Societas Heraldica Scandinavica Norwegian heraldry Av Harald Nissen Because Norway lies on the northern periphery of Europe, cultural currents tend to reach it late. This applied to heraldry, too. Norway was not on the regular route for troubadours and wandering knights, who were always able to disseminate changing fashions. On the other hand, it was easier for opinions on style to become more established and only adapt to national traits. During the reign of King Håkon Håkonson (1217-1263), contact with European, and especially French, culture increased. Influence was exerted on the visual arts and the first signs appeared that the interest of Norwegians was being awakened by the flourishing heraldry. The king adopted the princely symbol that was common to the rest of Europe, the lion, this being subsequently armed with a battle-axe. St Olav or King Olav Haraldson had fallen at the Battle of Stiklestad in Norway in 1030, being in part killed by blows from an axe. The lion with the battle-axe therefore symbolises St Olav or the immortal King of Norway, as he was later called. The first coloured reproduction of the Norwegian royal coat-of-arms is in the Wijnbergen roll of arms (about 1265-1288) and depicts gules a lion rampant armed with a battle-axe, all or. In the Gelre roll of arms (about 1369-1395), the rampant lion wears a crown and has a battle-axe argent; the author knew nothing of other Norwegian arms. Nowadays, the crowned lion has an axe with a handle or and an axe head argent. The first armorial seal known from Norway that did not belong to the Royal House post-dates the earliest of those known from Denmark and Sweden (which then included Finland). This is the seal of a knight named Basse Gudthormson, and was reproduced in 1286 (Dipl. Norv. V, 16). It was on a document on which he testifies that he was present when Arnbjørn of Heimnes made his last will and testament. The number of armorial seals and reproductions in colour, such as church decorations, enamel objects and drinking horns increased during the 14th century. French and Scottish heraldry influenced the arms of some important noblemen. One of these was a baron named Audun Hugleikson who had an equestrian seal (1295) and a privy seal (1295) depicting a rose with double tressure flory-counterflory. Another nobleman, Nikulas Halsteinson, had a seal bearing a coat-of-arms comprised of three legs (Dipl. Norv. X, 51), a motif resembling the arms of the Isle of Man. file:///F|/Library/G/Glaab/Societas_Heraldica_%20Scandinavica_Norwegian_Heraldry.htm[2/11/2011 4:09:03 PM] Societas Heraldica Scandinavica In Norway, as in Denmark and Sweden, the 14th century showed the appearance of arms depicting a leg with a spur, as is found now in the arms of various families in several countries. Several Skanke families in Norway now have arms with one leg, but no connection between the Skanke families and Medieval armigerous families has been proved. A contemporary Norwegian family of noble origin, the Galtung family, claims to trace its ancestors back to the Middle Ages and now uses as its arms argent a boar sable. The Black Death, which reached its peak in Norway in 1349, debilitated the country both economically and politically. Of the seals that are known today, only 10 originated in 1349 and 3 in 1350, whereas there were 40 new ones in 1348. A number of years passed before more than 30 new seals are known to have appeared in a single year. Norway was in personal union with Sweden from 1319, and later with Denmark, too, King Håkon VI having married Margrethe, a daughter of the Danish king, Valdemar Atterdag. Their son Olav, who died at the age of 17, became King of Norway and was also elected King of Denmark. In 1389, a union was established between Denmark, Norway and Sweden (the Kalmar Union). Sweden left in 1521, but the union between Denmark and Norway lasted until 1814 when Norway was united with Sweden. This lasted until 1905 when the Danish prince, Carl, was elected King of Norway. He took the name Haakon VII and was the great-grandfather of the present king, Harald V. During the union with Denmark, the king and his court lived in Denmark and seldom visited Norway. The few high Norwegian nobility died out and the gentry had little political power. The few noble daughters who inherited large estates were married to Danish noblemen, and Norway obtained a number of noble families of foreign origin in the period prior to the Reformation in 1536. It is not known whether there was any heraldic institution in Norway. Danish heralds are mentioned in connection with tournaments during the reign of the Danish hing, Erik Menved (1286-1319). Heralds are also mentioned during the reigns of Valdemar Atterdag and Erik of Pommerania, who succeeded Queen Margrethe in 1412 as