Christianization Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway and Denmark) === {{Main|Christianization of Scandinavia}} [[File:34 of 'The History of Norway. (With maps.)' (11184806384).jpg|thumb|34 of 'The History of Norway. (With maps.)' (11184806384)|alt=maps of the three Scandinavian countries before 1000]] Christianization of Scandinavia is divided into two stages by Professor of medieval archaeology [[Alexandra Sanmark]].{{sfn|Sanmark|2004|pp=14, 15}} Stage 1 involves missionaries who arrived in pagan territory in the 800s, on their own, without secular support.{{sfn|Sanmark|2004|pp=15, 21}} Historian [[Florence Harmer]] writes "Between A.D. 960 and 1008 three Scandinavian kings were converted to Christianity".{{sfn|Harmer|1946|p=122}} The Danish King [[Harald Bluetooth|Harald Gormsen (Bluetooth)]] was baptized c. 960. The conversion of Norway was begun by [[Haakon the Good|Hákon Aðalsteinsfostri]] between 935 and 961, but the wide-scale conversion of this kingdom was undertaken by King [[Olaf Tryggvason]] in c. 995. In Sweden, King [[Olof Skötkonung|Olof Erikson Skötkonung]] accepted Christianity around 1000.{{sfn|Sanmark|2004|p=22}} According to Peter Brown, Scandinavians adopted Christianity of their own accord c.1000.{{sfn|Brown|2012|p=473}} [[Anders Winroth]] explains that Iceland became the model for the institutional conversion of the rest of Scandinavia after AD 1000.{{sfn|Murphy|2014|p=542}} Winroth demonstrates that Scandinavians were not passive recipients of the new religion, but converted to Christianity because it was in their political, economic, and cultural interests to do so.{{sfn|Winroth|2012|p=abstract}} Stage 2 began when a secular ruler took charge of Christianization in their territory, and ended when a defined and organized ecclesiastical network was established.{{sfn|Sanmark|2004|p=14}} By 1350, Scandinavia was an integral part of Western Christendom.{{sfn|Brink|2004|p=xvi}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page