Bergenhus len
Encyclopedia
Bergenhus len was a Norwegian
administrative division. The "len" was administered from Bergenhus Fortress
in Bergen
.
Formerly the term len (plural len) in Norway
signified an administrative region roughly equivalent to today's counties. The historic len was an important administrative entity during the period of Dano-Norwegian unification. At the beginning of the 16th century the political divisions were variable, but consistently included four main len and approximately 30 smaller sub-regions with varying connections to a main len. Up to 1660 the four principal len were headquartered at the major fortresses Bohus Fortress
, Akershus Fortress
, Bergenhus Fortress
and the fortified city of Trondheim
. The sub-regions corresponded to the church districts for the Lutheran church in Norway.
In 1536 Bergenhus was one of four len in Norway and included Northern Norway
. These four principal len were in the 1530s divided into approximately 30 smaller regions. From that point forward through the beginning of the 17th century the number of subsidiary len was reduced, while the composition of the principal len became more stable.
From 1660 Bergenhus was one of Norway's nine principal len comprising 17 subsidiary len. With the royal decree of February 19, 1662, each len was designated an amt (plural amt) and the lenmann was titled amtmann, from German Amt (office), reflecting the bias of the Danish court of that period. After 1671 Norway was divided into four principal amt or stiftsamt and there were nine subordinate amt. Bergenhus amt was the stiftsamt and the subordinate amt were Halsnøy klostergods, Hardanger amt, Nordlandene amt.
From 1730 Bergenhus was divided into the following amt:
From 1919 each amt was renamed a fylke (plural fylke) (county) and the amtmann was now titled fylkesmann (county governor).
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
administrative division. The "len" was administered from Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus fortress is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Bergenhus fortress is located in the entrance to the harbor in Bergen. This is one of the oldest and best preserved castles in Norway.-History:...
in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
.
Formerly the term len (plural len) in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
signified an administrative region roughly equivalent to today's counties. The historic len was an important administrative entity during the period of Dano-Norwegian unification. At the beginning of the 16th century the political divisions were variable, but consistently included four main len and approximately 30 smaller sub-regions with varying connections to a main len. Up to 1660 the four principal len were headquartered at the major fortresses Bohus Fortress
Bohus Fortress
Bohus Fortress lies along the old Norwegian - Swedish border in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches...
, Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
, Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus fortress is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Bergenhus fortress is located in the entrance to the harbor in Bergen. This is one of the oldest and best preserved castles in Norway.-History:...
and the fortified city of Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. The sub-regions corresponded to the church districts for the Lutheran church in Norway.
In 1536 Bergenhus was one of four len in Norway and included Northern Norway
Nord-Norge
North Norway or Nord-Noreg , North Sámi: Davvi-Norga) is the geographical region of northern Norway, consisting of the three counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in North Norway are Mo i Rana, Bodø, Narvik, Harstad, Tromsø...
. These four principal len were in the 1530s divided into approximately 30 smaller regions. From that point forward through the beginning of the 17th century the number of subsidiary len was reduced, while the composition of the principal len became more stable.
From 1660 Bergenhus was one of Norway's nine principal len comprising 17 subsidiary len. With the royal decree of February 19, 1662, each len was designated an amt (plural amt) and the lenmann was titled amtmann, from German Amt (office), reflecting the bias of the Danish court of that period. After 1671 Norway was divided into four principal amt or stiftsamt and there were nine subordinate amt. Bergenhus amt was the stiftsamt and the subordinate amt were Halsnøy klostergods, Hardanger amt, Nordlandene amt.
From 1730 Bergenhus was divided into the following amt:
- Nordre Bergenhus amt (now: Sogn og FjordaneSogn og Fjordaneis a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
county) - Søndre Bergenhus amt (now: HordalandHordalandis a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
county)
From 1919 each amt was renamed a fylke (plural fylke) (county) and the amtmann was now titled fylkesmann (county governor).