After Norway's separation from Denmark in 1814, he entered national political life as the representative for Stavanger in the first Storting, and became a strong advocate of union with Sweden.
He married twice, the second time to Adelaide Johanne Thekla Isidore Bølling Wedel-Jarlsberg from Bærum, a niece of Herman Wedel-Jarlsberg who had helped frame the Norwegian constitution of 1814 and was later the Swedish king's Norwegian Viceroy.
A fifth and final child, son Asmund, was born at Polhøgda in 1903. === Politician and diplomat === The union between Norway and Sweden, imposed by the Great Powers in 1814, had been under considerable strain through the 1890s, the chief issue in question being Norway's rights to its own consular service.
After suffering a paralytic stroke in 1821 Hans Leierdahl Nansen died, leaving a four-year-old son, Baldur Fridtjof Nansen, the explorer's father. Baldur was a lawyer without ambitions for public life, who became Reporter to the Supreme Court of Norway.
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The couple had three children; the first died in infancy, the second, born 10 October 1861, was Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen. Store Frøen's rural surroundings shaped the nature of Nansen's childhood.
Fridtiof Nansen 1861–1893.
Life was disrupted when, in the summer of 1877, Adelaide Nansen died suddenly.
Fram left Vardø on 21 July, following the North-East Passage route pioneered by Nordenskiöld in 1878–1879, along the northern coast of Siberia.
Nansen's sporting prowess continued to develop; at 18 he broke the world one-mile (1.6 km) skating record, and in the following year won the national cross-country skiing championship, a feat he would repeat on 11 subsequent occasions. == Student and adventurer == In 1880 Nansen passed his university entrance examination, the examen artium.
He began his studies at the Royal Frederick University in Christiania early in 1881. Early in 1882 Nansen took "...the first fatal step that led me astray from the quiet life of science." Professor Robert Collett of the university's zoology department proposed that Nansen take a sea voyage, to study Arctic zoology at first hand.
In June 1881, was crushed and sunk off the Siberian coast—the opposite side of the Arctic Ocean.
He began his studies at the Royal Frederick University in Christiania early in 1881. Early in 1882 Nansen took "...the first fatal step that led me astray from the quiet life of science." Professor Robert Collett of the university's zoology department proposed that Nansen take a sea voyage, to study Arctic zoology at first hand.
The voyage began on 11 March 1882 and extended over the following five months.
Before then, the two most significant penetrations of the Greenland interior had been those of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld in 1883, and Robert Peary in 1886.
The wedding took place on 6 September 1889, less than a month after the engagement. == Fram expedition == === Planning === Nansen first began to consider the possibility of reaching the North Pole after reading meteorologist Henrik Mohn's theory on polar drift in 1884.
Before leaving for his sabbatical in February 1886 he published a paper summarising his research to date, in which he stated that "anastomoses or unions between the different ganglion cells" could not be demonstrated with certainty.
Before then, the two most significant penetrations of the Greenland interior had been those of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld in 1883, and Robert Peary in 1886.
His subsequent paper, The Structure and Combination of Histological Elements of the Central Nervous System, published in 1887, became his doctoral thesis. == Crossing of Greenland == === Planning === The idea of an expedition across the Greenland icecap grew in Nansen's mind throughout his Bergen years.
In 1887, after the submission of his doctoral thesis, he finally began organising this project.
He led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, traversing the island on cross-country skis.
He left before knowing the outcome of this process. === Expedition === The sealer Jason picked up Nansen's party on 3 June 1888 from the Icelandic port of Ísafjörður.
En skildring af Den norske Grønlands-ekspedition 1888–89.
On 15 April 1889, the Danish ship Hvidbjørnen finally entered the harbour.
Nansen recorded: "It was not without sorrow that we left this place and these people, among whom we had enjoyed ourselves so well." == Interlude and marriage == Hvidbjørnen reached Copenhagen on 21 May 1889.
He was invited by a group of Australians to lead an expedition to Antarctica, but declined, believing that Norway's interests would be better served by a North Pole conquest. On 11 August 1889 Nansen announced his engagement to Eva Sars, the daughter of Michael Sars, a zoology professor who had died when Eva was 11 years old.
The wedding took place on 6 September 1889, less than a month after the engagement. == Fram expedition == === Planning === Nansen first began to consider the possibility of reaching the North Pole after reading meteorologist Henrik Mohn's theory on polar drift in 1884.
He made his idea public in February 1890, at a meeting of the newly formed Norwegian Geographical Society.
