Anna Colbjørnsdatter Arneberg (1667–1736) was a Norwegian national heroine who was most known for her participation in the Battle of Norderhov (''slaget på Norderhov'') during the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

. Anna Colbjørnsdatter was born at the

Sørum Sørum was a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Sørumsand. Sørum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see ...

vicarage at

Romerike Romerike is a Districts of Norway, traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Akershus municipalities Lillestrøm, Lørenskog, Nittedal, Rælingen and Aurskog-Høland in the southern ...

Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

, Norway. She was the daughter of the vicar Colbjørn Torstensen Arneberg (1628–1720) and Catharina Kjeldsdatter Stub (1653–1731) and married the vicar Jonas Ramus (1649–1718) in 1682. Her spouse became a vicar at Norderhov Church (''Norderhov kirke'') in Ringerike in 1690. Anna Colbjørnsdatter became known for her role in the skirmish at Norderhov between Norwegian-Danish and Swedish forces on 29 March 1716. During the Swedish siege of

Akershus Fortress Akershus Fortress (, ) or Akershus Castle ( ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and centre of the ...

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

in 1716,

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

sent 600 soldiers under Axel Löwen to investigate whether they could surround the Norwegian defences. The Swedish troops had taken shelter in and by the old Norderhov Rectory (''Norderhov prestegård''). Anna Colbjørnsdatter received them friendly and kept them busy while she sent her son-in-law with a message to a nearby camp with 200 Norwegian soldiers. The Swedish force was taken by surprise and 130 of them captured. Reportedly she alerted the Norwegians to the presence of the troops of

in the church yard at Norderhov, where they had taken shelter in and around the rectory. The event itself was first published by

Peter Andreas Munch Peter Andreas Munch (15 December 1810 – 25 May 1863), usually known as P. A. Munch, was a Norwegian historian, known for his work on the medieval history of Norway. Munch's scholarship included Norwegian archaeology, geography, ethnography, ...

in his book, ''Norges, Sveriges og Danmarks Historie til Skolebrug'' (1838). Her half-brothers,

Hans Colbjørnsen Hans Colbjørnsen (c.1675 – 1754) was a Norwegian timber merchant and military officer. Colbjørnsen was born at the Sørum vicarage at Romerike in Akershus, Norway. He was the son of parish priest Colbjørn Torstensen Arneberg and Cathar ...

(1675–1754) and Peder Colbjørnsen (1683–1738), were successful timber merchants in Fredrikshald. Both were active in leading the civilian resistance to the Swedish attacks of Fredrikshald during 1716 and 1718. She is portrayed in the historical play ''Anna Kolbjørnsdatter'' by Rolf Olsen, written in 1853.

References

External links

Ringerikes Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colbjornsdatter, Anna 1667 births 1736 deaths People from Sørum People of the Great Northern War Women in 18th-century warfare 18th-century Norwegian people Women in war in Norway 18th-century Norwegian women

See also

References

External links