mtjc *^^ ^: President White Library CoRNELE University ""'"™"' '"'™^ BR1004 .W74" "'^*A&mm«m^&,S!}'' *'3te in Norwa 3 1924 029 olin 273 244 The original of tiiis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029273244 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH AND STATE IN NORWAY. HISTORY OF THE CHURCH AND STATE IN NORWAY FROM THE TENTH TO THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY BY THOMAS B. WILLSON, M.A. WESTMINSTER ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO Ltd Z WHITEHALL GARDENS 1903 h.s-iom--^ BBADBQEy, AGNEW, & CO. LD., PRINTER LONDON AND TONBHIDOE- PEEFACE. English readers are more or less familiar with the most striking events in the history of Norway in the heroic days, but so far as I have been able to discover, no English writer has endeavoured to trace the history of the Church in Norway, from its foundation in the time of Olaf Tryg- vess0n, down to the period of the Keformation. If I am correct in this, the omission seems a strange one, as the Church in Norway was the only daughter of that of England to be found in Europe. Her missionaries, it is true, laboured in many parts of the Continent, but I think that in no country, except Norway, could it be said, that they helped to found and nurture a national Church, where none before existed. Under these circumstances, I have for a long time wished to supply English readers with a history of this Church; and a close acquaintance with Norway, extending over thirty years, makes it, I hope, not altogether presumptuous to attempt the task. With this object in view, I obtained, some ten years ago (through my friend, the late Pastor Andreas Hansen), the kind permission of Dr. A. Chr. Bang, now Bishop of Christiania, to translate his valuable Udsigt over den Norshe Kirkes Historic under Katholicismen. Further consideration, however, showed me that this work presupposed an acquaintance with the history of the Norwegian Church, such as few English readers possessed, and which was necessary in order fully to appreciate this valuable survey. I felt, therefore, that a history of the Church on broad lines, and avoiding mere technical details. vi PEEFACE. might prove of interest, and so the present work was undertaken. Further study of the subject led me to call this book a " History of the Church and State in Norway," as I think it will be found that in Norway, Church and State were more closely connected than in any other country in Europe. As the work is indeed primarily a history of Norway from its ecclesiastical side, I have therefore not followed more closely than it seemed necessary, the various purely civil events and the warlike expeditions to other lands in the early days. The main object I have had in view was to trace the history of the growth, development, vigorous life, and subsequent decline and fall of that Church, of which the foundations were mainly laid by the English fellow-helpers of Olaf Trygvess0n and Olaf the Saint, at the end of the tenth and beginning of the eleventh centuries. I have further wished to show the way in which that Church was related to the State, and the struggle which it had for supremacy, closely akin to that carried on about the same time in other countries of Europe. The story is a deeply interesting one, and in this I hope the reader will agree with me. If not, then the fault is that of the narrator, and not of the events narrated. Elsewhere will be found a fairly comprehensive list of authorities employed ; but I wish to acknowledge fuUy my obligations to my predecessors who have written on this subject in modern times, especially to the writings of such wonderful learning and research as those of the late Professor Rudolf Keyser in Den Norshe Kirkes Historie under Katholicismeii, Dr. Konrad Maurer in Die Behehrung des Norwegischen Stammes zum Christenthume, and to the more recent works of Bishop Bang, Absalon Taranger, A. D. J0rgensen, and the late Professor Dr. R. T. Nissen. PEEFACE. vii Lastly, I must express my gratitude to those who have assisted me in the preparation of this work, especially to Professor Dr. Yngvar Nielsen, Rector of the University of Christiania, for advice respecting original authorities and also for much useful information ; to Pastor S. Hoist Jensen, for reading the proofs of the entire work, and for many valuable suggestions and corrections ; to the Very Rev. G. W. Kitchen, D.D., Dean of Durham, for advice on many points ; to Mr. Clement 0. Skilbeck, for his admirable picture for the title page, of St. Olaf and his design for the cover ; to Herr Konservator H. Schetelig and the autho- rities of the Bergen Museum, for permission to photograph some of their antiquarian treasures ; to my son, Mr. Olaf Willson, B.A., for many references in English and foreign authorities, for his appendix on the Norwegian stavhirlcer, and for the index ; and above all, to my wife, without whose unfailing aid and encouragement this work would probably never have been completed. T. B. WILLSON. Shooter's Hill, Kent, March, 1903. 