Sverre Steen (1 August 1898 – 23 June 1983) was a Norwegian historian and professor 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 ...

from 1938 to 1965. He served as president of the

Norwegian Historical Association The Norwegian Historical Association ( no, Den norske historiske forening, HIFO) is a Norwegian historical organization. The Association was founded in 1869 by Michael Birkeland and Ludvig Ludvigsen Daae. It works to promote historical research an ...

from 1936 to 1947

Biography

Steen was born in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, Norway. He was the son of Johan Martin Nilsen Steen (1863–1955) and Bertha Kathrine Hopland (1858–1927). He was a student at Bergen Cathedral School from 1911 to 1916. He attended the

from 1918 where he was mentored by professor of history

Edvard Bull Sr. Edvard Bull (4 December 1881 – 26 August 1932) was a Norwegian historian and politician for the Labour Party. He took the doctorate in 1912 and became a professor at the University of Kristiania in 1917, and is known for writings on a broad r ...

(1881-1932). After graduating from the university in 1924, Steen became a lecturer at

Trondheim Cathedral School Trondheim Cathedral School ( no, Trondheim katedralskole, Latin: ''Schola Cathedralis Nidrosiensis'') is an upper secondary school located next to the Nidaros Cathedral in the center of Trondheim, Norway. History There is great dispute regarding ...

. Steen was a fellow at the University of Oslo from 1927 and became a lecturer of history in 1933. He replaced

Halvdan Koht Halvdan Koht (7 July 1873 – 12 December 1965) was a Norwegian historian and politician representing the Labour Party. Born in the north of Norway to a fairly distinguished family, he soon became interested in politics and history. Star ...

and assumed the position of professor of history in 1938. He held this position until 1965. He was a member of the

. He served as president of the organization from 1936 to 1947 and served as chairman of the committee for historic knowledge from 1963 until 1970. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

he was imprisoned in Bredtveit concentration camp from 15 October 1943, then in Berg concentration camp from 22 to 25 November 1943. Steen was best known to the general public through his

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...

radio series ''Langsomt ble landet vårt eget'' from 1967. He wrote four volumes of ''Det norske folks liv og historie'' (1930-1935), was main editor for the three volume work on Norway's role during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, ''Norges krig 1940–45'' (1947-1950), and wrote a five volumes work on the period from 1814 to 1836, ''Det frie Norge'' (1951-1962). Steen 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 Univer ...

from 1937 and of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities from 1948. He received his honorary doctorate at the

University of Aarhus Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...

in 1954. He was decorated Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 1965.

Personal life

He was married to Ellisiv Steen (1908–2001). She was a literary researcher and professor at the University of Oslo. They were the parents of four sons. In 1995 the Sverre Steen Prize (''Sverre Steen-prisen'') was founded in his honor. The prize was instituted by the Norwegian Historical Association and J. W. Cappelens Forlag. It is awarded annually to a person or group who has excelled with outstanding dissemination of history at a high academic level in book form or other media.

Selected works

* ''Riksrådsforhandlingene 1940'' (1947) *''Det frie Norge 1814'' (1951) *''På fallittens rand'' (1953) *''Krise og avspenning'' (1954) *''Det gamle samfunn'' (1957) *''Konge og Storting'' (1962) *''Grev Wedels stattholdertid'' (1972) *''Drømmen om frihet'' (1973) *''Langsomt ble landet vårt eget'' (1967)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steen, Sverre 1898 births 1983 deaths People educated at the Bergen Cathedral School University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo 20th-century Norwegian historians Bredtveit concentration camp survivors Berg concentration camp survivors Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal