Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-22
CRADLE OF THE MORSE
Trondhjem, Ancient Capital of
the Kings.
SCENE OF CORONATION
Little More Than Fishing
Village.
VISTAS OF GREAT BEAUTY
Northernmost City in Europe, but
Possessed of Temperate Climate
Beautiful Cathedral.

Trondhjem. the ancient capital of the
kings of Norway. may be called the cradle
of the Morse nation. 1t is first mentioned in
history before there was a united Norway,
in connection with Harold the Fair-haired,
who conquered ali the petty kings Of the
Morse counties and united them into a single
state under his own crown in the latter part
of the ninth century. But 1t did not attain
first importance in the kingdom until
Haakon the Good was crowned there in 935,
amid the joyful acclimations of the people,
who had successfully rebelled against the
cruel tyranny of Erik Blood-ax and his des-
potic wife, Queen Gunhild. Since then all
the kings of Norway. Of whatever national
ity they might be. have had to travel to this
far-away city for the ceremony Of investi
ture. The King Haakon of today owes his
name to the first good king of an united
and independent Norway. and the little
crown prince becomes the namesake of his
first legitimate successor, the great Olaf
Tryggvesson. who was crowned In 995. Up
to that time Trondhtem was less a national
capital than the mere stronghold of an i'm
portant province; but In 996 Olaf Tryggves-
son laid the foundation of the present city,
which he then called Nidaros.
Northernmost Town Of Europe.
1t is the northernmost town of any i'm
poIldHCc III CulopS, pcilS SitohlSu IA tiiS
same latitude as the south coast OF Iceland,
but II has temperate climate. While Chris
tiania ford and all the rivers In the south
ern part Of Norway become solidly frozen
during the winter the River Md rarely
freezes over. and the beautiful Trondhjem
ford never. The climate Is like that of
middle Germany In winter and much like
that of the coast Of Oregon in summer
Hence the luxurious vegetation and the re-
sultant prosperity of the people.
King Haakon the Good Is distinguished as
oeing the first Christian sovereign of Nor
way. He was sent by his father to England
In his childhood. and there he became con-
vert to the faith and was baptized. Upon
his return to Norway and his accession to
his fathers throne he did not dare to imme-
tfiateiy attack the ancient Asa faith which
had 80 MANY fanaticat adherents among his
closest friends. so he temporized for some
sixteen years or more, until he had won
such unbounded popularity as seemed to
warrant his taking steps toward the realiza-
ton of the wish nearest his heart-the Chris
tianzation of his people. He began well.
but he did not possess the cruelty of zeal
that was necessary for the accomplishment
of such task in that age, so he succeeded
only in opening the way for his more vigor-
Gus successor. Olaf Tryggvesson, who intro
duced the fire and sword into the fight
with great measure of success
Introduction of Christianity.
But even he failed to completely eradicate
paganism from the national heart, and 1t
was only after his successor. by his wife,
and more particularly by his death, had ap-
appealed to the ready imagination of the
Norsemen that Christianity really became
the established religion OF the country. This
great missionary was King Olaf Haroldson,
who was afterward canonized as st. Olaf,
and over whose sacred remains the great
cathedral in Trondhjem arose.
This cathedral is the proudest historical
monument In Norway and the finest church
In all Scandinavia. ST. Olaf was killed at
the religious battle of Stiklestad in 1890 and
his son and successor, Magnus the Good
brought his body to Trondhjem and placed
1t in a magnificent sarcophagus on the high