Europe · Norway · Oslo
Akershus Fortress
The story
History of Akershus Fortress
Oslo's medieval castle and royal mausoleum, rebuilt under Christian IV and used as a prison before becoming a fortress museum.
Norway · Oslo · Medieval & Renaissance
- Built
- from 1299
- Era
- Renaissance
- Style
- Medieval & Renaissance
- Country
- Norway
- Region
- Oslo
- UNESCO
- —
- Coordinates
- 59.907, 10.736
In depth
The fuller history
It is not known exactly when the construction of the castle started but it is believed that it took place around the late 1290s, by King Haakon V, replacing Tønsberg as one of the two most important Norwegian castles of the period (the other being Båhus). It was constructed in response to the Norwegian nobleman, Earl Alv Erlingsson of Sarpsborg's earlier attack on Oslo that occurred in 1287. In the aftermath of the attack, it became clear that the city's existing defences were not effective and therefore, a stronger defensive centre was needed.
The fortress was first used in battle in 1308, when it was besieged by the Swedish duke Erik Magnusson. The siege was eventually broken by a local Norwegian army in a battle. (This battle forms a major part of the plot of Sigrid Undset's historical novel In the Wilderness, the third volume of her tetralogy The Master of Hestviken.)
After construction of the castle was finished around 1300, Haakon V gradually started to use the castle as a residential palace, favoring the keep over the Oslo Kongsgård estate despite the fact that the castle likely was unsuited as a residence. The castle becoming a royal residence also played a significant role in the process where the capital of Norway was moved from Bergen to Oslo.
Key dates
- 1287It was constructed in response to the Norwegian nobleman, Earl Alv Erlingsson of Sarpsborg's earlier attack on Oslo that occurred in 1287.
- 1308The fortress was first used in battle in 1308, when it was besieged by the Swedish duke Erik Magnusson.
- 1502The castle was not besieged again until 1502 when Scottish soldiers in the service of the Danish–Norwegian king besieged the castle in order to regain it from the hands of the Norwegian nobleman Knut Alvsson.
- 1531King Christian II besieged the castle from 1531 to 1532 but the siege was lifted by forces from Denmark and Lübeck.
- 1624Following the great fire of 1624, King Christian IV made the decision to relocate and rebuild the entire city of Oslo.
- 1940However it surrendered without combat to Nazi Germany in 1940 when the Norwegian government evacuated the capital in the face of the unprovoked German assault on Denmark and Norway (see Operation Weserübung).
Historical summary drawn from Wikipedia. Read the full article.
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