Medievalists.net Menu By Beñat Elortza Larrea For the ninth and last article in the series, Beñat Elortza Larrea explores the internal tensions and conflicts that caused the dissolution of the Kalmar Union. Increasing inter-Scandinavian entanglement, crafty marriage alliances and growing political ambitions had facilitated the formation of the Kalmar Union in 1397, whereby the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden entered a personal union. The effective governance of such a large and diverse political entity, however, was fraught with conflict, as the Crown attempted to establish centralised control against the aristocrats’ wishes. Advertisement The two charters that were signed during the coronation festivities in Kalmar in 1397 aptly highlight the nature of the political tensions that characterised the internal politics of the Scandinavian union. The Coronation Charter, endorsed by both Margrete I and Erik of Pomerania, was a prime example of regimen regale; it envisioned a strong centralised rule of the three kingdoms where hereditary kingship was favoured (which stood against Danish and Swedish traditions of elective kingship), and the subservience of the aristocracy to the Crown was highlighted.