_Christian VI. (1730-1746)_
Christian VI., who succeeded his father, Frederick IV., in 1730,
commenced his reign by discharging the most of his father's experienced
advisers and friends. The very able Bartholomew Deichmann, bishop at
Akershus, who was most highly esteemed during the former reign, was
deposed and indicted, but died shortly after his degradation, April,
1731. The king allowed himself to be controlled by his German queen,
the proud and extravagant Sophie Magdalena. The language and customs of
the country were banished from the court, and a proud and haughty tone
introduced. The king rarely spoke with any of his subjects unless they
belonged to the higher nobility or were Germans. The queen had a mania
for building, and large sums were expended on costly palaces in and
about Copenhagen.
The Danish-Norwegian Church had also been affected by the pietistic
revivalism brought about in the German Protestant Church by Spener
and Francke. Christian himself was a pious man, but his religion was
mournful and morbid. He was, to a great extent, controlled by his
pietistic court-chaplain, Bluhme. A Sabbath ordinance was enacted
(1735), by which several preposterous rules about church-going were
introduced and some antiquated laws were again put in force. Neglect
of attendance at church was punished in the cities by money fines, and
in the country by being placed in the stocks, which, for that purpose,
were erected outside of every church door. Public amusements hitherto
considered harmless--dancing, games and festivities--were forbidden;
weddings and social parties were not to be held on a holiday or the
evening before. A general Church Inspection College was established in
1737, a kind of Court of Inquisition, whose duty it was to watch over
the proper performance of church services. The result of this unwise
zeal for religion was a general state of hypocrisy and intolerance.
Unscrupulous people, who feigned holiness and imitated the pietists at
court, were given offices, while those who were sincere and independent
were left out.
One of the beneficial results of the pietism which ruled during the
reign of Christian VI. was the introduction of the Confirmation in the
Lutheran faith. This was introduced upon the advice of court chaplain
Bluhme, by the ordinance of January 13, 1736; the same year in which
the second centennial of the introduction of the Reformation was
celebrated. The Confirmation led to an improved Christian education
of the people, and indirectly compelled all classes of the people to
read. Great zeal was also shown in the printing of Bibles and other
religious books, and some improvement was made in the Norwegian Church
organization by an ordinance of August 13, 1734. The Latin schools were
reorganized in 1739, the teachers being given better salaries, while
more suitable text-books were introduced.
Some efforts were also made to improve the trade, manufactures and
navigation of Norway, but these efforts were not always well directed.
The trade with Finmarken, Iceland and Greenland was leased to
companies, whose aim seemed to be the greatest possible extortion. Very
unwise and harmful to the country was the king's decree forbidding the
people of southern Norway to buy grain from any other country than
Denmark. The navy was greatly improved under the supervision of Count
Frederick Danneskiold-Samsoe, Admiral Suhm and Constructor Benstrup;
but their work took large sums of money.
Toward the close of this reign Norway suffered a great deal from hard
times and famine, in common with the greater part of Northern Europe.
During the years 1720 and 1741 there died in Norway 31,346 more persons
than were born. Many died of starvation, and, in many districts, the
people had to make meal from bark, bones and straw. A collection
amounting to about 14,000 Rigsdalers (Danish dollars) was made in
Denmark in order to help some of the most needy.
During the reign of Christian VI. lived "the father of the
Danish-Norwegian literature," the witty and very productive author,
Ludvig Holberg (born in Bergen, 1684, died 1754); also the active
and eloquent Peter Hersleb (born in Throndhjem, 1689), who from 1730
to 1737 was bishop at Akershus, and from 1737, until his death in
1757, bishop of Zealand, and who may be considered the father of the
public school system. Two Danish bishops of this time who are held
in respectful memory by the Norwegians are Erik Pontoppidan, who
was bishop in Bergen from 1747 to 1755,--author of "Explanation of
Luther's Catechism," which is still extensively used in the Norwegian
schools--and Hans Brorson (bishop in Ribe, 1694-1764), the author of
many church hymns.
Christian VI., during his reign of sixteen years, only visited
Norway once, in the summer of 1733. He died August 6, 1746, in his
forty-seventh year. In spite of the long peace, a flourishing trade,
and large subsidies from foreign powers for mercenaries, which he had
furnished from Norway and Denmark, he left a debt of over two million
Rigsdalers.