Arne Odd Johnsen (3 December 1909 – 9 July 1985) was a Norwegian

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and

economic historian Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and ins ...

Early career

He was born in

Asker Asker ( no, Asker), properly called Askerbygda in Norwegian, is a district and former municipality in Akershus, Norway. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipality Asker, Viken (also known as Greater Asker) in Viken county, ...

as the son of historian Oscar Albert Johnsen (1876–1954) and Anna Evie Tollefsen (1877–1944). He

finished Finished may refer to: * ''Finished'' (novel), a 1917 novel by H. Rider Haggard * ''Finished'' (film), a 1923 British silent romance film * "Finished" (short story), a science fiction short story by L. Sprague de Camp See also *Finishing (disa ...

his secondary education in 1928, enrolled in

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

and graduated in 1936 with the

mag.art. A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from la, magister, "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the ...

degree. Between 1937 and 1939 he studied medieval history at

École des Chartes École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Sav ...

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

and

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...

. He was then a research fellow at the University of Oslo for five years. In 1945 he published his thesis ''Studier vedrørende kardinal Nicolaus Brekespears legasjon til Norden'', about Cardinal Nicolas Breakspear, later known as Pope Adrian IV. The thesis earned him the dr.philos. degree in 1946.

Later career

After taking his doctorate he held scholarships and fellowships at several institutions in Norway and abroad. He was a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Unive ...

from 1949 and the

Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters ( da, Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab, DKNVS) is a Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The ...

from 1953. In 1958 he received a permanent scholarship from the Norwegian state. Johnsen became known for his endeavor to publish source documents from medieval and early modern times. His largest single work was ''Finnmarksfangstens historie 1864–1905'', published in 1959 as volume one of ''Den moderne hvalfangst historie'', the history of modern whaling. He was the editor of ''Kristiansunds historie'', a work on the history of Kristiansund, published in five volumes between 1945 and 1962, and in 1971 he released ''Tønsberg gjennom tidene'' on the history of Tønsberg. Johnsen also issued one collection of poetry, in 1930 under the pseudonym Tore Tallbo. He married interior decorator Birgitte Christine Paus (1915–1992) in 1952. He died in July 1985 in Oslo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnsen, Arne Odd Norwegian medievalists Local historians Economic historians University of Paris alumni University of Oslo alumni People from Asker 1909 births 1985 deaths Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters 20th-century Norwegian historians Norwegian expatriates in France Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters