The former peoples of Småland

Småland takes its name from all the "small lands", the former peoples' lands, which were separated by deep forests, mountains and marshes. The first known mention of the people of Småland was possibly made by the historian Jordanes in the 5th century. His "Finnaithae" and "Theustes" may refer to the inhabitants of Finnveden and Tjust.

Each country had its own thing and its own law, and their self-determination vis-à-vis the ever-growing central power in Stockholm was so far-reaching that the peasants of the border region could declare themselves neutral in wars between Sweden and Denmark, so-called peasant peace.

"The ox brokers peace" is said to be an expression from that time, and shows how important free trade was across the border. Several parish treaties have been established on Furs Bridge between Vissefjärda parish in Småland on the Swedish side of the border and Fridlevstad parish in Blekinge on the Danish side.

Until the Peace of Roskilde in 1658, Småland was a border region with Denmark and therefore often the scene of feuds between Danes and Swedes, as can be seen in Vilhelm Moberg's bok Traitorland (1967).

On the map by Sven Rosborn, red and black dots indicate the rune stones of the landscape. Red dots indicate rune stones with texts about long-distance journeys. Vilhelm Moberg is a native of Värend, but also Carl Linnaeus.

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