Skåne - Lund and Malmö
Sorry for spamming, but since this discusion takes place at two places, I also made this post twice.
Skånes provincial city should definitely be changed back to Lund. It was changed because one person from Malmö wanted his city to be it, with the arguments of it had a larger fort, royal mint and that Lund in 1700’s were a very small town. All of this is fully true, but will be argued later. Also think of the reason why no one of the Swedish developers or all other Swedes has fought against Lund before.
The Christian Lund was “founded” in 990 as the new Lundinum (London – well it didn’t really stand up to its twin city now did it…) by the Danish king to show his power in the region. For that reason it was place inland where all road met, and not out by the coast which where quite normal at that time (at least in those days up here in what where quite low cultivated Scandinavia). The royal mint and the archbishop where placed there, among with some royal officials and soldiers. Around 11th century Lund had more churches then the whole of the northern countries together (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland are calculated for). Then I don’t remember if it where by the 1200 or 1400 that Lund still managed to have as many as Sweden had together. Lund was for a long time the metropol for the church power in the Northern, and in the beginning it hold archbishopsy over Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Färislands, Iceland, Greenland and Rügen. During the reformation most churches where demolished, to make stone for the fortification effort in Malmö. Still the most important fortification in Skåne where Lindholmen. After that we have the two important cities of Helsingborg and Landskrona. During a few peace negotiations between Denmark and Sweden, for a bit after the time when Skåne became Swedish, Denmark often asks for Helsingborg and Landskrona, but never for Malmö. This is also good evidence for that Malmö wasn’t anything anyone cared very much about until 19th century, when it started to become the important city it is today.
The royal mint in Lund, or Metropolis Daniae as the city often also where refered to as, where the largest in Denmark during its time. After over 400 years it where in 1440’s moved to Malmö – who then had it for around 80 years.
Lund hold from 1180 up to 1683 the ting (district court) for Skåne. After that period the new Swedish crown moved it to a friendlier place, not sure if it moved to Malmö at once though.
The Danish kings weren’t fully legal instituted before he/she had been proclaimed in Lund. In a few civil wars, you can read about how both parts fought for being first to Lund, and thereby have the great advantage over there enemy since they would have been declared the legal one. This didn’t stop until the Swedish takeover, and most Danish kings before had been proclaimed in Lund. Many Danish kings have also been married in Lund cathedral. The original Danish flag – Danebrogen – where held in Lund, since it where the archbishop in Lund that “invented” it (lowered to him from God in a battle in the Baltic which changed defeat to victory, or at least so it’s said. The Danish flag is by the way the oldest national flag still in use in the world).
After the Swedish takeover, it is still no wonder that they placed the university in Lund 1666. Much of Lund’s former market had moved through time to places like Malmö, who had the advantage of harbours. The cultural, intellectual and official life still remained though (and it’s apart from the official as such even today). The original purpose of the Swedish university came to be since people from Skåne were forbidden to go to Copenhagen’s university. With the new in Lund, they should become swedified instead of looking back to the Danish “good old time”. As we see, it was placed in Lund, and not in Malmö. Lund had also had a high school from 1438 to 1537. As a little side note from this period, it can be said that the bloodiest battle of all Northern history, is at the outskirts of Lund. 10.000 soldiers on each side, with losses at 50% on both sides.
In the 18th century Lund had declined to a very small town, in 1716 for example there lived 1300 people, much less then it did during the middle ages. But it should also be said that in Malmö in 1712 there lived about a 1000 souls. This was after the plague had haunted both cities. Malmö was hit worst, and lost about half its population, but it was still a very small city. A city that hadn’t got an official city status until around 1250.
The Swedish king Karl XII held his power in Lund between 1715 and 1718, not as much for Lund was Lund then any longer, but more since it lies in the middle of all roads going through western Skåne. It was a perfect strategic place looking out for the upcoming Danish invasion – that never came.
And as for last. Take a historical atlas, look through time over Scandinavia. As you will see, Lund is there very early on, and Malmö doesn’t make its appearance until more or less modern time.
With my statements I would strongly suggest that the provincial city in Skåne should remain as Lund! Malmö _is_ an important city in Skåne today, but didn’t really find that position until the 19th century, and since the game ends in 1819, it’s very unhistorical to make the choice of Malmö.
I cannot remeber who, but which city was more important 1419, Girona or Seu d'Urgell?
