Events from the16th century inNorway.

1501

• August –Alvsson'srebellion starts.
  • Knut Alvsson led Swedish forces in an attack onBåhus Fortress.
• The rebels led byNils Ravaldsson succeed in occupyingMarstrand andSarpsborg.

1502

• Alvsson'srebellion:
  • March – Knut Alvsson succeeds in occupyingAkershus Fortress andTønsberg Fortress.
  • July–August –Henrich Krummedige recaptures Tønsberg Fortress and lays siege to Akershus Fortress.
  • 18 August – Knut Alvsson and men loyal to him are murdered during aparley with Henrich Krummedige.
• Olsborg Castle is constructed byNils Ravaldsson.^[1]
• TheKrummedige-Tre Rosor feud ends.

1503

• Alvsson'srebellion
  • TheTønsberg Fortress was destroyed by rebels.^[2]
  • Rebels under the leadership ofNils Ravaldsson succeed in occupyingKonghelle.
  • Nils Ravaldssons forces lay siege toBohus Fortress.

1504

• Alvsson'srebellion:
  • May – A one-yearceasefire was signed between theNorwegian rebels andKing Hans, but was broken by the king in December.
  • 24 December –Alvsson'srebellion was crushed atOlsborg Castle inBåhuslen.^[3]

1505

• 20 July – Nils Sveinsson was ennobled, and given the noble family nameTordenstjerne.

1506

• PrinceChristian was appointedViceroy of Norway.

1507

• Herlaug Hovudfat's rebellion starts.

1508

• Herlaug Hovudfat's rebellion ends.

1513

• 22 July – King Christian II is elected King of Norway.^{[citation needed]}

1514

• 23 July – King Christian II is crowned King of Norway inOslo. Thiscoronation was the last in Norway for 304 years when KingCharles III John was crowned king in1818.

1519

• The Orm Eriksson Tax Revolt.

1523

• 20 January – Christian II is deposed as King of Norway.
• 31 January –Swedish forces occupyRanrike.
• 1 July –Olav Torkelsson becomesBishop of Bergen.
• November
  • 8–9 November –Hansa merchants expels allScots fromBergen.^[4]
  • Swedish War of Liberation ends. This marks the end for theKalmar Union.
  • Supporters of Christian II surrenderedAkershus Fortress andBergenhus Fortress to theNorwegian National Council.^[5]
• December –Olav Engelbrektsson becomes theArchbishop of Norway.
• Swedish forces besigesAkershus Fortress.

1524

• 5 August – KingFrederick I of Denmark is elected King of Norway.
• 1 September –Treaty of Malmö.

1531

• Christ Church in Bergen was demolished.
• November – KingChristian II invades Norway, but the invasion fail, and he is taken prisoner and brought to Denmark.

1532

• Ranrike is returned back to Norway from Sweden.

1533

• 10 April – KingFrederick I dies, and Norway enters ainterregnum period, lasting until 1537.

1535

• Spring – The southern branch of the Norwegianriksråd electsChristian III of Denmark as king of Norway. The northern branch refuse to accept the election. The privy councils leaderOlav Engelbrektsson wantsFrederick the Wise as king.^[6]
• 21 July –Nils Lykke is convicted forincest and is executed later the same year.^[7]

1536

• TheReformation in Norway starts.
• 3 January – Realm councilVincens Lunge is murdered inNidaros, and other people loyal toChristian III of Denmark is arrested. This event marks the beginning of theReformation in Norway andOlav Engelbrektssons rebellion.^[8]
• 7 January – ArchbishopOlav Engelbrektsson sent squads of supporters to villages inEastern Norway; the squads proclaimed to the people that a new ruler (Frederick the Wise) could be on his way.
• January–April – Many farmers andbourgeoisie in Eastern Norway rises up in rebellion for the Archbishop, but it soon failed as no actual support from Frederick came.^[9]
• March – The Archbishops forces led byKristoffer Throndsen, fails to captureBergenhus Fortress, and Throndsen is arrested during aparley with the commanders of the fort.
• April – Olav Engelbrektsson releases supporters of Christian III from prison atTautra.^[9]
• Fall – The Protestant forces led byPeder Hanssøn Litle, takes control overAkershus Fortress.
• Munkeliv Abbey was destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt.
• The town ofTønsberg was destroyed by fire.^[10]
• Halsnøy Abbey was dissolved.
• Lyse Abbey was dissolved.

