Post by KONUNGARIKET SVERIGE on Sept 12, 2010 11:35:38 GMT 1
Country: Sweden, Konungariket Sverige
Real name: Berwald Oxenstierna
Personality: Incredibly serious, he will get things done on time, and will obliterate all obstacles or nonsense that stand between him and his goal, whatever it may be. That being said, he also has a firm grasp of his own abilities and a strong sense of justice. He is willing to make sacrifices what what he believes in, and won't hesitate to injure if one hurts a member of his family.
Even with his hard exterior, he honestly does enjoy cooking a good meal and relaxing for a good lazy afternoon in the sauna. Get past this exterior, and you have yourself a faithful and strong ally, loving lover and a witty friend who isn't sardonic in the least. Unfortunately, he has a quick temper, and rather hates being teased. Expect a curt jab or even a punch if you do so.
"Couldn't h'lp it," he would mumble.
Likes:
-
IKEA - Mornings
- The warmth
- Cooking - and he's good at it
Dislikes:
-
Danmark, Christian and all his descendants. - When people shy away from him. He isn't scary. Really!
- Homophobia, racism and prejudices of any kind
(Add more if needed)
History:
[ LOL WALL OF TEXT ]
Sweden, read: svaeriye is an ancient nordic country whose prehistory goes back all the way to 12,000 BC with the Allerød warm period - where flint technology was used and hunters gathered in small tribes. Sweden's more famously known Viking Age lasted from the eighth to eleventh centuries. Whilst Danish vikings traveled West, the Swedish traveled mainly East and South to Finland and the Baltic countries.
Norse paganism was predominant up till the late 11th century, when Celtic and Anglo-saxon influences waged conflict onto the lands. The people were forbidden to worship Æsir Gods and temples were torn down to be replaced with Christian churches. From 1050, Sweden was to be counted a christian nation.
In the 14th century, the Black Plague hit Sweden and the population drastically dropped. During this period, Sweden was joined ( albeit reluctantly ) with Norway in the Kalmar Union, under Denmark's rule. The Swedes opposed the power Denmark had in government, and this eventually gave way to what is known as the "Stockholm bloodbath," oh which a massacre of Swedish nobility was ordered. This caused outrage within the scattered and leaderless people. A new resistance was formed with Gustav Vasa at its head, and the Swedish War of liberation was waged against Denmark. Even after Sweden gained Independence, feelings of resentment that followed lingered well into centuries after.
During the 17th century Sweden emerged as a European great power. Before the emergence of the Swedish Empire, Sweden was a economically backward and scarcely populated country on the fringe of European civilization, with no significant power or reputation. Sweden rose to prominence on a continental scale during the tenure of king Gustavus Adolphus, seizing territories from Russia and Poland–Lithuania in multiple conflicts, including the Thirty Years' War. During this period, Sweden conquered approximately half of the Holy Roman states.
Sweden reached its largest territorial extent under the rule of Charles X after the treaty of Roskilde in 1658. Forced to cede large areas of land in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, Sweden also lost its place as an empire and as the dominant state on the Baltic Sea. With Sweden's lost influence, Russia emerged as an empire and became one of Europe's dominant nations. As the war finally ended in 1721, Sweden had lost an estimated 200,000 men, 150,000 of those from the area of present-day Sweden and 50,000 from the Finnish part of Sweden.
In interest of regaining dominance over the baltic sea's, Sweden allied himself against France ( his original benefactor ). Sweden's role in the Battle of Leipzig gave it the authority to force Denmark-Norway, an ally of France, to cede Norway to the King of Sweden on 14 January 1814 in exchange for northern German provinces, at the Treaty of Kiel. Norway was forced into a personal union with Sweden under the Swedish crown. This was not dissolved untill 1905.
After the industrial revolution in 1917, Sweden finally became a democracy.
Role Play Example:
Plangent bells sounded at his back which struck a collective cord even before the Dane opened his mouth. Now the whole city, and soon, the whole country, knew that the deed had been done and the reign of a Danish king could no longer be denied even by the most obstinate. For a moment, he closed his eyes to focus on the sound, taking it's message more readily than that of the nation who could only serve as an augury to a people baffled by such an outburst.
No amount of patience could hold Berwald back at the very mention of Sture's untimely death, images of blood staining the freshly fallen snow upon Mälaren's frozen shores rushing to his mind. He stood, shoulders level, back straight, no longer hiding clenched fists though logic told of not giving into Mikkel's jabs. He was too irate for logic.
"Yes," He began, low and dangerous, wanting to belittle, to wound, just as the loose-lipped Dane so readily did "My people."
That's when there was a silence between them, still with his back to him, knowing the insistence would drive Mikkel to temper if it already had not. When civilians were staring, gaping at the ominous display between the two, Berwald knew that the dam keeping back the man's temper had already been broken. It came at odds with just how proud he was of the dogged passion that the men had fought in order to hold back the tide of the Union. It had all been in vain, that was where Berwald had failed his people, but to have the loss come at so high a cost, to have it shoved in his face like a disobedient dog, in front of the children he worked so hard for...that was enough for a hole to be punched in Berwald's temper as well.
"Don' speak of Sture," That's when he turned on him, staring down with that precious inch of hit boots making him tower over the nation. Perhaps this was hubris, perhaps this would only lead him to Hell, but how much fallen could he fall when he had allowed any peaceful acceptance of a Danish ruler?
"No, it will never be yours," And that fell like a stone, a dead silence more tense than moments ago, "The others," Their Nordic brothers, "may accept your conquest even if y'wish to call it differently, but Sweden never will - we surrender now only because I do not want t'see any more violence...unlike your barbaric leaders."
Somehow, he knew that this would only strike the need for more violence in the Dane's heart and though he hated it, a part of Berwald begged for it so he could have an excuse to take Mikkel's head off his shoulders...