History Research, Apr.-June, 2016, Vol. 6, No. 2, 70-79 D doi 10.17265/2159-550X/2016.02.002 DAVID PUBLISHING The Role of the Church in Making a Neighboring Enemy a Loyal Citizen—An Example of Pseudo-Indigenization of Fellow Lutherans Kjell O. Lejon Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden In this article the crucial role of the Lutheran Church in Sweden in the pseudo-indigenization process of making neighboring Lutheran Danish enemies in the province of Scania into loyal Swedish citizen after the peace treaty of Roskilde 1658, and more pronounced after 1678, is described and discussed. The process included educational, pedagogical, judicial, liturgical and theological-rhetorical means and had significant, invaluable, and long lasting consequences. The province remains as a part of the Kingdom of Sweden. From a historical perspective, the process was fast and successful, even though some modern historians question the speediness of the process and thereby want to modify the picture of a fast and non-problematic Swedification or pseudo-indigenization process. Keywords: pseudo-indigenization, Swedification, Scania Introduction The term indigenization is complex and multi-dimensional, immediately invokes a battery of questions concerning content and meaning. The same goes for pseudo-indigenization. In this paper, a process of pseudo-indigenization is at the center, and the definition used for this latter term is: ―when outsiders try to force the infusion of their culture into another culture.‖1 Naturally, this broad definition raises questions, for example concerning how one defines culture. However, it is not the purpose of this paper to discuss definitions, or to get into details pertaining to various general aspects of an indigenization or pseudo-indigenization process. Instead, a concrete historical example of a pseudo-indigenization process will be presented, with specific focus of the role of a Church, namely the Swedification (försvenskning) of the former eastern parts of Denmark, i.e. the provinces of Scania (Skåne), Halland and Blekinge, with a specific focus on Scania; how they were turned into a southern Swedish province, simply named Scania―a historic borderland situated on the peninsula of Scandinavia, south and southwest of today’s Sweden, but historically―before 1658―a part of Denmark.2 Even though the term Swedification has been questioned, I use it in this article, since it clarifies the ambition Kjell O. Lejon, professor at the Dept. of Culture and Communication, Linköping University; University College President at Johannelund School of Theology. 1 This definition is used in various materials, such as: e-Study Guide for: Cultural Anthropology: A Perspective on the Human Condition (https://books.google.se/books?id=6UVwBAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q &f=false)andseveral digital dictionaries – an example ishttp://lexbook.net/en/indigenization [retrieved March 8, 2016]. 2 The Swedish word försvenskning, i.e. approx. ―make Swedish‖, is here translated into ―Swedification.‖ The term has been questioned (Alenäs et al. 2006). THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN MAKING A NEIGHBORING ENEMY A LOYAL CITIZEN 71 the Swedish King pronounced already in 1658, while sending a Swedish commission to Scania, giving it the task to investigate the status of ―everything‖ in relation to an ―adaption and adjustment to Swedish regulations and customs‖ (Hallenberg, 1907, p. 194). This Swedification process has in early Swedish historiography been described as fast and successful, a statement that has been questioned in later contributions.3 Why did this happen fast? Why has this been questioned? What means were used? What identity marks or way of thinking were transferred and implemented into the province of Scania in order to make longtime Danish enemies into loyal Swedish citizens? Thus, in this paper the pseudo-indigenization process, i.e. the Swedification of former Danish provinces in the last part of the 1600s will be examined and discussed, with specific relevance to the crucial impact of the Swedish Lutheran Church. The time period covered is the last part of the seventeenth century, a late period of a century of almost constant wars. Sweden and Denmark had for long been neighboring Scandinavian or Nordic countries. Besides, they shared the vastly influential religious and cultural heritage of Lutheranism, and the languages were similar, basically mutually understandable, even though different in character. They were both kingdoms, and saw royal intermarriages. However, even if they were culturally, religiously, and socially close, they had off and on, almost throughout a millennium, been military and political enemies―sharply at many occasions―fighting over the supremacy of Scandinavia. Little wonder, the political and social situation was at the time very complex. I will in the following introduction present some crucial events preceding the pseudo-indigenization process, and thereafter display essential means used by the