentaries on YouTube (although, compared to countries I'm more familiar with, such as Germany and Russia, there were far less videos on the Scandinavian countries. It sort of is an overlooked area of the world). So, if you too are looking for a quick read before visiting, then perhaps this book is for you. Lastly, the book more or less ends with WWII, and then quickly sums up in a couple of pages that the countries became wealthier and I half-expected to read 'and then everyone lived happily ever after.'

I recently checked out a book from my local library called, Scandinavians: In Search of the Soul of the North, by Robert Ferguson. It is longer, at a little over 400 pages, but that book has definitely been the superior read.

[Bookwoman67 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweden: A History, with a Bit of Denmark Thrown in and Norway and Finland from the turn of the 20th Century. Iceland not at all.

Yes, I know it's an overview, very much a ruler-driven thing. Yes, I know Sweden pretty much ruled the Baltic for a good deal of time. But those other places were still there, just not independent. I would have liked to hear more about them.

Also, the medieval kings were pretty confusing to anyone without any Scandinavian background.

[Alice Löffler · Rating 4 out of 5]

perfect for familiarising yourself with Scandinavian history

[Mary Swilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Every question answered

I have studied history through three degrees and now wonder how I was never introduced to Scandinavian history. This was an easy read, very thorough, and interesting!

[Caro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Heavy with dates and lacking in detail other than “x did this and y did that”, this book is virtually unreadable. Might give it another go later on, but it felt more like a chore instead of an interesting, revealing read.

[Marren · Rating 1 out of 5]

$@#! I read this twice on accident!

[Nannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scandinavia: A History
Written by: Ewan Butler
Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:02-21-17
Publisher: HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books
Courtesy Audiobook Jukebox

Ewan Butler’s Scandinavia: A History has all the drama, treachery, warfare and larger than life characters as The Game of Thrones. The thrones in Scandinavia involve Sweden, Norway and Finland with interference from Denmark on a regular basis. This was a fascinating book covering an area of the world that while not a superpower has none the less had an impact on the world at large.

The book is full of interesting tidbits like the word “Vikings” is derived “from the word “vik” which still means “creek” in all Scandinavian languages.” The Vikings longships that were so feared were engineered to be able to go into very shallow waters. This enable them to hide in creeks and wait for passing prey or to penetrate far inland in search of riches. “Norsemen” was applied to peoples from all three counties. These raiders left their names and genetics in vast territories like Normandy and Russia.

As the Viking age comes to a close, around the end of the first millennium, the Middle Ages of Scandinavia began producing better characters and drama than Shakespeare dreamed of. Denmark did her best to control all the lands within Scandinavia but was never able to hold on to its short term conquests. Sweden had a King with clear lines of succession. Norway had not rules for succession so each King’s death brought about great upheaval. Each nation's trials and coups created a domino effects on its neighbors.

The book continues down through history with story after story involving kings, coups, wars with Russia, France, and each other. Russian controlled Finland for over a hundred years. As the twentieth century arrived, Finland, Norway and Sweden each found their own identity through independence. The Scandinavian nations produced great composers, explorers, and diplomats.

Matthew Lloyd Davies is a very good narrator. He handles the many words in a vast range of languages without any problems. His voice is clear and all words are enunciated including the non-English ones. I found his voice pleasing to listen to.

Butler’s Scandinavia: A History is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to an area of the world whose rich history is only surpassed by its sumptuous landscape.

[Ledys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning about this region, and the author does a very thorough job of explaining the interconnectedness of the Scandinavian countries throughout their history. I was not very familiar with the area, or all the time periods mentioned, so sometimes it was a little difficult for me to follow the timelines. Add to that the fact that many of the historical figures have names that repeat throughout history (I’m thinking Gustavus, Christian, and Frederick in particular!), sometimes things got a little confusing—but that is not the fault of the author, and what I came out with was a great desire to learn more about this wonderful area and all its contributions to our world today. Highly recommended for someone who wishes to have a starting point of understanding of Scandinavia and its beautiful countries.

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting a quite short really (considering the time span) account of the history of the Scandinavian countries. My only problems were that it was difficult to remember who was who with all the kings with the same names, and a timeline would have helped as well as a few family trees. As the author did his history chronologically, it meant that on the same page he might be talking about Sweden in one paragraph and Denmark in the next so it got a bit confusing. Also he could have included more about Norway, as Norway was basically a vassal of Denmark or Sweden at various times, so didn't get a lot of mentions. But if you are interested in an overview of Scandinavia, you could do worse than this book.

[Sirilee · Rating 2 out of 5]

As if the history of these countries was just a struggle between “wanting kings to be”? Too centred on internal dynasty struggles, little about what happened in relation to the rest of the region... Sweden losing Finland to Russia: a mere incident. How about the three centuries of the border between Sweden and Russia changing back and forth? Sweden ruling most of the Baltic? Waging war in the south of Germany? Nothing much about Iceland after 1000 or Finland before 1809....
So much history skipped. Being from that region and having studied its history to much more detail, this book is a disappointment. Actually, it gives a very weird view of the history of the Nordic countries.

