The noteworthy progress in practically all worth-while en-
deavours which the Swedish people has made, during the most
recent decades especially, has served to arouse a deep interest in
this northern nation and its institutions. This interest is very
manifest among English-speaking peoples as well as among
other races. A book in the English language which recites the
history of Sweden from earliest times to the present day has
therefore long been a desideratum. This volume is the result of
a desire to be helpful in making available data which reveal
"how it actually has happened."

It has been my constant aim to bring into relief those per-
sonages and events which seem to have actually counted for
something in the long and painful struggle for human better-
ment. If it should appear to some that the agricultural class,
the bönder, is given undue prominence in the following pages,
it may justly be answered that the group has played so unique
a part in the nation's history that it would be difficult to find a
parallel in the records of any other country. One cannot prop-
erly write a history of Sweden without taking cognizance of
the bönder's sterling worth and valuable contributions. Too
much emphasis has not, I think, been placed upon the part that
royalty has played in the life of the Swedish people. In the
words of one of Sweden's foremost historians, Geijer: "The
history of the Swedes is the history of their kings." While this
statement is admittedly an exaggeration, any fair-minded man
must certainly concede that Swedish kings have profoundly
affected the lives and fortunes of their subjects. Most of them,
men of outstanding intellectual endowments, have been im-
pelled to worthy achievement by tremendous energy. The co-
operation of the sturdy bonde class and patriotic and clear-
visioned kings presents much of human interest and has been
of profound significance to the nation.

It would be highly presumptuous to claim that all of this

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