| | Sweden
History
Swedish Vikings travelled great distances to trade. Between the ninth and eleventh centuries expeditions were made to Eastern Europe and Asia. In the twelfth century Finland came under Swedish rule, eventually becoming part of the kingdom.
At the end of the fourteenth century Denmark, Norway and Sweden united under the leadership of Queen Margaret of Denmark to form the Kalmar Union. Sweden left the Union in 1523. A period of expansionism, led by Gustav Vasa, ensured control of Finland and the countries of the Baltic. Sweden remained a great power in Europe until its supremacy waned at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
Sweden participated in various European conflicts in the 17th and 18th centuries and it was not until 1905 that Sweden's modern borders were finally established.Sweden remained neutral during the two World Wars of the twentieth century. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
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