Vestiges of the Baroque North in Danish Cultural Memory and Ludvig Holberg’s Thought

In the span between the 16th and 18th centuries, the pressure of nationalistic demands also involved the northern European kingdoms. To this end, powerful patriotic support was granted by an almost inexhaustible store of themes and imagery in the revival of a dark and barbaric past, thanks to the recovery of a legendary heritage revisited by local historiography. Alongside his rich production for the stage, Ludvig Holberg's effort in the fields of history and philosophy is certainly noteworthy. A man of the Enlightenment and pragmatic historian, his aim at educating a wider public ran through plays, satire, as well as history and philosophy. He fulfilled his purpose by producing works on Danish history that departed from the local outdated tradition and were closer to the new requirements of a historical science based on sources that were both reliable and free of legendary influence, as shown in Introduktion til de fornemste euro-peiske Rigers Historie (1711), Dannemarks og Norges Beskrivelse (1729) and, particularly, Danmarks Riges Historie (1732-35).