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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.
Christian laws also mentioned outdoor cult sites which were known as horgs. [6] Bans on eating horsemeat after the official conversion to Christianity imply that it was an important element of pagan cults. [3] Norsemen buried their dead in the ground or cremated them, but they always placed burial gifts in the graves. [6]
The conversion of Norway to Christianity began well before 1000 AD. The raids on Ireland, Britain and the Frankish kingdoms had brought the Vikings in touch with Christianity. [ 6 ] Haakon the Good of Norway who had grown up in England tried to introduce Christianity in the tenth century, but had met resistance from pagan leaders and soon ...
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 ...
While the official conversion of Scandinavian Scotland took place at the end of the tenth century, there is evidence that Christianity had already made inroads into the Viking controlled Highland and Islands. There are a large number of isles called Pabbay or Papa in the Western and Northern Isles, which may indicate a "hermit's" or "priest's ...
Members included Herigar, evidently the first documented Christian Swede. However, findings from a Christian graveyard at Varnhem, dated to the 9th century, indicate that Christianity may have arrived before Ansgar. [5] [6] In addition, it is not unlikely that Christian slaves and other foreigners inhabited Sweden before that time.
The conversion of Norway to Christianity began in the 1000s. The raids on the British isles and on the Frankish kingdoms had brought the Vikings in touch with Christianity. Haakon the Good of Norway , who had grown up in England, tried to introduce Christianity in the mid-10th century but had met resistance from pagan leaders and soon abandoned ...