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The conversion to Christianity of the Scandinavian people required more time, since it took additional efforts to establish a network of churches. The earliest signs of Christianization were in the 830s with Ansgar's construction of churches in Birka and Hedeby. [1] The conversion of Scandinavian kings occurred over the period 960–1020. [1]
The Catholic Church in the Nordic countries was the only Christian church in that region before the Reformation in the 16th century. Since then, Scandinavia has been a mostly non-Catholic region and the position of Nordic Catholics for many centuries after the Reformation was very difficult due to legislation outlawing Catholicism.
The history of Christianity in Norway started in the Viking Age in the 9th century. Trade, plundering raids, and travel brought the Norsemen into close contacts with Christian communities, but their conversion only started after powerful chieftains decided to receive baptism during their stay in England or Normandy.
The conversion of Norway to Christianity began in 1000 AD. Prior to the conversion Norwegians practised Norse paganism. The Norwegian Bible, Bibelen.. Christianity is the largest religion in Norway and it has historically been called a Christian country.
Denmark in the 10th century. The official conversion occurred during the reign of King Harald Bluetooth, who mounted the throne around 958. [17] According to the contemporaneous Widukind of Corvey, a priest named Poppo convinced him to accept that "there is only one true God" and the pagan deities were "in truth demons" by carrying a large piece of glowing hot iron in his hand without damaging ...
Side view of Uppsala Cathedral, the headquarters of the Church of Sweden.. Religion in Sweden has, over the years, become increasingly diverse.Christianity was the religion of virtually all of the Swedish population from the 12th to the early 20th century, but it has rapidly declined throughout the late 20th and early 21st century.
Conversion was slow, however, and most Scandinavian lands were only completely Christianised at the time of rulers such as Saint Canute IV of Denmark and Olaf I of Norway in the years following 1000. The Roman emperor encouraged missionary expeditions to nearby nations including the Muslim caliphate, the Turkic Khazars, and Slavic Moravia.
During the Reformation, the territories ruled by the Danish-based House of Oldenburg converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism.After the break-up of the Kalmar Union in 1521/1523, these realms included the kingdoms of Denmark (with the former east Danish provinces in Skåneland) and Norway (with Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands) and the Duchies of Schleswig (a Danish fief) and Holstein ...