History of Norway and Its Struggle for Independence

Norway is one of the most expensive countries in Europe today thanks to the discovery of oil in the 1960s still Norway's Independence is more recent than the United States's Independence Norway is famous today for its breathtaking Landscapes and connection to the Vikings the country is in Scandinavia on the Northern edge of the European continent in its geographic location has impacted much of Norway's development people weren't even able to live there until after the last ice age due to Glaciers covering the land but after they settled into Villages there the Norwegians quickly began exploring the world looking for ways to acquire the resources they needed even though the Vikings were among the most influential people during the Viking age Norway didn't maintain its powerful position instead it soon fell under Danish and later on Swedish control the Nazis even occupied them for a few years during World War II the history of Norway is filled with strong leaders and a yearning to be free to live their lives in the beauty of the land they call home didn't the Vikings come from Norway the Vikings heralded from Scandinavia so although Norway was beginning to differentiate itself from other Scandinavian countries they still had Viking communities the Vikings were not connected to any national identity they didn't even call themselves Vikings that term was applied explicitly to the Scandinavian cultural groups engaged in Naval Explorations and raids during the 19th century the Vikings initially identified as part of their regions such as Jutland or vesford but eventually they began to identify as Danes or Norse which were Southern and Northern regions of Scandinavia respectively the Viking Aegis was a critical time in Norse history this was the first time Norway began defining itself as a separate Geographic entity they had their own rulers but they still had close ties with other Scandinavian groups leading to alliances and conflicts of course the modern countries of Scandinavia didn't exist yet and during the early Viking age Norway was made up of several little kingdoms Norway was naturally separated from the developing countries of Sweden and Denmark by geography which helped the Norse begin developing their own cultural identity separate from the rest of Scandinavia for a long time the Norse relied upon farming as the primary source of their livelihood but the land was not suited to agriculture historians believe the Vikings living in Norway turned to sailing as the population Rose at first they set out as Traders and visited neighboring European countries like the British Isles but the Traders soon turned into Raiders the Vikings were feared across Europe their Naval Innovations meant they could travel vast distances on the Open Sea and bring their boats up Rivers they rated Britain Continental Europe in the Mediterranean Sea and even sailed West to North America the Norse vikings tended to stick to the west but their encounters with Europe showed them National kingships and the importance of urban centers when the Norse vikings returned they brought all of these ideas with them in United Norway under one king uniting the various kingships in Norway took about a century and was filled with internal political strife eventually Harold fairhair emerged as the country's first leader calling himself Harold the first because of Norway's challenging landscape it is likely that although Harold the first was King he ruled through alliances with other Chieftains regardless Harold the first is still credited with uniting Norway and his successors would continue the process of bringing all of Norway directly under one king the path to unification was filled with political Rivals Civil Wars and outside threats from Denmark and Sweden but by the Scandinavian Medieval Era Norway had stabilized and moved into a golden age where there was a general peace and a growing trade economy during the Middle Ages Norway focused on expanding its territory the king focused on creating positive relationships with the aristocracy and the church the local Chieftains did not have patriotic feelings toward Norway so they tended only to support the king when it benefited them controlling this large country without the cooperation of the local leaders was difficult so the King was constantly striving to strengthen his relationship with the aristocracy local Chieftains became Len man meaning men of the land in return for their loyalty they received part of the royal lands Chieftains who did not become land man were driven out of Norway or killed so the King was finally able to secure the loyalty and cooperation of the aristocracy the Norse King also focused on cultivating a positive relationship with the church the King was a major force behind the christianization of Norway encouraging conversion and building churches and he soon became the head of the church and its primary protector of course the King was also focused on controlling the large peasant population they needed security and he provided that by upholding the laws and providing military protection in turn the peasants provided the king with things like labor food ships and weapons this exchange would lead to the creation of a conscripted Army and an impressive Naval Force unlike other European countries at the time the peasants of Norway were not serfs but instead there were free men their political opinions were of vital importance to the country and there were two different assemblies that they participated in the alting and the locting the alting has prehistorical Origins and it was a local body sprinkled across the towns and Countryside to handle judicial matters and common political interests it also hosted special legal ceremonies where the king and the peasants exchanged pledges the king organized the log Ting as a representative assembly for a specific area of the country dealing with political issues that concerned multiple communities High judicial matters and the ratification of laws for part of the Middle Ages Norway enjoyed General peace and prosperity still when the Black Death hit in 1349 they saw a sudden drop in the population Farms were abandoned in an economic crisis shook the nation to its core outside investors began to settle in Norway drawn in by the population Decline and the economic opportunities in the fishing and Timber Industries tension grew between the native workers and the independent Traders especially those from Germany and violence between the groups was common although the towns were now developing and were more connected with the outside world the German Merchants still prevented the