Altenhus Fortress
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Altenhus Fortress ( no, Altenhus festning; also Kongshus Fortress) was a fortification built on the island of
Årøya Årøya is an island of northern Norway, located off the coast of Alta, in Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English), is a count ...
in the
Alta Alta or ALTA may refer to: Acronyms * Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of U.S. mortgage * American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry * American Literary Translators Associatio ...
area of
Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...
, Norway in 1610. Altenhus Fortress was intended to prevent Swedish incursions into the area, and secure the rich salmon fisheries for the Dano-Norwegian state. The structure only remained in military use for three years, before being abandoned and used as a prison until 1692, when the timber of the fortress' blockhouse was used in the construction of a church.


Background

Due to the ongoing struggles between Denmark-Norway and the Swedish Empire in the early 1600s, the Dano-Norwegian king, Christian IV wanted to secure the western areas of the border-less far northern region of
Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...
against Swedish incursions. By building a fortress on the island of
Årøya Årøya is an island of northern Norway, located off the coast of Alta, in Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English), is a count ...
in the Altafjord, the rich
salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
fisheries of the
Alta River Alta River ( uk, Альта, Ільтиця, Alta, Iltytsia) is a small river in Ukraine and is a right tributary of the Trubizh. The ancient town of Pereiaslav is situated between the Trubizh and Alta rivers. The river is considered the place w ...
could also be protected. Christian IV had a strong interest in the Finnmark region, having personally led a naval expedition along the coast of Norway, as far as the then-disputed
Kola Peninsula sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк , image_name= Kola peninsula.png , image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast , image_size= 300px , image_alt= , map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg , map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblas ...
in present-day Russia. The king had also ordered the refurbishment of the old
Vardøhus Fortress Vardøhus Fortress ( no, Vardøhus festning) is located in Vardø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the town of Vardø on the island of Vardøya on the Barents Sea near the mouth of the Varangerfjord in northeaste ...
in eastern Finnmark. By 1610, officials representing the Dano-Norwegian and Swedish empires had struggled for several years over who would tax the indigenous
Sami people Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...
living in the Alta River area of Finnmark, and who would control the rich salmon fisheries of the Alta River. The Dano-Norwegian
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of Finnmark had had built in the 1560s a ''
Goahti A goahti (Northern Sámi), goahte (Lule Sámi), gåhte (Pite Sámi), gåhtie (Ume Sámi) or gåetie (Southern Sámi), (also ''gábma''), (Norwegian: ''gamme'', Finnish: ''kota'', Swedish: ''kåta''), is a Sami hut or tent of three types of cov ...
'' (earthen hut) near the river to house one of his bailiffs during the salmon season. From 1605 onwards
Charles IX of Sweden Charles IX, also Carl ( sv, Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I () and of his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, the brother of King Eric X ...
laid claim on equal taxation rights on the salmon fisheries in the Alta River as that of the Dano-Norwegian king, and from 1606 competing Dano-Norwegian and Swedish tax collectors demanded taxes and, in the case of the Swedes, labour from the Samis fishing in the river. The conflict came to a violent confrontation in 1607, the Swedes being driven away by Norwegian fishermen. Further Swedish attempts at gaining a foothold near the river lead to further clashes in 1609, and in 1610 the Swedes made an unsuccessful attempt at bringing troops to Alta, intending to build a fortification there. In response to the repeated Swedish incursions on territory claimed by Denmark-Norway in the north of Norway, and in order to secure the salmon fisheries in the Alta River, King Christian IV on 17 August 1610 ordered Governor Claus Gagge to build a fortification near Alta River.


Construction

During the 1609 clashes, the
Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...
had captured and dismantled a church built by the
Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...
in Alta. The timber from the church, some 10
ell An ell (from Proto-Germanic *''alinō'', cognate with Latin ''ulna'') is a northwestern European unit of measurement, originally understood as a cubit (the combined length of the forearm and extended hand). The word literally means "arm", and ...
s in length, was employed when the construction of Altenhus Fortress began in 1610. The completion of the construction of the fortification, at various times called both Kongshus and Altenhus Fortress, by 14 labourers began in early May 1611 and lasted until mid-August of that year. Carpenters and other construction workers had to be brought in from
Helgeland Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet mountains and Svartise ...
further south in Norway, as none could be found in Finnmark. The finished fortification was an enclosed two-storey cross-shaped
blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...
, with sides about long. The blockhouse had loopholes for observation and defensive firing. Earthen ramparts surrounded the blockhouse on three sides, with the fourth, eastern, side covered by a wooden palisade facing the sea. The ramparts were some high and long.Dahl 1948, p. 55 The construction of the fortress on Årøya, led to a comparatively considerable immigration of Norwegians to the area, many arriving as carpenters and soldiers.


