The crowns of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark competed over the same limited regional resources when they were not united. A durable union could instead have controlled the entrance to the Baltic. Combined with Swedish territory in Finland, that position would have brought much of the Baltic coastline within one strategic system. Trade through the enclosed sea could then have financed further development and made the Baltic resemble a Swedish-controlled economic lake. Sweden invested in capability, but divided politics, geography, people, and resources kept this potential unrealized.
Notable Point · 34:36-36:00
Baltic control offered Sweden an unrealized economic base
Union of the Scandinavian crowns could have secured the Baltic entrance and much of its coastline, converting regional trade into a stronger Swedish foundation.