1.1 Introduction

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The Danish King Valdemar IV Atterdag conquered Gotland in 1361. Thereafter, the island became part of the Danish kingdom for the next nearly 300 years. For a long time this event shaped relations between Denmark and Sweden.
Anne Sørensen, Christian Pletzing, Janet Laidla <br />


Valdemar IV made land on the southwest coast of the island on July 22, 1361. On the following day, it came to multiple skirmishes between Valdemar’s battled-tested soldiers and the rather poorly-armed Gutnish peasants. However, the Danish king was not to be stopped on his way to Visby. At the time, Visby was the only city on the island – strongly fortified and well-off due to its trade relations spanning the entire Baltic Sea region.<br />
Michael North begins his history of the Baltic by saying that the area “has always been a region of exchange and encounter.” Caroline Boggis-Rolfe makes an interesting note in her recent The Baltic Story comparing the history of the region with the Baltic Sea itself - at times very (even deceptively) calm and then then suddenly hit by a violent storm. The present book is about both the calms and the storms beginning (like North and Boggis-Rolfe) from the time of Vikings and reaching the 20th century, but instead of a narrative story of the Baltic, we present a collection of sources and views of very different sub-themes. <br />


The 27<sup>th</sup> of July, 1361 was likely a hot summer day, as a gathered contingent of Gutnish peasants made a stand against the invading Danish troops before the city walls of Visby. The size of both armies was not passed on. By guess, the Gutnish could have mobilized between three and five thousand men, and Valdemar could have brought roughly 2,500 men to the island. 150-200 horses could have potentially been transported on the ships. Later sources number the death toll of peasants at the decisive battle of Visby at roughly 1,800. The city’s inhabitants appear not to have become involved in the battle and to have opened the city gates to the victorious Danish king after some negotiation. Valdemar IV remained with his troops in Gotland until the end of August and ravaged the rural community. <br />
In 2009, the idea of a project that illustrates the history of the Baltic Sea Region from a transnational perspective was born in Schleswig-Holstein. The Academia Baltica (Lübeck/Sankelmark) succeeded in acquiring project funds from the European Commission's "Culture" programme for the conception phase and the development of a pilot module "Cultural Perspectives" of the Baltic Sea History Project. The core of the project is the conception of a virtual platform for the history of the Baltic Sea region. From 2012 to 2014, 14 partners from science, education and culture in the Baltic Sea region worked on the project. Its intention was to show that the history of the Baltic Sea Region is more than the history of the nation states on the Baltic Sea. At the same time, the Baltic Sea History Project also wanted to present different points of view and perspectives on the common history of the region.<br />


Valdemar began to use the title “King of the Gutnish” sporadically as part of his royal titles. Only in 1972, long after the island had become Swedish again, did Margrethe II as Danish queen give up this title.<br />
In 2017, the project partners succeeded in obtaining further funding for the continuation of the Baltic Sea History Project. The project is supported by the Academia Baltica, the partners being the Lübeck University of Applied Sciences, Szczecin University, Borussia Foundation in Olsztyn, Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, the University of Latvia in Riga, University of Tartu, Tallinn City Archives, Linnaeus University of Växjö and Kalmar, and Aarhus University. The new project follows on from the project funded by the EU in 2012-14. The aim is to present the history of the Baltic Sea region from multiple perspectives and thereby stimulate understanding for different perceptions of history in the various countries bordering the Baltic Sea. In addition, the history of the Baltic Sea region is to be made usable for adult education. This is to be achieved by means of teaching materials, an online tutorial and an online platform.<br />


Since 1984, tens of thousands of tourists, history enthusiasts and reenactors of the “Medeltidsveckan” (Medieval Week) gather every summer on Gotland, and Visby appears as a city of the 14th century. The taking of the city by Valdemar Atterdag was chosen as the occasion to host the week in 1984, which illustrates how alive the memory of this event still was. Over the years, the “Medeltidsveckan” evolved into one of the largest cultural events related to the Middle Ages in Europe. One of the high points of the 650<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the conquest of Gotland in 2011 was a reenactment of this dramatic battle for the Gutnish. This spectacle was repeated in 2013.<br />
The notion of multi-perspectivity is based on the general insight that individuals as well as social groups remember certain incidents and developments differently, and those memories and their manifestations also change over time. This, however, does not make it acceptable to manipulate and falsify historical evidence for political, monetary or personal needs. <br />


