When Norway Went to Sea: The Forgotten Norwegian Emigration to Holland and England

In 1880, the Norwegian historian Ludvig Daae published Nordmænds Udvandringer til Holland og England i nyere Tid, a work modest in scope yet significant in its implications. His purpose was to illuminate a largely overlooked aspect of Norwegian history: the forgotten Norwegian emigration to Holland and England that took place during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (Daae, 1880).

The title may seem curious at first glance. Norwegians had, centuries earlier, ranged across the seas as Vikings and traders. Yet the movement described here belongs to a different age—one in which Norwegians returned to the sea not as independent actors, but as part of a wider European maritime system.

Daae recognized that between the well-known outward movements of the Viking Age and the later emigration to America, there existed another, quieter form of migration. This movement did not take the form of organized settlement across oceans, but rather unfolded within the maritime networks of early modern Europe. Norwegians entered a world already shaped by expanding trade, naval conflict, and increasing labour mobility across the North Sea (Sogner, 1994).

A Maritime World in Transformation

The context for this migration lies in the rise of the Dutch Republic as a leading maritime and commercial power. From the late sixteenth century, the United Provinces developed an extensive trading system that connected the Baltic, Atlantic, and Asian worlds. This system rested on commercial innovation, financial strength, and naval protection, enabling the Dutch to dominate European shipping during the seventeenth century (Koot, n.d.).

As Jan Glete has argued, maritime power in this period depended not only on ships and armaments, but on the ability of states to organize resources and mobilize skilled labour on a large scale (Glete, 2000). The Dutch Republic excelled in this regard, creating a maritime system that required a continuous supply of experienced seamen.

At the same time, the sea itself became the central arena of economic and political interaction. As emphasized in The Sea in History: The Early Modern World, maritime networks connected regions into a shared system of exchange, in which goods, people, and knowledge circulated together (Buchet & Le Bouëdec, 2017).

Norway and the Dutch Connection

Norway’s integration into this system occurred through both trade and labour.

The timber trade formed a crucial link. Norwegian forests supplied essential materials for Dutch shipbuilding and urban construction, bringing Dutch merchants into sustained contact with coastal communities. This contact extended beyond ports into fjords and inland valleys, creating networks that facilitated not only commerce but also recruitment (Daae, 1880).

Within this context, Norwegians increasingly entered Dutch maritime service. Daae observed that many Norwegian sailors served under Dutch command, often in significant numbers, and that some established themselves abroad, forming households in foreign cities (Daae, 1880).

Sølvi Sogner’s research places this movement within a broader framework of early modern labour migration. She shows that young Norwegians crossed the North Sea not as settlers in the later sense, but as participants in a European labour market, moving between regions in response to opportunity (Sogner, 1994).

Mobility and the Limits of the Record

One of the defining features of this migration is its limited visibility in traditional sources.

Unlike later emigration waves, this movement was rarely organized or systematically recorded. Individuals departed independently, often with the intention—or at least the possibility—of return. As a result, their movements were only partially captured in official records.

This pattern aligns with broader interpretations of early modern migration, in which mobility was frequently temporary, cyclical, and embedded within existing economic structures (Sogner, 1994; The Sea in History, 2017).

Daae’s account reflects this reality. He notes both the presence of Norwegians abroad and the difficulty of tracing their lives in detail, suggesting that the scale of migration was greater than surviving sources might indicate (Daae, 1880).

Life at Sea and Maritime Experience

Service under the Dutch flag exposed Norwegian sailors to one of the most advanced maritime systems of the time.

Ships operated across global routes, and naval conflict was frequent. Discipline was strict, and working conditions could be harsh. Yet the system also offered regular wages and opportunities for advancement.

Glete emphasizes that such maritime organizations depended on trained personnel and institutional efficiency, both of which the Dutch had developed to a high degree (Glete, 2000). For Norwegian sailors, participation in this system provided experience that was difficult to obtain within the more limited framework of the Danish-Norwegian state.

Daae’s biographical examples illustrate the range of experiences: some individuals rose to positions of responsibility, while others remained part of the broader, largely anonymous maritime workforce (Daae, 1880).

Return and the Circulation of Knowledge

Migration in this period was not exclusively outward.

During times of war, the Danish-Norwegian authorities sought to recruit experienced sailors from abroad. Those who returned brought with them skills acquired in foreign service, including navigation, discipline, and familiarity with large-scale naval operations.

This process can be understood as a circulation of knowledge. Rather than representing a simple loss of manpower, migration contributed to the gradual development of Norway’s maritime competence.

Glete’s analysis of naval systems underscores the importance of such experience in strengthening state capacity at sea (Glete, 2000).

Communities Abroad

Where numbers permitted, Norwegians formed communities abroad.

Daae notes the establishment of a Danish-Norwegian congregation in Amsterdam in the seventeenth century, indicating a degree of permanence beyond temporary service (Daae, 1880).

At the same time, the Dutch Republic itself was characterized by diversity and openness, attracting migrants from across Europe. As summarized by Koot, this cosmopolitan environment facilitated both settlement and assimilation (Koot, n.d.).

Over time, linguistic and cultural integration often reduced the distinctiveness of these communities, leaving only partial traces in historical records.

The Limits of Control

The Danish-Norwegian authorities attempted to restrict foreign recruitment and retain maritime labour.

However, such measures proved difficult to enforce. Economic incentives—particularly higher wages and broader opportunities abroad—continued to draw individuals outward.

This reflects a broader pattern of early modern labour mobility, in which movement was shaped less by state policy than by economic conditions and access to opportunity (Sogner, 1994).

The Wider Maritime System

Although Holland formed the central destination, England was also part of the same maritime network.

As Dutch dominance gradually gave way to increased competition from England, the broader North Sea region remained interconnected. Norwegian sailors continued to find employment across these shifting systems, adapting to changing political and economic conditions.

Koot’s outline of the Dutch Republic highlights how its rise and eventual decline were closely tied to these wider European dynamics (Koot, n.d.).

Conclusion

The migration described by Daae and later historians does not conform to the more familiar patterns of mass emigration. It was neither large-scale nor systematically recorded. Yet it formed a sustained pattern of movement that linked Norway to the wider maritime world.

Through trade, labour, and service at sea, Norwegians became part of an interconnected European system long before the nineteenth century. The experience gained abroad contributed, in turn, to the development of Norway’s own maritime traditions.

This was not a migration of settlement, but of participation.

And in that participation lies an important, if often overlooked, chapter of Norway’s history.

References 

Buchet, C., & Le Bouëdec, G. (Eds.). (2017). The sea in history: The early modern world. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. (excerpts at https://doi.org/10.1017/9781782049098)

Daae, L. (1880). Nordmænds udvandringer til Holland og England i nyere tid: Et bidrag til vor søfarts historie. Christiania: Alb. Cammermeyer.

Glete, J. (2000). Warfare at sea, 1500–1650: Maritime conflicts and the transformation of Europe. London: Routledge.

Koot, G. (n.d.). Outline and notes on Jonathan Israel, The Dutch Republic: Its rise, greatness, and fall, 1477–1806. Retrieved from https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.umassd.edu/dist/4/628/files/2017/02/israeldutchrepublic.pdf

Sogner, S. (1994). Ung i Europa: Norsk ungdom over Nordsjøen til Nederland i tidlig nytid. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.