Rudolf Keyser (1 January 1803 – 9 October 1864) was a Norwegian historian, archaeologist and educator.

Biography

Jakob Rudolf Keyser was born in Christiania, now

Oslo, Norway Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. He was the son of Bishop

Johan Michael Keyser Johan Michael Keyser (15 January 1749–1 December 1810) was a Norwegian theologian and priest. He served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Christianssand from 1805 until his death in 1810. Personal life Keyser was born on 15 January 1749 in ...

( 1749–1810) and his second wife Kirsten Margarethe Wangensteen. He was the brother of professor Fredrik Wilhelm Keyser and theologian Christian Nicolai Keyser. Following studies in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

, Rudolf Keyser was appointed as a docent at the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

in Christiania in 1828. He became a professor in 1831 and remained at the university until he retired in 1862. Keyser was also the first manager for the

University Museum of National Antiquities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ro ...

. He cataloged and categorized prehistoric artifacts which had originated from excavations. He did so utilizing the chronological system developed by

Christian Jürgensen Thomsen Christian Jürgensen Thomsen (29 December 1788 – 21 May 1865) was a Danish antiquarian who developed early archaeological techniques and methods. In 1816 he was appointed head of 'antiquarian' collections which later developed into the Na ...

. Keyser was most commonly associated with the

Theory on immigration to Norway The theory on immigration to Norway ( no, innvandringsteorien) refers to a theory on the origin of the Norwegian people. The theory is mainly associated with Rudolf Keyser, and developed by Peter Andreas Munch. Theory Following studies in Icelan ...

. Keyser was a supporter of the migration theory that the Norse tribes had wandered into Norway from the north and east, a view also shared by

Peter Andreas Munch Peter Andreas Munch (15 December 1810 – 25 May 1863), usually known as P. A. Munch, was a Norwegian historian, known for his work on the medieval history of Norway. Munch's scholarship included Norwegian archaeology, geography, ethnograph ...

, a former student of Keyser. This theory was inspired in part by the earlier works of

Gerhard Schøning Gerhard Schøning (2 May 1722 – 18 July 1780) was a Norwegian historian. His ''Reise som giennem en Deel af Norge i de Aar 1773, 1774, 1775 paa Hans Majestets Kongens Bekostning'' documenting travel through Trondheim, Gudbrandsdal and Hedmark, N ...

. The theory was commonly denounced by many Norwegian historians especially by

Ludvig Kristensen Daa Ludvig Kristensen Daa (19 August 1809 – 12 June 1877) was a Norwegian historian, ethnologist, auditor, editor of magazines and newspapers, educator and politician. Background He was born as Ludvig Christensen Daae in Saltdal to vicar Christen ...

. Rudolf Keyser became a knight in the Order of St. Olav in 1847.''Gerhard Schøning
''Store norske leksikon'' Knut Helle, editor

Selected works

*''Nordmændenes religionsforfatning i hedendommen'' (1847

*''Den norske Kirkes Historie under Katholicismen, volume 1'' (185

*''Den norske Kirkes Historie under Katholicismen, volume 2'' (1858)

*''Norges Historie, volume 1'' (1866

*''Norges Historie, volume 2'' (1870) an

*''Samlede Afhandlinger'' (1868

References

Other sources

*Stugu, Ola Svein (2008) ''Historie i bruk'' (Oslo: Samlaget) *Andersen, Per Sveaas (1960) ''Rudolf Keyser Embetsmann og Historiker'' (Oslo: Universitetsforlaget) {{DEFAULTSORT:Keyser, Rudolf 1803 births 1864 deaths 19th-century Norwegian historians Old Norse studies scholars Writers from Oslo Norwegian literary historians University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Order of Saint Olav