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The Unification of Norway ( Norwegian Bokmål: ''Rikssamlingen'') is the process by which Norway merged from several petty kingdoms into a single kingdom, predecessor to the modern Kingdom of Norway.


History

King Harald Fairhair is the monarch who is credited by later tradition as having first unified Norway into one kingdom. According to the
saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
s, he ruled Norway from approximately 872 to 930. Modern historians, including Claus Krag, assume that his rule may have been limited to the coastal areas of western and southern Norway. The tendency in recent research has been to perceive unification of the nation to have been a more time-consuming process. The sagas recount that Harald succeeded, on the death of his father Halfdan the Black Gudrödarson, to the sovereignty of several small, and somewhat scattered kingdoms in
Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...
, which had come into his father's hands through conquest and inheritance. In 866, Harald made the first of a series of conquests over the many
petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into t ...
s which would compose Norway, including
Värmland Värmland () is a ''Provinces of Sweden, landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Name Several Latinized version ...
in Sweden, and modern day south-eastern Norway, which had sworn allegiance to the Swedish king Erik Eymundsson. In 872, after a great victory at the Battle of Hafrsfjord near
Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...
, Harald found himself king over the whole country. According to Sverre Bagge, unification of Norway was made easy by excellent sea communications, as well as seas that rarely froze in winter. His realm was, however, threatened by dangers from outside, as large numbers of his opponents had taken refuge, not only in
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
, then recently discovered; but also in the
Orkney Islands Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...
, Shetland Islands, Hebrides Islands and
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
. His opponents' leaving was not entirely voluntary. Many Norwegian chieftains who were wealthy and respected posed a threat to Harald; therefore, they were subjected to much harassment, prompting them to vacate the land. In time, Harald was forced to make an expedition to subdue these islands. After Harald's death, the unity of the kingdom was not preserved. In following centuries, the kingdom was variously ruled, wholly or in part, by descendants of King Harald or by
earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
s under the
suzerainty A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy">polity.html" ;"title="state (polity)">state or polity">state (polity)">st ...
of Denmark. Kings of Norway until King Olav IV, who died in 1387, commonly claimed descent from Harald Fairhair.


Saga descriptions

In the ''Saga of Harald Hårfagre'' from Heimskringla by
Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
, the consolidation of the rule of Norway by Harald Fairhair was somewhat of a love story. The tale begins with a marriage proposal that resulted in rejection and scorn from Gyda, the daughter of Eirik, king of Hordaland. She said she refused to marry Harald "before he was king over all of Norway". Harald was therefore induced to take a
vow A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddin ...
not to cut nor comb his hair until he was sole king of Norway, and that ten years later, he was justified in trimming it; whereupon he exchanged the epithet "Shockhead" or "Tanglehair" for the one by which he is usually known. Most scholars today regard this story as a literary tale inspired by the Romance stories that were popular at the courts by the time ''Heimskringla'' was written.''Norway – Rulership and power before Christianization'' (S. Bagge and S. Nordeide)
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Maps of the Norwegian kingdoms

These maps are mainly based on later saga sources, from the 13th century. Their historical accuracy has not been established. Image:Norwegian petty kingdoms ca. 820.png, Image:Norwegian petty kingdoms ca. 860.png, Image:Norwegian petty kingdoms ca. 872.png, Image:Norwegian petty kingdoms ca. 930.png, Image:Norway 1000 AD.png, Image:Norway 1020 AD.png,


See also

* Battle of Svolder * Battle of Hafrsfjord * Battle of Stiklestad


References


Primary sources

*Andersen, Per Sveaas (1977) ''Samlingen av Norge og kristningen av landet 800–1130'' (Universitetsforlaget) * Krag, Claus (2000) ''Norges historie fram til 1319'' (Universitetsforlaget) * Krag, Claus (1995) ''Vikingtid og rikssamling 800–1130'' (Aschehougs Norgeshistorie) *Krøger, Jens Flemming (1997) ''Rikssamlingen: høvdingmakt og kongemakt'' (Stavanger: Dreyer) *Lidén, Hans-Emil (1995) ''Møtet mellom hedendom og kristendom i Norge'' (Universitetsforlaget) * Seip, Jens Arup (1974) ''Utsikt over Norges historie'' (Oslo: Gyldendal)


Further reading

*Finlay, Alison (2004) ''Fagrskinna, a Catalogue of the Kings of Norway'' (Brill Academic) *Hermannsson, Halldór (2009) ''Bibliography of the sagas of the kings of Norway and related sagas and tales'' (BiblioBazaar) *Libaek, Ivar; Oivind Stenersen (1992) ''History of Norway From The Ice Age To The Oil Age'' (Grondahl Dreyer) *Kouri, E. I., Torkel Jansson and Knut Helle (2003) ''The Cambridge History of Scandinavia'' (Cambridge University Press) *Noyes, David (2010) ''The History of Norway'' (Nabu Press) *Sawyer, Birgit; Sawyer, Peter H. (1993) ''Medieval Scandinavia: from Conversion to Reformation, Circa 800–1500'' (University of Minnesota Press)


External links


''Rikssamling og kristning'' (mennesket.net)''Norway - The First Kingdom'' (All Empires. Medieval Europe: Political History)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unification of Norway 9th century in Norway Petty kingdoms of Norway *
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 ...
Historical geography of Norway Political history of Norway Harald Fairhair