[Rob Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is your basic survey of Scandinavian history, with the emphisis being on the rulers. However, for most of us, Scandinavian history is the Vikings, the 30 Years War, and World War II. All else is a blank. This history fills in those large gaps, and is therefore quite valubale to the student of history. All too often, Europearn history is England, France, and Germany so it behoves the student of history to look elsewhere and build a greater context.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick scan of Scandinavia.

It’s an undemanding account of the history of Denmark, Norway and Sweden - in other words mainland Scandinavia - with little regard to the other areas where there was and is a strong common heritage. So nothing on Iceland which was a part of Denmark until 1946; a belated cursory look at Finland and no mention of Orkney and Shetland. It’s readable and interesting and the general reader will know more of an interesting part of Europe.

[Apriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief overview of the history of Scandinavia until WWII. This was a nice very general overview of the major events (think wars and who ruled who over the centuries) that shaped the present day countries of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark and to a lesser degree Iceland and Finland. I’m not really sure why a lot of the reviews complain that the book doesn’t cover enough and only really focuses on major events and not on the daily lives of the people. Did they really think such a slim volume was going to hit on more than just the highlights through history of no less than 5 countries? Be realistic with your expectations people.

[NoBeatenPath · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this rather than read it, which meant that it was probably a bit more digestible, but it was still a very brief skim through the history of the countries of Scandinavia and VERY much a 'who was king and what war did they fight' type of chronology. Which is a pity - there is a gap in the market for a good English language popular history of Scandinavia/the Nordic countries, but this book is not it.

[Richard Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is short but fairly thorough history. Essentially the 3 countries of Norden are like siblings who spend a lot of time beating each other up and taking each others' things.
There are a lot of Kings and a couple of Queens and they do seem to have a rapid turnover rate.
The focus is more on the earlier history but it does give the reader some idea of why the Scandi countries are the way they are today - the envy of the world.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book to get a background on the history of Scandinavia before an upcoming trip. It was pretty short and I think the author's brevity hurt my comprehension of the subject matter. It was such a brief summary that I didn't really get a good sense of the history- just that there were a lot of wars and a lot of monarchs. He didn't do very much to describe the culture of the place or it's artists, authors or other cultural icons.

[Rhea Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came close to not finishing this book at one point, but I came back to it. The author basically focuses on Kings and battles and it gets confusing at times with the three Scandinavian countries and the similar names of kings. I would have liked to hear more about the day to day life of the people, not just the numbers that got slain in battles and the taxes that were imposed on them.

[David Torgerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with a map of the countries in front of me. Being part Norwegian I wanted to get acquainted with the various cities. Was amazed how war-like the Danes & Swedes were, while the Norwegians & Finns were not except for the very early centuries when they all invaded the south & the British Isles as well as Ireland. Under one king the Swedes actually invaded Russia.

[Mitch Conquer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid, brief intro to the history of Scandinavia

An enjoyable and brief overview of the political history of Scandinavia. Exactly what I hope for. The middle is a little difficult as monarchs and wars rush by, but I learned a lot and enjoyed it.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kings Queens and war.

More about the wars and kings then an understanding of social, and economic life. Some parts are entertaining about the flux of rulers and the constant shifts of borders.

[Alain Tramblay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but difficult for me: too many kings with very similar names and confusing relations between them and their countries. I guess it's pretty much the way it was in those days in that part of the world.

[susan wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scandinavia A History

Nice easy read for a complicated history of several nations. Does not give the depth because of this, but gives a good feel as to the relationship of the nation's that make up Scandinavia.

[Ellie Mackin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good holiday reading as it covered a lot of ground around the places we visited, however it was very military dominated with not a lot of social history and focused a lot on Sweden and Denmark--with hardly any mention of Finland and only scattered references to Norway.

[Richard R., Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each chapter was a century or more of time but the author jumped around to the various Scandinavian countries and it was difficult to keep track of which country was being explained and who belonged to which country.

[Thomas Steffen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid history

This covers a long period of time and gives a great framework of the region's history. It prompts more in-depth study and is a good beginning in finding the feeling of The l Scandanavians.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great cultural history of Scandinavia. Really, just a history of monarchies, wars, and the establishment of Norway, Sweden, Denmark - and to a small degree - Finland, as sovereign nations. If you're having trouble sleeping, pick up this book as it is kind of a snoozer.

[Tom Sells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

The Scandinavian countries have a fighting past and a peaceful present. Today the people work hard and enjoy life. In the past war seemed like a way of life. Alliances were frequent, violent and short lived.

[Mary Ellen Barringer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of the book is misleading. Most of the content focuses on Sweden and the content is mainly a list of the kings (and a few queens) and the battles fought.

I am not uphappy that I read it, since I knew little about the history of the region. It is not terribly engaging.

[Heather WG · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book - 186 pages - that felt a bit more like a cliff notes version of history. It definitely focused on traditional historical subjects: kings, systems of government, territorial changes. But it was a good overview.