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40-506: Vest-Agder ( Norwegian: [ˈvɛ̂stˌɑɡdər] ; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties ( fylker ) in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. Its area was about 7,277 square kilometres (2,810 sq mi). The county administration was located in its largest city, Kristiansand . Vest-Agder

80-585: A " berserker " who encountered her father in Hadeland and killed him. Halfdan had her kidnapped from Hake, so that he could marry her. Fagrskinna does not mention any of these details. However, both sagas agree that Ragnhild and Halfdan had a son who was also named Harald . (Among the more unlikely claims in Fagrskinna and Heimskringla are that this woman was Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter , daughter of Sigurd Hjort , king of Ringerike . This would make Ragnhild

120-522: A main len . Up to 1660 the four principal len were headquartered at the major fortresses Bohus Fortress , Akershus Fortress , Bergenhus Fortress and the fortified city of Trondheim . The sub-regions corresponded to the church districts for the Lutheran church in Norway. These four principal len were in the 1530s divided into approximately 30 smaller regions. From that point forward through

160-610: A piece of it, resulting in four different sites called Halvdanshaugen (from the Old Norse word haugr meaning mound). According to this version, only his head is buried in Ringerike . No contemporary sources mention Halfdan, and the details of his life that are provided by later kings' sagas are considered semi-legendary by modern historians. Although he has his own saga in Heimskringla , it lacks any skaldic verse, which

200-412: A son named "Harald" after his grandfather, and they sent him to be raised at his grandfather's court. Harald Gulskeg, being elderly, named his grandson as his successor, shortly before his death. Ragnhild died shortly after her father, and the young king Harald fell sick and died the next spring. When Halfdan heard about his son's death, he travelled to Sogn and laid claim to the title of king. No resistance

240-448: Is Kristiansand Dyrepark . Vest-Agder grew to political prominence with the decision of King Christian IV to establish Kristiansand as a key naval base, trading centre, and bishopric in 1641 , forcing urban citizens and merchants from all over Agder to settle in the city. The county had large-scale emigration to North America from the 1850s onwards. The meaning of the name is "(the) western (part of) Agder ". Lister og Mandal amt

280-613: Is administered by the Governor of Svalbard , and Jan Mayen is administered by the County Governor of Nordland (but not part of Nordland). Every county has two main organisations, both with underlying organisations. From the consolidation to a single kingdom, Norway was divided into a number of geographic regions that each had its own legislative assembly or Thing , such as Gulating ( Western Norway ) and Frostating ( Trøndelag ). The second-order subdivision of these regions

320-525: Is normally used by Snorri as supporting evidence and this, combined with its rather legendary character, leads historians to be wary of seeing much veracity in it. The "Black" nickname was given to him because of his black hair. Halfdan is mentioned in Snorri Sturluson 's Heimskringla ( c.  1230 ), Fagrskinna ( c.  1220 ), Ágrip ( c.  1190 ) and Historia Norwegiæ (late 12th century). The most elaborate story

360-527: Is now Vestfold county: In 1760 Norway had the following stiftamt and amt : From 1919 each amt was renamed a fylke (plural fylke(r) ) (county) and the amtmann was now titled fylkesmann (county governor). The county numbers are from the official numbering system ISO 3166-2:NO , which originally was set up to follow the coastline from the Swedish border in the southeast to the Russian border in

400-544: Is similar to the same root as "folk". It is similar in the minority languages in Norway: Northern Sami : fylka , Southern Sami : fylhke , Lule Sami : fylkka , Kven : fylkki . Prior to 1918, the counties were known as amt (singular) or amter (plural). Below is a list of the Norwegian counties, with their current administrative centres. The counties are administered both by appointees of

440-936: The Eidsivating , located in Oplandene with the seat at Eidsvoll : Counties under the Gulating , located in Vestlandet with the seat at Gulen : Counties under the Frostating , located in Trøndelag with the seat at Frosta : Counties not attached to a thing : Finnmark (including northern Troms ), the Faroe Islands , the Orkney Islands , Shetland (the Shetland Islands ),

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480-587: The Hebrides , the Isle of Man , Iceland and Greenland were Norwegian skattland ("taxed countries"), and did not belong to any known counties or assembly areas. From the end of the 12th century, Norway was divided into several syssel . The head of the syssel was the syslemann , who represented the king locally. The following shows a reconstruction of the different syssel in Norway c. 1300, including sub- syssel where these seem established. From 1308,

520-585: The House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair , the first king of a unified Norway. According to Heimskringla and Fagrskinna , Halfdan was the son of the Yngling King Gudrød the Hunter . Heimskringla also names his mother, as Åsa , daughter of King Harald of Agder , and his half-brother as Olaf Geirstad-Alf . Heimskringla relates that when Halfdan's father was killed, Åsa took

560-582: The parishes of the Church of Norway . Over time the number and locations of these have changed, and at present there are 15 municipalities in Vest-Agder. The municipality of Åseral was part of the neighboring county of Nedenes until 1880, when it was moved to Vest-Agder. Category:People from Vest-Agder Counties of Norway In 2017, the Solberg government decided to abolish some of

