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76 A History of Sweden
Sweden the same year. Thus the two kingdoms had
the same king, and the first union between them oc-
curred. There was, however, no real union between
them, for during the king’s minority each kingdom was
governed by its own council.
Abolition of Slavery. The young king’s rule began
well. When he made his royal progress through the
kingdom (eriksgata), he issued this decree: ’To the
glory of God and the Virgin Mary, for the peace of
soul of our beloved father and uncles, we enact the law
that no one born of Christian parents shall ever be a
slave. For as God has freed us from heathenism, so
has he freed the slaves." This was a triumph for the
teaching of Christianity that all men are brethren and
equal before God. Most people, however, had already,
at least on their deathbeds, set free their slaves "for
Christ’s sake."
Establishment of a National Law. Magnus Erics-
son’s reign is noted also for other legislation. Brisk as
commerce and communication between different parts
of the kingdom had now become, it was most incon-
venient to have to regulate trade and traffic according
to local laws in the different provinces. Hence, about
the year 1350, learned jurists were authorized to unify
and compile the laws of the various provinces into a
national law for the rural districts of the whole king-
dom. There was also published at the same time a gen-
eral municipal law for all the cities of the kingdom.
Henceforth people were not to think of themselves as
West Goths or Uplanders, but as citizens of a common
country, as Swedes.
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