Independence as a Football Game
The story of Nils Trulsen Bru b. 1776 in Rennesøy, Rogaland.
One of my American readers (Nordahl Brue) asked me for help in deciphering the Gothic type of a newspaper piece printed in Norway in December 1814. I was glad to help and asked him if he would share what he was working on. He responded that he is writing a history of his 3 rd GGfather Nils Trulsen Bru b. 1776 in Rennesøy, Rogaland.
Genealogists become interested in the life and times of their ancestors and this might interest those with Norwegian ancestors. Nord shared with me an early draft of his preface.
Independence as a Football Game
By Nordahl (Nord) Brue
In a single year Norway morphed from being a junior partner, perhaps more like a colony, of an absolute monarchy to a constitutional polity which negotiated its relationship with a new King and set about the business of legislating in pursuit of its own evolving priorities. The move toward a fully self-governed and independent Norway took almost 100 years to arrive but the foundations were laid in 10 tumultuous months between the Treaty of Kiel, 14 January 1814 and the ratification of the new personal union with the Swedish King Charles XIII on 4 November 1814.
To use a sports analogy from American football…Imagine if you will that a Division III (the lowest of the low) college football team one weekend in October suddenly found themselves on the gridiron confronting an NFL opponent. Further imagine the state of play. It is as though Norway, the D-III team got the ball deep in their own end zone and began a drive down the field with a blizzard of passes and some daring runs using trap plays. The Norway team was far from perfect on the field but they managed to recover their own fumbles and overcame penalties called against them as they capitalized on the penalties imposed on their opponents.
With luck and pluck Norway very quickly arrived at the 5 yard line of the big guys opposing them then spent the next 95 years inching forward until the ball was finally in the end zone of full independence. It sometimes seems as though a televised game takes that long to conclude as American Football fans will attest.
My 3 rd GG, Nils Trulsen Bru, was not the quarterback of the Norway team but he was on the playing field when the game started and he played his role as well as he could. Perhaps he was like an offensive lineman blocking out the defense as they moved downfield and protecting the passer, but when Norway reached the 5 yard line, not all the members of the team thought he was still cooperating with the team’s coaches and leaders. To the leader’s discomfort Nils Trulsen was urging more offensive linemen (farmers/peasants) to enter the game. He faced down those complaints but other allegations of off field infractions were lodged against him and he was ejected from the game. He was acquitted of the alleged infractions but before he could re-enter the game he faced more charges and lost his chance to rejoin the game in progress. Finally those latest charges were overcome and he was finally chosen (elected) to re-enter the game.
When Nils Trulsen finally left the game there was a new owner of the team (the King of Sweden) but that owner had acknowledged the team and agreed to largely respect the players tactics in the game. Importantly Norway was not a colony or in a union with Sweden even though they shared a King. Negotiating this outcome was quite an accomplishment.
Why was Nils Trulsen ejected from the game? On first impression, a person favorably inclined towards support for Nils Trulsen Bru could see him as a victim of the upper classes as they systematically removed him from the Storting and then used legal stratagems to bar his re-election in the two following contests for a seat in the Storting. A closer reading suggests that he challenged the established order:
A. Religiously
B. Legally
C. Politically
Perhaps it is more balanced to say that after he “took them on” they pushed back in an entirely predictable manner. It was hand to hand combat from 1812 to 1821 with battles on a number of fronts. His vindication was finally achieved after a series of victories in the legal and political skirmishes which he endured if not enjoyed. Sadly, he died before completing his final term. Nonetheless, he has been acknowledged as a leader of the bonde/farmer movement as it developed the political power to influence Norway’s course.
What follows is the story of Nils Trulsen’s life and times in the religious, political, legal and economic realms as the foundation of a modern Country was laid in early 19 th Century Norway.
He laid a stone or two of that foundation and had a lasting political impact on the lives of the farmer peasants in the new Norway.
Having watched a fair amount of American football games (I had to, I played in the band 🙂 ) I truly enjoyed this elegant allegory to the Norwegian battle for idependence. I must admit that I didn’t know of Nils Trulsen Bru before Nord contacted me. I for one, would really like to learn more about this unafraid farmer from rural Rogaland. Fortunately, Nord has promised to share more about his forefather and his battle with the establishment in this pivotal time for Norway.
Nordahl (Nord) Leo Brue is a lawyer and entrepreneur, best known as a founder of Bruegger’s Bagels. Brue is a member of the Board of Trustees of American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society.
