The Christening of Sweden

Denmark was converted during king Harald Blåtand's (Bluetooth's) time year 960. Norway by Olaf Haraldsson about year 1024. He burned the old temples and forced the Norwegians to get Christened. Iceland went the same direction year 1000 when the allthing decided that Christianity should be the new country religion. 1155 did Erik the Holy and the English bishop Henrik their crusade in Finland. Sweden sticked to the heathen gods to the end of the 1000. But as early as 829 had the German archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, Ansgar (801-865) come to the commercial town Birka to preach. This on emperor Ludwig's order. The trip to Birka had been hard for the bishop. They had been plundered by Vikings who had stolen not only their boat, but also the 40 books that they brought to the Swedish king Bjorn. They had to continue by foot before they finally reached Birka.

Ansgar stayed there for one and a half year, but he didn't manage to Christen as many people that he had planned to. But there had been at least one successful case; he had got the important Hergeir, one of the king's closest men, with him. And Hergeir started to build a church. When Ansgar returned to the emperor Ludwig he exaggerated the number of men he had manage to convert and he was greatly rewarded by the emperor who made him the archbishop of Scandinavia. But this job was soon taken over by Ebo Von Riems. Ebo made one of his relatives, Gautbert, bishop of Sweden. Gautbert went hopeful to his new diocese, but he got terrified when they were attacked by the heathen inhabitants of Birka. When one of his men died he went straight back to Germany. Year 850 Ansgar returned to Birka hoping that the population had become a bit more friendly.

The new king Olof was, like Bjorn, positive to the missionaries, but he was afraid to give Ansgar promision to preach because of what had happened earlier. They finally agree that they should draw lots to decide if the bishop should stay or not. The lot shows that Ansgar can stay and so he does. He selects Erimbert to the new priest of Birka. Erimbert builds a church and soon he has some members. After him Ansfrid became priest, and after Ansfrid came Rimbert. About 930 were all Christians turned out from Birka again. Then comes a period that is very badly documented and everybody abandoned Birka and moved to Sigtuna where they became Christened. Stave churches were built and the church bells sounded to scare of the old gods. During a long changeover era the heathenism and Christianity existed at the same time. Officially everybody believed in God, but at home they worshiped the old gods. From this time a lot of cast iron moulds that could do both Christian crosses and heathen hammers have been found. One of the most important books about Ansgar's preaching in Sweden is the Ansgar chronicle written by his successor Rimbert.