Early Modern Period

Between 1500 and 1800, Swedish society underwent major changes. The period was marked by political shifts, wars, and religious upheavals. Explore this era in the exhibition History of Sweden.

Intro to the Early Modern Period

Get an overview of the period.

Learn about the Early Modern Period

Selected articles on the Early Modern Period

A green and a black antependium

The Swedish History Museum’s collection of ecclesiastical textiles consists mostly of older items, dating from the Middle Ages up to the 19th century. However, a few pieces from the 20th century are also represented, including two antependia from Ösmo Church in Södermanland.

What does an archaeologist do?

An archaeologist is a researcher who studies humanity’s past through material remains. This can include buildings, objects, graves, settlements, or other traces left by people. The purpose of archaeology is to understand past societies, their structure, ways of life, economy, beliefs, and technology.

Eksjö ceiling – a 17th-century painting

One of the Swedish History Museum’s largest objects is a church ceiling. The ceiling comes from the old church in Eksjö and was painted in the 1680s. It is an important part of the cultural history of the 17th century.

What does an osteologist do?

An osteologist is a specialist in skeletons, both human and animal. The word "osteology" comes from the Greek osteon, meaning bone, and logos, meaning study – so it literally means "the study of bones."

Sweden’s oldest war trophies

Warriors have always taken spoils and trophies from their defeated enemies, a symbolic act that continues even today. At times in history, it was even required by law. The Swedish History Museum has Sweden’s oldest preserved war trophies in the exhibition The Gold Room.

Intro to the Modern Age

Between 1500 and 1800, Swedish society underwent significant changes. The period was marked by political power shifts, wars, religious upheavals, and a gradual modernization of the state apparatus.

Hidden treasures from the Snapphane era

In times of turmoil, Swedes have buried valuables such as gold, silver, jewellery, coins, heirlooms, and other precious items. The collections of the Swedish History Museum include treasures hidden in the 17th century near Helsingborg. Perhaps these hoards once consisted of bridal silver and traditional costume jewellery passed down through generations.

Three virtues replaced

Three statues representing the virtues, justice, temperance, and fortitude, once stood in front of the Holy Trinity Church in Kristianstad. But where are they now?

Venetian glass from Läckö Castle

Explore exquisite drinking glasses found at Läckö Castle, in the collections of the Swedish History Museum. They were made in Venice in the late 16th century and were considered truly exclusive in their day.

The Piraeus lion with Viking tattoos

In the entrance hall of the Swedish History Museum, a magnificent seated lion welcomes visitors. It is a full-scale plaster cast of one of Venice’s proudest monuments. The lion has had a long and eventful life, including getting "tatooed" with Viking runes.

Early Modern Period deep dive

Read exciting articles and explore objects from the Modern Era in the museum’s History hub.

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Black and white photo from the museum during the 20th century

How we work with knowledge at the Swedish History Museum

The Swedish History Museum is part of the government agency National Historical Museums. The agency employs experts in various fields, such as history, archaeology, conservation, and more. The texts on the website are produced in collaboration between different experts, educators, and other staff. The texts have been fact-checked and are based on established research. In some cases, written sources are lacking and the physical remains are limited and ambiguous, especially far back in time. In such cases, the material is interpreted by the experts. However, the interpretations are always based on research.

Text summaries and translations have been created with the help of AI and have been fact-checked.

If you have questions about the factual background of our texts, please contact webb@historiska.se.

Published2025.11.10

History hub

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