Knut Helle facts for kids

Knut Helle (born December 19, 1930 – died June 27, 2015) was a famous Norwegian historian. He taught history as a professor at the University of Bergen from 1973 to 2000. He was an expert on the history of Norway during the late medieval period. He also helped create many important history books.

Early Life and Education

Knut Helle was born in Larvik, Norway. His father, Hermann Olai Helle, was a school inspector. His mother, Berta Marie Malm, was a teacher. He had a younger brother named Ingvar Lars Helle, who became a politician. When Knut was seventeen, his family moved to Hetland.

He finished high school in Stavanger in 1949. Then, he trained to be a teacher in Kristiansand in 1952. He studied languages and history at the University of Oslo and the University of Bergen. He earned his university degree in 1957. His paper, Omkring Bǫglungasǫgur, was about the Bagler sagas. It was printed in 1959.

Family Life

In December 1957, Knut Helle married Karen Blauuw. She later became a professor too. Their marriage ended in 1985. In October 1987, Helle married Ingvild Øye. She was a museum director and a professor of medieval archaeology. They lived in Bergen.

Knut Helle's Career

Knut Helle worked as a researcher at the University of Bergen from 1958 to 1963. He spent one year studying at Oxford University in England. In 1963, he became a history lecturer at the University of Bergen. He was promoted to professor in 1973.

Studying Norwegian History

Knut Helle was an expert in the history of Norway during the Late Middle Ages. His first big book was Norge blir en stat 1130–1319. It was published in 1964. This book covered Norwegian history from the years 1130 to 1319.

His most important work was Konge og gode menn i norsk riksstyring ca. 1150–1319. This book came out in 1972. Helle's ideas were different from some other important Norwegian historians from the 1930s. These included Edvard Bull, Sr. and Andreas Holmsen.

Contributions to Major History Books

Knut Helle also helped write many large history projects. In 1982, he published Kongssete og kjøpstad. Fra opphavet til 1536. This was the first book in the series about the history of Bergen.

He was also involved in editing Aschehougs verdenshistorie and Aschehougs norgeshistorie. These were big history books from the publishing company Aschehoug. In the world history series, he wrote volume five, called Nomadefolk og høykultur 1000-1300, in 1984. For the Norwegian history series, he wrote volume three, Under kirke og kongemakt 1130–1350, in 1995.

Helle also helped edit Oslo bys historie (the history of Oslo) and Norsk utviklingshjelps historie (the history of Norwegian development aid). He led the team that edited the Norsk biografisk leksikon. This was a large encyclopedia about famous Norwegians. It was published in ten books between 1999 and 2005. In 2006, Helle published Norsk byhistorie: urbanisering gjennom 1300 år. He wrote this book with Finn-Einar Eliassen, Jan Eivind Myhre, and Ola Svein Stugu.

Leadership Roles

Knut Helle was the vice dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Bergen from 1978 to 1980. He was also the chairman of the Chr. Michelsen Institute from 1992 to 2001. He was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. He was also a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. He retired from his professorship in 2000. From 1975 to 1984, he led the Norwegian Historical Association.