The Norwegian Monarchy c. 1250-1380

The Norwegian monarchy has been the focus of Norwegian research on the Middle Ages since the beginning of the 19th century. The goal was to prove that Norway was a kingdom equal to near and distant neighbours in Europe, while demonstrating that the Norwegian kingdom and people were quite distinct. We will critically examine former national or even nationalistic approaches to the Norwegian monarchy in the Middle Ages. How different was the Norwegian kingdom and how national was it? The course focuses on geopolitical, ethnic, social, structural and functional aspects of the Norwegian kingdom, which will be held up against comparable polities in Europe.

The goal is to train students to think and work comparatively and analytically, and not least to stimulate reflection over one’s own historiographic point of view.