Harald Nicolai Storm Wergeland
Encyclopedia
Harald Nicolai Storm Wergeland (27 May 1814 – 12 October 1893) was a Norwegian
military officer, politician and mountaineer. Having reached the rank of Major General
by 1859, he served as Minister of the Army
for several periods between 1857 and 1868. He later became Lieutenant General
. He had several notable family members.
as the son of Ingeborg Bergithe Lassesen Wergeland and her husband Gierth Christian Storm. A nephew of priest and politician Nicolai Wergeland
and cousin of the poet Henrik Wergeland
, feminist writer Camilla Collett
and military officer Oscar Wergeland
, Harald Wergeland grew up in their household.
In October 1841 he married Anne Sofie Schøyen, born in 1816 in Sør-Odal
. The couple had several children.
(Krigsskolen) at the age of twelve, graduating at the age of seventeen. He held the military rank of Second Lieutenant. Three years later he advanced to Premier Lieutenant and began holding lectures on artillery
at the Norwegian Military Academy. He was later appointed aide-de-camp
of King Oscar of Sweden and Norway
.
Around 1840 Wergeland was assigned work with cartography
. When exploring the Jotunheimen
mountain range, he was among the first ascenders
of several mountains, including Glittertind
(2464 metres (8,084 ft)). In 1857 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel
, and made chief of the General Staff. In 1859 he had been promoted to Major General
.
On 11 September 1857 Wergeland was appointed acting Minister of the Army
. He only held this position until 2 October the same year. However, he would return to get the position on a permanent basis on 28 September 1860. He held this position for almost exactly two years, being transferred to the Council of State Division in Stockholm
. In the meantime he had also been Minister of the Navy
, from 1 November 1860 to 30 September 1861. After exactly one year in Stockholm, Wergeland again became Minister of the Army on 30 September 1863. He held this position until 2 April 1868, except for a period between 1 August 1866 and 30 June 1867 when he was in Stockholm for the second time.
In 1875, Wergeland was appointed Commander of Akershus Fortress
, having reached the rank of Lieutenant General
.
Wergeland also made his mark on civil life. He was a member of the board of directors of the Royal Norwegian Society for Development, the Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers and the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry
. He wrote books on a broad range of subjects, including the heating and ventilation of rooms, protection of lesser birds and oyster
cultivation. For the latter purpose, he also founded a commercial company Det Norske Østers Compagni in 1877.
Wergeland retired from his military career in 1890. He died in 1893 in Kristiania
.
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...
military officer, politician and mountaineer. Having reached the rank of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
by 1859, he served as Minister of the Army
Minister of Defence (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Defence is a Councillor of the Council of State and Chief of the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the position has existed since the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Navy was combined into the Minister of Defence...
for several periods between 1857 and 1868. He later became Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. He had several notable family members.
Personal life
Wergeland was born in BergenBergen
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 , ....
as the son of Ingeborg Bergithe Lassesen Wergeland and her husband Gierth Christian Storm. A nephew of priest and politician Nicolai Wergeland
Nicolai Wergeland
Nicolai Wergeland was a Norwegian priest, writer and politician, and a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll that wrote the Constitution of Norway on 17 May 1814. He was elected as one of two delegates from Christiansand to the Eidsvoll Assembly in 1814...
and cousin of the poet Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist...
, feminist writer Camilla Collett
Camilla Collett
Jacobine Camilla Collett was a Norwegian writer, often referred to as the first Norwegian feminist. She was also the younger sister of Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland, and is recognized as being one of the first contributors to realism in Norwegian literature...
and military officer Oscar Wergeland
Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland
Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland was a Norwegian military officer, cartographer and skiing pioneer.-Personal life:Wergeland was born in Christianssand and grew up at Eidsvold. He was the son of priest and politician Nicolai Wergeland, and a brother of the poet Henrik Wergeland and feminist writer...
, Harald Wergeland grew up in their household.
In October 1841 he married Anne Sofie Schøyen, born in 1816 in Sør-Odal
Sør-Odal
Sør-Odal is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skarnes....
. The couple had several children.
Career
Wergeland enrolled at the Norwegian Military AcademyNorwegian Military Academy
The Norwegian Army Academy was established in 1750. It is the oldest university-level educational institution in Norway, and one of the oldest active military academies in the world. Krigsskolen primarily educates officers for the Norwegian Army. There are separate academies for the Royal...
(Krigsskolen) at the age of twelve, graduating at the age of seventeen. He held the military rank of Second Lieutenant. Three years later he advanced to Premier Lieutenant and began holding lectures on artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
at the Norwegian Military Academy. He was later appointed aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
of King Oscar of Sweden and Norway
Oscar I of Sweden
Oscar I was King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to his death. When, in August 1810, his father Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, Oscar and his mother moved from Paris to Stockholm . Oscar's father was the first ruler of the current House of Bernadotte...
.
Around 1840 Wergeland was assigned work with cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
. When exploring the Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km² in Southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all in Jotunheimen, including the very highest - Galdhøpiggen...
mountain range, he was among the first ascenders
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
of several mountains, including Glittertind
Glittertind
Glittertind is the second highest mountain in Norway, at 2,465 m above sea level, including the glacier at its peak...
(2464 metres (8,084 ft)). In 1857 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, and made chief of the General Staff. In 1859 he had been promoted to Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
.
On 11 September 1857 Wergeland was appointed acting Minister of the Army
Minister of Defence (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Defence is a Councillor of the Council of State and Chief of the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the position has existed since the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Navy was combined into the Minister of Defence...
. He only held this position until 2 October the same year. However, he would return to get the position on a permanent basis on 28 September 1860. He held this position for almost exactly two years, being transferred to the Council of State Division in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. In the meantime he had also been Minister of the Navy
Minister of the Navy and Postal Affairs (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Navy and Postal Affairs was the head of the Norwegian Ministry of Navy and Postal Affairs. The position existed from 1815 to 1885, but was named Minister of the Navy and Postal Affairs only from 1861....
, from 1 November 1860 to 30 September 1861. After exactly one year in Stockholm, Wergeland again became Minister of the Army on 30 September 1863. He held this position until 2 April 1868, except for a period between 1 August 1866 and 30 June 1867 when he was in Stockholm for the second time.
In 1875, Wergeland was appointed Commander of 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 :...
, having reached the rank of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
.
Wergeland also made his mark on civil life. He was a member of the board of directors of the Royal Norwegian Society for Development, the Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers and the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry
Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry
The Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry was established in 1818.In 1996 the National Academy of Craft and Art Industry became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts .-Noted alumni:-External links:*...
. He wrote books on a broad range of subjects, including the heating and ventilation of rooms, protection of lesser birds and oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
cultivation. For the latter purpose, he also founded a commercial company Det Norske Østers Compagni in 1877.
Wergeland retired from his military career in 1890. He died in 1893 in Kristiania
Oslo
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...
.