is one of the traditional
provinces of SwedenThe provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
(
landskap in Swedish), on the western coast of
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It borders
Västergötland', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
,
Småland' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
, Scania and the sea of
KattegatThe Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
.
Administration
The
provinces of SwedenThe provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
serve no administrative function. Instead, that function is served by the
Counties of SwedenThe Counties of Sweden are the first level administrative and political subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is divided into 21 counties. The counties were established in 1634 on Count Axel Oxenstierna's initiative, superseding the historical provinces of Sweden to introduce a modern administration...
. However, the province of Halland is almost coextensive with the administrative
Halland CountyHalland County is a county on the western coast of Sweden. It corresponds roughly to the cultural and historical province of Halland. The capital is Halmstad....
, though parts of the province belong to
Västra Götaland CountyVästra Götaland County is a county or län on the western coast of Sweden.The county is the second largest of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities . Its population of 1,550,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population...
and
Skåne CountySkåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
.
As of December 31, 2009, Halland had a population of 303,895. Of these, 287,668 lived in Halland County; 13,980 lived in Västra Götaland County; and 2,247 lived in Skåne County.
Heraldry
During the Danish era the province had no
coat of armsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
and no seal. In Sweden, however, every province had been represented by
heraldicHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
arms since 1560. When
Charles X Gustav of SwedenCharles X Gustav also Carl Gustav, was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who...
suddenly died in 1660 a coat of arms had to be created for the newly acquired province. Each province was to be represented by its arms at the royal funeral. There are several theories about the choice of a lion.
Bengt AlgotssonDuke Benedict of Halland and Finland , aka Bengt Algotsson, was a medieval Swedish lord, and royal favourite.He was born to a family who descended from Svantepolk of Skarsholm and his wife Benedikta Sunadotter...
, duke of Halland and Finland in the 14th century, used a lion in his personal arms.
BlazonIn heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
:
Azure, a Lion rampant Argent langued, armed and dente Gules.
The same coat of arms was later granted for the administrative Halland County, which has almost the same boundaries.
Geography
The streams of Lagan, Ätran, Nissan and
ViskanViskan is a river in the south west of Sweden. It is about 140 kilometers long. It starts in the lake Tolken outside Ulricehamn and has its outlet in the Kattegatt. It runs through Borås. The name means Whisper River....
flow through the province and reach the sea in
KattegatThe Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
. Halland is well known for its good soil and as an agricultural district.
Early history
The
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
was probably a period of relative prosperity in Halland. This is shown in the number of new settlements and the numerous archaeological remains. Over 1,100 tumuli and grave mounds are found.
The end of the Bronze Age witnesses an over-consumption of the resources. Large areas were deforested. This might have been a result of a high demand charcoal in smelting
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
or
bronzeBronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
among the local elites.
The worsening climate at the beginning of the
Iron AgeThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
meant that the local elites no longer could obtain bronze to the same extant as before. As a result the social structures collapsed.
The early Iron Age social structures seems to have been relatively egalitarian, but from around 200 AD there is a trend where
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s form larger communities and small
kingdomA petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
s. This is likely to have been a distant influence from the growing
roman empireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. During the 5th and 6th century large free-standing farms were created; they grew larger as time passed. An example of such a farm can be found in
SlöingeSlöinge is a locality situated in Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 974 inhabitants in 2005.Archeological excavations has revealed a chieftain estate from the 8th century; among the remains is a large number of golden figures....
.
It was not just the social structure that changed, so too did the settlement structure. New villages were formed, while old were abandoned. The new centers that were formed became the kernel from which new areas were settled during medieval times.
800-1645 AD
According to information from a trader travelling from
SkiringssalSkiringssal is the name of an area situated in the Norwegian municipalities of Larvik and Sandefjord, in the southern region of the county of Vestfold...
