Christianization of Scandinavia
For the purposes of this article the Christianization of Scandinavia refers to
the process of conversion to Christianity of the Scandinavian and Nordic
peoples, starting in the 8th century with the arrival of missionaries in Denmark
and ending in the 18th century with the conversion of the Inuits and the Sami.
Denmark
Recorded missionary efforts in Denmark started with Willibrord, Apostle to the
Frisians, who preached in Jutland around 700 with little success. A century
later Ebbo, Archbishop of Reims, baptized a few men during his 823 sojourn in
Denmark. A few years later, in 826, the exiled Danish king Klakk-Harald forged
an alliance with Louis the Pious and was baptized along with his family and
court in Ingelheim am Rhein. As Harald returned to Denmark, Louis assigned the
monk Ansgar to follow him and oversee Christianity among the converts. Ansgar
proved an effective missionary who extended his work to Sweden. Nevertheless
Christianity had made mostly a surface impression and the majority of Danes
remained pagan. In 831 the Archbishopric of Hamburg was founded and assigned
responsibility for Christianity in the north. Over the following century
Christianity made slow inroads in Denmark. The semi-legendary king Gorm the Old
was said to be "hard and heathen" but his son, Harald Bluetooth (ca. 911 - ca.
986) boasted on the Jelling stones that he had "made the Danes Christian". Some
sources report that his son, Svein Forkbeard, relapsed into paganism but in the
early 11th century Denmark can be said to be a Christian country.
Norway and the west
The first recorded attempts at spreading Christianity in Norway were made by
King Haakon the Good (reigned 934-961), who was raised in England. His efforts
were unpopular and met with little success. The subsequent King Harald Greyhide
(reigned 961–976), also a Christian, was known for destroying pagan temples but
not for efforts to popularize Christianity. He was followed by the staunchly
pagan Jarl Haakon (reigned 971-995) who led a revival of paganism with the
rebuilding of temples. In 995 King Olaf Tryggvason came to power in Norway and
made it his priority to convert the country to Christianity using all means at
his disposal. By destroying temples and torturing and killing pagan resisters he
succeeded in making every part of Norway at least nominally Christian. Expanding
his efforts to the Norse settlements in the west the kings' sagas credit him
with Christianizing the Faroes, Orkney, Shetland, Iceland and Greenland. In
Iceland the decision to convert was made peacefully at the Althing, following
King Olaf's taking of Icelandic hostages.
After Olaf's defeat at the Battle of Svolder in 1000 there was a partial relapse
to paganism in Norway under the rule of the Jarls of Lade. In the following
reign of Saint Olaf, 1015-1028, pagan remnants were stamped out and Christianity
entrenched.
Sweden and Finland
The first known attempts to Christianize Sweden were made by Ansgar in 830,
invited by the Swedish king Björn at Haugi. Setting up a church at Birka he met
with little Swedish interest. A century later Unni, archbishop of Hamburg, made
another unsuccessful attempt. In the 10th century English missionaries made
inroads in Västergötland while central Sweden, with the Temple at Uppsala, was a
centre of pagan resistance. The first Christian king of Sweden was Olof
Skötkonung who succeeded to the throne in the 990s but conflict between
Christians and pagans continued till the end of the 11th century.
Judging by archaeological finds, Christianity gained a foothold in Finland
during the 11th century. It was strengthened with growing Swedish influence in
the 12th century and the Finnish "crusade" of Birger Jarl in the 13th century.
The last pagans
In the 18th century a new Danish colony was started in Greenland with the
objective of converting the inhabitants to Christianity. Around the same time
efforts were made in Norway and Sweden to convert the Sami, who had remained
pagan long after the conversion of their neighbours.