The Swedish Pomor Trade: Ice, Fish, and Arctic Commerce

In this episode of The History of Sweden, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten Pomor trade—the centuries-old barter system between Swedish and Finnish peasants along the Gulf of Bothnia and Russian Pomors from the White Sea. From the 13th to the 19th century, these hardy traders exchanged Swedish iron, tar, and butter for Russian grain, flour, and salt, forging a unique Arctic economy. Along the way, they meet the skrå, the market towns like Luleå and Torneå, and the Cossack raids that threatened this fragile commerce. They also dive into the legend of the Pomor's 'silent trade'—a practice of leaving goods and returning later—and how it may have masked a more complex reality. With the rise of the Swedish Empire and later Russian expansion, the trade shifted, eventually fading in the 1800s. This episode uncovers a little-known chapter of Nordic history that shaped coastal communities and cross-Baltic relations.

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