600-487: The 1 year-old Halfdan and returned to Agder , where Halfdan was raised. When he was 18 or 19 years old, Halfdan became king of Agder. He quickly began adding to his kingdom, through political negotiation and military conquest. He divided the kingdom of Vestfold with his brother Olaf and, through military action, persuaded King Gandalf of Vingulmark to cede half his kingdom. Based on the formulaic nature of his ties to his predecessors, his strong affiliation with Agder, and

640-476: The Skagerrak Sea in conjunction with a similar fort in northern Denmark. After the war, Kristiansand grew considerably whereas other cities lost much of their relative economic and demographic importance. On 1 January 1838, all the counties were divided into local administrative units each with their own governments (see formannskapsdistrikt ). The number and borders of these municipalities were based on

680-485: The beginning of the 17th century the number of subsidiary len was reduced, while the composition of the principal len became more stable. From 1660 Norway had nine principal len comprising 17 subsidiary len : Len written as län continues to be used as the administrative equivalent of county in Sweden to this day. Each len was governed by a lenman . With the royal decree of 19 February 1662, each len

720-618: The central upland moors are used for pasturing of cattle and sheep . Since the Gulf Stream touches the coast of Vest-Agder, it is also called "the Norwegian Riviera", and Agder as a whole is also called "The California of Norway". The oldest ever remains of an 8,000+ year old human in Norway has been found at Søgne , she endured an almost exclusively marine diet. In Kristiansand, a Sarup -style Neolithic funeral site from 3,400 BC has been excavated. Just before and after

760-437: The coast there are six valleys that stretch north into the county: Audnedalen , Lyngdalen , Kvinesdalen, Mandalen , Sirdalen, and Otradalen (which continues into Aust-Agder where it is called Setesdalen ). Most of the habitation lies along the coast, including the towns Kristiansand , Mandal , Flekkefjord , and Farsund . About 31 fjords are located there. The northern portion is mountainous and sparsely settled, while

800-485: The counties and to merge them with other counties to form larger ones, reducing the number of counties from 19 to 11, which was implemented on 1 January 2020. This sparked popular opposition, with some calling for the reform to be reversed. The Storting voted to partly undo the reform on 14 June 2022, with Norway to have 15 counties from 1 January 2024. Three of the newly merged counties, namely Vestfold og Telemark , Viken and Troms og Finnmark , were dissolved and

840-625: The county after Norway became prosperous. This feature is particularly predominant in Kvinesdal and Farsund in the west, which maintains strong cultural links with the United States . During World War II the area had substantial fortifications and German personnel, with major bases and airfields in Lista, Mandal and Kristiansand. Batterie Vara near Kristiansand was constructed as one out of two 40 cm coastal artillery forts covering

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880-558: The export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding . As the Netherlands developed in the 17th century, it began to suffer from a severe labor shortage, and many families from Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder emigrated to the Netherlands, especially the coastal areas. In the 19th century, emigration to the United States started. One of the most important causes of this emigration

920-528: The failure of an early saga dedicated to him to name any family connections, some scholars have suggested that the linkage to the earlier Yngling dynasty of Vestfold was a later invention, created to associate a conquering Halfdan and his son Harald Fairhair with the family glorified in the Ynglingatal , whom he had displaced. Halfdan next is said to have subdued an area called Raumarike . To secure his claim to Raumarike, Halfdan first defeated and killed

960-460: The granddaughter or even great-granddaughter of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye – an impossibility, given that most sources suggest that Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye was active only in the late 9th century, which would mean that he was born a generation or two after Halfdan the Black.) Heimskringla , Fagrskinna , Ágrip and Historia Norwegiæ all relate that Halfdan drowned when he fell through the ice at

1000-460: The inlet Røykenvik in the lake Randsfjorden on his return home from Hadeland . His horse and sleigh broke through ice weakened by cattle dung near a watering hole dug in the frozen lake. He was buried in a mound at Stein in Ringerike ( Halvdanshaugen på Stein ). Heimskringla' s narrative adds that each of the districts of his kingdom wanted to claim his grave, and that it was agreed to divide his body into four pieces so each district could bury

1040-428: The national government and by their own elected bodies. The county numbers are from the official numbering system ISO 3166-2:NO , which originally was set up to follow the coastline from the Swedish border in the southeast to the Russian border in the northeast, but with the numbering has changed with county mergers. The island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen lie outside of the county system of Norway. Svalbard

1080-413: The new county of Trøndelag , and several followed. In 2017, the Norwegian government announced the merge of the existing 19 fylker into 11 new fylker by 2020. As a result, several government responsibilities were transferred to the new regions. Halvdan Svarte Halfdan the Black ( Old Norse : Halfdanr Svarti ; fl.   c.  9th century ) was a king of Vestfold . He belonged to

