4 ÇO
sitfàüG-è-*'
OGRAPHV.
Hiftorical
Epochs.
D E N M A R K .
geographer following in this inftance the dreams of Cluverius and
Cèllarius, while he juftly -reftrias the ancient knowledge of Afia and
Africa. Few materials afterwards arife for the progreffive geography
of Norway, till the time of Jornandes; whofe account is fucceeded by
the navigation of.Ohter reported to the great Alfred, and the defcrip-
tion by Adam of Bremen-. ■
fr^ ^ fih ip f Mflorical, epochs Jpf thefe conjanö kingdoms, mull, be fe-
parately confrdered, till their union in the fourteenth century.
1. The moft ancient population o f the continental part of Denmark
by the CSmbri, who probably ppflefifed the adjacent large iflfes* th e
anciept and chofeh feat . o f the Danilh monarchy j :but of this laft:
pofition there is no evidence.
2. The conqueft.-by the Q®ths, who appear to have proceeded, ifrortt-
Scandinavia into .die Mes^hand Jutland,’ as thedialeót difFers greatly
from the German Gothic, while it .is a filter of,-the Swedifh aind Non-
wegian.
, ' Thd Roman and'Dafl4 c accouh^ o f Denmark,, from the tiifrevQf»
PKny and Tacitus to that of Charlemagne;-
4, The fabulous and traditional hiftory o f Denmark,, which,extend^
from about, the year of.Ghrift 5pQ;t ó |b e reign of lieriold, mejatipried.
by the Francic Mftorians' in the time of Charlemagne....
5. The. conqueft of Denmark by Olaf, II king, o f Sweden,- about the
•year 900. The Swedes, appear,to have been expelled by the -Norwegians,
for we afterwards find Hardegon o f Norway king of Denmark..
The Danifh antiquaries • have not fhown much judgment in extricating:
the ancient hiftory of their country, in 'which they fhould have'preferred
the Francic hiftorians to the Icelandic Sagas. ..Some difficulties,
indeed .arife becaufe Jutland and . the ifles wer e occasionally divided into ,
two monarchies-; Jbut if the Dahilh writers Ihowed as much acutenefs-.
as induftry the. embaraiTments might difappear.
' 6. The _ more certain hiftory commences with Gurm, or Goimof,
A. D; 920, -but -there-Teems no evidence whether he fprüng from a
native race, or from the Swed-ifh, or Norwegian. Gormp is fucceededl
by his fon Harald Blaatahd 945, who is followed by liis fon.Swein 985;
well known by his invafion o f England, where, he in fbme meafure-
ufurped the fovereignty, and died A, D., 1 o 1.4..
' 2k ■ 7.' The:
CH A P , m H IS T 0 R IC A L . GEO ÖR A P I! Y.
, t- 7. The great, .Jkâpg o f Denmark, England, and
Ndrway. Th;e conyerfmn o f Denmark to Cbriftianity had commenced
in the beginning of the ninth century, when St, Amfgar began to
diffufe the light of religion in Jutland ; and towards -the middle of that
century there were churches at Slefwick, -and even at Arhus : -hut
Chriftianity was far from being univerfal in..Denmark till the reign Of
Canute the great, when it was followed by its univerfal confluences,
' the ceffation of piracy and rapine, and the. diffufion o f induftry .and
civilization. In the year 1086 Denmark difplayed to Chriftcndom a
regal faint, and martyr, in Canute IV. ,
- 8. The wars of,Denmark 'feawM^is‘p'»em Slavonic.--Inhabitants
©f thé föutheru dhores cffthe Baltic, who by the ignorant hiftbfiams of
the middle' ages are ftyled Vandals, as the iGutæ of Ptolemy .are.by
them ftyled Goths, . whence the. Swedifti Gothland inftead .of Guth-
lând.
: 9. The reign, of Wàldemar,; fumamed |b e ,giieat,A.D; *357, ;whô
defeats the Wends.-m -many bathes-,Uahdf|ubdues the ifle ,of -Rugeô.
K Hence followed flowly the -converfion .of Pomerania, and j of the
feountrids bn the daft. Waldemar.-is rega.rded .ias the parent of the
Danilh laws. , In 1223 the fecpnd V/aldemar, with ; a,fleet of to®©
fliips, fubdued a part df Livonia and . Eftonia; on whi,ch oc'cafion is1
■ faid to have been firft difplayed the noted banner of Dannehrog, being
red with. a white crofe.
, 10. The marriage o f Hakon VI, king of' Norway, with-Margaret
daughter, of Waldemar III king’of Denmark, A. D. 1363, produced
the memorable union o f the three crowns of the north. (Pn the death
of her: young fon, Margaret -idcspiided.' the throne iiof Denmark and'
JMorway in 1387, and that of. Sweden; in 1389'. She 'died in 1412 >
.and Sweden foon after prepared to throw off the yoke. Her huftiand,
Éric of Pomerania, reigned about . 26 years.after her death ; and was
followed'by .Chriftopher of Bavaria, who removed, the royal'refidenc.e
from Rofkild to Copenhagen, the fource of the elevation ofthe latter
city* . - ■ ; ■/ ' .
X I . The acceffion of the houle of Oldenburg, in the perfon of
Chriftiern I, A. D. 1448. The repeated revolts of Sweden were fup-
3 R 2 . r prefled
491
H isto rica j , Epochs.