Editing History of Norway (section)

=== The Absolute Monarchy era (''enevoldstiden'') ===
King [[Frederick III of Denmark|Frederick III]] elevated himself to [[Absolute monarchy|absolute]] and [[Hereditary monarchy|hereditary]] king of Denmark and Norway in 1661, eliminating the power of the nobles.<ref>Derry p. 100</ref> A new administrative system was introduced. Departments organized by portfolio were established in Copenhagen, while Norway was divided into [[counties of Norway|counties]], each led by a district governor, and further subdivided into bailiwicks. About 1,600 government officials were appointed throughout the country.<ref name="s56">Stenersen: 56</ref> [[Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve]] was the most famous viceroy of Norway (1664–1699).<ref>Derry p.102</ref>

[[File:Gunboat battle near Alvøen Norway.jpg|thumb|left|[[Battle of Alvøen]] between the frigate {{HMS|Tartar|1801|6}} and Norwegian gunboats near [[Bergen]] in 1808]]
The population of Norway increased from 150,000 in 1500 to 900,000 in 1800.<ref name="s56" /> By 1500 most [[deserted farm]]s were repossessed. The period under absolutism increased the ratio of self-owning farmers from twenty to fifty percent, largely through sales of crown land to finance the lost wars. [[Croft (land)|Crofts]] became common in the absolutism period, especially in [[Eastern Norway]] and Trøndelag, with the [[smallholding|smallholder]] living at the mercy of the farmer.<ref>Stenersen: 57</ref> There were 48,000 smallholders in 1800. Compared to Denmark, taxes were very low in Norway, typically at four to ten percent of the harvest, although the number of farms per ''legd'' decreased from four to two in the 1670s. [[Confirmation]] was introduced in 1736; as it required people to read, elementary education was introduced.<ref>Stenersen: 58</ref> 

The entire period saw [[mercantilism]] as the basis for commerce, which involved import regulations and [[tariff]]s, monopolies and privileges throughout the county granted to burghers. The lumber industry became important in the 17th century through exports especially to England.<ref>Stenersen: 59</ref> To avoid deforestation, a royal decree closed a large number of sawmills in 1688; because this mostly affected farmers with small mills, by the mid 18th century only a handful of merchants controlled the entire lumber industry.<ref>Stenersen: 60</ref> Mining increased in the 17th century, the largest being the silver mines in [[Kongsberg (town)|Kongsberg]] and the copper mines in [[Røros (town)|Røros]]. Fishing continued to be an important income for farmers along the coast, but from the 18th century [[dried cod]] started being salted, which required fishermen to buy salt from merchants. The first important period of Norwegian shipping was between 1690 and 1710, but the advantage was lost with Denmark–Norway entering the [[Great Northern War]] in 1709. However, Norwegian shipping regained its strength towards the end of the century.<ref>Stenersen: 61</ref> Many Norwegians earned a living as sailors in foreign ships, especially Dutch ones. The crews in both sides of the [[Anglo-Dutch Wars]] contained Norwegians.<ref>Derry pp.104–105</ref> Norway benefitted from the many European wars of the 18th century. As a neutral power it was able to expand its share of the shipping market. It also supplied timber to foreign navies.<ref>Derry p.114</ref>

Throughout the period, Bergen was the largest town in the country; its population of 14,000 in the mid 18th century was twice the size of Christiania (later Oslo) and Trondheim combined. Eight townships with privileges existed in 1660—by 1800 this had increased to twenty-three. During this period up to two-thirds of the country's audited national income was transferred to Copenhagen.<ref>Stenersen: 62</ref> In the last decades of the century, [[Hans Nielsen Hauge]] started the [[Haugean]] movement, which demanded the right to preach the word of God freely.<ref>Stenersen: 64</ref> The [[University of Oslo]] was established in 1811.<ref>Thuesen: 177</ref>