| dc.description.abstract | In this master’s thesis, I have observed and compared the recruitment processes of civilians in Norway and Sweden during the Nordic Seven Years War, as well as analysing the severe consequences that the peasant population in both realms tried to mitigate. The Nordic Seven Year War lasted between 1563-1570 and was an armed conflict that for the most part affected the civilian population in the realms of Denmark-Norway and Sweden. Their method of warfare was quite different from another: Denmark-Norway was enlisting mercenary troops into their army, while Sweden’s army mostly consisted of peasant soldiers. Nevertheless, due to the expensive costs of the war, both realms were recruiting soldiers from their civilian population and provided instructions on how to wage war. These instructions caused severe consequences for the civilians on both sides, who faced multiple instances of murder, arson, and raids during the war.
In the earlier stages of the war there was no expectations on the Norwegian peasantry to fight alongside the mercenary troops. However, this changed when a Swedish army conquered Trondheim in 1564. This military campaign in Northern Norway has provided significant material for a comparison between Norway and Sweden in their recruitment of peasants. By comparing the similarities, I have found that the Norwegian and Swedish military leaders had to negotiate with their subjects, whom in both cases resisted the demands of enlisting. Due to severe threats, the Swedish and the Norwegian peasants conceded, and joined their respective campaigns.
After Trondheim was reconquered by Danish-Norwegian forces, the district governors in Norway were ordered to recruit soldiers from the Norwegian peasantry in order to attack the Swedes. The sources provide not only the military orders, but also instructions of how warfare should be conducted. I have discovered that not only the military leaders, but also the peasants were ordered to murder and plunder their enemies. The war brought severe consequences for the population in both realms, and therefore it was appropriate to investigate the conditions of the civilian throughout the war. The Danish and the Swedish king were both eager to incorporate the Norwegians as their subjects, and those who refused to swear allegiance were deemed as traitors and enemies. By comparing the Norwegian peasants with the Swedish ones, I have discovered that the Norwegians had similar opportunities to negotiate with their Danish rulers in order to mitigate the damage that they had experienced during the war. | |