1537

• TheReformation in Norway:
  • January–February – The Commander ofBergenhus FortressEske Billes forces sacks farms of supporters of ArchbishopOlav Engelbrektsson inMøre og Romsdal.
  • 1 April – The Archbishop of Norway Olav Engelbrektsson flees fromTrondheim toLier, Belgium.
  • April –Christian III sends a fleet with soldiers to Norway.
  • April –Steinvikholm Castle is besieged by the Protestant forces.
  • 17 May – The Archbishops men surrendersSteinvikholm Castle to the Protestant forces.
  • May – The forces sent by Christian III arrives in Norway. The army splits in two. One part plunderssetesveins of Olav Engelbrektsson, the other part heads toHamar to arrest BishopMogens Lauritssøn.
  • 20 June –Siege of Hamar starts.
  • 23 June – Siege of Hamar ends with the arrest of Bishop Mogens Lauritssøn, and the Catholic rebellion is definitively ended in Norway.^[6]
  • 2 September –Gjeble Pederssøn becomes the firstLutheran bishop in Norway.^[11]
• Dissolution of all themonasteries in Norway, including:
  • Bakke Abbey
  • Munkeby Abbey
  • Tautra Abbey
  • Nidarholm Abbey
  • Gimsøy Abbey
  • Utstein Abbey
• St. Olav's shrine was destroyed.
• KingChristian III of Denmark becomes King of Norway, and thereal union ofDenmark-Norway is formed.

1538

• Christian III starts amining project inTelemark.^[12]

1539

• May –Hans Glaser becamebergmeister inTelemark.^[13]
• Summer – Norway's firstLutheranChurch Ordinance is introduced.^[14]
• Kristoffer Throndsen raidsUtstein Abbey and the Bishop's Palace inStavanger.
• Herredag, the highest court in Norway, was established.

1540

• ThePeasant's Rebellion in Telemark.
• ThePeasant's Rebellion in Agder starts.

1541

• ThePeasant's Rebellion in Agder ends.

1542

• TheTamperret, a special marriage court, is established.

1544

• 23 May – TheTreaty of Speyer, emperorCharles V of TheHoly Roman Empire recognized Christian III as the rightful king of Denmark and Norway.^[15][16]

1545

• Thecathedral chapter atSt Mary's Church was dissolved.^[17]

1547

• Peder Huitfeldt becomesChancellor of Norway.

1548

• Summer – PrinceFrederick II of Norway was proclaimed asheir apparent toChristian III of Norway, inOslo.^[18]
• ThePlague of 1547–1548 ends. It was abubonic plague, that spread to large parts ofSouth Norway.^[19]

1553

• 22 July –Christen Munk and other notable men met atHamarhus inHamar. They were there to record the most important of the town's buildings, streets, organization and population. The result of there work was theHamar Chronicle.^[20]

1555

• Inger Ottesdotter Rømer and her daughterLucie Nilsdatter dies in ashipwrecking off the coast ofSunnmøre.^[21]
• Anti-Catholicism in Norway: Two farmers were burned to death at the stake inVestfold. The two men had preached Catholic teachings.^[22]

1556

• Christen Munk was appointedGovernor-General of Norway.

1557

• 22 January –Jon Guttormssøn resign asBishop of Stavanger.

1558

• 22 January – TheLivonian War starts.

1559

• 1 January –Frederick II of Denmark-Norway becomes king after the death of his father, Christian III. The firsthereditary monarch of Norway since theabolition of theelective monarchy by Christian III.

1563

• 13 August – TheNorthern Seven Years' War starts.

1564

• Northern Seven Years War

• February – Swedish troops occupyJemtland,Herjedalen andTrøndelag. Trøndelag is retaken the same year, but Jemtland and Herjedalen is given back in 1570.
• Helgeseter Priory is burned down by Swedish forces.^[23]
• 22 May – Norwegian forces under the command ofErik Rosenkrantz retakesSteinvikholm Castle from Swedish troops.

1565

• March – Swedish troops besiegesSteinvikholm Castle, but fails in taking the castle.
• Oluf Kalips becomesChancellor of Norway.

