Medieval Norwegian 'stavkirke' , or stave church

Although evangelists had been at work earlier, Scandinavia was not converted until the tenth century and later. King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark was baptized c. 960. His grandson Canute later secured the church in the realm. Christianity came to Norway primarily through the efforts of Vikings converted during sojourns in England. King Olav Tryggvesson was more effective than predecessors in forcibly introducing Christianity into Norway, but pagan resistance continued. Emissaries of Olav Tryggvesson also introduced Christianity to Iceland and Christianity later came to Greenland with the Norwegian Viking Leif Ericsson. The conversion of Norway itself was not effectively completed until the reign of Olav Haraldsson. The effective Christianization of Sweden occurred under King Olaf Skötkonung at the beginning of the eleventh century. Pagan opposition to the Christian faith remained strong until the twelfth century. Finland was evangelized when large portions of the country came under Swedish domination in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.