Norwegian

The Norwegians are the North Germanic people of the Scandinavian west coast, descended from the kingdoms unified by Harald Fairhair after the Battle of Hafrsfjord in the 880s. Vikings settled the Orkneys, Shetland, Iceland and Greenland. Olaf Haraldsson imposed Christianity, fell at Stiklestad in 1030 and was venerated as Saint Olaf.

The Black Death of 1349 killed nearly two-thirds of the people within a year, weakening the crown and allowing Hanseatic merchants to dominate Bergen's fish trade. In 1380 Olaf Haakonsson inherited Norway and Denmark; from 1397 Norway formed part of the Kalmar Union. Christian III in 1537 reduced Norway to a subordinate kingdom, imposed the Lutheran Reformation and introduced Danish as the written language.

The Treaty of Kiel in 1814 ceded Norway to Sweden; Norwegians adopted a constitution and resisted before accepting a loose personal union that left their laws and parliament intact.