<loop_figure title="The Reenactment of the Battle before the Visby City Walls during the “Medeltidsveckan” 2011" description="Photo: Bo-Göran Kristoffersson, licence: [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution‐Share Alike 3.0 Unported]" show_copyright="true" copyright="">
Multi-perspectivity in history teaching is connected to intentions to overcome nationalist, religious and/or cultural enmities. A multi-perspective approach reflects that history is not based on one authoritative master narrative, but rather constitutes itself through dialogue between diverging narratives. Through implementing different perspectives, history education attempts to not only describe historical events, but also to make the significance of these events and their effects on people visible. Multi-perspectivity is established by presenting not just one view of an event (or artefact, person, place etc.), but several. These other perspectives can originate from persons in history, science, society, politics, from minorities or oppressed people. They highlight different meanings of historical events depending on gender, age, or cultural background. These perspectives can come from both one’s own country and from other countries. Thus, multi-perspectivity is a holistic approach attempting to view and understand historical events through the versatility of perspectives in a larger context.<br />
[[Image:schlacht.png]]
</loop_figure><br />


The event was also not forgotten in Denmark. In 1990 for her 50<sup>th</sup> birthday, Margarethe II of Denmark was gifted a series of eleven tapestries which were presented to her on her 60<sup>th</sup> birthday in the year 2000. These newly-made tapestries depict a modern interpretation of Danish history. The third tapestry shows the late Middle Ages. In the center of the picture stands Valdemar Atterdag, who points to the abstracted city walls of Visby with his right hand. Without further assessment, the tapestry refers to the taking of the city.<br />
Multi-perspectivity also has the potential to show that historical events – and the interpretations of them - are always human actions. Every historical event is based on decisions made by people relying on their information. Therefore, the quality of the decision depends on the quality of the information. Decisions and interpretations are also based on convictions, perhaps also on wishes or fears. Multi-perspectivity, thus, does not mean the necessity to give up one’s own perspective – but rather the need to understand that there are different perspectives. Importantly, however, multi-perspectivity does not imply the acceptance of so-called alternative facts that are not backed by sources and academic arguments.
==Multi-perspectivity in the Baltic Sea area==
The history of the Baltic Sea region is rich with examples of different perspectives on historical events that have had and continue to have varying impact on the different sides that have experienced them. The multi-layered character of national histories in the Baltic Sea Area can be used as a material basis for the development of multi-perspective approaches by transcending national and/or mono-cultural points of view. Those different perspectives are not expressed solely in form of written history, but also in changed street names, transferred monuments and individual life stories.<br />


See the presentation of the tapestries at the artist’s website: <br />
There is no single perspective that would satisfy every possible perception of Baltic Sea History. In general, it goes without saying that multiple national perspectives within the region reveal fundamental differences in the understanding of modern societies and states as well as in the reflections on history especially in the 20th century. These differences provide additional arguments, why the application of a historical multi-perspectivity seems to be particularly fruitful here, thereby broadening the individual understanding of history as such and of the contemporary differences in the region.<br />


: https://www.bjoernnoergaard.dk/en/works/kunst-i-det-faelles-rum/tapestries-queen-denmark-gobelin  (last accessed 14.12.18)
Wars and conflicts have been predominant features in the Baltic Sea region for centuries. Multi-perspectivity has proven to be an important approach in overcoming national conflicts. In a post-conflict perspective, the intention to remove hostile stereotypes of the national others and to introduce knowledge about the neighbours and former enemies as well as their perspectives on history is important. Such an approach can be a major contribution towards reconciliation. This task is not limited to governments and official bodies but also include various activities among private persons and organizations of the civil society. The overcoming of national antagonisms, however, has not always been successful.
 
==How to use this book==
This book is a collection of study materials that accompany the Baltic Sea History MOOC course but can also be used separately. Each chapter has introductory text or texts, different examples of sources or views, questions for reflection and discussion and a short list for further reading.
Considering that this book is directed to larger audiences we have endeavoured to give longer introductory background texts especially for the earlier periods. However, since we could not cover all of the history of the Baltic Sea area in this book, lists of further reading are added. <br />
 
As there are different perspectives on historical events, there are also different ways of writing about them. Thus, we have allowed our authors freedom to choose the exact structure of the chapter as well as the number and type of sources they chose to present. There are longer presentations about different events, monuments and periods, but also shorter excursions to some less-known events or monuments. <br />
 
The sources are often translated by authors themselves and although we are clearly aware that the choices of words in translation are also dependent on the perspective of the translator, we have tried to be true to the original but also edited the texts so they are easier to follow for non-native English-speakers. Thus, one of the tasks provided by the teachers could be to compare the translated sources with those in students’ native language to spot any subtle differences. <br />
 
Unquestionably, the complexity of understanding a historical event increases with the inclusion of further perspectives. And so the question is how to present an event from different perspectives without overwhelming learners. The relevance of multi-perspectivity can be illustrated by a good example which preferably is somehow connected to the learners. The goal is to make the learners understand why it is worth the greater effort. Multi-perspectivity can then be implemented by a selection of additional perspectives which are discussed in depth. Those selected perspectives should provide important additional information on the historical event. In addition, material can be provided on further perspectives that interested learners read on a voluntary basis. Alternatively, teacher may give an assignment to pick one perspective, work through it and present it in the following class meeting or prepare a presentation, video etc. and make it available on a learning platform. In the latter case, other learners are required to go over the student material on the platform in advance and discuss perspectives presented there it in depth during the following class meeting (flipped classroom). The preparation of the sources can follow questions: who, what, when, where, why. It is important not only to present the perspectives, but also to discuss them and to reflect on own understanding of the event so far and what has changed with additional perspectives.<br />
 
