History of Swedish Counties

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Whether you are studying old family group records, looking for original sources to check, or running a search in a database, knowing the county (the Län) and the parish (the Socken) your ancestor lived in is vital to your Swedish family history research. It is also important to understand the difference between a County (Län) and a Province (Landskap) in Sweden. Although the Landskaps’ in Sweden had political authority prior to 1634 they were not known as counties. This article offers a good introduction to the counties of Sweden during different time periods with reference to changes through the years.

History
The Län is a jurisdiction in Sweden that goes back to medieval times. Birger Jarl and King Magnus Ladulås (who reigned from 1275 to 1290) established the Slottslän at a time when the Ledungen tax (a tax to provide for the military) was revised into a fixed tax.

Län Prior to 1634

 * Slottslän – a geographic area that in medieval times provided resources for a castle or manor.


 * Underhållslän – a geographic area in medieval times ruled over by members of the royal family. For example, the control of a city, group of districts, or a Dutchy might be given to a member of the royal family as a wedding gift. The right to an underhållslän was not passed on through inheritance.


 * Pantlän - a feudal Fief in Sweden during the middle Ages. The person “holding” the Län, usually a frälseman, received it as collateral for a liability claim against the Crown. The county's size depended on the debt amount. The County holder was obliged to give account for the Läns management.


 * Tjänstelän - a geographic area that was exchanged for military service.

Län After 1634
In compliance with the Constitution in 1634, the kingdom was organized into counties. At this time each province (Landskap) turned over its civil authority to the county (Län) administration. The administrative activities in the counties have basically been in force since 1810. Here is a list of the counties with information regarding when they were created or dissolved:

Changes in recent decades
• In 1968 the City (överståthållardömet) and Stockholm County merged into a new department called Stockholm County.

• On January 1, 1997 Kristianstads and Malmöhus Counties merged to a new county called Skåne. Skåne had been the provincial name of that geographic area back into medieval times.

• On January 1, 1998 Göteborg and Bohus County, Älvsborg County and Skaraborg County, with the exception of Habo and Mullsjö municipalities, were merged into one county called Västra Götaland. Habo and Mullsjö municipalities joined the county of Jönköping instead of becoming part of Västra Götaland.