Medieval Sweden

In the project Medieval Sweden (DMS) we publish scholarly volumes (in Swedish), which present the documentary sources for settlements in Sweden in the Middle Ages and the 16th century until the 1570s. They show where medieval hamlets, villages, towns, cities and estates were located and who owned them.

DMS volumes are tools for historical research and rural and urban planning. The information produced is important also for cultural environmental protection and for the transfer of knowledge by museums to the public.

Two source materials are of primary importance: medieval charters and the crown’s rent rolls ('landskapshandlingar' or 'King Gustav Vasas Cadasters'). Digital resources at the National Archives about the Middle Ages in Sweden, in particular the SDHK database, are of great significance for the work of DMS. SDHK and the crown’s rent rolls are freely available. Through new digital tools under construction at the National Archives (see TORA) the availability of the information resource built by DMS will increase considerably in the future.

For access to already published DMS volumes and a map showing published areas and areas presently under work, see Publishing DMS in the submenu to the left.

Some entire landscapes and parts of other landscapes are already published by DMS. Parts of Uppland, Södermanland and Småland are available online (see the Swedish version), as well as the entire landscapes of Värmland, Gästrikland and Öland (part of Småland). Newly published volumes are available digitally after six months. DMS volumes may be ordered from the National Archives webshop.