Privileged trader

'peninsular king', also known as a væreiere which means 'fishing village owner')[1] is a term that was used for fish merchants or landowners that enjoyed special privileges along the coast of Northern Norway from the second half of the 1700s onward.

[2][3] The term nessekonge itself goes back centuries earlier, to the Viking era, referring to local chieftains that held power over a peninsula.

[citation needed] The privileged traders enjoyed a dominant economic, social, and political position in the local milieu.

If the people could not repay their debt, this could lead to foreclosure or forced sale and the loss of their boats, houses, or other property, which was their source of livelihood.

[citation needed] The best-known privileged trader was Erasmus Zahl of Kjerringøy Municipality,[6] who was the model for Knut Hamsun's character Mack in his novels.