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Bergen
was the
capital of Norway during the 12th/13th Centuries and
has had many connections with Scotland throughout its
history.
Bergen Castle
Haakon's Hall Bergen Castle
In the grounds of Bergen Castle (Bergenhus or Festning)
the Kristkirken, its Cathedral once stood. The
Kristkirken is where
Margaret, the Maid of Norway, was buried alongside
her mother in 1290.
Margaret, Eiriksdottir, died in Orkney on 26th September
1290. When her grandfather had died Princess Margaret
was only three years old. The Scottish Parliament
appointed six Guardians to rule on her behalf, and on
18th July 1290 the Scots agreed in the Treaty of Birgham
(Berwickshire) that she should marry Edward I of
England's eldest son, Prince Edward. At the end of
September, the eight-year-old Queen set sail for
Scotland, escorted by Bishop Narve of Bergen. She was
taken ill on the voyage and her ship put in at Orkney,
but she died there, in the arms of the Bishop. She was
buried at the Kristkirken, Bergen. Her death left the
Scottish succession open, and gave Edward I the
opportunity to start his attacks on Scotland.
German Church
Better known for its German Hansa Community, Bergen also
had a thriving
Scottish Community, and according to some accounts
some 10% of its population in the 16/17th Century was
Scottish.
From
Folk Museum in Oslo
Bergen's Nykirken
In 2002 an
exhibition on Immigration to Norway at the
Norwegian Museum of Cultural History included a small display on the Scots in Bergen.
It notes an assault by the German community on the Scots
on 9th September 1523 and the Scots contribution to the construction of
Bergen's Nykirken
in the 1620s.
Edvard Grieg, Norway's famous composer, was
the descendant of
Scots immigrants, who changed their name from Greig
for convenience.
Buekorps
In the 19th Century its
Buekorps was founded, a boys militia, unique in
Norway, in order to prepare boys to join the fledgling
Norwegian army as the nation sought independence from
Sweden. The uniform's headdress is the Tam
o'Shanter, adopted from Scotland, as they looked back on
a former period when Norway had a strong identity and
influence. In the past young men from Caithness, Orkney
and Shetland would seek work in Bergen as the sea roads
to Bergen were shorter than the land routes to the
south.
© Iain Laird, May 2006
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