Heihei! Today, we will talk about the political union between Denmark, Sweden and Norway called the Union of Kalmar. Before we do that: You can support the podcast on Patreon.¹. The transcript for the episode is available at the website for the podcast. See the description for more information. Now, let’s take a deeper look into the Kalmar Union.

Kalmarunionen

Kalmarunionen blei inngått i seinmiddelalderen. Det var en politisk forening mellom Danmark, Norge og Sverige som varte formelt fra 1397 til 1521. Dette var en periode i europeisk historie der det var vanlig å inngå unioner. Mange unioner i Europa blei inngått i denne perioden. For eksempel inngikk Castilla og Aragon i Spania en union i 1479 og Polen og Litauen gikk inn i en union med hverandre i 1569. Vi bør forstå Kalmarunionen i lys av dette.

Margrete I, dronning av Danmark, var hovedpersonen bak Kalmarunionen. Hun var gift med kongen av Norge Håkon VI Magnusson. Da Håkon døde i 1380 blei sønnen til Håkon og Margrete utropt til konge i Norge. Problemet var bare at han ikke var gammel nok til å være konge ennå. Det gjorde at Margrete herska i Norge til sønnen blei gammel nok. Men så døde sønnen også og Margrete hadde ingen mannlige slektninger. Likevel klarte Margrete å fortsette å styre i Norge og i Danmark. Hun utnevnte søsterdattersønnen sin Eirik til tronarving. Eirik var altså sønnen til datteren til søsteren til Margrete. Det viser litt hvor komplisert det er.

I tillegg var Danmark og Norge i krig mot Sverige. Krigen varte helt til 1396. I 1396 blei Eirik hylla til konge av Sverige. Eirik skulle altså bli konge i Danmark, Sverige og Norge, og slik samle Skandinavia. I tillegg til disse tre rikene var også Finland en del av Sverige på denne tida. Store deler av Norden blei altså samla ved Kalmar unionen. Selv om det var Eirik som blei krona som konge, så var det dronning Margrete som var hovedarkitekten bak unionen. Det var hun som var hovedpersonen i samlingen av Skandinavia. I 1397 blei Kalmarunionen offisielt inngått.

Selv om unionen offisielt varte helt til 1523 så var det flere problemer før det. Da Margrete døde i 1412 måtte Eirik klare seg helt alene. Eirik opplevde flere problemer med unionen. Sverige var reelt utenfor unionen i lange perioder etter 1434. Kalmar Unionen blei oppløst i 1523 da Sverige endelig gikk ut av unionen og krona sin egen konge. Norge skulle derimot fortsette sammen med Danmark. Kalmar unionen var altså en slags begynnelse av unionen mellom Danmark og Norge.

The Kalmar Union

The Kalmar Union was created in the Late Middle Ages as a political union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden that lasted from 1397 to 1521. This happened in a European context of royal intermarriage and the creation of unions. For example, Castille and Aragon entered into a union in 1479. The same happened to Poland and Lithuania in 1569. The Kalmar Union should be understood in the light of these general developments.

Margaret I, queen of Denmark, was the protagonist in creating the Kalmar Union. She was married to the king of Norway, Håkon VI Magnusson. When Håkon died in 1380, Margaret and Håkon’s son was hailed as king of Norway; the only problem was that he was not old enough to rule by himself. Hence, Margaret was in charge until her son would grow up. That never happened as he died before he was of age to rule. This was the only son she had, so by now, there was no male heirs to the throne. Margaret also ruler Denmark and she was accepted as ruler in both countries, although she did not have a male heir. This could not continue, so she appointed her sister’s daughter’s son, Eirik, as heir to the throne. Succession was not always easy.

Denmark and Norway also waged a war against the king of Sweden that would last until 1396 when he finally was defeated. In 1396, Eirik was crowned as king of Sweden, and he would be the ruler of all of Scandinavia. In fact, large parts of Finland was also included in the union as it belonged to the kingdom of Sweden. Furthermore, Norway added its islands to the union such as Iceland, the Faroese Islands and Greenland. The Kalmar Union would therefore encompass large part of the Nordic countries. The Kalmar Union was officially created in 1397.

Although the union officially would last until 1523, several problems arose before that. When Margaret died in 1412, Eirik had to manage all alone. He experienced several problems, and Sweden would, in practice, be outside the union for protracted periods of time after 1434. The union was dissolved in 1523 when Sweden once and for all left it and crowned their own king. Norway, however, would continue in the union with Demark. The Kalmar Union was therefore an important first step in creating the union between Denmark and Norway that would last until 1814.

Vocabulary:

Inngå – Enter into

Forening – Union

Å vare – To last

Hovedperson – Protagonist

Å utrope – To exclaim

Å herske – To rule

Sletkning – Relative

Å utnevne – To appoint

Tronarving – Heir to the throne

Å hylle – To hail

Hovedarkitekt – Main architect

Å klare seg helt alene – To cope all by oneself

Å oppleve – To experience

Oppløst – Dissolved

Å krone – To crown (a king)