, close to the
OslofjordThe Oslofjord is a bay in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north....
to
HedebyHedeby |heath]]land, and býr = yard, thus "heath yard"), mentioned by Alfred the Great as aet Haethe , in German Haddeby and Haithabu, a modern spelling of the runic Heiðabý was an important trading settlement in the Danish-northern German borderland during the Viking Age...
in the 870s it can be concluded that Halland was a Danish area at that time. It would stay so for the larger part of recorded historical times.
Iron extraction is known to have taken place in
HishultHishult is a locality and a parish situated in Laholm Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 356 inhabitants in 2005.The area has been a centre of iron extraction and formed a county, including parts of northern Skåne while it was Danish...
and
TvååkerTvååker is the second largest locality situated in Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 2,390 inhabitants in 2005. It is located about 15 km south-east of Varberg.-Name:...
/Sibbarp during the Iron Age.
As part of Scanian lands (then part of he Kingdom of
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Halland came under the
Scanian LawScanian law is the oldest Danish provincial law and one of the first Nordic provincial laws to be written down. It was used in the geographic region of Danish Skåneland, which at the time included Scania, Halland, Blekinge and the island of Bornholm. It was also used for a short period on the...
and participated in the Scanian
ThingA thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
, one of three Thing electing the Danish king. Local assemblies took place in
GetingeGetinge is a locality situated in Halmstad Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 1,885 inhabitants in 2005....
.
Halland was the scene of considerable military action from the 13th century and on as
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
,
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and to some degree
NorwayNorway , 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...
fought for supremacy in
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. The many wars made the province poor. Not only were material damages caused by the military action, but the social impact of the fighting was devastating; people lacked the motivation to invest in their land and properties as it was likely to be destroyed anyway.
The county was the site of combat and plunder three times during the 13th Century: in 1256
Haakon IV of NorwayHaakon Haakonarson , also called Haakon the Old, was king of Norway from 1217 to 1263. Under his rule, medieval Norway reached its peak....
invaded, followed by
Magnus I of SwedenMagnus I of Sweden, son of Nicholas , later called Magnus the Strong , was a Danish duke who ruled Gothenland in southern Sweden from 1125 to 1130...
in 1277 and
Eric VI of DenmarkEric VI Menved was King of Denmark and a son of Eric V and Agnes of Brandenburg.He became king in 1286 at age 12, when his father was murdered 20 November by unknown assailants...
in 1294. The county came to be split in two parts for the next century, with river Ätran forming a boundary. The lords of the two parts succeeded each other in a high tempo.
As the
Kalmar UnionThe 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...
was formed, Halland came for a brief period of time to have a rather central position. The king was to be elected, according to the union treaty, in
HalmstadHalmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
.
During the
rebellionRebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
of Engelbrekt in 1434 the fortress in
FalkenbergFalkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 18,972 inhabitants in 2005.The town has a population of 19,000 and is located at the mouth of the river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish words for falcon and mountain...
was burnt down and two years later Lagaholm was captured by the Swedes. The Swedish-Danish struggles in the early 16th century came to affect the province as well, as in 1519 when the border regions were sacked by the Swedes as a vengeance for similar Danish action in
Västergötland', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
.
The
Count's FeudThe Count's Feud , also called the Count's War, was a civil war that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark...
, the
Northern Seven Years' WarThe Northern Seven Years' War was the war between Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck and the Polish–Lithuanian union, fought between 1563 and 1570...
and the
Kalmar WarThe Kalmar War was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark soon gained the upper hand, she was unable to defeat Sweden entirely...
came all to affect Halland. One of the major battles of the Northern Seven Years' War, the
battle of AxtornaThe Battle of Axtorna was fought October 20, 1565 at Axtorna, a little village today in Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County in western Sweden....
took place in Halland.
After 1645
Halland was temporally (for a period of 30 years) transferred to Sweden in 1645 under the terms of the Second Treaty of Brömsebro. The conquest was later made permanent by ceding of the province in the
Treaty of RoskildeThe Treaty of Roskilde was concluded on 26 February or 8 March 1658 during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Charles X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde...
in 1658. The last battle in Halland took place in Fyllebro on 17 August 1676, during the
Scanian WarThe Scanian War was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark-Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish provinces along the border with Sweden and in Northern Germany...
