Norwegian serfdom can be a way of defining the position of the Norwegian lower class farmers, though they were not actually in serfdom by European standards.[1][2] The evolution of this social system began about 1750.
The institution only applied in the Kingdom of Norway, not in the rest of Denmark-Norway. Iceland (a Norwegian dependency) had its own system of serfdom, while a somewhat similar institution, the stavnsbånd, existed in Denmark proper. Slavery was the backbone of the Dano-Norwegian colonies in the Caribbean.
In Norway and Iceland, serfdom never made any inroads.