France–Sweden relations are the
current and historical relations between France and Sweden. Both nations are members of the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
,
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
,
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
and the
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
.
In August 2022, France fully ratified Sweden's
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
membership application.
France strongly supported Sweden's
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
membership during the latter's accession process.
History
Early history

One of the first contacts between France and Sweden was in 799 during the first
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
raids of the Frankish northern coast. In March 845 Viking Danish-Swedish King
Ragnar
Ragnar ( ) is a masculine Germanic given name, composed of the Old Norse elements ''ragin-'' "counsel" and ''hari-'' "army".
Origin and variations
The Proto-Germanic forms of the compounds are "ragina" (counsel) and "harjaz" or "hariz" (army). ...
brought 120 ships up the
Seine
The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
river for the
Siege of Paris. The Vikings left Paris after a month of battle when Frankish King
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...
paid them 7,000 lbs of silver and gold. In 911 after multiple Viking invasions, Frankish King
Charles the Simple
Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a memb ...
conceded the town of
Saint-Clair-sur-Epte to the Vikings.
In 1499, France and Sweden signed a Trade Treaty for which Sweden sent France hides, skins, furs, butter, fish oil, herrings, whales, tar, timber for the navy, iron and copper. In exchange, the French sent salt Brouage, wheat, wine, canvas, sheets, silks and spices.
Across the 16th century, French mercenaries such as Claude Collart and
Pontus de La Gardie
Baron Pontus De la Gardie ( – 5 November 1585) was a French nobleman and general in the service of Denmark and Sweden.
Life and career
He was born Ponce d'Escouperie in Caunes-Minervois (Aude), Languedoc, a son of Jacques Escoperier and X ...
entered Swedish service. In 1570, France, along with
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, helped conclude the peace between Sweden and
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
at
Szczecin
Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
ending the
Northern Seven Years' War
The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War,'' the ''Seven Years' War of the North'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), K ...
in 1570. In 1631, during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, France and Sweden signed the
Treaty of Bärwalde
The Treaty of Bärwalde (; ; ), signed on 23 January 1631, was an agreement by France to provide Sweden financial support, following its intervention in the Thirty Years' War.
This was in line with Cardinal Richelieu's policy of avoiding direct ...
which obliged Sweden to maintain an army of 36,000 troops, and France to fund the Swedish army annually with 400,000
Reichsthaler
The ''Reichsthaler'' (; modern spelling Reichstaler), or more specifically the ''Reichsthaler specie'', was a standard thaler silver coin introduced by the Holy Roman Empire in 1566 for use in all German states, minted in various versions for the ...
s.
In the 1700s, French culture and the
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...
became a big influence on the Swedish monarchy. Swedish king
Gustave III received a French education as a child.
Several prominent Swedish nobles studied in France. Influenced by the
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...
, Sweden created the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...
.
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte and Napoleonic Wars
In 1805, Sweden entered into the
War of the Third Coalition
The War of the Third Coalition () was a European conflict lasting from 1805 to 1806 and was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, First French Empire, France and French client republic, its client states under Napoleon I an ...
and fought against France in the
Franco-Swedish War
The Franco-Swedish War or Pomeranian War was the first involvement by Sweden in the Napoleonic Wars. The country joined the Third Coalition in an effort to defeat France under Napoleon Bonaparte.
Background
In 1803, the United Kingdom had dec ...
in an effort to defeat France under
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. The war lasted until January 1810, when Sweden was defeated by France's then-ally,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. After the war, France and Sweden signed the
Treaty of Paris (1810). The next year, French
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte
Charles XIV John (; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844 and the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty. In Norway, he is known as Charles III John () and before he became royalty in ...
, who served under Emperor
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, was elected as the heir-presumptive to King
Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII or Carl XIII (; 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818) was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King Gustav III) of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa ...
, who was childless. Bernadotte was elected partly because a large part of the Swedish Army, in view of future complications with
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, supported electing a soldier and partly because he was popular with the Swedish army because of the kindness he had shown to the Swedish prisoners in
Lübeck
Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
. Bernadotte accepted the offer.
