Scandinavia in the Middle Ages 900-1550: Between Two Oceans

341 Pages·2023·47.833 MB·English

by  Kirsi Salonen, Kurt Villads Jensen

Scandinavia in the Middle Ages
900–1550
Medieval Scandinavia went through momentous changes. Regional power centres
merged and gave birth to the three strong kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and
Sweden. At the end of the Middle Ages, they together formed the enormous Kalmar
Union comprising almost all lands around the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. In
the Middle Ages, Scandinavia became part of a common Europe, yet preserved its
own distinct cultural markers.
Scandinavia in the Middle Ages 900–1550 covers the entire Middle Ages into an
engaging narrative. The book gives a chronological overview of political, ecclesias-
tical, cultural, and economic developments. It integrates to this narrative climatic
change, energy crises, devastating epidemies, family life and livelihood, arts, educa-
tion, technology and literature, and much else. The book shows how different groups
had an important role in shaping society: kings and peasants, pious priests, nuns and
crusaders, merchants, and students, without forgetting minorities such as Sámi
and Jews. The book is divided into three chronological parts 900–1200, 1200–1400,
and 1400–1550, where analyses of general trends are illustrated by the acts of indi-
vidual men and women.
This book is essential reading for students of, as well as all those interested in, me-
dieval Scandinavia and Europe more broadly.
Kirsi Salonen is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Bergen, Norway.
Her previous publications include Papal Justice in the Late Middle Ages. The Sacra
Romana Rota (2016); and she is the co-editor of Scandinavia and the Vatican
Archives (2022).
Kurt Villads Jensen is Professor of Medieval History and Director of the Centre for
Medieval Studies at Stockholm University, Sweden. His previous publications include
Crusading at the Edges of Europe. Denmark and Portugal c.1000–c.1250 (2017);
and he is the co-author of The Rise and Fall of the Danish Empire (2022).

Scandinavia in the Middle Ages
900–1550
Between Two Oceans
Kirsi Salonen and Kurt Villads Jensen
Designed cover image: © Photo Kirsten Trampedach 2007, Public Domain.
Kirkeudsmykninger.euman.net
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Kirsi Salonen and Kurt Villads Jensen
The right of Kirsi Salonen and Kurt Villads Jensen to be identified as authors
of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Salonen, Kirsi, author. | Jensen, Kurt Villads, author.
Title: Scandinavia in the middle ages 900–1550: between two oceans /
Kirsi Salonen & Kurt Villads Jensen.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2023. |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2022037894 (print) | LCCN 2022037895 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367558703 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367558697 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003095514 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Scandinavia—History—To 1397. | Scandinavia—Economic
conditions—To 1500. | Church history—Middle Ages, 600-1500. |
Christianity—Scandinavia—History—To 1500. | Middle Ages.
Classification: LCC DL61 .S256 2023 (print) |
LCC DL61 (ebook) | DDC 948/.02—dc23/eng/20220816
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037894
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037895
ISBN: 978-0-367-55870-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-55869-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-09551-4 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003095514
Typeset in Sabon
by codeMantra
Published with the kind support of
Sven och Dagmar Saléns vetenskaps- och kulturstiftelse
The Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and R eligion,
Bergen University
The Department of History, Stockholm University

Contents
List of Maps xii
List of Illustrations xiii
Introduction 1
PART I
900–1200: Formation 5
1 Coming of the Kingdoms 7
The Kingdoms and Conversion 7
Denmark: Conquest and Christianisation – Swift or Slow? 10
The North Sea Empire 14
Norway: The Long Land Unified by Christianity 17
Saint Olaf 18
Sweden: The Kingdoms of the Goths and of the Sveas 21
Iceland: The Lands without Kings 22
Greenland: Northerners in a New Environment 24
The Period of Civil Wars 26
An Especially Violent Period in Scandinavian History? 32
Royal Administrators 33
Military Organisation 35
Watch Towers and Castles 37
2 Coming of Christ 40
Before Christianity 40
Western Christianity 900–1200 41
The Danish Church 900–1200 41
The Norwegian Church 900–1200 47
The Icelandic Church 900–1200 51
The Swedish Church 900–1200 52
The Finnish Church 900–1200 55
The Long Arms of the Papacy 57
viii Contents
The General Church Councils 57
The Papal Curia 58
Papal Representatives 58
Ecclesiastical Administration at Local Level 59
Inquisition 61
Ecclesiastical Norms 62
Ecclesiastical Justice 65
Sin and Absolution 67
Clerical Stand and Monastic Orders 69
Monastic Orders 71
Canons Regular 73
Military Orders 75
Mendicants 77
Embarking Upon the Monastic Lifestyle and the Choice of the
Right Order 81
Monasteries and Medieval Society 82
3 Tilling the Land – The Local Economy 84
The Spread of Agriculture 84
Population and Family Structure 87
Life in the Countryside 88
Agriculture, Fishing, and Hunting 89
The Self-Sufficient Economy and Local Market 93
4 Cultural Tradition and Transition 96
Romanesque Architecture 96
Romanesque Arts 100
The Coming of Writing 104
Oral Tradition – Scaldic and Eddic Poetry and Sagas 105
Liturgical Literature 106
Mortality, Illnesses, and Life Expectance 107
Food and Drink 111
Clothing 113
PART II
1200–1400: Consolidation and Restructuring 117
5 Dominion over the Seas 119
Military Revolution and Expansion into the Baltic 119
Naval Revolution 120
Expansion in the Baltic 122
The Danish Baltic Empire 123
A Traitor: The Black Count Henry of Schwerin 127
Contents ix
Swedish Colonisation and Crusades 129
Expansion into the North Atlantic – The Norwegian Dominium 130
Killing Kings 133
Inter-Scandinavian Marriages and Raids 137
Models for Governance 139
Legal Development 143
From Oral to Written, from Provincial to National Laws 144
Issues Regulated by Law 150
Legal Practice 152
1319 – The Year That Everything Changed 153
Denmark Pawned and Redeemed 156
Wars with the Hansa, and among the Scandinavian Kingdoms 157
6 Consolidation of the Church 160
The Western Church 1200–1400 160
The Danish Church 1200–1400 160
The Norwegian Church 1200–1400 163
The Icelandic Church 1200–1400 165
The Swedish Church 1200–1400 166
The Finnish Church 1200–1400 169
Saints 170
Relics 175
Pilgrimage 176
Crusades 180
7 Economic Growth and Fall – Urbanisation and Agrarian Crisis 184
Urbanisation 184
Towns on the Coast 186
Urban Environment 186
Trade in Towns: Local and International 191
The Monetary Economy 191
Progress and Prosperity: Technological Innovations of the 13th Century 193
The Economic Crisis of the 14th Century 196
The Plague 196
The Climate Change 199
The Agricultural Crisis 199
The Lack of Labour 200
8 Cultural Universalism 202
Gothic Architecture 202
Gothic Arts 206
Literature 212
Education and Learning 218
Local Education 218