The story
Samsø was a historically important location in the Viking Age, due to its central location in Kattegat. The Kanhave canal was constructed in the 720s to allow for easy and quick access across the sea. Five castles were built on the island in the Middle Ages, where the island was under ownership of the king. The island was in 1676 gifted to Sophie Amalie Moth, who became countess of the island.
Denmark has historically been divided into syssels in the Middle Ages. Samsø was a hundred in Åbosyssel. With the dissolving of the syssels, Samsø came under Kalundborg Fief. The fief was later changed to a county, and Samsø was between 1660 and 1670 part of Kalundborg County. Kalundborg County was merged into Holbæk County in 1793.
Samsø never had any market towns (Danish: Købstader), but was granted special privileges as islanders. Among those privileges were the permission to ship out their own products, which was usually reserved for market towns. The naval importance of Samsø became significant through the 1600s, but the Great Northern War in 1709-1720 halved the ships on the island. Several fortifications and scones were constructed on Samsø and the surrounding islands, which increased its military importance. The English Wars resulted in another halving of Samsø's ship, and another big hit to the island's economy and maritime significance.
In 1962 there were five parish municipalities in Samsø Hundred: Besser, Kolby, Nordby, Onsbjerg and Tranebjerg. They were, in 1962, merged to form Samsø Municipality. In 1970 Samsø Municipality was moved from Holbæk County to Århus County. In the municipal reform of 2007 Samsø was not merged with any other municipality.
Historical divisions
The table below shows the historical municipal subdivisions of Samsø Municipality.
From Wikipedia’s article on Samsø Municipality, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4