The Christianization of Scandinavia (original) (raw)
Related papers
2007
A major change took place in Scandinavia around AD 1000: the emergence of a monarchy, the establishment of Christianity and urbanisation are the main elements of this change, followed by transformations in, for instance, social organisation, economy, technology and aesthetics. The order of events has since long been discussed in order to find the answer to the typical historical question: What came first and last in this historical sequence? What were the courses of events, and what were the consequences?
Christianization and State Formation in Early Medieval Norway
Scandinavian Journal of History, 2005
The article deals with problems and directions of research in the study of the Christianization of Norway. While scholars from the 19th century onwards largely accepted the sagas' account of the Christianization as the work of two missionary kings in the late tenth and early 11th century, the recent trend has been in the direction of a long and gradual process of Christianization, starting in the late ninth or early tenth century. This interpretation seems to regard the Christianization as the direct consequence of increasing contact with the new religion, thus neglecting the question of why the conversion took place. The present contribution directly addresses this question. It emphasizes the political aspect of the conversion and the importance of the Viking kings coming from abroad for giving Christianity the religious monopoly. Further, it suggests three lines of investigation for future research: (i) a thorough examination of the rich archaeological material, (ii) a comparison with the whole area of Northern and East Central Europe that was included in Western Christendom in the tenth and 11th centuries, and (iii) a focus not only on the conversion period, but on the gradual penetration of Christianity in the following period and its consequences for state formation, the development of society, and cultural and ideological transformation. The following article has its origin in a comparative project on the Christianization of northern and east central Europe. Its aim is not to give a complete account on the Christianization of Norway but to discuss some theories and approaches to the problem and point out some directions for future research.
The significance of places: the Christianization of Scandinavia from a spatial point of view
World Archaeology, 2013
The question of cult continuity from pagan 'temples' to Christian churches in Scandinavia is a classic issue in archaeology and history. In this paper the discussion is surveyed and new perspectives are outlined, based on the ritual differences between the two religious traditions. Churches were located in relation not so much to pagan ritual buildings as to different elements in multi-focused pagan ritual landscapes, for instance burial grounds. This means that the spatial patterns varied between different parts of Scandinavia.
2021
This book discusses Adam of Bremen's perceptions and interpretation of the Christianization of Scandinavia in the Early Middle Ages. The views the chronicler presents in the Gesta Hammaburgensis constitute the central element of this analysis. By departing from the historiography—both the older view of the Gesta as trustworthy, and the recent view of the work as unreliable and biased—this book focuses instead on the Christianization of Scandinavia as an authorial concept. What follows is a reevaluation of the Gesta's significance both to its medieval audience and the modern historian.
Religious Otherness and National Identity in Scandinavia, c. 1790–1960
De Gruyter eBooks, 2020
This volume is based on my former publication in Norwegian, Nasjonens antiborgere: Forestillinger om religiøse minoriteters om samfunnsfienderiNorge, ca. 1814-1964(Cappelen Damm Akademisk, 2017). The original studyw as considerably revised and extended, as the perspectivesa nd topics of discussion shifted from aN orwegian to ab roader Scandinavian point of view. The author wishes to thankthe Bergen Universitetsfond and the Department of Archaeology, History,Cultural Studies and Religion at the UniversityofBergen for their generous support in financingt his Open Access publication. Iwould also like to thank the editors of this series, Jonathan Adams, Cordelia Heß, and Christhard Hoffmann, for includingthis book in the series. My special gratitude goes to Christhard Hoffmann for his encouragement and motivation over the years, in this and other projects.A dam Kingh as translated the original and new parts of the text into English, and as pecial thanky ou goes to him for the pleasant cooperation and the careful translation. Finally, Iw ish to thank my anonymous peer reviewer for useful comments to this volume. In preparingt his volume for publication, Iw ould also like to express my heartfelta ppreciation to Robert Forke, Julia Sjöberg, Antonia Mittelbach, and LauraB urlon at De Gruyter.