Service as a fortress

Altenhus Fortress on Årøya was located midway in the Altafjord, enabling the structure to control shipping in the fjord. The fortress could also prevent intrusions from a northerly or southerly direction. Swedish spies described the fortification as "hard to bypass". To further increase the Dano-Norwegian control of the Altafjord, a gun-armed
galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...
was based at the fortress. The garrison manning Altenhus had two horses, which were probably the first horses in Alta. The garrison was commanded by a Thomas Køningham (surname alternatively spelled Coningham or Cunningham). After the completion of the fortification, the
Sami people Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...
in the area began calling the island on which Altenhus was located ''Latnesuolu'', meaning "Fortress island". The Sami population of Årøya had by 1613 disappeared, possibly by being forcibly moved by the Dano-Norwegian authorities. The fortress was abandoned after the end of the 1611–13 Kalmar War, when the Swedes abandoned their claims on the coastal areas between
Tysfjord Tysfjord ( smj, Divtasvuodna) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1869 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of th ...
and Varanger, leaving the Altenhus without a purpose as a fortification.


Use as a prison

Following the abandonment of Altenhus as a fortress, the structure was employed as a prison. Arrested individuals were kept in the blockhouse until they could be brought before the ''ting'' at
Hasvåg Hasvåg is a seaside village in the municipality of Flatanger in Trøndelag county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and nort ...
on the island of
Sørøya Sørøya ( sme, Sállan) is Norway's fourth largest island in terms of area. The island is divided between Hasvik Municipality and Hammerfest Municipality. It is often claimed to be "one of the most beautiful" of the islands in Norway. In 2018 ...
. Despite the continued occasional use as a prison, the former fortress fell into decay and contained almost nothing in the way of furniture or goods.Nielsen 1990, pp. 127–128 Amongst the people imprisoned at Altenhus were two Sami men accused in 1624 of theft of silver. The two accused argued that they had only come into possession of stolen goods after they had killed another Sami, Sarfe Finn, who they claimed had been plotting a rebellion against the Dano-Norwegian authorities by planning to kill a number of notable Norwegians on Årøya, and at
Hammerfest Hammerfest (; sme, Hámmerfeasta ) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Hammerfest is the northernmost town in the world with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hammerfe ...
, Hasvåg and Sørvær. The accused were sentenced to death for theft. During the decades that followed the abandonment of Altenhus as a fortress, it was at times debated what should be done with the structure. In 1690, the population of Talvik requested the use of the timber of the blockhouse at Altenhus for the construction of a church, so the local people would no longer have to travel to Hasvåg for church services. Permission was granted, and in 1692–1694, the timber of the fortress was employed in the building of a church on Årøya.


Remains

As of the early 2000s, there are still visible remains of the fortress on Årøya. Of the blockhouse traces of both the foundation walls and the cellar remain. The ramparts from the fortress are the oldest existent remains relating to the Dano-Norwegian efforts at gaining control of Finnmark, and as such have been declared as protected by the
Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage The Directorate for Cultural Heritage ( no, Riksantikvaren or ''Direktoratet for kulturminneforvaltning'') is a government agency responsible for the management of cultural heritage in Norway. Subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of the Environm ...
.Nielsen 1990, p. 102


References


Citations


Bibliography

* (Access for Norwegian IPs) * * (Access for Norwegian IPs) * (Access for Norwegian IPs) *{{cite book, title=Ofoten. 1: Generell historie , first=Magnus , last=Pettersen , language=no , url=http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013120606003 , isbn=8290834012 , year=1988 , publisher=Ofoten bygdeboknemnd , location=Narvik (Access for Norwegian IPs) Alta, Norway 1613 disestablishments in Europe 1610 establishments in Norway Military installations in Finnmark Forts in Norway Prisons in Norway Protected areas of Finnmark Kalmar War