1567

• TheNorthern Seven Years' War: May – Swedish invasion of Norway.
  • Swedish forces torchedKonghelle andSarpsborg.
  • Swedish forces torchesHamar, destroyingHamar Cathedral and the bishop's fortified palaceHamarhus.
• 12 September – The city ofFredrikstad was established through a King'sdecree.^[24]
• Johan Venstermand becomesChancellor of Norway.

1570

• Værne Kloster is burned down in connection with theNorthern Seven Years' War.
• 13 December – TheTreaty of Stettin ends the Northern Seven Years' War.^[25]

1571

• 29 July –Battle of Hel,Denmark-Norway defeatsPoland–Lithuania in a naval battle.

1572

• Povel Huitfeldt was appointedGovernor-General of Norway.^[26]
• Johan Venstermand is deposed asChancellor of Norway, and the position was vacant until 1592.

1573

• Anti-Catholicism in Norway: Ingeborg Kjeldsdatter fromSkiptvet was flogged. Her crime was that she had practiced CatholicMarian devotion.^[27]

1575

• 12 December – TheDanzig rebellion began. The city ofDanzig rebels againstPoland–Lithuania,Denmark–Norway joins the side of the rebels.

1576

• The first mention ofPorsgrunn by the writerPeder Claussøn Friis in his workConcerning the Kingdom of Norway

1577

• 9 July –Ludvig Munk was appointedGovernor-General of Norway.^[28]
• December – End of theDanzig rebellion.

1579

• Christen Mule erects aRenaissance building on the ruins of the previousbishop's palace inOslo.

1580

• The1580 influenza pandemic.
• The first mention of the trading port ofFlekkefjord.

1582

• The Noble Privileges of 1582; decreed that a noblewoman who married a non-noble man should lose all her hereditary land to her nearest co-inheritor, for example her brother.

1583

• Ludvig Munk is deposed asGovernor-General of Norway, and the position was vacant until 1588.

1585

• Hamre Church was built.

1587

• Hamar lost its townstatus, when merchants inOslo got KingFrederick II to move all of Hamar's market activities to Oslo (the town regained its status in1849).

1588

• 4 April –Christian IV of Denmark-Norway becomes king after the death of his father, Frederick II.
• August –Axel Gyldenstierne was appointedGovernor-General of Norway.^[29]
• 21 September –Santiago, aSpanish Armada supply ship, got wrecked nearMosterhamn inHardanger Fjord.^[30]

1589

• 28 October –James VI of Scotland arrives inFlekkefjord by ship.^[31]
• 23 November – James VI marriedAnne of Denmark at theBishop's Palace in Oslo.^[32]
• 22 December – James VI andAnne of Denmark leaves Oslo bysled toCopenhagen.^[33]

1590

• 7 April –Anne Pedersdotter was burned alive at the stake in the city ofBergen. Her case is regarded as the starting point of thewitch trials in Norway.^[34]

1591

• 8 June – KingChristian IV was hailed as King of Norway inOslo.
• 31 July – TheSorenskriver office is introduced in Norway.^[35]
• Thedistrict court system is established.^{[citation needed]}
• The oldest document with theseal ofStavanger citycoat of arms is made.^[36][37]

1592

• 23 June –Hans Pederssøn Litle becomesChancellor of Norway.

1595

• The firstpharmacy in Norway opened (Svaneapoteket inBergen).^[38]

1600

• Cort Aslakssøn becomes the first Norwegian professor at theUniversity of Copenhagen.

• 1501 –18 July –Isabella of Burgundy, queen ofChristian II of Denmark (d.1526)

• 1502

• 1 May –Jakob Bagge, Norwegian-born Swedish admiral (died1577).^[39]
• Torbjørn Bratt, clergyman (died1548).^[40]

• 1503 –12 August –Christian III of Denmark and Norway (d.1559)
• 1505 –Jens Olavssøn Bratt, clergyman (d.1548)^[41]
• 1514 –Heine Havreki, priest (d.1576)
• 1537 –Ludvig Munk,Stadtholder of Norway (d.1602)
• 1538

• Jens Nilssøn, bishop (died1600).^[42]
• Enno Brandrøk, nobleman, mercenary and adventurer (died 1571).
• Laurentius Nicolai,Jesuit, active in service of theCounter-Reformation (died 1622).^[43]

