Strilekrigen was a farmer's rebellion that took place in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

(at the time in a union with Denmark) on 18 April 1765, when about 2,000 common people from Nordhordland poured into Bergen to protest against the harsh action of the extra tax. The extra tax had hit the poor farmers and fishermen in rural areas around Bergen particularly hard. The protests, which became violent, were particularly directed at

Ulrik Fredrik de Cicignon Ulrik Frederik de Cicignon (1698 – 8 June 1772) was a Norwegian military officer. He is best known for his part in ''Strilekrigen'', an 18th-century farmer's rebellion, in Bergen. Early life He was probably born at Akershus Fortress in ...

, the local sheriff (stiftamtmann). In autumn 1762, the national government in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

established an extra per capita tax for every person over twelve years, which was later reduced to a charge per household. These extra taxes were intended to help pay loans from foreign governments and to support the price of the Danish-Norwegian currency at the stock market in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. Rebellions of this magnitude was unprecedented in the 18th century, and officials in

were appalled. The authorities send an inquiry north consisting of top officials on a warship. The leaders of the rebellion were indicted by the general court and were convicted of disturbance of public order. The result was that a few farmers ended in prison for life after being pardoned from the death sentence. The extra tax was later abolished in Norway in 1772 but continued in force in Denmark. After the rebellion Cicignon sought and received dismissal as stiftamtmann in May 1766. He moved to Sønderborg in the Duchy of Schleswig, where he died in 1772.

References

{{reflist Conflicts in 1765 1765 in Norway 18th-century rebellions 1760s riots Rebellions in Europe History of Bergen Military history of Norway

See also

References