[en] This thesis consists of four papers on the physical processes in expanding type II supernova envelopes and their environment. Recent observations have shown that type II supernovae are surrounded by a large amount of circumstellar gas, and most of the thesis discusses the interaction of the expanding supernova envelope with this gas. It is found that the resulting shock wave will emit most of its energy as Comptonized EUV radiation plus soft X-rays. This radiation ionizes and heats the circumstellar gas as well as the supernova envelope. The conversion of the Comptonized EUV emission to line emission as a function of time provides an important test of the model. To compare with the UV observations, the line profiles from the various regions are calculated. The X-ray emission and its absorption by the circumstellar gas are shown to give important information on both the shock wave and the environment. Paper I deals with the structure of the shockwave, its emission and absorption of the X-rays by the circumstellar gas. In Paper II the line profiles are calculated and are compared with the observations. Paper III discussed the UV observations, and a simplified analysis of the physical conditions in the gas is given. Finally in paper IV the X-ray emission from the shock, the structure of the envelope and the strengths of the UV emission lines as a function of time are studied. (Author)