Jämtland

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Jämtland - the land in between (mitt emellom), there are only a few kilometers to the Bothnian Sea as well as to the Norwegian Sea, which has led to Jämtland often being occupied. This map from 1905 consist of the then Jämtland County (Jämtland and Härjedalen), the older spelling with an e is used.

Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe.

Location

It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west. Östersund is Jämtland's only city and is the 24th most populous city in Sweden.

Origin of name

Jämtland's name derives from its inhabitants, the Jamts.[5] The name can be traced back to Europe's northernmost runestone, the Frösö Runestone from the 11th century, where it is found as eotalont (normalized Old Norse: Jamtaland). The root of Jamt (Old West Norse: jamti), and thus Jämtland, derives from the Proto-Germanic word stem emat- meaning persistent, efficient, enduring and hardworking.[5] The Proto-Norse prefix eota (jamta) is a genitive plural case.

History

Jämtland was originally an autonomous peasant republic, its own nation with its own law, currency[citation needed] and parliament.[1]

Jämtland was conquered by Norway in 1178 and stayed Norwegian for over 450 years until it was ceded to Sweden in 1645. The province has since been Swedish for roughly 350 years, though the population did not gain Swedish citizenship until 1699. The province's identity is manifested with the concept of a republic within the kingdom of Sweden[citation needed], although this is only done semi-seriously.

Carl XVI Gustaf became the Duke of Jämtland after his christening, a nominal title he still retains.

Historically, socially and politically Jämtland has been a special territory between Norway and Sweden. This in itself is symbolized in the province's coat of arms where Jämtland, the silver moose, is threatened from the east and from the west. During the unrest period in Jämtland's history (1563–1677) it shifted alignment between the two states no less than 13 times. Jämtland has been linked to the lands west and east of itself, which has been in complete contrast[clarification needed] to the competitive Dano-Norwegian and Swedish state's interest. These historical and cultural bonds to Trøndelag and Härjedalen have expressed themselves in the name Øst-Trøndelag, in addition to the fact that the Jamts historically never considered themselves to be Norrlanders.[2]

External links

References

  1. Ekerwald, Carl-Göran (2004). Jämtarnas historia (in Swedish), 124. "Svaret är att Jämtland före 1178 var ett självständigt bondesamfund, "dei vart verande ein nasjon för seg sjöl", för att nu citera Halfdan Koht.. Jämtland var en bonderepublik.."
  2. Ekerwald, Carl-Göran (2004). Jämtarnas historia, 56.