A fifth and final child, son Asmund, was born at Polhøgda in 1903. === Politician and diplomat === The union between Norway and Sweden, imposed by the Great Powers in 1814, had been under considerable strain through the 1890s, the chief issue in question being Norway's rights to its own consular service.
Aschehoug, Kristiania 1890.
as The First Crossing of Greenland, 1890. Eskimoliv.
The family home, which Nansen had built in 1891 from the profits of his Greenland expedition book, was now too small.
Aschehoug, Kristiania 1891.
Speed and manoeuvrability were to be secondary to its ability as a safe and warm shelter during their predicted confinement. The length-to-beam ratio— and —gave it a stubby appearance, justified by Archer: "A ship that is built with exclusive regard to its suitability for [Nansen's] object must differ essentially from any known vessel." It was christened Fram and launched on 6 October 1892. Nansen selected a party of twelve from thousands of applicants.
He won international fame after reaching a record northern latitude of 86°14′ during his Fram expedition of 1893–1896.
Competition was so fierce that army lieutenant and dog-driving expert Hjalmar Johansen signed on as ship's stoker, the only position still available. === Into the ice === Fram left Christiania on 24 June 1893, cheered on by thousands of well-wishers.
as Eskimo Life, 1893. Fram over Polhavet.
Den norske polarfærd 1893–1896.
as Farthest North, 1897. The Norwegian North Polar Expedition, 1893–1896; Scientific Results (6 volumes, 1901). Norge og foreningen med Sverige.
Only after the turn of the year, in January 1894, did the northerly direction become generally settled; the 80°N mark was finally passed on 22 March.
They would then cross to Spitzbergen where they would find a ship to take them home. The crew spent the rest of the winter of 1894 preparing clothing and equipment for the forthcoming sledge journey.
On 8 January 1895, the ship's position was 83°34′N, above Greely's previous record of 83°24′N. === Dash for the pole === With the ship's latitude at 84°4′N and after two false starts, Nansen and Johansen began their journey on 14 March 1895.
After 1896 his main scientific interest switched to oceanography; in the course of his research he made many scientific cruises, mainly in the North Atlantic, and contributed to the development of modern oceanographic equipment. As one of his country's leading citizens, in 1905 Nansen spoke out for the ending of Norway's union with Sweden, and was instrumental in persuading Prince Carl of Denmark to accept the throne of the newly independent Norway.
After muted Christmas and New Year celebrations, in slowly improving weather, they began to prepare to leave their refuge, but it was 19 May 1896 before they were able to resume their journey. === Rescue and return === On 17 June, during a stop for repairs after the kayaks had been attacked by a walrus, Nansen thought he heard a dog barking as well as human voices.
This he did remarkably quickly, producing 300,000 words of Norwegian text by November 1896; the English translation, titled Farthest North, was ready in January 1897.
This he did remarkably quickly, producing 300,000 words of Norwegian text by November 1896; the English translation, titled Farthest North, was ready in January 1897.
In 1897 he accepted a professorship in zoology at the Royal Frederick University, which gave him a base from which he could tackle the major task of editing the reports of the scientific results of the Fram expedition.
A daughter, Liv, had been born just before Fram set out; a son, Kåre was born in 1897 followed by a daughter, Irmelin, in 1900 and a second son Odd in 1901.
Aschehoug, Kristiania 1897.
as Farthest North, 1897. The Norwegian North Polar Expedition, 1893–1896; Scientific Results (6 volumes, 1901). Norge og foreningen med Sverige.
The results were eventually published in six volumes, and according to a later polar scientist, Robert Rudmose-Brown, "were to Arctic oceanography what the Challenger expedition results had been to the oceanography of other oceans." In 1900, Nansen became director of the Christiania-based International Laboratory for North Sea Research, and helped found the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Through his connection with the latter body, in the summer of 1900 Nansen embarked on his first visit to Arctic waters since the Fram expedition, a cruise to Iceland and Jan Mayen Land on the oceanographic research vessel Michael Sars, named after Eva's father.
They had reached 86°34′N on 24 April 1900, in an attempt to reach the North Pole from Franz Josef Land.
A daughter, Liv, had been born just before Fram set out; a son, Kåre was born in 1897 followed by a daughter, Irmelin, in 1900 and a second son Odd in 1901.
Based on Nansen's observations of ocean currents recorded during the Fram expedition, Ekman concluded that the effect of wind on the sea's surface produced currents which "formed something like a spiral staircase, down towards the depths". In 1909 Nansen combined with Bjørn Helland-Hansen to publish an academic paper, The Norwegian Sea: its Physical Oceanography, based on the Michael Sars voyage of 1900.