In 1813, Bernadotte successfully led Swedish troops against Napoleon during the
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...
which resulted in Napoleon being exiled to the Island of
Elba
Elba (, ; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, a ...
in 1814. In 1818 Bernadotte was crowned King of Sweden and King of Norway
after defeating Norway in the war of 1814 after demanded
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
to cede
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
after the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
as compensation for the loss of
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
in the
Finnish War
The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...
to which the allies agreed, mainly to prevent further conflict. The Danish king ceded Norway shortly after the demands out of fear of Sweden declaring war on Denmark. After the defeat of Norway in 1814 the creation of the
union between Sweden and Norway
Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway (; ), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch and common foreign pol ...
came through. The union lasted for almost a century until it was peacefully dissolved in 1905. After this he became ''Charles XIV John of Sweden'', and simultaneously founded the
House of Bernadotte
The House of Bernadotte is the monarchy of Sweden, royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John of Sweden. It was also the monarchy of Norway, royal family of Norway between 1818 and 1905. Its founder was born in Pau, Py ...
from which the current Swedish royal family hails from. Sweden declared itself officially neutral in 1818 from future conflicts.
World Wars
During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Sweden remained officially neutral during both conflicts, however, unofficially sympathized more with the allies and provided military training to allied soldiers. During World War II, French born Swedish diplomat
Raoul Nordling
Raoul Nordling (, ; 11 November 1882 – 1 October 1962) was a Swedish-French businessman and diplomat. He was born in Paris and spent most of his life there.
Biography
Nordling's father, Carl Gustav Nordling, arrived in Paris from Sweden at ...
secretly met with German General
Dietrich von Choltitz
Dietrich Hugo Hermann von Choltitz (; 9 November 1894 – 5 November 1966) was a German general. Sometimes referred to as the Saviour of Paris, he served in the Wehrmacht (armed forces) of Nazi Germany during World War II, as well as serving i ...
to try to limit the bloodshed and damage to the city of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
during the ''
Liberation of Paris
The liberation of Paris () was a battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germany since the signing of the Armisti ...
''.
Post World Wars
Since the end of the world wars, both France and Sweden have joined the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
. Both nations have had numerous high-level visits and cooperate jointly in several multilateral organizations. There are approximately 15,000 Swedish nationals living in France and 3,500 French nationals living in Sweden.
Military cooperation
Military cooperation between France and Sweden is modest as the Swedish focus on exchanges with their Nordic neighbors. Cooperation is primarily operational and has, during the
Libyan crisis
Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. All figures are from the United Nations Demographic Yearbooks ...
, enabled
Swedish Gripen fighters to take part in
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
air operations.
The Swedish armed forces have cooperated with French forces in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
on several occasions, particularly during the
Operation Artemis
Operation Artemis, formally European Union Force Democratic Republic of the Congo (EUFOR), was a short-term European Union-led UN-authorised military mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2003, during the Ituri conflict. ARTEMIS i ...
,
UNIFIL
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, and several further resolutions in 2006 to con ...
Maritime Task Force, and
EUFOR Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
.
Trade
In 2015, trade between France and Sweden totaled €10 billion Euros.
In 2014, Sweden was France's 16th-largest customer and 18th-largest supplier. At the same time, France was Sweden's 8th-largest customer and 9th-largest supplier.
French foreign direct investment (FDI) in Sweden totalled €3.3 billion in 2013, primarily in the agrifood, equipment and electrical goods sectors. Swedish FDI in France totalled €5.2 billion in 2013, particularly in the automobile industry. Swedish companies such as
IKEA
IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services.
IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...
and
Volvo
The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
operate in France.
Resident diplomatic missions
* France has an embassy in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
.
* Sweden has an embassy in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
File:Flundran 10.JPG, Embassy of France in Stockholm
File:Ambassade de Suède en France.jpg, Embassy of Sweden in Paris
See also
*
Embassy of France, Stockholm
The Embassy of France in Stockholm is the diplomatic mission of the French Republic in Sweden. The Chancery (building), chancery is located at Kommendörsgatan 13.
The embassy
The embassy is located in the district of Östermalm in the heart o ...
*
Embassy of Sweden, Paris
The Embassy of Sweden in Paris is Sweden's diplomatic mission in France.
History
The Swedish legation in Paris was elevated to an embassy on 15 October 1947, and the then Swedish envoy, Karl Ivan Westman, instead became ambassador.
Staff and t ...
*
Institut Tessin
The Institut Tessin, also known as the Centre culturel suédois, is a museum in Paris dedicated to the history of Franco-Swedish artistic exchanges. It is located in the Hôtel de Marle at 11, rue Payenne in the city's 3rd arrondissement of Paris, ...
*
List of ambassadors of France to Sweden
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:France-Sweden relations
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
Bilateral relations of Sweden