E-text prepared by Bryan Ness, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 59593-h.htm or 59593-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/59593/59593-h/59593-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/59593/59593-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/historyofdenmark01dunhuoft Project Gutenberg has the other volume of this work. Volume II: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59657 Transcriber’s note: Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). If a portion of the text was missing or illegible the note [**Illegible] is inserted to mark the location. THE CABINET CYCLOPÆDIA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ London: Printed by A. Spottiswoode, New-Street-Square. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE CABINET CYCLOPÆDIA. Conducted by the Rev. Dionysius Lardner, Ll.D., F.R.S. L. & E. M.R.I.A. F.R.A.S. F.L.S. F.Z.S. Hon. F.C.P.S. &c. &c. Assisted by Eminent Literary and Scientific Men. ------- History. ------- DENMARK, SWEDEN, AND NORWAY. by the Author of The “History of Spain and Portugal.” VOL. I. --------------------- London: Printed for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, Paternoster-Row; and John Taylor, Upper Gower Street. 1839. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HISTORY OF DENMARK, SWEDEN, AND NORWAY. by S. A. DUNHAM, Author of “The History of Spain & Portugal.” VOL. I. London: Printed for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green & Longmans, Paternoster-Row and [**Illegible] 1839 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PREFACE. ------- SCANDINAVIA prior to the tenth century is the region of romance,—of the wildest legends. These are admissible into the severe domain of history in so far only as they illustrate national opinions and manners,—the noblest part of the study. For this reason, chiefly, more have been retained in the present volume than are to be found in any preceding work on the subject. Indeed, were they rejected, nine tenths of northern history must be rejected with them. Another reason for dwelling on the earlier and more obscure events has been the wish to deviate as much as possible from a recent popular work in the “Edinburgh Cabinet Cyclopedia.” Two publications on the same subject, and designed for the same class of readers, would scarcely be required, unless they were distinguished from each other in their manner of treating it.