Ernst Sars
Encyclopedia
Johan Ernst Welhaven Sars (11 October 1835 – 27 January 1917) was a Norwegian historian, publicist and editor. His main work was Udsigt over den norske Historie, four volumes issued from 1873 to 1891. He co-edited the magazines Nyt norsk Tidskrift (with Jens Lieblein
) from 1877 to 1878, and Nyt Tidsskrift
(with Olaf Skavlan
) from 1882 to 1887. He was politically acitve for the Liberal Party of Norway, and among the party's most central theoreticians.
, Nordre Bergenhus Amt
, as the son of priest and biologist Michael Sars
(1805–1869) and Maren Cathrine Welhaven
(1811–1898), and grew up in Manger
in Søndre Bergenhus Amt
. He was a brother of singer Eva Sars
and zoologist Georg Ossian Sars, and a brother-in-law of explorer and scientist Fridtjof Nansen
and musician Thorvald Lammers
. Poet Johan Sebastian Welhaven
and Elisabeth Welhaven
were his uncle and aunt, and he was a cousin of architect Hjalmar Welhaven
. He was not married, and lived along with his brother at their mother's place until she died in 1898. He died in Aker
in 1917.
as a student. He initiated studies in medicine, but after having written a prize-winning treatise on the Kalmar Union
, he started to study history. He spent the summers 1858 and 1859 in Copenhagen
, in order to copy Norwegian documents in Danish archives. He wrote a pioneering work on Norway during the union with Denmark , published in four parts between 1858 and 1865. He was appointed at the National Archival Services of Norway
from 1860 to 1874. After having received a scholarship he lectured at the University
from 1870, where he first introduced the subject positivism
, and later lectured on Norwegian history. His main work was Udsigt over den norske Historie, a continuous treatment of Norwegian history from the Viking era to contemporary times, which was published in four volumes between 1873 and 1891. The first volume of the series established Sars among the leading intellectuals in Norway, and it earned him an extraordinary professorship, after a Parliamentary decision.
Sars co-edited the magazines Nyt norsk Tidskrift (with Jens Lieblein
) from 1877 to 1878, and Nyt Tidsskrift
(with Olaf Skavlan
) from 1882 to 1887. He took part in politics, and was active for the Liberal Party, along with Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
. After his publication of Historisk Indledning til Grundloven in 1882, he was regarded among the Liberal Party's most central theoreticians. He also regarded the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway
to be the only practical solution to the conflicts with Sweden. He wrote the work Norges politiske historie 1815–85, published between 1899 and 1904, and continued lecturing until 1911.
Jens Lieblein
Jens Daniel Carolus Lieblein was a Norwegian Egyptologist and magazine editor. He was a professor at the University of Oslo from 1876, the first professor of Egyptology in Norway.-Personal life:...
) from 1877 to 1878, and Nyt Tidsskrift
Nyt Tidsskrift
Nyt Tidsskrift is a former Norwegian literary, cultural and political magazine issued from 1882 to 1887, and with a second series from 1892 to 1895. The magazine had contributions from severeal of the leading intellectuals of the time, including later Nobel Literature Prize laureate Bjørnstjerne...
(with Olaf Skavlan
Olaf Skavlan
Olaf Skavlan was a Norwegian literary historian and playwright.-Personal life:He was born as Ole Skavlan in Stranda as a son of vicar and politician Aage Schavland and his wife Gerhardine Pauline Bergh...
) from 1882 to 1887. He was politically acitve for the Liberal Party of Norway, and among the party's most central theoreticians.
Personal life
Sars was born in KinnKinn
Kinn is a small island west of the town of Florø in the municipality of Flora, Norway. The island lies about west of the neighboring island of Reksta and the village of Rognaldsvåg, which is the main population center for the area...
, Nordre Bergenhus Amt
Sogn og Fjordane
is 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....
, as the son of priest and biologist Michael Sars
Michael Sars
Michael Sars was a Norwegian theologian and biologist.-Biography:Sars was born in Bergen, Norway. He studied natural history and theology at Royal Frederick University from 1823 and completed a cand.theol. degree in 1828. For several years he taught at a number of different schools, firstly in...
(1805–1869) and Maren Cathrine Welhaven
Maren Sars
Maren Cathrine Sars was a Norwegian socialite.-Personal life:She was born in Bergen as a daughter of priest Johan Ernst Welhaven and Else Margrethe Cammermeyer...
