History Of Norway

It is thought that Norway has been inhabited since 10BC when settlers from areas of Finland and Germany moved into the area. Norway first moved into prominence during the time of the Vikings and it was around this time that Norway became a country as we know it. Before then it had been divided into independently ruled regions led by Norwegian nobles and Danish earls.

The Norse sagas of the time point to the king Harald Fairhair as the man who brought these regions together into one country. Although, after his death, the country fell back into forms of regional rule again. And, at this time, the Vikings who had travelled to England are thought to have brought back the concept of Christianity which began to spread throughout the country.

It is thought that a subsequent king Olaf Haraldsson is the first king to have been ruler of Norway in the modern sense. His fight to enforce Christianity in the country led to him being created a saint (St Olav) after his death and to his adoption as the patron saint of Norway.

Olaf’s son - Magnus the Good - did not immediately take the throne when his father died as it was taken by the Danish king, Knut the Great. The Danes had had various periods of ruling parts of the country and this rule brought Norway into the Danish North Sea Empire. Knut’s rule did not, however, last long and Magnus the Good then took over. It was his successor, Harald Hardrada who tried to take over England and who died in the attempt in 1066.

During the 11th century Norway’s adoption of Christianity became more organised under the rule of King Olaf Kyrre. The country also saw concentrated periods of civil war at this time. The Norwegian rights of succession gave equal rights to kingship to any and all sons of the king (legitimate and illegitimate). This meant that the country could have multiple kings who had to split the income of the monarchy between them which led to problems. In the 1160s the Norwegian church decided the rights of succession by crowning Magnus Erlingsson and laws were written decreeing that there could only be one heir and that he had to be legitimate.

These laws were, however, ignored as Sverre Sigurdsson killed King Magnus Erlingsson and took the crown. He was excommunicated and the country became divided between supporters of the church (bagler) and supporters of the new king (birchlegs). It wasn’t until 1217 that the country was reunified under the rule of King Haakon Haakonsson.

In following years Norway gained a central administration and named its capital as Bergen. Under Haakon’s successor, Magnus the Lawmender, Norway lost Scotland but started to make political moves to become a major European power. The next king, Haakon V, made Oslo the capital city and extended the marriage ties of the monarchy with other Scandinavian countries. When Haakon died leaving no heir the throne went to his daughter’s son who was the King of Sweden (Magnus Eriksson). He agreed to give Norway to one of his sons, Haakon, who then married Margrethe, a daughter of the King of Denmark - their son Olaf would go on to rule Denmark and Norway.

Olaf’s mother, Margrethe, brought together Norway, Denmark and Sweden as a united force known as the Kalmar Union which lasted until the early 1500s.

From this point on Norway was perceived as being in a weak position and was effectively ruled from Denmark. Events such as the Reformation and various wars did not help here and it wasn’t until the 1700s that Norway could once again establish itself as a potential force in its own right. However, in 1814, the union of Norway and Denmark suffered defeat in the wars against Napoleon and the Treaty of Kiel gave Norway to the King of Sweden.

Many Norwegians protested against this and claimed independence which led to Sweden declaring war. The heir apparent to the Norwegian throne - Christian Frederik - defused the situation by agreeing to give up his right to rule if Sweden would accept Norway as a democracy that would rule itself under the King of Sweden. This agreement lasted until 1905 and the throne was offered to a Danish Prince who took the throne as Haakon VII.

During World War II Norway managed to stay neutral however the country did help the allies as far as it could. In 1940, however, the country was occupied by the Germans until the end of the war. Norway joined NATO in 1949 and since then gas and oil supplies have helped make the country economically very comfortable. At this stage Norway has not yet joined the EU.