Småland Province

The Name Since Småland consists of forrests, mountains, and bogs the different populations that lived there were more or less isolated from each other and Småland, meaning small countries, came to be the name for the countries south of Västergötland and Östergötland; Kinda, Tveta, Vista, Tjust, Sevede, Aspeland, Handbörd, Möre, Värend, Finnveden and Njudung. It is believed that Öland and maybe even Blekinge used to be included in Småland.^[1]

History Småland was Christianized sometime between 1000 and early 12th century. When it became Swedish is not clear. There is a division made between a Swedish and a Danish king during the 11th century.

Växjö Diocese was formed no later than at the end of the 12th century by the five hundreds in Värend. The rest of Småland belonged to Linköping Diocese until the 16th and 17th century when Finnveden and Njudung along the hundreds of Tveta and Vista joined Växsjö. Kalmar Diocese was formed but merged with Växjö in 1915. Mo Hundred belongs to Skara Diocese.

Kinda Hundred and Ydre Hundred used to belong to Småland during the Middle Ages but has since then been transferred to the province of Östergötland. The administrative division is very unclear up until the 1680s when the three counties Jönköping County, Kronoberg County, and Kalmar County came to have more or less the same borders that they do today.