A tent house (Telthus) or a regimental arsenal building was in use in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
from the establishment of the regular army in 1628, and became common at the special exercise grounds.
In the first years, on every Sunday after the sermon, the local regiment would drill outside the church. After 1774 this location was changed in favour of special exercise or parade grounds, with annual musters of 12 days. At these places the "tent houses" were built.
Each larger farm or a number of smaller farms was obliged to supply one fully equipped soldier. This farm or group of farms was called a ''legd''. One person was then appointed to do the service for the legd.
''Ytre Valdreske Kompagni'' had an exercise or parade ground located close to Bagn Kirke,
Sør-Aurdal municipality
Sør-Aurdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bagn. Other villages in the municipality include Begna, Hedalen, a ...
, down by the river. The regimental arsenal is relocated at
Bagn Bygdesamling Bagn Bydesamling is a small museum located in the hamlet of Dolven, south of Bagn at Sør-Aurdal in Innlandet county Norway. The museum is situated in the traditional district of Valdres and is run as a subsidiary of Valdres Folkemuseum.
History ...
.
''Granske Kompagni'' had its exercise ground at Granavollen,
Gran municipality
is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hadeland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jaren. Other villages in Gran include Bjoneroa, Brandbu, Egge, Gran, and ...
. The regimental arsenal is now relocated to
Hadeland Folkemuseum
Hadeland Folkemuseum is a regional museum for Hadeland ( Gran, Lunner and Jevnaker). It was founded in 1913, and is located in Tingelstad in Gran. The museum is situated along ''Kongevegen'' (The King's Road), the road from Oslo to Bergen which ...
.
Historical context
Northwestern Europe witnessed warfare on a scale not previously experienced during the period between 1558 and 1721. Military change was rapid and extensive in Norway, modifying the army structure and increasing the
fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...
of the borders and strong points. The burdens placed on the populace grew dramatically.
The Norwegian regimental army was established during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, which consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars based on religious and economic objectives that raged throughout central and northern Europe in 1618–1648. Denmark-Norway actively participated in the Thirty Year War (see
Hannibal War
The Torstenson war, Hannibal controversy or Hannibal War ( no, Hannibalsfeiden) was a short period of conflict between Sweden and Denmark–Norway from 1643 to 1645 towards the end of the Thirty Years' War. The names refer to Swedish general L ...
) between 1625 and 1630. The French, English and Dutch opposed the Habsburg Empire. When the Empire attacked Danish possessions on the Baltic and in northern Germany,
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian mon ...
's troops joined, but were defeated by the army of the Catholic League.