Olaf inherited the Danish throne through his mother and reigned as king of Denmark (1376-1387) as Oluf III and the Norwegian throne from his father and reigned in Norway (1380-1387) as Olav IV. Following his premature death in 1387, his mother Margaret was able to unite the three Scandinavian kingdoms in personal union under one crown, by the Kalmar Union in 1389.
Norway was relegated to a virtual provincial status from 1356 until 1814; this period was called "the 400-year-night" by Ibsen during the national romantic period as Norwegian national awareness was rediscovered in the 19th century.
Norway's power was weakened during this period by the loss of a large part of the population during the Black Death pandemic of 1349-1351.
In 1814 Denmark-Norway was defeated in the Napoleonic wars and the king was forced to cede Norway to the king of Sweden in the Treaty of Kiel (January 14).
Norway is first and foremost a maritime nation, and most of its population lives along the coast or on the hundreds of coastal islands, where the weather is moderated by the Gulf Stream.
Norway is split in three parts by Olof Skötkonung, King of Svealand, his step-father Svend Forkbeard, King of Denmark, and the exiled Jarl Eirik.
Margarethe is appointed Regent and unites Norway, Sweden, and Denmark in the Union of Kalmar.
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