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Gallery of the NationsThe Kingdom of NorwayNorwegians are part of the Vikings who, around 800 AD, began building warships with which they explored and plundered and made settlements as far as North America. By the 8th century AD there were about 30 small kingdoms existing in Norway. The ruler of one of the small kingdoms, Harald I (The Fairhaired) of Vestfold, began a campaign in the 9th century to unify the Norwegian kingdoms. By 900 he had succeeded in establishing his rule over all Norway. At Harald's death in 940 the kingdom was shared among his children, unity fell apart, Norwegian warlords began asserting their independence again, Swedish and Danish kings fought to gain Norwegian territories. Olaf I, a great grandson of Harald I, succeeded to the throne of Norway in 995. He tried to Christianize his kingdom, but was killed in battle in 1000 and Norway became chaotic for fifteen years. Order was restored by Olaf II who took the throne in 1015 and completed the Christianization of Norway. In 1028 Olaf II was driven of the throne by Canute II, king of England and Denmark. He went into exile in Russia. Olaf II returned in 1030 to try and regain his throne, but was killed in battle. He was seen as a martyr for the Church and was canonized as patron saint of Norway. Canute II died in 1035 and Norwegian nobles invited Olaf's son Magnus I back from Russia to ascend the throne. Magnus died in 1047 and was succeeded by his uncle Harald III. Harald was succeeded by Sigurd I in 1066 and when Sigurd died in 1103, the kingdom of Norway was consumed with dynastic struggles. Håkon IV (1217-1263) brought peace and prosperity to Norway. In 1319 the throne of Norway passed to Magnus II, king of Sweden who was the grandson of Håkon V, king of Norway, who had died the same year. In 1380 Magnus II grandson, Olaf II, King of Denmark became King of Norway as Olaf IV. When Olaf IV died, his mother, Margaret I, succeeded him as ruler of Norway and Denmark. In 1389 Margaret succeeded to the throne of Sweden as well. In 1397 the kingdoms of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden were united under one administration. In 1523 Sweden left the union and Norway came increasingly under the domination of Denmark and, in 1536, was actually made a province of Denmark. Denmark's alliance with France against England during the Napoleonic Wars in 1799, gave Norway the freedom to assert control over its own affairs. After Napoleon's defeat in 1814 Norway declared its independence despite being ceded to Sweden by the European powers. The Norwegians gave themselves a new constitution and elected the Danish crown prince their king. But a compromise was struck in 1815 which kept Norway part of Sweden but gave it full autonomy, its own military, customs and parliament. By 1821 Norwegian nationalism had grown strong against Swedish domination. It was sustained through 1848 when revolutionary favor swept through Europe where people sought freedom from absolute monarchs. Norwegian nationalism penetrated beyond politics into the cultural realm allowing writers and artists of all kinds to blossom. In 1884 Norway won the right to have a government responsible only to the Norwegian parliament (the Storting) and not to the king of Sweden. In June 1905 the Storting declared the union with Sweden dissolved. This was confirmed in an August referendum. In November, Prince Carl of Denmark ascended the Norwegian throne as Håkon VII. During World War I Norway, Sweden and Denmark agreed to keep the Scandinavian countries neutral. Norway tried to remain neutral during World War II but was ultimately invaded and occupied by Germany on April 9, 1940. On May 8, 1945 the German occupation forces in Norway surrendered and the country set about reconstruction |
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