Editing Thing (assembly) (section)

===Sweden===
[[File:Olav den helliges saga CK5.jpg|thumb|[[Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker]] showing the power of his office to the King of Sweden at [[Gamla Uppsala]], 1018. The lawspeaker forced King [[Olof Skötkonung]] not only to accept peace with his enemy, King [[Olaf II of Norway|Olaf the Stout]] of Norway, but also to give his daughter to him in marriage. Illustration by C. Krogh.]]
Similar to Norway, thing sites in [[Sweden]] experienced changes in administrative organization beginning in the late tenth and eleventh century. This resulted from the power struggle between the rising Christian royal power establishing itself and the old, local magnate families attempting to maintain control. The battle for power between the king and local magnates is most visible through runic inscriptions at thing sites used to make power statements.{{sfnp|Sanmark|2009a|page=235}} Swedish assembly sites could be characterized by several typical features: large mounds, rune-stones, and crossings between roads by land or water to allow for greater accessibility.{{sfnp|Sanmark|2009a|page=207}}

A famous incident took place when [[Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker]] told the Swedish king [[Olof Skötkonung]] (c. 980–1022) that the people, not the king, held power in Sweden; the king realized that he was powerless against the thing and gave in. The main things in Sweden were the [[Thing of all Swedes]], the [[Thing of all Geats]], and the [[Lionga thing]].

The island of [[Gotland]] had twenty things in late medieval times, each represented at the island-thing called ''landsting'' by its elected judge. New laws were decided at the ''landsting'', which also took other decisions regarding the island. The ''landsting''{{'}}s authority was successively eroded after the island was occupied by the [[Teutonic Order]] in 1398. In late medieval times, the thing comprised twelve representatives for the farmers, free-holders or tenants.