Rollag stave church in Rollag, Buskerud, Norway. Sections estimated built in late 1200s. | Photo: Dagfinn Rasmussen - kulturminnebilder.ra.no Rollag_169_DSC5291_DxO - CC BY.

Norwegian history | the Early modern period | Norway

In the year AD 1537, King Christian 3 of Denmark-Norway embraced the Lutheran Reformation, and the Norwegians went from being Catholics to Protestants. The king confiscated the Catholic Church’s considerable wealth, a welcomed addition to the royal coffers. Norway more or less ceased to exist as a sovereign state and became a province under Denmark.

The Early modern period | AD 1537 – 1814

During the AD 1500s, the authorities worked hard to stem the outbreaks of plague and disease. Gradually, the population started to grow, and people returned to areas that had lain fallow since The Black Death.

There was an increased trade during the Early modern period. Fish and timber were two important commodities, and different types of mines were established, with the silver mine at Kongsberg being the most significant.

In AD 1660, after political unrest, the Danish King Frederik 3 declared himself an absolute monarch of both Denmark and Norway, weakening the position of the nobility and transferring more of the day-to-day running of the country to bureaucrats, answerable to the king only. Power was increasingly centralised in the Danish capital Copenhagen, widening the gap between the bodies of government and the local communities of Norway. In AD 1665, the total population was an estimated 440,000.

During the AD 1600s and the AD 1700s, there was great unrest in the Nordics and the whole North-European region. The Denmark-Norway crown covered the expenses of war by drastically increasing the level of taxes. Norwegian men were ordered to partake as soldiers. Sweden was on the opposite side, and gradually strengthened its position. During the AD 1700s, with the crown’s constant need for resources – and reduced profitability seen by the large landowners – there was a gradual change in the structure of land ownership. Tenant farmers started to buy out the farms their families lived on, and became self-owners.

In AD 1769, Denmark-Norway carried out its first complete population count. The total Norwegian population was 723,618 – and the largest town was Bergen, with 13,735 citizens. 91% of the population lived in rural areas.

During the AD 1700s, there was a growing patriotic sentiment among the Norwegians – and a longing for independence was slowly brewing.

Next period: Norwegian history | reborn as a sovereign state | 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

Skoklefallsdagen | the last day of spring | Norway

homestead and farm

On the historical Norwegian farm, the skoklefallsday is the last day of planting in the spring. Literally, it means the day that the shafts attached to the workhorse’s harness come off.

Kantslått | means cut grass in Norwegian | Norway

words from history

Kantslått is a Norwegian noun that means (1) the grass that is cut along the edges of a field, a road, etc. or (2) the actual process of cutting this grass. Traditionally, the grass was used as animal fodder.

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.

Vintage photos | the spinning wheel | Norway

video post, vintage photos

The spinning wheel was a lifelong companion for most women in the old Norwegian farming society. Enjoy this video-collection of wonderful vintage photographs.

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.

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.

Norway | a land of water

landscape

In the spring, the Norwegian mountain-snow melts and turns into creeks, rivers and magnificent waterfalls.

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?

Reindeer | an ancient presence in the Norwegian mountains

wild animals

When the ice melted after the last ice age, herds of reindeer followed in its wake. And with the animals came their main predator: the humans.

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.

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.

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.

Klippfisk | what is Norwegian klipfish? | Norway

food history

Klippfisk – or klipfish – is fish preserved through salting and drying. Since the early 1700s, the Norwegians have been large-scale klippfisk producers and exporters.

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 | the «Viking pizza» | Norway

food history

In Norway, the pizza appeared as an exotic newcomer in the 1970s. But bread topped with foodstuffs is nothing new in Norwegian food history.

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.

Do we show our ancestors the respect they deserve? | Norway

opinion

The modern human has a tendency to judge its forebears and their way of life solely based on the reality of our own time.

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.

The Norwegians | masters at sea | Norway

art

This beautiful oil painting by Johan Christian Dahl says a lot about generations of Norwegians – and the landscape and the skills they knew.

Facts | the 5 largest lakes | Norway

general facts

Norway is a land of water, with almost 1 million lakes and ponds of all sizes. Join us in exploring the 5 largest of her lakes, and some more Norway facts.

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External link: How to trace your ancestors in Norway

Norwegian history | the Early modern period | Norway

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