Fridtjof Nansen. A man, a Prince
Fridtjof Nansen (10 October 1861–13 May 1930) was a great Norwegian polar explorer and a national hero alongside Amundsen. He was an accomplished athlete, scientist, statesman and diplomat. He made the first crossing of the Greenland interior and undertook numerous expeditions to the North Pole from 1893 to 1898 on the “Fram” (a scientific vessel, whose name means “Forward” and for which the Fram Museum is named). After 1896, he turned his attention to studying oceanography. Towards the end of his life, he played a role of huge political significance to his country, devoting himself to the League of Nations as High Commissioner for Refugees. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his humanitarian efforts following the First World War. Nansen passed away on 13 May 1930. Given the importance of his work and the scale of his commitment, the country granted him a state funeral, held a few days later on 17 May.
The links between Nansen and Prince Albert I were significant. There is no doubt that Nansen’s fascination for the poles inspired the Sovereign Prince’s path and thinking. In his youth, the Prince loved to read the travel writings of the major explorers and had a keen interest in the latest news on the race to the poles. In preparation for his first expedition to Svalbard in 1898, Prince Albert I consulted polar experts. He first wrote to Sigurd Scott Hansen, a naval officer who took part in Fridtjof Nansen’s expedition on the “Fram”, and then to Nansen himself, to exchange views and get some advice