Halden

Halden grew as a timber port at the head of the Iddefjord, exporting wood to the Netherlands and England from the sixteenth century. The loss of Bohuslän to Sweden in 1658 placed it close to the new frontier. After its inhabitants resisted Swedish attacks, Frederick III granted the town privileges in 1665 and named it Fredrikshald. Above the harbour rose the fortress of Fredriksten, begun in 1661 to guard the approach to eastern Norway.

In 1716 townspeople set fire to their own houses to drive out the forces of Charles XII. The Swedish king returned in 1718 and was shot dead while besieging the fortress, after which his army withdrew. Fredriksten faced another Swedish siege in 1814; the Convention of Moss brought a ceasefire, and the garrison left the fortress under its terms.