Although Nansen refused to meet his own countryman and fellow-explorer Carsten Borchgrevink (whom he considered a fraud), he gave advice to Robert Falcon Scott on polar equipment and transport, prior to the 1901–04 Discovery expedition.
However, these plans remained on the drawing board. By 1901 Nansen's family had expanded considerably.
A daughter, Liv, had been born just before Fram set out; a son, Kåre was born in 1897 followed by a daughter, Irmelin, in 1900 and a second son Odd in 1901.
as Farthest North, 1897. The Norwegian North Polar Expedition, 1893–1896; Scientific Results (6 volumes, 1901). Norge og foreningen med Sverige.
as Norway and the Union With Sweden, 1905. Northern Waters: Captain Roald Amundsen's Oceanographic Observations in the Arctic Seas in 1901.
Nansen acquired a plot of land in the Lysaker district and built, substantially to his own design, a large and imposing house which combined some of the characteristics of an English manor house with features from the Italian renaissance. The house was ready for occupation by April 1902; Nansen called it Polhøgda (in English "polar heights"), and it remained his home for the rest of his life.
A fifth and final child, son Asmund, was born at Polhøgda in 1903. === Politician and diplomat === The union between Norway and Sweden, imposed by the Great Powers in 1814, had been under considerable strain through the 1890s, the chief issue in question being Norway's rights to its own consular service.
After 1896 his main scientific interest switched to oceanography; in the course of his research he made many scientific cruises, mainly in the North Atlantic, and contributed to the development of modern oceanographic equipment. As one of his country's leading citizens, in 1905 Nansen spoke out for the ending of Norway's union with Sweden, and was instrumental in persuading Prince Carl of Denmark to accept the throne of the newly independent Norway.
It seemed, early in the 20th century that agreement between the two countries might be possible, but hopes were dashed when negotiations broke down in February 1905.
On 17 May 1905, Norway's Constitution Day, Nansen addressed a large crowd in Christiania, saying: "Now have all ways of retreat been closed.
This was held on 13 August 1905 and resulted in an overwhelming vote for independence, at which point King Oscar relinquished the crown of Norway while retaining the Swedish throne.
In July 1905 Michelsen sent Nansen to Copenhagen on a secret mission to persuade Charles to accept the Norwegian throne.
This new designation reflected the general character of Nansen's more recent scientific interests. In 1905, he had supplied the Swedish physicist Walfrid Ekman with the data which established the principle in oceanography known as the Ekman spiral.
He supported a settlement of the post-war reparations issue and championed Germany's membership of the League, which was granted in September 1926 after intensive preparatory work by Nansen. == Later life == On 17 January 1919 Nansen married Sigrun Munthe, a long-time friend with whom he had had a love affair in 1905, while Eva was still alive.
Jacob Dybwads Forlag, Kristiania 1905.
as Norway and the Union With Sweden, 1905. Northern Waters: Captain Roald Amundsen's Oceanographic Observations in the Arctic Seas in 1901.
Later, neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research on the same subject.
Between 1906 and 1908 he served as the Norwegian representative in London, where he helped negotiate the Integrity Treaty that guaranteed Norway's independent status. In the final decade of his life, Nansen devoted himself primarily to the League of Nations, following his appointment in 1921 as the League's High Commissioner for Refugees.
He and his wife, the British princess Maud, were crowned in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 22 June 1906. In April 1906 Nansen was appointed Norway's first Minister in London.
Dybwad, 1906. Nord i tåkeheimen.
The Treaty was signed on 2 November 1907, and Nansen considered his task complete.
Between 1906 and 1908 he served as the Norwegian representative in London, where he helped negotiate the Integrity Treaty that guaranteed Norway's independent status. In the final decade of his life, Nansen devoted himself primarily to the League of Nations, following his appointment in 1921 as the League's High Commissioner for Refugees.
He had been persuaded by his government to rescind his resignation until after King Edward's state visit to Norway in April 1908.
His formal retirement from the diplomatic service was dated 1 May 1908, the same day on which his university professorship was changed from zoology to oceanography.
Based on Nansen's observations of ocean currents recorded during the Fram expedition, Ekman concluded that the effect of wind on the sea's surface produced currents which "formed something like a spiral staircase, down towards the depths". In 1909 Nansen combined with Bjørn Helland-Hansen to publish an academic paper, The Norwegian Sea: its Physical Oceanography, based on the Michael Sars voyage of 1900.