.
The more peaceful conditions that followed meant that the province could start to develop again. The 19th century saw the farming develop quickly to become one of the more efficient in the country by the end of the century. Parts of the province did however remain poor and
erosionErosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and blown sand remained a problem for much of the century. The county did therefor see a lot of
emigrationEmigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
, continuing well into the 20th century.
The 20th century has seen the province becoming one of the fastest growing in Sweden, as it has doubled its population since
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This is in part due to the northern parts, such as
KungsbackaKungsbacka is a locality and the seat of Kungsbacka Municipality in Halland County, Sweden, with 17,784 inhabitants in 2005.It is one of the most affluent parts of Sweden, in part due to its simultaneous proximity to stunning countryside and the large city of Gothenburg..-History:The first records...
and
OnsalaOnsala is a locality situated in Kungsbacka Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 11,375 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the biggest peninsula in Sweden, south of Gothenburg....
, more or less becoming
suburbThe word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s of
GothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
.
Cities
Privileges to towns in Halland was during the Danish time granted to:
- Falkenberg
Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 18,972 inhabitants in 2005.The town has a population of 19,000 and is located at the mouth of the river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish words for falcon and mountain...
(1558)
- Halmstad
Halmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
(1307)
- Kungsbacka
Kungsbacka is a locality and the seat of Kungsbacka Municipality in Halland County, Sweden, with 17,784 inhabitants in 2005.It is one of the most affluent parts of Sweden, in part due to its simultaneous proximity to stunning countryside and the large city of Gothenburg..-History:The first records...
(approximately 1400)
- Laholm
Laholm is a locality and the seat of Laholm Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 5,835 inhabitants in 2005.Laholm is, despite its small population, for historical reasons often still referred to as a city...
(approximately 1200)
- Varberg
Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
(approximately 1100)
Such privilegies have no official significance nowadays.
Hundreds
Hundreds of Sweden were provincial divisions until early 20th century, when they lost importance. Halland's hundreds were: Faurås Hundred, Fjäre Hundred, Halmstad Hundred, Himle Hundred, Höks Hundred, Tönnersjö Hundred, Viske Hundred and Årstad Hundred.
Culture
The
language varietiesIn sociolinguistics a variety, also called a lect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, accents, registers, styles or other sociolinguistic variation, as well as the standard variety itself...
spoken in Halland are together called
halländska, though they belong to two main dialectal groups. In northern Halland a variation of the
GötalandGötaland , Gothia, Gothland, Gothenland, Gautland or Geatland is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises provinces...
dialect is spoken and in the south the spoken language is a variety of Scanian.
Sights
The
Varberg FortressVarberg Fortress is a former fortification in Varberg, Halland County, Sweden .-History:Varberg Fortress was built in 1287-1300 by count Jacob Nielsen as protection against his Danish king, who had declared him an outlaw after the murder of King Eric V of Denmark.Jacob had close connections with...
was built in the 13th century and improved with higher walls in the 15th century.
Dukes of Halland
As early as the 13th century, (southern) Halland was given as duchy to a branch of the Danish royal family. In 14th century, it was given to various relatives of Danish and Swedish royal families, such as
Benedict, Duke of HallandDuke Benedict of Halland and Finland , aka Bengt Algotsson, was a medieval Swedish lord, and royal favourite.He was born to a family who descended from Svantepolk of Skarsholm and his wife Benedikta Sunadotter...
1353-57.
Since 1772, Swedish Princes have been created nominal dukes of various provinces without political significance Such a title was held by
Prince Bertil, Duke of HallandPrince Bertil of Sweden , Duke of Halland, was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught.The prince was born at Stockholm...
(1912–1997). For more earlier dukes, see Dukes of Halland.
Sources
- Kungsvägen genom Halland - Bidrag till halländsk kulturhistoria och underlag för vägminnesvårdsprogram. Stellan Haverling. 1996. Gothenburg: Vägverket
External links