Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
The Formation of the Kingdom of Norway
The Rise of the Scandinavian Kingdoms
From Harald Finehair to Harald Hardrada
Unification and Division - the Moving Forces
External and Internal Factors
The “Civil Wars”
Pretenders and Factions
The Basic Factors
The Consequences of the Civil Wars
From the Civil Wars to the Age of Greatness
War, Military Organisation and Social Change
From Plunder to Internal Exploitation
The Origin and Development of the “leidang”
“Leidang” and Elite Forces
The Norwegian Empire and its Foreign Policy until 1319
War Made the State, but Did the State Make War? - The Military Challenges 1240-1319
The Social and Economic Basis of the Norwegian Military System
The Towns - Centres of the Monarchy and the Church
The King’s Revenues
Conclusion
Religion, Monarchy, and the Right Order of the World
Old Norse Religion
The Conversion to Christianity
The Right Order of the World and the Christian Monarchy
The Emergence of the Dynasty and Hereditary Monarchy
The Courtly Culture
Patriotism and Secular Legitimation of Monarchy
Conclusion
Justice, Law and Power
The Regional Laws
What Was Law?
Law and Society
God’s Law: The Rise of Royal and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Royal and Ecclesiastical Legislation: A New Concept of Law
The Emergence of Public Justice: Intent and Evidence
Justice in Practice
A Legal Revolution?
Conclusion
Royal and Ecclesiastical Administration - a Step towards a Real Bureaucracy?
The Ecclesiastical Administration
The Royal Administration
A New Bureaucracy?
From Oral to Written Administration
Writing in the Royal Administration: The Quantitative Evidence
Writing in the Royal Administration: The Qualitative Evidence
Predictability and Distance
The Leaders: King and Bishop
Did Norway Become a State? Government, Obedience and Clientelism
Conclusion
The Division of Power and its Social Foundation
The King and the Church: From the Foundation of the Church Province to the Death of Håkon Håkonsson
The Conflict about Jurisdiction and the Concordat of Tønsberg
The Conflict in the 1280s
The Results of the Struggle - Monarchy and Church in the Fourteenth Century and Later
The Ideological Aspect: A Brain Trust in the Service of the Monarchy
“Regnum” and “Sacerdotium” in Norway
The Secular Aristocracy
The King and the Aristocracy: Ideology
From Assemblies of the Best Men to the King’s Council
Who Were “The Best Men”?
The Decision-Making Process
The Problem of Regencies
Monarchy, Aristocracy and Union during the Reign of Magnus Eriksson
A Strong Monarchy
The King and the People
Conclusion
How, Why, When and How Much? The Extent and Character of Norwegian State Formation in the Middle Ages
The Kings of Norway, c. 900-1380
Literature, Sources, and Abbreviations
Index
