Olav Engelbrektsson

Olav Engelbrektsson
Archbishop of Nidaros
Olav Engelbrektsson's seal from 1527.
ChurchRoman Catholic
ArchdioceseNidaros
Elected30 May 1523
InstalledDecember 1523
Quashed1 April 1537
PredecessorErik Valkendorf
SuccessorArchdiocese abolished
Torbjørn Bratt
(Lutheran superintendent)
Orders
Consecration9 December 1523
by Pope Clement VII
Personal details
Bornc. 1480
Died7 February 1538(1538-02-07) (aged 57–58)
Lier, Duchy of Brabant, Habsburg Netherlands
BuriedChurch of Saint Gummarus
NationalityNorwegian
ResidenceArchbishop's Palace, Nidaros
Alma materUniversity of Rostock
Coat of armsOlav Engelbrektsson's 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.

  1. ^ Also spelled: Olaf, Olavus; Engelbertsen.
  2. ^ (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.
  3. ^ (in Norwegian) Øystein Rian, "Olav Engelbrektsson", Norsk Biografisk Leksikon, retrieved 1 April 2013.