1120-400: The northeast, but the numbering has changed with county mergers. The number 13, 16 and 17 were dropped, and the number 50 was added to account for changes over the years. The lack of a county number 13 is due to the city of Bergen no longer being its own county, and is unrelated to fear of the number 13 . In 2018, Sør-Trøndelag was merged with Nord-Trøndelag into

1160-441: The old counties existing before the reform re-established with a few minor changes as some municipalities merged across former county borders and some switched counties during the 2020 local government reform ( Kommunereformen i Norge  [ no ] ). The counties in Norway are called fylke (singular) and fylker (plural). This name comes from the Old Norse word fylki which means "district" or "county", but it

1200-579: The onset of the common era , the region was uniquely rich in sites dedicated to the God Ull (Ullr), and also had a semi-urban settlement at Oddernes (Kristiansand). Norway's first possible all-national king, Halvdan Svarte , was raised probably in the Kvinesdal valley at a matrimonial manor, his mother was presumably the daughter of King Harald of Agder. He was followed by his son King Harald Fairhair , who had his easternmost manor at Kongsgård near Kristiansand. Churches are known since Viking ages. Vest-Agder

1240-486: The previous ruler, Sigtryg Eysteinsson , in battle. He then defeated Sigtryg's brother and successor Eystein , in a series of battles. This established Halfdan's claim not only to Raumarike, but also to half of Hedmark , the core of Sigtryg and Eystein's kingdom. These details are only mentioned in Heimskringla . Fagrskinna and Heimskringla both agree that Halfdan's first wife was Ragnhild, daughter of King Harald Gulskeg (Goldbeard) of Sogn . Halfdan and Ragnhild had

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1280-499: The term len (plural len ) in Norway signified an administrative region roughly equivalent to today's counties. The historic len was an important administrative entity during the period of Dano-Norwegian unification after their amalgamation as one state, which lasted for the period 1536 –1814. At the beginning of the 16th century the political divisions were variable, but consistently included four main len and approximately 30 smaller sub-regions with varying connections to

1320-538: The western and southernmost part of the current county of Agder , extending inland from the North Sea and its arm, the Skagerrak , to the southern fringes of Setesdalen , surrounded by the mountain range Setesdalsheiene . It includes the southernmost point of the entire country, Pysen island south of Mandal , and the southernmost part of continental Norway, Lindesnes . It has a very broken and hilly surface. From

1360-564: Was a major source of timber for Dutch and later English shipping from the 16th century onwards. Historically, the area exported timber, wooden products, salmon , herring , ships, and later nickel, paper, and ferrous and silica alloys. Compared to other counties of Norway , today's exports-intensive industry produces shipping and offshore equipment ( National Oilwell Varco ), cranes ( Cargotec ), ships ( Umoe Mandal , Flekkefjord Slip), wind turbine equipment, nickel ( Glencore ), and solar industry microsilica ( Elkem ). A major tourist attraction

1400-400: Was created on 1 January 1662 and it consisted of the two old lens of Lister and Mandal . This name continued until 1 January 1919, when the name was changed to Vest-Agder. The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 12 December 1958. They show an oak tree in yellow on a green background, representing the historic rich nature and oak woods in the area. Vest-Agder is

1440-499: Was designated an amt (plural amt ) and the lenmann was titled amtmann , from German Amt (office), reflecting the bias of the Danish court of that period. After 1671 Norway was divided into four principal amt or stiftsamt and there were nine subordinate amt : From 1730 Norway had the following amt : At this time there were also two counties ( Norwegian : grevskap ) controlled by actual counts , together forming what

1480-561: Was into fylker , such as Egdafylke and Hordafylke . In 1914, the historical term fylke was brought into use again to replace the term amt introduced during the union with Denmark . Current day counties (fylker) often, but not necessarily, correspond to the historical areas. Counties ( folkland ) under the Borgarting , located in Viken with the seat at Sarpsborg : Counties (first three fylke , last two bilandskap ) under

1520-537: Was not particularly preeminent in the later Viking and Medieval Ages. Mandal (Vesterrisør) and Kristiansand (Ottrunes) had semi-urban trading centers from the 1300s onwards, but did not enjoy urban economic privileges until the 1632 (Mandal) and 1641 (Kristiansand). A general lack of agricultural fertility made the region remaining a relatively poor part of Norway through the centuries. In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter

1560-550: Was offered, and Halfdan added Sogn to his realm. The narrative in Heimskringla then adds another conquest for King Halfdan. In Vingulmark, the sons of Gandalf of Vingulmark, Hysing , Helsing , and Hake, attempted to ambush Halfdan at night, but he escaped into the forest. After raising an army, he returned to defeat the brothers, killing Hysing and Helsing. Hake fled the country, and Halfdan became king of all of Vingulmark. According to Heimskringla , Halfdan's second wife, also named Ragnhild, had been kidnapped from her home by Hake,

1600-470: Was the emergence of steamships . While Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder historically had very strong positions in the manufacture and repair of sailing ships , the shift to steamships was poorly utilised and resulted in a cyclical slope for the shipbuilding and shipping industries. Emigration to the United States was a means of escaping from the high unemployment that followed. Many Americans returning to

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