Agnes Mathilde Wergeland
Encyclopedia
Agnes Mathilde Wergeland (May 8, 1857 - March 6, 1914) was a Norwegian-American historian, poet and educator. Agnes Mathilde Wergeland was the first Norwegian woman ever to earn a doctoral degree.
, Norway
to Sverre Nicolai Wergeland (1817–96) and Anne Margrethe Larsen (1817–89). She was from a prominent, distinguished Norwegian family. Wergeland's family hailed from Brekke
in Sogn
. Her brother was Norwegian painter, Oscar Wergeland
. She was the great-niece of Norwegian writer and politician, Nicolai Wergeland
; hence Henrik Wergeland
, Camilla Collett
and Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland
were the cousins of her father.
She attended Nissen School for Governesses in Christiania in 1879, studied independently Norwegian history, Greek and Roman architecture and sculpture, and medieval history at the Oslo University Library from 1879 until 1883. Then studied Old Norse
and Iceland
ic law under jurist Konrad von Maurer
at the University of Munich from 1883-85. She then attended the University of Zurich
(PhD 1890). Wergeland emigrated to America to study because there were few opportunities for women in higher education in Norway.
in 1890 and lectured there for two years before lecturing at the University of Illinois in 1893. She was a docent in history and nonresident instructor at the University of Chicago
from 1896 to 1902. In 1902, Wergeland was offered the position of chair of the department of history at the University of Wyoming
. Agnes Wergeland remained a University of Wyoming history professor until her death.
Agnes Mathilde Wergeland wrote several scholarly works, three of which were published after her death. She also wrote two volumes of poetry which were published by Symra
in the Norwegian language
: Amerika, og andre digte (America and Other Poems) and Efterladte digte (Posthumous Poems).
An endowment fund was given as a memorial to the University of Oslo
at Christiania for Norwegian women students to study history and economics in the United States. A scholarship in history was also established by professor Grace Raymond Hebard
to honor her friend and colleague, Agnes Wergeland, as one of the pioneering members of the History Department to the University of Wyoming.
Background
Agnes Mathilde Wergeland was born in ChristianiaOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to Sverre Nicolai Wergeland (1817–96) and Anne Margrethe Larsen (1817–89). She was from a prominent, distinguished Norwegian family. Wergeland's family hailed from Brekke
Brekke
Brekke is a village and former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in the northeastern part of the present-day municipality of Gulen in the traditional district of Sogn...
in Sogn
Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway . It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding the Sognefjord. Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers ...
. Her brother was Norwegian painter, Oscar Wergeland
Oscar Wergeland
Oscar Arnold Wergeland was a Norwegian painter. He is best known for his historical painting of the Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll . Two of his paintings are located in the National Gallery of Norway.-Family:His parents were Sverre Nicolai Wergeland and Anne Margrethe Larsen...
. She was the great-niece of Norwegian writer and politician, Nicolai Wergeland
Nicolai Wergeland
Nicolai Wergeland was a Norwegian priest, writer and politician, and a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll that wrote the Constitution of Norway on 17 May 1814. He was elected as one of two delegates from Christiansand to the Eidsvoll Assembly in 1814...
; hence Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist...
, Camilla Collett
Camilla Collett
Jacobine Camilla Collett was a Norwegian writer, often referred to as the first Norwegian feminist. She was also the younger sister of Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland, and is recognized as being one of the first contributors to realism in Norwegian literature...
and Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland
Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland
Joseph Frantz Oscar Wergeland was a Norwegian military officer, cartographer and skiing pioneer.-Personal life:Wergeland was born in Christianssand and grew up at Eidsvold. He was the son of priest and politician Nicolai Wergeland, and a brother of the poet Henrik Wergeland and feminist writer...
were the cousins of her father.
She attended Nissen School for Governesses in Christiania in 1879, studied independently Norwegian history, Greek and Roman architecture and sculpture, and medieval history at the Oslo University Library from 1879 until 1883. Then studied Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic law under jurist Konrad von Maurer
Konrad von Maurer
Konrad Maurer, since 1876 Konrad von Maurer was a German legal historian. He was the son of legal historian and statesman Georg Ludwig von Maurer...
at the University of Munich from 1883-85. She then attended the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
(PhD 1890). Wergeland emigrated to America to study because there were few opportunities for women in higher education in Norway.
Career
She received a fellowship in history from Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
in 1890 and lectured there for two years before lecturing at the University of Illinois in 1893. She was a docent in history and nonresident instructor at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
from 1896 to 1902. In 1902, Wergeland was offered the position of chair of the department of history at the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
. Agnes Wergeland remained a University of Wyoming history professor until her death.
Agnes Mathilde Wergeland wrote several scholarly works, three of which were published after her death. She also wrote two volumes of poetry which were published by Symra
Symra
Symra was a Norwegian language periodical published between in 1905 and 1914.Symra; En Aarbog for Norske Paa Begge Sider Af Havet was established to publish the literary works of Norwegian American authors, writers and poets. Johannes B...
in the Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
: Amerika, og andre digte (America and Other Poems) and Efterladte digte (Posthumous Poems).
An endowment fund was given as a memorial to the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
at Christiania for Norwegian women students to study history and economics in the United States. A scholarship in history was also established by professor Grace Raymond Hebard
Grace Raymond Hebard
Grace Raymond Hebard gained prominence as a Wyoming historian, suffragist, pioneering scholar, prolific writer, political economist and noted University of Wyoming educator. Hebard's standing as a historian in part rose from her years trekking Wyoming's high plains and mountains seeking first-hand...
to honor her friend and colleague, Agnes Wergeland, as one of the pioneering members of the History Department to the University of Wyoming.
Selected works
- Modern Danish Literature and its Foremost Representative (1895)
- Ameriká og Andre Digte (1912) Norwegian
- Efterladte Digte (1914) Norwegian
- History of the Working Classes in France (1916)
- Leaders in Norway and Other Essays (1916)
- Slavery in Germanic Society During the Middle Ages (1916)
Primary Source
- Michelet, Maren Glimpses from Agnes Mathilde Wergeland's life (Kessinger Publishing Company. 2004. translation of Glimt fra Agnes Mathilde Wergelands liv, published by Folkebladet. Minneapolis, MN: 1916)
- Løken, Lise B. Dr. Agnes Mathilde Wergeland : historian, poet, and American university professor (University of Oslo: 1995)
- Fekjær, Kari-Anne Three Norwegian immigrant women in their pioneer settlements in the early trans-Mississippi West (University of Oslo: 2007)
Other Reading
- Riley, Glenda The Female Frontier: A Comparative View of Women on the Prairie and the Plains (University Press of Kansas. 1989)
- Øverland, Orm. The Western Home: A Literary History of Norwegian America (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Northfield, MN. 1996)
- Scanlon, Jennifer and Shaaron Cosner American Women Historians, 1700s-1990s: A Biographical Dictionary (Greenwood Press. Westport, Conn. 1996)
External links
- Agnes Mathilde Wergeland and Elise Wærenskjold. Daughters of Norway Norwegian
- Først over målstreken. Agnes Wergeland var Norges første kvinne med doktorgrad. Hun ble en fagpioner både i Norge og USA
- http://www.muho.no/vestnorsk-utvandringssenter/om-avdelinga/publikasjonar/
- Agnes Mathilde Wergeland Lodge #52 Junction City, Oregon. Daughters of Norway