RobinHat
Warlord
Öjevind Lång;8658511 said:I don't want to blow on flames, but the claim that Norway was effectively under Danish rule throughout the Viking Age simply isn't true; neither was Norway part of Denmark afterwards until the 15th century, when the Union of Kalmar (which was enacted in the 14th century) gradually degenerated into a Danish principality.
I have not at any point said that 'Norway was under Danish rule' during the Viking Age (except in the time during and just before Canute the Great). I have said that it was effectively under Danish rule AFTER 1387 and that the two countries were closely tied during the Viking Age, with Danish influence in Norway being very visible.
The Kalmar Union was indeed enacted late during this time but, as has been stated earlier, was more of a military and economic pact than anything else.
Which is why Sweden repeatedly rebelled against the Danish kings until it had regained its independence. Norway rebelled once, in the 15th century, but since it was smaller and weaker than Sweden, the Danes managed to suppress the rebellion and retain their grip on the country. (Denmark was much bigger then than now; several provinces that are now part of Sweden were Danish at the time.)
After Sweden left the Kalmar Union, Denmark still was master of Norway. There was no rebellion in Norway after the Swedes left.
Also, I assume the provinces you are referring to are Skåne, Halland and Blekinge, which had always been a part of Denmark, and didn't become Swedish until Carl X Gustav conquered them in 1658.
Originally, the Union of Kalmar was simply a dynastic arrangement: the three countries shared the same monarch but retained their respective national Councils of the Realm (governments). But the old dynasty (descended from the royal families of all three countries) died out and was replaced by the German dynasty of Oldenburg, collaterally descended from the old Danish royal family. The Oldenburgs had the ambiton to turn the union into a unitary kingdom. After Sweden (with Finland) had conclusively seceded in 1521, the Oldenburgs did manage to create a unified Danish kingdom out of Denmark, Norway, Icleand and the Faroes.
This is all true, and doesn't take away from my points.