Editing History of Norway (section)

==Union with Denmark ==
{{See also|Denmark-Norway}}
[[File:Denmark-Norway in 1780.svg|thumb|Map of Denmark–Norway]]
Sweden was able to pull out of the Kalmar Union in 1523, thus creating [[Denmark–Norway]] under the rule of a king in [[Copenhagen]]. King [[Frederick I of Denmark|Frederick I]] favoured [[Martin Luther]]'s [[Reformation]], but it was not popular in Norway, where the Church was the sole remaining national institution and the country was too poor for the clergy to be very corrupt. Initially, Frederick agreed not to try to introduce Protestantism to Norway but in 1529 he changed his mind. Norwegian resistance was led by [[Olav Engelbrektsson]], [[Archbishop of Trondheim]], who invited the old king Christian II back from his exile in the Netherlands. Christian returned but his army was defeated and he spent the rest of his life in prison.

=== The Puppet State era (''lydriketiden'') ===
When Frederick died and a three-way [[Count's Feud|war of succession]] broke out between the supporters of his eldest son [[Christian III of Denmark|Christian]] (III), his younger Catholic brother Hans and the followers of Christian II. Olaf Engelbrektsson again tried to lead a Catholic Norwegian resistance movement. Christian III triumphed and Engelbrektsson went into exile and, in 1537, Christian demoted Norway from an independent kingdom to a [[puppet state]], dissolving the Norwegian Council of State.<ref>Derry pp.84–89</ref> The Reformation was also [[Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein|imposed in 1537]],<ref name="s45" /> strengthening the king's power. All church valuables were sent to Copenhagen and the forty percent of the land which was owned by the church came under the control of the king. [[Danish language|Danish]] was introduced as a written language, although [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] retained distinct dialects. Professional administration was now needed and power shifted from the pincial nobility to the royal administration: district stipendiary magistrates were appointed as judges and the [[lensmann|sheriffs]] became employees of the crown rather than of the local nobility. In 1572 (or 1556), a [[Governor-general of Norway|viceroy]] was appointed for Norway with a seat at [[Akershus Fortress]] in Oslo. In 1628 the [[Norwegian Army]] was founded, and professional military officers were employed.<ref>Stenersen: 50</ref><ref name="DBL">{{cite book |last1=Bricka |first1=Carl Frederik |title=Dansk biografisk Lexikon, vol. 11 |date=1897 |publisher=Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag |location=Copenhagen |page=514 |url=https://runeberg.org/dbl/11/0516.html |access-date=1 June 2018 |archive-date=4 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504155031/http://runeberg.org/dbl/11/0516.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Norwegian economy improved with the introduction of the water-driven saw in the early 16th century. Norway had huge resources of timber but did not have the means to exploit much of it in the Middle Ages as only hand-tools were available. The new saw mills which sprang up in the fjords changed this. In 1544 a deal was struck with the Netherlands (then part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]) and the Dutch controlled the export of Norwegian timber for the next 150 years. [[Amsterdam]] was built on piles from Norway. Tree-felling was done in the winter when farm-work was impossible and it was easy to get the felled trees across the snow to the rivers. In the spring, the logs floated down the rivers to the saw mills by the sea.<ref>Derry pp.91–92</ref> By the mid-16th century the power of the Hanseatic League in Bergen was broken; though German craftsmen remained, they had to accept Danish-Norwegian rule.<ref>Derry pp.92–93</ref>

The 17th century saw a series of wars between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. The [[Kalmar War]] between 1611 and 1613 saw 8,000 Norwegian peasants conscripted. Despite lack of training, Denmark–Norway won and Sweden abandoned its claims to the land between [[Tysfjorden]] and [[Varangerfjord]]. With the Danish participation in the [[Thirty Years' War]] in 1618–48, a new conscription system was created in which the country was subdivided into 6,000 ''legd'', each required to support one soldier.<ref>Stenersen: 53</ref> Denmark–Norway lost the war and was forced to cede [[Jämtland]] and [[Härjedalen]] to Sweden. The [[Second Northern War]] in 1657 to 1660 resulted in [[Bohuslän]] being ceded to Sweden.

=== 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>