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE .... V UST OP PRINCIPAL AUTHORITIES CHAPTKB I. HEATHEN NORWAY 1 — II. THE POUNDING OF THE KINGDOM . 10—16 III. THE FIRST CONTACT WITH CHRISTIANITY. 17—21 IV. HAAKON THE GOOD AND THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO INTRODUCE CHRISTIANITY 22—30 HABALD 6RAAPELL AND THE HEATHEN REACTION UNDER HAAKON JAEL 31—38 VI. OLAF TRYGVES80N AND THE TRIUMPH OP "THE WHITE CHRIST" 39—57 VII. ST. OLAF, KING AND MARTYR .... 58—90 VIII. MAGNUS THE GOOD AND HAEALD HAARDRAADB . 91 —104 IX OLAP KTRRE TO THE DEATH OP SIGUED JORSALPARER 105—116 X. CHUECH ORGANIZATION IN THE EARLIEST TIMES . 117 131 XI. MISSION OP CARDINAL NICHOLAS BEEAKSPEARE . 132—155 XII. SVERRE AND THE GREAT STRUGGLE WITH THE CHURCH 156—184 XIII. HAAKON SVERRBSS0N TO THE DEATH OP HAAKON HAAKONSS0N 185 208 XIV. MAGNUS LAGAB0TBE AND THE T0NSBEBG CONCORDAT 209—224 XV. HAAKON V. ... 225—234 XVI. MAGNUS ERIKSS0N AND THE BLACK DEATH . 235—251 XVII. THE CHURCH UNDER MARGARET AND ERIK . 252—264 XVIII. ERIK, TO THE DEATH OP KRISTOPBR OP BAVARIA . 265—274 XIX. NORWAY UNDER DANISH KINGS .... 275—294 XX. KRISTIAN II. AND FREDERICK I. —THE BEGINNING OF THE END ....... 295—327 — X CONTENTS. OHAPTBB PAGE XXI. THE INTERREGNUM TO THE SIEGE OP COPENHAGEN 328—337 XXII. THE church's DOWNFALL AND LOSS OF NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE ....... 338—353 " APPENDIX I. "sigbfridus norwegbnsis episcopus . 355—357 APPENDIX II.—THE NORWEGIAN StavHrker and THEIR ORIGIN 358—364 appendix III. LIST OF BISHOPS AND ARCHBISHOPS OP NiDAROs . 365—367 GENEALOGICAL TABLES 368—369 LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS. TBONDHJEM CATHEDRAL Frontispiece. ST. OLAF (by C. O. SKILBECK) ST. SUNNIVA, FROM AUSTEVOLD THE CHURCH OP MOSTER KING BTSTBIN . BORGUND StavkirJce . ALTAR PIECE FROM LUR0 ST. OLAF, FROM PJELD RELIQUARY AT HEDAL. RUINS ON SEUE MARIA KIRKE IN BERGEN AKEHSHU3 AT OSLO RUINS OP HAMAE CATHEDRAL — : LIST OF THE PEINCIPAL AUTHOEITIES. In the following list will be found the principal authorities, both mediaeval and modern, used in this history. The list is not, however, by any means an exhaustive one. The HeimsTcringla of Saorre Sturlass0n (b. 1178, d. 1241). From the earliest times down to the battle of Re, 1177. The Sverre^s Saga, HadkorCs, Guthorm's and Inge's Saga, Haakon Haakonss<jm!s Saga, by Karl Jonsspn, Sturla Thordss0n and others. From 1177 to 1263. Fagrshmna. A history from Halfdan the Black to Sverre. Agrip. A fragment of great value, probably from 1190. From Halfdan to Sigurd Jorsalfarer. FlateyarhoTc. A MS. from the island of Flatey (Iceland) : a collection of various Sagas to 1395. Saga of Olaf Trygvess^, by Odd, a monk of Thing0re, in Iceland. Ola/den helUges Saga, edited by Munch and Unger (Christiania), 1853. Bishop Arne's Saga, and Bishop Laurentius's Saga. 13th century. Danorum Historic^, by Saxo-Grammaticus. Historia de Antiquitate regum Norwegiensium, by Theodoricus MoUachus in Langebek's Scriptores rerum Dandcarum, Vol. V. Gesta Hammaburgensis Mclesia Pontificum, by Adam of Bremen. The following Chronicles in places referring to Norway ; Anglo-Saxon Chronicle : Florence of Worcester, William of Malmesbury, Simeon of Durham, Roger de Hoveden, Matthew Paris, William of Jumi^ges. Norges GamleLove (The Old Laws of Norway), Vols. I. —V. (Christiania), 1846—95. A collection of the ancient ecclesiastical and civil legislation, and other documents, from the earliest times to 1387. Diplomatarium Norvegicum. A collection of documents relating to Norway ; first volume issued in 1849, and the remainder at intervals since that date. xii LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL AUTHOKITIES. Det Norslce Folks Historie, by P. A. Munch, in eight vols. (Christiania), the two last relating to the union period. Norges Historie to 1387, by Rudolf Keyser, two vols. (Christiania). Ud^igtomr M Norske Folks | g ^ ^ g^^^ (Christiania). Htstorie, vols. four ) Illustreret NorgeS Historie, by 0. A. 0verland (Christiania). De f^ste Konger af den Olden- \ borgske Slmgt i By C. Paludan-Miiller (Copenhagen). Orevens Feide ] Historie Det Norske Kirkes under) -r. t. , ,, „ ,^, . ^ ^'^'^"^^ ^^y^^-" (Chnstiama). Katholicismm, two vols. | ^^ DIr Bekehrung des Nortvegischm Stammes I By Dr. Konrad Maurer sum Christenthume, two vols. j (Miinchen). Udsigt over den Norske Kirkes Historie ) ByBishopDr. A.Chr. Bang under Katholicismm ) (Christiania). De Nordiske Kirkers Historie, by R. T. Nissen (Christiania). Den NordiskeKirkes Grundlmggelse ) „ , t^, ^ ^^ ^- ^- J'^rgensen (Copenhagen). ogfmtB Udvikling \ Den Angelsaksiske Kirkes Inflydelse 1 ^ . , , _, ,/ni . • . ^^«^'°^ Taranger (Christiania). pm den Norske. \ ^^ De Norske Klostres Historie, by C. C. A. Lange (Christiania). Den Danshe Kirkes Historie ) „ ^ ,, , .„ ^^ ^- ^^Iveg (Copenhagen).