Kingdom of Sweden ~ CoA Grunge Flag (1525 - )

The Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige) gained independence from Denmark in 1525 under its new king Gustav Vasa. It emerged as one of the great powers of the seventeenth century, playing an active role in the Thirty Years’ War and seizing massive territories in the Baltic, thus turning the Baltic Sea into a de facto Swedish lake. Russia shattered Swedish ambitions in the Great Northern War (1700 – 1721), causing Sweden to initiate a slow transition to a peaceful secondary power, having remained at peace since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814.

The Swedish small coat of arms consists of three gold crowns on a blue field. It was first used in a Swedish Royal seal by king Albrecht in 1364, though the symbolism and origin are disputed. One interpretation is that the crowns represent the three areas of Uppland (the area centred on the key city of Uppsala) which held the right to elect the Swedish king. Blue and gold-yellow have been used as Swedish colours since the days of king Magnus III, who ruled from 1275 to 1290.

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