Olav Engelbrektsson | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Nidaros | |
 Olav Engelbrektsson's seal from 1527. | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Archdiocese | Nidaros |
| Elected | 30 May 1523 |
| Installed | December 1523 |
| Quashed | 1 April 1537 |
| Predecessor | Erik Valkendorf |
| Successor | Archdiocese abolished Torbjørn Bratt (Lutheran superintendent) |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 9 December 1523 by Pope Clement VII |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1480 |
| Died | 7 February 1538 (aged 57–58) Lier, Duchy of Brabant, Habsburg Netherlands |
| Buried | Church of Saint Gummarus |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Residence | Archbishop's Palace, Nidaros |
| Alma mater | University of Rostock |
| Coat of arms |  |
Olav Engelbrektsson[1] (c. 1480, Trondenes, Norway – 7 February 1538, Lier, Duchy of Brabant, Habsburg Netherlands) was the 28th Archbishop of Norway from 1523 to 1537, the Regent of Norway from 1533 to 1537, a member and later president of the Riksråd (Council of the Realm), and a member of the Norwegian nobility. He was the last Roman Catholic to be the Archbishop of Norway before he fled to exile in 1537.
After his death, Olav Engelbrektsson was given a "bad reputation as an untrustworthy and scheming prelate" (dårlig ettermæle som en upålitelig og intrigant prelat) by the Protestant historians.[2] His reputation did not improve after 1814, when Norway made its declaration of independence from Denmark, because he was still blamed for promoting the Catholic Church at the expense of Norwegian independence.[3] But the later historians—Absalon Taranger in 1917, Sverre Steen in 1935 and Lars Hamre in 1998—have rehabilitated most of his reputation with detailed studies and labeled most of the accusations as unfair.
- ^ Also spelled: Olaf, Olavus; Engelbertsen.
- ^ (in Norwegian) Øystein Rian, "Olav Engelbrektsson", in: Norsk biografisk leksikon, 2. utgave, bind 2 [ Norwegian Biographical Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Volume 2 ], edited by Jon Gunnar ( Oslo : Kunnskapsforlaget [ Knowledge Publishers ], 2000 ), ISBN 82-573-1004-2.
- ^ (in Norwegian) Øystein Rian, "Olav Engelbrektsson", Norsk Biografisk Leksikon, retrieved 1 April 2013.