Editing Grimstad (section)

==History==
Grimstad lies within the boundaries of the ancient parish of [[Fjære]]. It is reportedly first mentioned as a harbor in the 16th century. Eight years after he was [[Deposition (politics)|deposed]], [[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]] of [[Denmark–Norway]] (1513–1523) attempted to recover his kingdoms. A tempest scattered his fleet off the Norwegian coast, and on 24 October 1531, they took refuge at Grimstad. On 1 July 1532, he surrendered to his rival, [[Frederick I of Denmark|King Frederick I of Denmark]], in exchange for a promise of safe conduct. King Frederick failed to honor his promise and imprisoned Christian until he died.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Norway |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=1996 |isbn=0-395-81912-1 |editor-last=Taylor-Wilkie, Doreen}}</ref>

An inn is recorded at Grimstad as early as 1607. In 1622, Grimstad became a [[Market town|recognized harbor]] under the town of [[Arendal (town)|Arendal]]. By 1747, Grimstad was identified as a sailing community and a recognized haunt of [[Smuggling|smuggler]]s. During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the British [[Royal Navy]] blockaded Grimstad; on 16 March 1811, the British frigate ''Venus'' [[Battle of Grimstad Bay|entered Grimstad's harbour]] to capture four Dano-Norwegian merchantmen sheltering there. [[Royal Marines]] from ''Venus'' captured the sloop ''Frau Maria'' but were eventually forced to abandoned her and row back to ''Venus''.

John Frederik Classen, who owned the [[Froland|Frolands Værk]] (an [[ironworks]]), obtained concessions to export and import through Grimstad and bypass Arendal with its [[customs]] dues. Grimstad was awarded [[Market town#Norway|market town status]] in 1816. The [[Nørholm]] farm in Grimstad was the home of [[Knut Hamsun]] in the early 20th century.