Steamboats like this one - on Lovatnet, Stryn, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway - opened up possibilities for the people living in isolated places. People and goods could be transported in a way that had not been possible before. | Photo: Anders Beer Wilse - digitaltmuseum.no DEX_W_00294 - cc by. | Photo: Anders Beer Wilse - digitaltmuseum.no DEX_W_00294 - cc by.

Norwegian history | prosperity, war and depression | Norway

On 18 November 1905, after a supportive referendum, the Norwegian parliament unanimously elected the Danish Prince Carl as the country’s new king.

Prosperity, war, and depression | AD 1905 – 1940

Prince Carl took the historical name King Haakon 7, and gave his only child, Prince Alexander, an equally Norwegian royal name: Olav. Haakon’s queen consort, Queen Maud, was the youngest daughter of King Edward 7 of the United Kingdom, and thus the granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Haakon, Maud and Olav arrived on 25 November 1905; a cold and windswept winter day. The coronation took place on 22 June 1906, in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim – the burial church of the Viking king St. Olav.

With its newfound independence, Norway experienced a surge in energy and development. In all areas of society, enthusiasts pushed forward in educating the country and building a strong new nation.

Norway, with its resources and access to waterfalls and their power, experienced great industrial development in the years that followed. Agriculture and fishing were motorised and modernised. The principles of national control and ownership of natural resources were defined and implemented during this early period, something that has greatly contributed to the wealth experienced by the Norwegian population in more recent times.

Did you see this one?
Norwegian royal family | the secret of Queen Maud’s coffin

The early AD 1900s was also a period of great social change, with new laws protecting workers, and generally improved living standards.

Norway chose a neutral position during World War 1, but still suffered losses and hardship. In AD 1930, the Great Depression hit Norway with full force. The labour movement and the labour party – Arbeiderpartiet – became Norway’s largest political party.

Despite a second attempt at staying neutral, it was from a weakened position that Norway was about to become a pawn in Hitler-Germany’s game of war and World War 2.

Next period: Norwegian history | World War 2 and occupation | Norway

Or see the full: History timeline | from stone age to modern era | Norway

BC = before Christ | AD = anno domini = after Christ
Main source: Store norske leksikon – snl.no

LA Dahlmann | history timeline

A Norwegian’s take on the lead-up to the Black Death | Norway

general history

The Black Death – mother of all plagues – ravaged humankind in the mid-1300s. A Norwegian scholar takes us through the lead up to the disaster.

Herder-children | roaming the mountains all alone | Norway

homestead and farm

In olden Norway, the farm-animals were sent off to the mountains and forests all summer. With them came a herder to guard them, and a maid to turn their milk into cheese and butter.

Mystery | 1895: a dead man in the fjord | Norway

people

It was midsummer 1895. An older man was found drifting in the fjord just outside Moss, Norway – shot in the temple with a revolver. Who was he?

Faredag | notice day for farmhands – twice a year | Norway

homestead and farm

In the old farming society, nature dictated the flow of the working year. And farmworkers could only leave their jobs on 2 specific days during the year.

Queen Maud of Norway | her background and childhood years

norwegian royal history

Queen Maud of Norway was born in London in 1869, as Princess Maud of Wales. Her grandmother was none other than the formidable Queen Victoria.

Fjords | gateways to mystery | Norway

landscape

Once upon a time in the distant past, imagine yourself sitting in a small boat, facing this mighty gateway into the bowels of the land.

Ice export | a booming business for more than a century | Norway

landscape

From the early 1800s and well into the 1900s, Norway was a significant exporter of natural ice. But how did they prevent the ice from melting?

Norway | on the coastal path along the Oslofjord

landscape

Whether it be on a rainy day – or a beautiful summer’s day like this one – the coastal paths take us through some pleasing stretches of Norwegian scenery.

Norwegian Buhund | viking dog with an ancient history | Norway

domesticated animals

The first Norwegian Buhund breed-standard came in 1926, based on a dog that had evolved, lived, and worked with the Norwegians since time immemorial.

The last workhorse at Sandaker farm | Norway

domesticated animals

When I was a boy, it was the workhorse that pulled the heaviest weight in agricultural life. And this had been the reality for as long as anyone could remember.

Moose calf saved from drowning in 1939 | Norway

wild animals

Magne Løvstuen and his family adopted this moose calf after saving it from drowning in Lake Mjøsa.

Horse history in the land of the Vikings vol 2 | Norway

domesticated animals

The horse no longer roams wild in the Norwegian landscape. But it still has an important place in the Norwegian psyche.

Food history | the beginning | Norway

food history

When humankind first appeared in the Norwegian landscape – sometime after the last ice age – the search for food was their primary motivation.

Food history | milk from the domesticated animals | Norway

food history

For thousands of years, milk from the domesticated animals has had a dominant position in the Norwegian diet. People used milk from the cow, the reindeer, the sheep and the goat.

Food history | the difference between mead and beer | Norway

food history

Mead and beer are both alcoholic drinks known from Norwegian history. The Norwegians call them «mjød» and «øl». But do you know the difference between the two?

Norwegian art | the mysterious boy from Setesdal | Norway

art

Carl Fredrik Sundt-Hansen created this fascinating oil painting in 1904. It is like a window leading into the house of history. If only we could climb through.

Oslo | is the capital city of Norway

towns and cities

Oslo is the capital city of Norway. It was founded in AD 1048 by the Viking king Harald Hardråde. Historically, the city is also known as Christiania or Kristiania.