List of historical capitals of Norway
A list of the historical capitals of the Kingdom of Norway. According to the Great Norwegian Encyclopedia, "the kingdom had too few centralizing institutions to have any real "capital" in the early Middle Ages".[1]
List
| Original city name | Standardization | Current city name | From | To | Historical states | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ǫgvaldsnes (Nominally) | — | Avaldsnes | 872 | 997 | Kingdom of Norway (1) | Unified from the petty kingdoms of Norway to a single Kingdom of Norway, which had no clear or single capital. However, it's believed that Norway's oldest royal residence and seat of power was at the Avaldsnes Kongsgård estate.[2] |
| Niðaróss | Nidaros | Trondheim (1) | 997 | 1016 | Founded by Olav Tryggvason. | |
| Borg | Ditto | Sarpsborg | 1016 | 1028 | Founded by St. Olaf in 1016.[1] | |
| Niðaróss | Nidaros | Trondheim (2) | 1028 | 1067 | The capital was moved to Bergen. Seat of power was originally at Alrekstad Kongsgård estate. Moved to Holmen in 1110 c. | |
| Biorgvin | Bjørgvin | Bergen (1) | 1067 | 1123 | The capital was moved to Konghelle. | |
| Konungahella | Konghelle | Kungahälla (in Swedish) | 1123 | 1150 c. | Sigurd the Crusader royal residence after his return from Byzantium. | |
| Niðaróss | Nidaros | Trondheim (3) | 1150 | 1217 | The capital was moved to Trondheim for the last time | |
| Biorgvin | Bjørgvin | Bergen (2) | 1217 | 1299 | The capital was moved to Oslo.[3][4][5] | |
| Ósló | Oslo | Oslo (1) | 1299[6] | 1537 | Kingdom of Norway (1) | The dean at St. Mary's Church became realm chancellor. |
| Kalmar Union (United Kingdoms of Denmark-Norway-Sweden) | ||||||
| United Kingdoms of Denmark–Norway | ||||||
| København (Denmark) | Ditto | Copenhagen (in English) | 1537 | 1814 | Kingdom of Denmark–Norway | The Norwegian Council of the Realm was abolished, and the national board of directors subject to the Danish Council of the Realm in Denmark. |
| Christiania (Before 1877) Kristiania (1877-1924) Oslo (From 1924) | Kristiania | Oslo (2) | 1814 | Current | Kingdom of Norway (2) | Norway became its own state again, in a union with Sweden, and fully separate in 1905. |
| Ditto | United Kingdoms of Sweden-Norway | |||||
| Ditto | Kingdom of Norway (3) |
See also
References
- ^ a b Bandlien, Bjørn. "Borg – Sarpsborg". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Bandlien, Bjørn. "Harald Hårfagre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Thorsnæs, Geir; Thune, Nina Aldin. "Bergen". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Hammer, Erlend. "Bergenhus festning". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ "About the City of Bergen". Bergen kommune. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Rasmussen, Tor Fr; Tvedt, Knut Are. "Oslo – historie". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 23 June 2025.