When Amundsen made his controversial change of plan and set out for the South Pole, Nansen stood by him. Between 1910 and 1914, Nansen participated in several oceanographic voyages.
In 1910, aboard the Norwegian naval vessel Fridtjof, he carried out researches in the northern Atlantic, and in 1912 he took his own yacht, Veslemøy, to Bear Island and Spitsbergen.
That year he renewed an acquaintance with Kathleen Scott, wife of Robert Falcon Scott whose Terra Nova Expedition had sailed for Antarctica in 1910. Biographer Roland Huntford has asserted, without any compelling evidence, that Nansen and Kathleen Scott had a brief love affair.
This was published in 1911 as Nord i Tåkeheimen ("In Northern Mists").
Jacob Dybwads Forlag, Kristiania 1911.
as In Northern Mists: Arctic Exploration in Early Times, 1911. Gjennem Sibirien.
In 1910, aboard the Norwegian naval vessel Fridtjof, he carried out researches in the northern Atlantic, and in 1912 he took his own yacht, Veslemøy, to Bear Island and Spitsbergen.
His personal life was troubled around this time; in January 1913 he received news of the suicide of Hjalmar Johansen, who had returned in disgrace from Amundsen's successful South Pole expedition.
In March 1913, Nansen's youngest son Asmund died after a long illness. In the summer of 1913, Nansen travelled to the Kara Sea, by the invitation of Jonas Lied, as part of a delegation investigating a possible trade route between Western Europe and the Siberian interior.
When Amundsen made his controversial change of plan and set out for the South Pole, Nansen stood by him. Between 1910 and 1914, Nansen participated in several oceanographic voyages.
Immediately before the First World War, Nansen joined Helland-Hansen in an oceanographical cruise in eastern Atlantic waters. === Statesman and humanitarian === ==== League of Nations ==== On the outbreak of war in 1914, Norway declared its neutrality, alongside Sweden and Denmark.
Jacob Dybwads forlag, Kristiania, 1914.
as Through Siberia the Land of the Future, 1914. Frilufts-liv.
Jacob Dybwads Forlag, Kristiania, 1916. En ferd til Spitsbergen.
As the war progressed, the loss of Norway's overseas trade led to acute shortages of food in the country, which became critical in April 1917, when the United States entered the war and placed extra restrictions on international trade.
When his government hesitated over the deal, he signed the agreement on his own initiative. Within a few months of the war's end in November 1918, a draft agreement had been accepted by the Paris Peace Conference to create a League of Nations, as a means of resolving disputes between nations by peaceful means.
Nansen donated the prize money to international relief efforts. ==== Greco-Turkish resettlement ==== After the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, Nansen travelled to Constantinople to negotiate the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of refugees, mainly ethnic Greeks who had fled from Turkey after the defeat of the Greek Army.
He supported a settlement of the post-war reparations issue and championed Germany's membership of the League, which was granted in September 1926 after intensive preparatory work by Nansen. == Later life == On 17 January 1919 Nansen married Sigrun Munthe, a long-time friend with whom he had had a love affair in 1905, while Eva was still alive.
He became president of the Norwegian League of Nations Society, and although the Scandinavian nations with their traditions of neutrality initially held themselves aloof, his advocacy helped to ensure that Norway became a full member of the League in 1920, and he became one of its three delegates to the League's General Assembly. In April 1920, at the League's request, Nansen began organising the repatriation of around half a million prisoners of war, stranded in various parts of the world.
Nansen was able to report to the Assembly in November 1920 that around 200,000 men had been returned to their homes.
The marriage was resented by the Nansen children, and proved unhappy; an acquaintance writing of them in the 1920s said Nansen appeared unbearably miserable and Sigrun steeped in hate. Nansen's League of Nations commitments through the 1920s meant that he was mostly absent from Norway, and was able to devote little time to scientific work.
Jacob Dybwads Forlag, Kristiania, 1920. Rusland og freden.
Between 1906 and 1908 he served as the Norwegian representative in London, where he helped negotiate the Integrity Treaty that guaranteed Norway's independent status. In the final decade of his life, Nansen devoted himself primarily to the League of Nations, following his appointment in 1921 as the League's High Commissioner for Refugees.
On 1 September 1921, prompted by the British delegate Philip Noel-Baker, he accepted the post of the League's High Commissioner for Refugees.
In 1922 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on behalf of the displaced victims of the First World War and related conflicts.