• 1539 –7 April –Strange Jørgenssøn, bailiff and businessman (died1610).^[44]
• 1545 –1 April –Peder Claussøn Friis, author (died1614)
• 1561 –Christoffer Hjort, priest, expelled from the country for Catholicism in 1613 (died1616).^[45]
• 1564 –28 June –Cort Aslakssøn astronomer, theologist and philosopher (died1624).^[46]
• 1579 –3 June –Jens Munk, polar explorer (died1628).^[47]
• 1580

• 8 January –Jens Hermansson Juel, nobleman,Governor-general of Norway (died1634).^[48]
• 2 February –Jens Bjelke, nobleman,Chancellor of Norway (died1659).^[49]

• 1590

• Peter Paulson Paus, provost (died1653)
• Probable –Magdalena Andersdotter, shipowner (died c.a 1650)

• 1592 –Axel Mowat, admiral and land owner (died1661).^[50]

• 1502 –18 August –Knut Alvsson, nobleman and landowner (born c. 1455).^[51]
• 1505 –Nils Ravaldsson, leader ofAlvsson'srebellion^[52]
• 1521 –Orm Eriksson, nobleman (born c. 1476).
• 1523 –Nils Henriksson, knight, landowner, National Counselor, Lord High Steward of Norway (born c. 1455)^[53]
• 1535

• 30 May –Olav Torkelsson, Roman Catholic bishop.^[54]
• 24 December –Nils Lykke, nobleman.^[7]
• Anders Mus, bishop.^[55]

• 1536 –3 January –Vincens Lunge, Realm counselor.^[8]
• Probable1537 –Hoskuld Hoskuldsson,Bishop of Stavanger (b. c. 1465/1470)
• 1538 – 7 February –Olav Engelbrektsson, Archbishop of Norway (born c. 1480).^[9]
• 1545

• Hans Glaser,bergmeister (b. c. 1480)
• Hans Rev,bishop (b. c. 1489)

• 1548

• 12 June –Jens Olavssøn Bratt, clergyman (born c.1505).^[56]
• Torbjørn Bratt, clergyman and bishop (born c.1502).^[57]

• 1555 –Inger Ottesdotter Rømer, wealthy landowner, Lady ofAustraat (born c. 1475).^[58]
• 1557 –9 March –Gjeble Pederssøn, bishop (born c. 1490).^[59]
• 1558 –14 February –Trond Torleivsson Benkestok, nobleman, estate owner and overlord (born c. 1495).^[60]
• 1570 –18 September –Hans Olufsson, high-ranking cleric and nobleman (b.c 1495–1500)
• 1575

• 9 April –Absalon Pederssøn Beyer, clergyman, writer, historian (born c. 1528).^[61]
• 29 July –Jon Simonssøn, city manager, lawspeaker, humanist (born 1512).^[62]

• 1576 –Heine Havreki, priest (born1514)
• 1577 –20 September –Jon Guttormssøn, Lutheransuperintendent.^[63]
• 1578 –17 September –Hans Gaas, clergyman (born c. 1500).^[64]
• 1581 –Mogens Svale, military commander and landowner (born c.1530).^[65]
• 1588

• 4 April –Frederick II, king of Denmark and Norway (born 1534)
• Axel Gyntersberg, nobleman and overlord (born c. 1525).^[66]

• 1589 –Christen Mule,merchant andMayor of Oslo (born c.1525).
• 1590

• 7 April –Anne Pedersdotter, alleged witch (born c. 1530)^[67]
• Gude Axelsen Giedde, military officer and priest (born 1510)

• 1591 –2 November –Frants Berg, bishop (born1504 ?).^[68]
• 1592 –Oluf Kalips, nobleman, landowner andChancellor of Norway.^[69]
• Probable1593 –Jon Trondson Benkestok, nobleman (born c.1530)
• 1595 –30 November –Hans Mogenssøn, bishop (born c.1525)
• 1600 –Jens Nilssøn, Bishop of theDiocese of Oslo (born1538).^[70]

• 16th century in Norway
• Centuries in Norway

• CS1 Norwegian-language sources (no)
• CS1 maint: location missing publisher
• Pages with ISBN errors
• CS1 Swedish-language sources (sv)
• CS1 Norwegian Bokmål-language sources (nb)
• CS1 Danish-language sources (da)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from March 2025
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from October 2025
• Articles with unsourced statements from March 2025