= Stockholm =
[c] Origins of the city [c]
The location, which is now occupied by Stockholm, is first mention by the Islandic poet and legend writer Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241): He describs in his Ynglinga legend a pole barrier bridging the current waterway Norrström, which he called Stokksunda. During digs in the late 1970-ies remains of water poles were discovered that date to the 11th century and substantiate this legend. Furthermore Snorri mentions also a fortress tower from the 12th centrury, that should have been located at the place of the 1580 constructed royal castle.
A custrody letter for the Fogdö abbey, dating to July 1252, is the oldest passed down document, which mentions Stockholm for the first time with that name. In the Chronicals of Erik (Swedish: Erikskrönikan), which was completed between 1320 and 1335, is written that the founder of Stockholm, the regent Birger Jarl, wanted to build a fortification around 1250 to defend the Mälar lake against pirate plundering.
There is no historical evidence for the existance of Strockholm before the middle of the 13th century. Maybe there were older defensive fortifications to defend the inlet into the Mälar lake; a settlement however cannot be proven.
At first the settling was restricted to the island Stadsholmen which is nowadays Gamla Stan. The island was smaller by one third compared to today and the streams were considerably wider.
In the following decades during the reign of Birger Magnussons and kink Magnus Ladulås Stockholm became an important trade town, that profited in large part by trading agreements with the Hanseatic town of Lübeck. The Hanseatique League controlled the Swedish overseas trade from the 13th till the 17th centrury. In 1270 Stockholm was named as a city in documents and was mentioned as most populated city in Swedish kingdom in 1289, although it was not only founded at the beginning of the 13th centrury like many Swedish cities. The first trustworthy assumtions concerning the size of the city refer to the middle of the 15th century when Stockholm had about one thousand households which means about five- to sixthousand inhabitants. The first letter of priviledges dates into the same century (1436).
During the Middle Age a large part of the Stockholm citizen were German and the city councel, which counted 24 heads, was selected based on that by German and Swedish speeking citizens. In spite of its size and favorable location Stockholm was not yet the capital as nither the king nor his son Magnus Ladulås had a fixed seat for his reign.
The main reason for the quick development of the city was its strategic location. Stockholm dominated the inlet into the Mälar lake which was important of its own as it connected a region of agriculture and iron mining and production.
[c] The Kalmar Union [c]
The strategic and economical standing of the city brought Stockholm an important position of power in the dispute between the Dane kings of the Kalmar Union and the national independence movement in the 15th century. On the 14th October 1471 for example Sweden under the leadership of Sten Sture with the help of the Strockholm citizenship defeated the Dane king Christian I., who tried to conquer Sweden, near the city on the Brunke hill (now part of the city quarter Norrmalm). His grandson Christian II. sieged the city in 1518 in vain, however captered it in 1520 after a newly siege by treason. On 8th November 1520 there was a mass execution of members of the opposition (more than 80 nobelmen were executed) on the Stortroget in the context of the crowning festivities, the Stockholm blood bath. The young noblement Gustav Eriksson managed to escape and had put together an army by the end of the year and could banish Christian II. from Sweden. On 6th June, now the national holiday, he was voted king under the name Gustav Vasa.
[c] The Vasa period [c]
With the entry of Gustav Vasa in 1523 and the establishment of a strong royal power Stockholm developed into an important city of residence. Beside the citizens the royal court now also began to form the face of the city. The city island had no longer enougth space and in 1529 Södermalm and Norrmalm were put under the rule of Stockholm. The city grew and reached a population of 10'000 around 1600.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm#Geschichte, 2016-05-04]