Sweden proper, or
Egentliga Sverige, is a term used to distinguish those territories that were
fully integrated into the Kingdom of
Sweden, as opposed to the
dominions and
possessions of, or
states in union with, Sweden.
Specifically this means that from 1353 up to the
Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, Sweden proper did also include
Finland (referred to also as
Österland—for less than a century—in official Swedish government language). After 1809 however the use of the term has been to distinguish the western part from former
eastern half of the realm, or Sweden from Finland.
The
Skåneland, formerly a part of
Denmark, came under the Swedish
Crown by the
Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, but it was not until 1719 that it was fully integrated and became part of Sweden proper.
Sweden proper is, as opposed to
Finland Proper, a geographical reference that has changed over time, whereas the latter is a province in southwestern Finland that gave its name to all of Finland.