In order to enrich the spectrum of perspectives, learners may be asked to attempt to produce sources of historically silent groups, such as slaves, peasants or workers. These groups have often had no opportunity to record their thoughts and views, so there are few sources. By putting oneself into the role of one of these groups and generating a source (e.g., a diary entry), learners engage with the group. This can cause initial irritation but can also produce empathy and contribute to the greater understanding of learning. Obviously, multi-perspectivity may be realized in several different ways. Each implementation, however, has the same goal: the insight that, in addition to the mainstream narrative, there is another viewpoint or maybe even more than one.
We hope you will find this book useful and the discussions on different perspectives as insightful, enriching and interesting as our team of authors have found the process of preparation.
 
==Further reading:==
# A. Palmer. Northern Shores. A History of the Baltic Sea and Its Peoples. London, John Murray, 2005.
#  Michael North. The Baltic. A History. London, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 2015. Originally: Geschichte der Ostsee. C. H. Beck, 2011.
# Caroline Boggis-Rolfe. The Baltic Story. A Thousand-year History of Its Lands, Sea and Peoples. Gloucestershire, Amberly Publishing, 2019.

Revision as of 09:46, 3 July 2019

Anne Sørensen, Christian Pletzing, Janet Laidla

Michael North begins his history of the Baltic by saying that the area “has always been a region of exchange and encounter.” Caroline Boggis-Rolfe makes an interesting note in her recent The Baltic Story comparing the history of the region with the Baltic Sea itself - at times very (even deceptively) calm and then then suddenly hit by a violent storm. The present book is about both the calms and the storms beginning (like North and Boggis-Rolfe) from the time of Vikings and reaching the 20th century, but instead of a narrative story of the Baltic, we present a collection of sources and views of very different sub-themes.

In 2009, the idea of a project that illustrates the history of the Baltic Sea Region from a transnational perspective was born in Schleswig-Holstein. The Academia Baltica (Lübeck/Sankelmark) succeeded in acquiring project funds from the European Commission's "Culture" programme for the conception phase and the development of a pilot module "Cultural Perspectives" of the Baltic Sea History Project. The core of the project is the conception of a virtual platform for the history of the Baltic Sea region. From 2012 to 2014, 14 partners from science, education and culture in the Baltic Sea region worked on the project. Its intention was to show that the history of the Baltic Sea Region is more than the history of the nation states on the Baltic Sea. At the same time, the Baltic Sea History Project also wanted to present different points of view and perspectives on the common history of the region.

In 2017, the project partners succeeded in obtaining further funding for the continuation of the Baltic Sea History Project. The project is supported by the Academia Baltica, the partners being the Lübeck University of Applied Sciences, Szczecin University, Borussia Foundation in Olsztyn, Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, the University of Latvia in Riga, University of Tartu, Tallinn City Archives, Linnaeus University of Växjö and Kalmar, and Aarhus University. The new project follows on from the project funded by the EU in 2012-14. The aim is to present the history of the Baltic Sea region from multiple perspectives and thereby stimulate understanding for different perceptions of history in the various countries bordering the Baltic Sea. In addition, the history of the Baltic Sea region is to be made usable for adult education. This is to be achieved by means of teaching materials, an online tutorial and an online platform.

The notion of multi-perspectivity is based on the general insight that individuals as well as social groups remember certain incidents and developments differently, and those memories and their manifestations also change over time. This, however, does not make it acceptable to manipulate and falsify historical evidence for political, monetary or personal needs.

Multi-perspectivity in history teaching is connected to intentions to overcome nationalist, religious and/or cultural enmities. A multi-perspective approach reflects that history is not based on one authoritative master narrative, but rather constitutes itself through dialogue between diverging narratives. Through implementing different perspectives, history education attempts to not only describe historical events, but also to make the significance of these events and their effects on people visible. Multi-perspectivity is established by presenting not just one view of an event (or artefact, person, place etc.), but several. These other perspectives can originate from persons in history, science, society, politics, from minorities or oppressed people. They highlight different meanings of historical events depending on gender, age, or cultural background. These perspectives can come from both one’s own country and from other countries. Thus, multi-perspectivity is a holistic approach attempting to view and understand historical events through the versatility of perspectives in a larger context.

