Scandinavia. The Complete History

The term "Scandinavia" traces back to medieval Latin. It was first mentioned by the ancient Roman scholar Pliny the Elder in his encyclopedic work "Natural History." Traditionally, Scandinavia includes three countries—Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Some authors also include Iceland, which is historically closely connected with Norway and Denmark; however, Icelanders themselves (as well as Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes) do not consider Iceland part of Scandinavia. Before you is the history of these three countries—fascinating, sometimes harsh, and instructive. Rulers, battles, wars, and the very spirit of this land—so-called "northern courage"—all of it creates the unique character of the Scandinavian countries and their special path through history, in some ways close to Russia and in others infinitely far away.