(1811–1898), and grew up in Manger
Manger, Norway
Manger is a former municipality in Hordaland county, Norway.It was created as Manger formannskapsdistrikt in 1837. On 1 January 1871 the district Herdla with 2,484 inhabitants split away to form a municipality of its own, and on 1 January 1910 the same thing happened with Hjelme. The splits left...
in Søndre Bergenhus Amt
Hordaland
is 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...
. He was a brother of singer Eva Sars
Eva Nansen
Eva Helene Nansen was a celebrated Norwegian mezzosoprano singer. She was also a pioneer of women's skiing.-Personal life:...
and zoologist Georg Ossian Sars, and a brother-in-law of explorer and scientist Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
and musician Thorvald Lammers
Thorvald Lammers
Thorvald Lammers was a Norwegian baritone singer, conductor, composer and biographer. He made his song début in Oslo in 1873. He founded the choir known as Korforeningen in 1879, and conducted it until 1909. Around 1900, Lammers was regarded as Norway's most important male singer...
. Poet Johan Sebastian Welhaven
Johan Sebastian Welhaven
Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven was a Norwegian author, poet, critic and art theorist.-Background:...
and Elisabeth Welhaven
Elisabeth Welhaven
-Personal life:She was born in Bergen as a daughter of priest Johan Ernst Welhaven and Else Margrethe Cammermeyer . She was a sister of Johan Sebastian and Maren Sars....
were his uncle and aunt, and he was a cousin of architect Hjalmar Welhaven
Hjalmar Welhaven
Hjalmar Welhaven was a Norwegian architect, palace manager, and sportsman.-Personal life:Welhaven was born in Christiania as the son of writer Johan Sebastian Welhaven and Josephine Angelica Bidoluac. He married painter Margrethe Petersen Backer in 1876...
. He was not married, and lived along with his brother at their mother's place until she died in 1898. He died in Aker
Aker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
in 1917.
Career
Sars attended the Bergen Cathedral School from 1849. In 1853 he moved to ChristianiaOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
as a student. He initiated studies in medicine, but after having written a prize-winning treatise on the Kalmar Union
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union is a historiographical term meaning a series of personal unions that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway , and Sweden under a single monarch, though intermittently and with a population...
, he started to study history. He spent the summers 1858 and 1859 in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, in order to copy Norwegian documents in Danish archives. He wrote a pioneering work on Norway during the union with Denmark , published in four parts between 1858 and 1865. He was appointed at the National Archival Services of Norway
National Archival Services of Norway
The National Archival Services of Norway is a Norwegian government agency that is responsible for keeping state archives, conducts control of public archiving and works to preserve private archives. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs and consists of the National...
from 1860 to 1874. After having received a scholarship he lectured at the University
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
from 1870, where he first introduced the subject positivism
Positivism
Positivism is a a view of scientific methods and a philosophical approach, theory, or system based on the view that, in the social as well as natural sciences, sensory experiences and their logical and mathematical treatment are together the exclusive source of all worthwhile information....
, and later lectured on Norwegian history. His main work was Udsigt over den norske Historie, a continuous treatment of Norwegian history from the Viking era to contemporary times, which was published in four volumes between 1873 and 1891. The first volume of the series established Sars among the leading intellectuals in Norway, and it earned him an extraordinary professorship, after a Parliamentary decision.
Sars co-edited the magazines Nyt norsk Tidskrift (with Jens Lieblein
Jens Lieblein
Jens Daniel Carolus Lieblein was a Norwegian Egyptologist and magazine editor. He was a professor at the University of Oslo from 1876, the first professor of Egyptology in Norway.-Personal life:...
) from 1877 to 1878, and Nyt Tidsskrift
Nyt Tidsskrift
Nyt Tidsskrift is a former Norwegian literary, cultural and political magazine issued from 1882 to 1887, and with a second series from 1892 to 1895. The magazine had contributions from severeal of the leading intellectuals of the time, including later Nobel Literature Prize laureate Bjørnstjerne...
(with Olaf Skavlan
Olaf Skavlan
Olaf Skavlan was a Norwegian literary historian and playwright.-Personal life:He was born as Ole Skavlan in Stranda as a son of vicar and politician Aage Schavland and his wife Gerhardine Pauline Bergh...
) from 1882 to 1887. He took part in politics, and was active for the Liberal Party, along with Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
. After his publication of Historisk Indledning til Grundloven in 1882, he was regarded among the Liberal Party's most central theoreticians. He also regarded the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway
Union between Sweden and Norway
The Union between Sweden and Norway , officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, consisted of present-day Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union....
to be the only practical solution to the conflicts with Sweden. He wrote the work Norges politiske historie 1815–85, published between 1899 and 1904, and continued lecturing until 1911.