Multi-perspectivity also has the potential to show that historical events – and the interpretations of them - are always human actions. Every historical event is based on decisions made by people relying on their information. Therefore, the quality of the decision depends on the quality of the information. Decisions and interpretations are also based on convictions, perhaps also on wishes or fears. Multi-perspectivity, thus, does not mean the necessity to give up one’s own perspective – but rather the need to understand that there are different perspectives. Importantly, however, multi-perspectivity does not imply the acceptance of so-called alternative facts that are not backed by sources and academic arguments.

Multi-perspectivity in the Baltic Sea area

The history of the Baltic Sea region is rich with examples of different perspectives on historical events that have had and continue to have varying impact on the different sides that have experienced them. The multi-layered character of national histories in the Baltic Sea Area can be used as a material basis for the development of multi-perspective approaches by transcending national and/or mono-cultural points of view. Those different perspectives are not expressed solely in form of written history, but also in changed street names, transferred monuments and individual life stories.

There is no single perspective that would satisfy every possible perception of Baltic Sea History. In general, it goes without saying that multiple national perspectives within the region reveal fundamental differences in the understanding of modern societies and states as well as in the reflections on history especially in the 20th century. These differences provide additional arguments, why the application of a historical multi-perspectivity seems to be particularly fruitful here, thereby broadening the individual understanding of history as such and of the contemporary differences in the region.

Wars and conflicts have been predominant features in the Baltic Sea region for centuries. Multi-perspectivity has proven to be an important approach in overcoming national conflicts. In a post-conflict perspective, the intention to remove hostile stereotypes of the national others and to introduce knowledge about the neighbours and former enemies as well as their perspectives on history is important. Such an approach can be a major contribution towards reconciliation. This task is not limited to governments and official bodies but also include various activities among private persons and organizations of the civil society. The overcoming of national antagonisms, however, has not always been successful.

How to use this book

This book is a collection of study materials that accompany the Baltic Sea History MOOC course but can also be used separately. Each chapter has introductory text or texts, different examples of sources or views, questions for reflection and discussion and a short list for further reading. Considering that this book is directed to larger audiences we have endeavoured to give longer introductory background texts especially for the earlier periods. However, since we could not cover all of the history of the Baltic Sea area in this book, lists of further reading are added.

As there are different perspectives on historical events, there are also different ways of writing about them. Thus, we have allowed our authors freedom to choose the exact structure of the chapter as well as the number and type of sources they chose to present. There are longer presentations about different events, monuments and periods, but also shorter excursions to some less-known events or monuments.

The sources are often translated by authors themselves and although we are clearly aware that the choices of words in translation are also dependent on the perspective of the translator, we have tried to be true to the original but also edited the texts so they are easier to follow for non-native English-speakers. Thus, one of the tasks provided by the teachers could be to compare the translated sources with those in students’ native language to spot any subtle differences.

Unquestionably, the complexity of understanding a historical event increases with the inclusion of further perspectives. And so the question is how to present an event from different perspectives without overwhelming learners. The relevance of multi-perspectivity can be illustrated by a good example which preferably is somehow connected to the learners. The goal is to make the learners understand why it is worth the greater effort. Multi-perspectivity can then be implemented by a selection of additional perspectives which are discussed in depth. Those selected perspectives should provide important additional information on the historical event. In addition, material can be provided on further perspectives that interested learners read on a voluntary basis. Alternatively, teacher may give an assignment to pick one perspective, work through it and present it in the following class meeting or prepare a presentation, video etc. and make it available on a learning platform. In the latter case, other learners are required to go over the student material on the platform in advance and discuss perspectives presented there it in depth during the following class meeting (flipped classroom). The preparation of the sources can follow questions: who, what, when, where, why. It is important not only to present the perspectives, but also to discuss them and to reflect on own understanding of the event so far and what has changed with additional perspectives.

In order to enrich the spectrum of perspectives, learners may be asked to attempt to produce sources of historically silent groups, such as slaves, peasants or workers. These groups have often had no opportunity to record their thoughts and views, so there are few sources. By putting oneself into the role of one of these groups and generating a source (e.g., a diary entry), learners engage with the group. This can cause initial irritation but can also produce empathy and contribute to the greater understanding of learning. Obviously, multi-perspectivity may be realized in several different ways. Each implementation, however, has the same goal: the insight that, in addition to the mainstream narrative, there is another viewpoint or maybe even more than one. We hope you will find this book useful and the discussions on different perspectives as insightful, enriching and interesting as our team of authors have found the process of preparation.

Further reading:

  1. A. Palmer. Northern Shores. A History of the Baltic Sea and Its Peoples. London, John Murray, 2005.
  2. Michael North. The Baltic. A History. London, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 2015. Originally: Geschichte der Ostsee. C. H. Beck, 2011.
  3. Caroline Boggis-Rolfe. The Baltic Story. A Thousand-year History of Its Lands, Sea and Peoples. Gloucestershire, Amberly Publishing, 2019.