"Never in my life", he said, "have I been brought into touch with so formidable an amount of suffering." Nansen continued this work for a further two years until, in his final report to the Assembly in 1922, he was able to state that 427,886 prisoners had been repatriated to around 30 different countries.
Although the passport was created initially for refugees from Russia, it was extended to cover other groups. While attending the Conference of Lausanne in November 1922, Nansen learned that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1922.
Jacob Dybwads Forlag, Kristiania, 1923. Blant sel og bjørn.
Rooted deep in the nature of every one of us is the spirit of adventure, the call of the wild—vibrating under all our actions, making life deeper and higher and nobler. Nansen largely avoided involvement in domestic Norwegian politics, but in 1924 he was persuaded by the long-retired former Prime Minister Christian Michelsen to take part in a new anti-communist political grouping, the Fatherland League.
Jacob Dybwads Forlag, Kristiania, 1924. Gjennem Armenia.
Despite some controversy over the principle of a population exchange, the plan was implemented successfully over a period of several years. ==== Armenian genocide ==== From 1925 onwards, Nansen devoted much time trying to help Armenian refugees, victims of Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War and further ill-treatment thereafter.
He was a signatory to the Slavery Convention of 25 September 1926, which sought to outlaw the use of forced labour.
He supported a settlement of the post-war reparations issue and championed Germany's membership of the League, which was granted in September 1926 after intensive preparatory work by Nansen. == Later life == On 17 January 1919 Nansen married Sigrun Munthe, a long-time friend with whom he had had a love affair in 1905, while Eva was still alive.
In any event he was forestalled in this ambition by Amundsen, who flew over the pole in Umberto Nobile's airship Norge in May 1926.
Nansen said of Amundsen: "He found an unknown grave under the clear sky of the icy world, with the whirring of the wings of eternity through space." In 1926 Nansen was elected Rector of the University of St Andrews in Scotland, the first foreigner to hold this largely honorary position.
[is] idiotic nonsense." Following continued turmoil between the centre-right parties, there was even an independent petition in 1926 gaining some momentum that proposed for Nansen to head a centre-right national unity government on a balanced budget program, an idea he did not reject.
Jacob Dybwads Forlag, Oslo, 1927. Gjennem Kaukasus til Volga.
He was the headline speaker at the single largest Fatherland League rally with 15,000 attendees in Tønsberg in 1928.
Fawcett, Inc., New York, 1928.
In 1929 he went on his final tour for the League on the ship Stella Polaris, holding speeches from Bergen to Hammerfest. In between his various duties and responsibilities, Nansen had continued to take skiing holidays when he could.
Jacob Dybwads Forlag, Oslo, 1929.
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
He worked on behalf of refugees until his sudden death in 1930, after which the League established the Nansen International Office for Refugees to ensure that his work continued.
In February 1930, aged 68, he took a short break in the mountains with two old friends, who noted that Nansen was slower than usual and appeared to tire easily.
Nansen himself was an atheist. == Death and legacy == Nansen died of a heart attack on 13 May 1930.
The Nansen Office faced great difficulties, in part arising from the large numbers of refugees from the European dictatorships during the 1930s.
as Through The Caucasus To The Volga, 1931. English translations Armenia and the Near East.
Nevertheless, it secured the agreement of 14 countries (including a reluctant Great Britain) to the Refugee Convention of 1933. It also helped to repatriate 10,000 Armenians to Yerevan in Soviet Armenia, and to find homes for a further 40,000 in Syria and Lebanon.
This office received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1938.
In 1938, the year in which it was superseded by a wider-ranging body, the Nansen Office was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
His Polhøgda mansion is now home to the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, an independent foundation which engages in research on environmental, energy and resource management politics. A 1968 Norwegian/Soviet biographical film Just a Life: the Story of Fridtjof Nansen was released with Knut Wigert as Nansen. The Royal Norwegian Navy launched the first of a series of five s in 2004, with as its lead ship.
Longmans Green & Co. (First published in 1997 by Gerald Duckworth) (in Norwegian) == Further reading == Jones, Max (1 March 2021).
His Polhøgda mansion is now home to the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, an independent foundation which engages in research on environmental, energy and resource management politics. A 1968 Norwegian/Soviet biographical film Just a Life: the Story of Fridtjof Nansen was released with Knut Wigert as Nansen. The Royal Norwegian Navy launched the first of a series of five s in 2004, with as its lead ship.
Cruise ship was launched in 2020. == Works == Paa ski over Grønland.
Longmans Green & Co. (First published in 1997 by Gerald Duckworth) (in Norwegian) == Further reading == Jones, Max (1 March 2021).
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