Uno Röndahl
Encyclopedia
Uno Röndahl, police officer and author, was born in 1924 in Näsum
in Göinge
. He died 10 October 2011. Uno Röndahl’s writings centered on the Scanian history and especially the war events taking place in the province of Skåne and in particular in the border areas between contemporary Danish Skåne/Blekinge
and Swedish Småland
during the period 1645-1720.
Uno Röndahl’s career began in the Swedish Navy
and then he became a policeman in Stockholm
. Already during childhood, his interest history of Göinge was awakened. During his time in Stockholm he enjoyed rich opportunities to visit museums, libraries and archives. This interest followed him when he later took over as a police detective in the city of Kristianstad. With research methods similar to that of a detective’s persistent curiosity, he supplemented his history knowledge by for many years going through old documents and archives not only in Kristianstad and the university city of Lund but also in the National Archives in Copenhagen
(Rigsarkivet).
The results often gave a very brutal picture of the war events during this period, particularly in the border regions between Sweden
and Denmark in north-eastern Skåne. On an almost chocking way, he highlighted the difficult living conditions and suffering of the contemporary civilian population. By means of his books he was able to spread a more nuanced picture of the region's history and the daily life of the people of the era.
In 1981 he published the book "Skåneland utan förskoning” (“Scania without mercy”) This book became a fierce criticism of the established description of the Swedish wars in the former Danish provinces of Skåne, Halland
and Blekinge
in the second half of the 17th century. Uno Röndahl claimed that what in Swedish history books was called "a peaceful transition from Denmark to Sweden" was not as peaceful as is often claimed.
The book "Skåneland II – På jakt efter historien” (“Scania II - In search of history"), was released in 1986. In this book Uno Röndahl discussed the consequences of depriving people of their history. He also describes in the book many of the historical figures, including those from before 1658, who had played an important role in the history of the old Danish provinces of Skåne and Halland, Blekinge.
The book "Skåneland ur det fördolda” (“Scania from the oscure") was published in 1996 and covers the often grim and tragic fates of the common civilians, often forgotten in established history books or at best are referred to as "a bunch of peasants", "snapphane
" and the like.
Year 2006 the book "Herulerna, det glömda folket” (“The Herulis - the forgotten people") was released, with Uno Röndahl as a co-writer.
Uno Röndahl did not become fully recognized by the academic establishment, despite his extensive research in the primary source material. However, in later years his work has increasingly been used as reference material in different historical contexts.
"Skåneland ur det fördolda"
"Herulerna, det glömda folket"
Uno Röndahl inteview on Scanian history (Swedish)
Näsum
Näsum is a locality situated in Bromölla Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 1,119 inhabitants in 2005....
in Göinge
Göinge
Göinge may refer to:*Östra Göinge Municipality, a municipality in Skåne County*Göinge Eastern Hundred, a hundred in Scania*Göinge Western Hundred, a hundred in Scania*Göinge Mekaniska, one of the leading Swedish steel building companies...
. He died 10 October 2011. Uno Röndahl’s writings centered on the Scanian history and especially the war events taking place in the province of Skåne and in particular in the border areas between contemporary Danish Skåne/Blekinge
Blekinge
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , situated in the south of the country. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea.The name "Blekinge" comes from the adjective bleke, which corresponds to the nautical term for "dead calm"....
and Swedish Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
during the period 1645-1720.
Uno Röndahl’s career began in the Swedish Navy
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
and then he became a policeman in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Already during childhood, his interest history of Göinge was awakened. During his time in Stockholm he enjoyed rich opportunities to visit museums, libraries and archives. This interest followed him when he later took over as a police detective in the city of Kristianstad. With research methods similar to that of a detective’s persistent curiosity, he supplemented his history knowledge by for many years going through old documents and archives not only in Kristianstad and the university city of Lund but also in the National Archives in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
(Rigsarkivet).
The results often gave a very brutal picture of the war events during this period, particularly in the border regions between 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....
and Denmark in north-eastern Skåne. On an almost chocking way, he highlighted the difficult living conditions and suffering of the contemporary civilian population. By means of his books he was able to spread a more nuanced picture of the region's history and the daily life of the people of the era.
In 1981 he published the book "Skåneland utan förskoning” (“Scania without mercy”) This book became a fierce criticism of the established description of the Swedish wars in the former Danish provinces of Skåne, Halland
Halland
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
and Blekinge
Blekinge
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , situated in the south of the country. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea.The name "Blekinge" comes from the adjective bleke, which corresponds to the nautical term for "dead calm"....
in the second half of the 17th century. Uno Röndahl claimed that what in Swedish history books was called "a peaceful transition from Denmark to Sweden" was not as peaceful as is often claimed.
The book "Skåneland II – På jakt efter historien” (“Scania II - In search of history"), was released in 1986. In this book Uno Röndahl discussed the consequences of depriving people of their history. He also describes in the book many of the historical figures, including those from before 1658, who had played an important role in the history of the old Danish provinces of Skåne and Halland, Blekinge.
The book "Skåneland ur det fördolda” (“Scania from the oscure") was published in 1996 and covers the often grim and tragic fates of the common civilians, often forgotten in established history books or at best are referred to as "a bunch of peasants", "snapphane
Snapphane
A snapphane was a member of a 17th century pro-Danish guerrilla organization that fought against the Swedes in the Second Northern and Scanian Wars, primarily in the former eastern Danish provinces which in the course of these wars became southern Sweden....
" and the like.
Year 2006 the book "Herulerna, det glömda folket” (“The Herulis - the forgotten people") was released, with Uno Röndahl as a co-writer.
Uno Röndahl did not become fully recognized by the academic establishment, despite his extensive research in the primary source material. However, in later years his work has increasingly been used as reference material in different historical contexts.
External links
"Skåneland utan förskoning""Skåneland ur det fördolda"
"Herulerna, det glömda folket"
Uno Röndahl inteview on Scanian history (Swedish)