King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. An heraldic institution was created during the reign of Christian I (who reigned from 1448 to 1481) and was maintained by his successors; this presumably took place in connection with the establishment of the Elephant Order in Denmark. References are made to the King of Arms Denmark, the herald Sealand and the pursuivant Lolland. Archduchess Margrethe of Austria (ruler of the Netherlands) writes in a letter to the Danish King of Arms Norway, dated 23rd June 1508, that she is willing to help the citizens of Hamburg with their outstanding account with the Dutch States General. There were certainly two Kings of Arms, one named file:///F|/Library/G/Glaab/Societas_Heraldica_%20Scandinavica_Norwegian_Heraldry.htm[2/11/2011 4:09:03 PM] Societas Heraldica Scandinavica Denmark and the other Norway, from the end of the 16th century. The heralds of the Danish-Norwegian kings seem to have been used on ceremonial occasions and for political missions, but nothing is known of visitations, and when letters patent were ennobled with the new arms of the ennobled person, the signature and seal were those of the king. After absolutism was introduced in 1660, the heralds became less prominent, only being used when a new king was proclaimed or the Supreme Court was opened. Tournaments have taken place in Scandinavia, among them several in Copenhagen, and others in Kalmar (1337), Lund (1406) and Stockholm (1438). Tournaments took place in Trondheim in 1449 (the coronation of Karl Knutson Bonde) and 1450 (the coronation of Christian I) where, respectively, 15 and 22 noblemen were knighted. It is not known whether the combatants in the Scandinavian tournaments used heraldic shields, crests, horse trappings, etc., but evidence from Medieval tombstones and equestrian seals shows that such equipment was known in Norway. The oldest arms in Norway are assumed arms. The granting of arms in connection with ennobling is known from the reign of Erik of Pommerania (1397-1439), but the practice may be older in both Denmark and Norway. The king was not the only one to grant arms. The Norwegian archbishop, Erik Walkendorff, who resided in Trondheim, granted arms on 3rd May 1517 to one of his bailiffs, Simon Svensson, for faithful and willing service, for himself and his descendants for eternity. He and his wife were simultaneously enfeoffed with some estates from the archdiocese for their lifetime. The original letter no longer exists, but the text in Dipl. Norv. (X, 315) shows that the coat-of-arms granted to Simon Svensson was azure a demi stag or and as a crest a pair of attires or. Another letters patent known to have been granted presumably had a similar content. It is only known through the "absolutely truthful pronouncement" of 20th July 1543 by the Lord Lieutenant of Bergen, Christopher Huitfeldt, that he had seen it (Dipl. Norw. X, 718). This letter from Archbishop Erik Walkendorff enfeoffed his bailiff, Oluf Mogensson, with estates, but the letter was destroyed in a fire in the archbishop's castle on Steinvikholmen. Christopher Huitfeldt gives no information about arms. However, a lexicon of noble families in Denmark, Norway and the Duchies, dated 1787, states that Oluf Mogensson bore arms per fess with a cross of passion in each field. It says nothing about the file:///F|/Library/G/Glaab/Societas_Heraldica_%20Scandinavica_Norwegian_Heraldry.htm[2/11/2011 4:09:03 PM] Societas Heraldica Scandinavica tinctures of this coat-of-arms. Following the Reformation in 1536, the last archbishop of Norway sailed to the Netherlands in April 1537, but Simon Svensson and Oluf Mogensson had retained their estates and become aldermen in Trondheim, the latter becoming High Court Judge in Trondheim in 1538. Norwegian trade increased in the 16th and 17th centuries. Peasants bought farms on former Crown land confiscated from the Catholic Church, and ship-borne trade was promoted. This society that offered enhancing opportunities attracted people from various social classes from the frequently war-torn Europe. The Danish-Norwegian kings welcomed foreigners as officers of the Crown, and they were also recruited into the business community. Some of these people originated from armigerous families, and others assumed arms after settling in Norway. A few were ennobled by the king, but it is not possible to distinguish such a class in the group of higher Crown officers and landowning merchant lords because the new noblemen were drawn from that group. When ennoblement took place, new coats-of-arms were granted. Following the introduction of absolute monarchy in 1660, Royal Decrees were issued concerning the kinds of crowns and coronets to be used by the Royal House, the aristocracy (including counts and barons) and untitled nobility.