The Union of Cabnar 303 



him from his throne, Margaret became regent of Sweden 

 likewise, and the three countries were practically united 

 under one sceptre. 



The actual and legal union of the three Scandinavian 

 countries, known as the Union of Calmar, took place 

 in 1397, when Erik of Pomerania, whom Margaret had 

 adopted as her heir, had been elected to the throne of 

 each of the three kingdoms. Margaret continued to be 

 the actual ruler of them until her death in 1412. 



The history of Norway as a separate kingdom ends 

 with the union of Calmar, ends practically, in fact, 

 with the earlier union under Magnus Bmck. The 

 country was left for the most part at peace, and its old 

 heroic character seemed to have deserted it. It had 

 lost its aristocracy, and had achieved the modest com- 

 fort of a people among whom there was no great wealth 

 and no abject poverty. But at the same time it had lost 

 the proud, the restless and adventurous spirit of former 

 days. It submitted without shame to be treated as 

 the mere appanage of one or other of the two larger 

 Scandinavian kingdoms. The political centre of gravity 

 now leaves this country, and if we wanted to know any- 

 thing of the outside influences which affected Nor- 

 wegian life for succeeding centuries, until in 1814 the 

 country once more sprang into virtual independence, 

 we should have to follow the histories of Sweden and 

 Denmark. 



This, of course, we have not space to do. And it is 

 the less necessary to do so, that even then we should 

 have only a picture of the side influences on Norwegian 

 history. It is enough for us to notice some of the 



