Black Death in Norway

[1] The Black Death in Norway is famously described in the unique contemporary Icelandic sources Gotskalks annal and Lögmanns-annál by Einar Haflidason, which describes the migration of the Black Death in detail in Western Norway.

In this testimony, it is described how the infamous "Plague ship" arrived to Bergen in Norway from England.

It also names a number of the victims of the plague, among whom were several members of the clergy, an account that can be verified by other sources.

[1] Because of the great focus on Western Norway, it was long believed that the plague migrated only from Bergen to the rest of the country.

[1] In traditional history, the Black Death has played a major role as the explanation to why Norway lost its position as a major Kingdom in the early 14th century, and entered a many centuries-long period of stagnation as the most neglected of the Kingdoms of the Kalmar Union under Denmark in the late 14th century.

[1] Between 60 and 65 percent of the population are estimated to have died during the Black Death, and Norway was not to recover until the 17th century.

[1] However, this is not enough to attribute the political decline of Norway: England also lost about 60 or 65 percent of its population to the Black Death, and Sweden also did not recover until the 17th century.

[1] The Norwegian class of officials appear to have experienced heavy losses, as the King was forced to concentrate those left to the Southern provinces to restore order while leaving the Northern provinces to themselves, and in 1351–52, a report stated that the tax to the Pope was impossible to collect in Norway because the administration had broken down and a great lack organization existed there because of the plague.