development of a Norwegian middle class and drained many of the profits of trade away from the country it seemed like Norway's golden age was over how did Norway come under outside dominance throughout their Golden Age Norway had become entangled with the royal families of Sweden and Denmark through marriage these alliances have been helpful at the time but the trouble began in 1375 when King valdemar IV of Denmark died the Norwegian Prince Olof II inherited the throne bringing the two countries together under one ruler for about 400 years in 1397 Sweden also joined and the kalmar union turned the three Scandinavian kingdoms into one the project was utterly Danish Denmark was the strongest of the three but Sweden eventually declared its independence and broke away from the kalmar union in 1523 becoming entirely liberated in 1570. this exit left Denmark and Norway United Denmark was leery of Norway trying to follow Sweden's example so they decided to turn Norway into a Danish province they disposed of the Norwegian National Council in 1536 imposed protestantism and attempted to enforce cultural assimilation historians are divided on whether or not this time under Denmark's rule was beneficial for Norway some historians believe it gave Norway time to grow economically ideologically manned socially however other historians think that Norway would have grown anyway and instead they believe Denmark held Norway back from achieving its full potential during the 1500s Norway calls the period between 1500 and 1800 the time of the union and they grew economically and in population trade continued to grow as the demand for fish Timber and iron increased as other European countries discovered new lands and Norway began importing corn and some finished products however the time of the Union was not beneficial for other parts of Norway's development their Industrial Development was delayed because they were not in a good position to produce their own finished products also this time in European history was filled with Wars and although Norway was not directly involved in any major conflicts Denmark exploited the Norwegians by using them as workers and soldiers to strengthen the Danish position in Europe in addition many of the Elites in Norse Society at this time were Outsiders such as German or Danish people the Norse people tended to be lower class and many battled poverty they rented farmland and usually had to work multiple jobs to take care of their families although land ownership improved when the Norse King who was under the Danish King's control decided to sell Royal Land to pay debts and provide cash for the monarchy The increased available land turned many Norwegian peasants into freeholders which elevated their position slightly despite the somewhat better prospects for the Norse people they were still under Denmark's Rule and they began realizing how very dangerous that was for their country's future development how did Norway finally become independent although Denmark was the most powerful of the three Scandinavian countries Sweden still had imperialistic dreams of its own but the balance of power didn't change until 1625. Denmark continued to involve itself in European Wars and during the 30 Years War they suffered enough of a setback that Sweden began to take some of the Danish territories for itself also the Danes continued to require Norway to provide Soldiers the Norse soldiers proved to be serious Fighters and their stories helped fuel Norwegian nationalism Sweden wanted Norway to be part of their country and as almost all of Europe became entrenched in the Napoleonic Wars it seemed the perfect time to pull Norway away from Denmark Sweden sided with Great Britain but Denmark sided with France which led to a British Naval blockade that separated Norway from Denmark making it difficult for Denmark to control the Norse people Norway struggled to get the Imports it desperately needed like food and the country's fate seemed to hang in the balance of the war Great Britain and Russia promised Sweden that they would give it Norway for its help in the Napoleonic Wars after some political disagreements Norway joined Sweden in 1814 with a new Norwegian Constitution which became the foundation for modern Norse political life it built a government with a king an assembly for legislature and Taxation called distorting and a separate judicial system Norway was joined with Sweden for about 90 years but the Constitution made it clear that although the two countries were joined Norway had finally achieved Independence with their new Independence Norway began to recover economically and enjoyed a growing population again industry began to take off and Norse entrepreneurs began creating finished products instead of importing all of them the Norwegian government also invested in infrastructures like roads Postal Services Telegraph networks Harbors steamboats and railroads however this progress was inhibited by Norway's Union with Sweden which despite claiming otherwise viewed Norway as inferior the Norse people were done with foreign oppression they were proud of the national identity they had created despite years of foreign Rule and were ready for True Independence in 1905 they finally managed to break away from Sweden and establish their own free country they were not free to make their own International decisions and steer their country into a better tomorrow without worrying about a foreign government denying them the right to be the best version of themselves how would you like to get a deeper understanding of History impress your friends and predict the future more accurately based on past events if this sounds like something you might be into then check out the brand new captivating history book club by clicking the first link in the description to learn more about the history of Norway check out our book history of Norway a captivating guide to Norwegian history it's available as an e-book and paperback if you enjoyed the video please hit the like button and subscribe for more videos like this

Channel: Captivating History

Views: 38,419

Keywords: norway, history of norway, vikings norway, viking, norwegian independence, Scandinavia, Viking Age, Scandinavian countries, Viking communities, Norse history, The Norse Vikings, Harald Fairhair, Christianization of Norway, Middle Ages, Norwegian prince Olaf II, Kalmar Union, Scandinavian kingdoms, Protestantism, European history, The Norse people, Norse king, Norse people, Norwegian nationalism, Napoleonic Wars, Norwegian constitution, Norwegian government, Independence

Id: 59jb8cMBWvs

Length: 12min 50sec (770 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 17 2023