Roslagen
Encyclopedia
Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
province in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago
Stockholm archipelago
The Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago of Sweden, and one of the largest archipelagos of the Baltic Sea.-Geography:The archipelago extends from Stockholm roughly 60 kilometers to the east...
.
Historically, it was the name for all the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, including the eastern parts of lake Mälaren
Mälaren
Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...
, belonging to Svealand
Svealand
Svealand , Swealand or Sweden proper is the historical core region of Sweden. It is located in south central Sweden and is one of three lands of Sweden, bounded to the north by Norrland and to the south by Götaland. Deep forests, Tiveden, Tylöskog, Kolmården, separated Svealand from Götaland...
. The name Roslagen comes from the word “rodzlag” which in coastal Uppland is an old word for a rowing crew of warrior oarsmen. The name was first mentioned in the year 1493 as "Rodzlagen". Before that the area has been known as Roden
Roden, Sweden
Roden old designation of the coastal areas of Svealand , that in wartime would mann and equip the ships that sailed out in ledung....
, which is the coastal equivalent to inland Hundreds
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
. When the king would issue a call to leidang
Leidang
The institution known as leiðangr , leidang , leding, , ledung , expeditio or sometimes lething , was a public levy of free farmers typical for medieval Scandinavians. It was a form of conscription to organise coastal fleets for seasonal excursions and in defence of the realm...
, the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
equivalent of military conscript service, a Roden district was responsible for raising a number of ships for the leidang navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
.
Etymologically, Roden, or Roslagen, is the source of the Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
and Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
names for Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
: Ruotsi and Rootsi.
A person from Roslagen is called "Rospigg" which means "inhabitant in Ros". The Ros/Rus people (Swedes from the Roslagen area) also gave name to the state "Russia"
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
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The area also gives its name to the endangered domesticated Roslag sheep
Roslag sheep
The Roslag sheep is a breed of endangered domesticated sheep that originated in and is almost exclusively found in Sweden.Roslag sheep originate from the remnant populations of Swedish landrace breeds that used to be rather common all over the countryside, but are generally believed to have come...
, which originated from the area centuries ago. It is served by the narrow-gauge Roslagsbanan
Roslagsbanan
-SL southern network:*Stockholms östra–Djursholms Ösby–Roslags Näsby–Vallentuna–Lindholmen–Kårsta *Stockholms östra–Djursholms Ösby–Roslags Näsby–Åkersberga–Österskär...
railway network from Stockholm.