Editing Monarchy of Sweden (section)

=== Pre-16th century ===
[[File:Konungr.jpg|thumb|left|'''{{lang|non|kunuki}}''', i.e. {{lang|non|konungi}}, the [[dative case]] for [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|konungr}} ("king"). A [[rune|runic]] inscription of the 11th century ([[Uppland Runic Inscription 11|U11]]) refers to King [[Håkan the Red]].]]

Scandinavian peoples have had kings since prehistoric times. As early as the 1st century CE, [[Tacitus]] wrote that the [[Suiones]] had a king, but the order of Swedish regnal succession up until King [[Eric the Victorious]] (died 995), is known almost exclusively through accounts in historically controversial [[Norse saga]]s (see [[Mythical kings of Sweden]] and [[Semi-legendary kings of Sweden]]).

Originally, the Swedish king had combined powers limited to that of a war chief, a judge and a priest at the [[Temple at Uppsala]] (see [[Germanic king]]). However, there are thousands of [[runestone]]s commemorating commoners, but no known chronicle{{clarify|people didn't do that much writing back then|date=October 2014}} about the Swedish kings prior to the 14th century (though a list of kings was added in the [[Västgöta Law]]), and there is a relatively small number of runestones that are thought to mention kings: Gs 11 ([[Emund the Old]] – reigned 1050–1060), [[Uppland Runic Inscription 11|U 11]] ([[Håkan the Red]] – late 11th century) and [[Norsta Runestone|U 861]] ([[Blot-Sweyn]] – reigned {{circa}} 1080).

About 1000 A.D., the first king known to rule both [[Svealand]] and [[Götaland]] was [[Olof Skötkonung]], but further history for the next two centuries is obscure, with many kings whose tenures and actual influence/power remains unclear. The Royal Court of Sweden, however, does count Olof's father, Eric the Victorious, as Sweden's first king. The power of the king was greatly strengthened{{why|date=December 2017}} by the introduction of Christianity during the 11th century, and the following centuries saw a process of consolidation of power into the hands of the king. The Swedes traditionally elected a king from a favored dynasty at the [[Stones of Mora]], and the people had the right to elect the king as well as to depose him. The ceremonial stones were destroyed around 1515.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

In the 12th century, the consolidation of Sweden was still affected by dynastic struggles between the [[House of Erik|Erik]] and [[House of Sverker|Sverker]] clans, which ended when a third clan married into the Erik clan and the [[House of Bjälbo]] was established on the throne. That dynasty formed pre-[[Kalmar Union]] Sweden into a strong state, and finally King [[Magnus Eriksson]] (reigned 1319–1364) even ruled [[Norway]] (1319–1343) and [[Scania]] (1332–1360). Following the [[Black Death]],{{clarify|how it is relevant?|date=October 2014}} the union weakened, and Scania was captured by Denmark.

In 1397, after the Black Death and domestic power struggles, Queen [[Margaret I of Denmark]] united Sweden (then including [[Finland]]), Denmark and Norway (then including [[Iceland]]) in the [[Kalmar Union|Union of Kalmar]] with the approval of the [[Swedish nobility]]. Continual tension within each country and the union led to open conflict between the Swedes and the Danes in the 15th century. The union's final disintegration in the early 16th century led to prolonged rivalry between Denmark-Norway and Sweden (with Finland) for centuries to come.