Swedish Lutheran Church in the Swedification process of Scania. Needless to say, even if the Church used a range of means, it became at the same time in itself a political means in making neighboring Danish enemies loyal Swedish citizens. And, naturally, when Sweden, through the church, infused its culture into the Danish culture in Scania, it was not an infusion of a vastly different culture, but of particular Swedish aspects, means and traits of a similar broader Protestant and Lutheran culture shared in both states, Sweden and Denmark-Norway, and later in what became the five Nordic states (during this time of history, Finland belonged to Sweden; Norway and Iceland to Denmark). The Nordic part of the world was at this time ruled from two centers, Stockholm and Copenhagen (Alenäs et al., 2006). In the Swedish pseudo-indigenization process of former Danish territories, I will display the Church of Sweden, supported and ultimately led by the Swedish King, as the key agent.4 One reason why the process has been described as successful in Swedish historiography is that no major attempts from Denmark to regain the territory has since this period of time been made―and Scania remains unquestionably Swedish, until this very day. Sweden in the mid 1600s: War Treaties and Enlargements The Treaty of Brömsebro 1645 3 Alenäs et al. (2006) and Sanders (2008) are stressing a long process. Of course, it is a matter of perspective. The argument is that Scania stayed as Swedish provinces until 1681-83, i.e. the time period 1658-1683, 25 years, moves the interpretation from being ―fast‖ to ―long‖. From my perspective, even if we include the 1690s, the historical transition was fast. In the early 1700, no major support of a way back to Denmark and Danish was found. 4 Most researchers in the field stress the importance of the Church, such as Montgomery (2002: 127, pp. 154-155), Alenäs (2003) and Sanders (2008). Sanders, for example, mentions the role of the Church as ―an important Swedification agent.‖ No one has more specifically or systematically pointed out the various means used (Sanders, 2008, pp. 96-97). 72 THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN MAKING A NEIGHBORING ENEMY A LOYAL CITIZEN On the order of the Swedish Chancellor Count Axel Oxenstierna, the Swedish field marshal Lennart Torstenson attacked Denmark in 1643. The following war, named the Torstenson’s War, was fought on several fronts, both on land and at sea, and lasted until 1645. Peace negotiations, headed by Axel Oxenstierna on behalf of the Swedish forces, and Corfitz Ulfeldt on the Danish side, resulted in the Treaty of Brömsebro on August 13, 1645. Denmark lost the provinces of Härjedalen and Jämtland up north, as well as two islands in the Baltic Sea, Gotland and Ö sel. Also, the province of Halland, on the southwest part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, was left as a pledge for 30 years to Sweden. Thus, Norway (belonging to Denmark) and Danish Scania were separated (Svensson, 2015; Alenäs et al., 2006). Interestingly, the parishes in Halland, parts of the Danish diocese of Lund in Scania, were transferred to the Swedish diocese of Gothenburg, and this even if the people of Halland kept their laws and privileges in other areas. As a consequence, men in Halland who wanted to study theology had to get their education in Sweden and no longer in Copenhagen (Svensson, 2015). The Treaty of Roskilde 1658 The war of 1657-1658 was also fought on several fronts; in Scania but also on Jutland and in Norway and even in Germany. A considerable number of Danish troops were gathered in Scania. However, the Swedish King Charles X Gustavus (1622-1660), had conquered Jutland, and due to the extremely cold weather during the winter of 1657-1658, the sea froze and made it possible to move the Swedish troops over the frozen Belts and reach Zealand, to the complete surprise of the Danish King, who surrendered. The Treaty of Roskilde was signed on February 27, 1658 (only 10 years after the Peace of Westphalia), and ratified on March 24 and March 29 by the Danish and Swedish kings respectively (Sanders, 2008; Svensson, 2015) mentions February 26: the treaty was accomplished this day, but signed on February 27). One third of Denmark was surrendered to Sweden: The provinces of Scania, Blekinge, Halland (this time without time limit), Bohuslän, Blekinge, and Trondheim, in addition to the Baltic island of Bornholm (Svensson, 2015; Engelhardt, 2007; Sanders, 2008). At this time, the Danish language, Danish (church) customs and the Danish Church Ordinance were acceptable in the new Swedish provinces, also in Scania (Engelhardt, 2007). Swedish church services were only held at Swedish military camps, and where Swedish nobility had their own chaplains (Montgomery, 2002). A New War, and the Treaty of Copenhagen 1660 Only some months later, in August 1658, King Charles X Gustavus attacked Denmark. The goal was a complete Danish surrender. The Swedes sieged Copenhagen, but soon experienced Danish conspiracies at other places.