NORWAY

From 1397 to 1814 Norway was united with Denmark, and since the seventeenth century it had been absolutely governed from the latter country. In the later Napoleonic wars Denmark sided with France, and Sweden obtained in 1812 and 1813 the agreement that it might seize Norway as a reward for its assistance in overthrowing Napoleon.

Danish resistance was easily overcome by Bernadotte, Crown Prince of Sweden since 1810, and Norway was ceded to Sweden by the treaty of Kiel of January 14, 1814. Norway objected to the forced union with Sweden; the Norwegians adopted a liberal constitution on May 17, 1814, and elected as king the Danish prince, Christian Frederick. But their resistance was unavailing; the Norwegian forces were defeated; Christian Frederick abdicated, and the Storthing gave its consent to the union with Sweden.

The Eidsvold constitution of May 17 was revised on November 4, 1814, and Charles XIII of Sweden was chosen king of Norway. Norway retained its independent government; the changes in the constitution were such as were made necessary by the fact that the ruler of Sweden became king of Norway. The constitution of 1814, frequently amended, is still the constitution of Norway. Of the amendments the most important are: (1) that of April 24, 1869, establishing annual sessions of the Storthing; (2) that of July 4, 1884, extending the right to vote; (3) that of April 3, 1898, establishing universal male suffrage; (4) that of May 25, 1905, providing for the direct election of members of the Storthing.

From the first the union with Sweden hung heavily on Norway, and a constant struggle was maintained by the latter country to gain absolute political equality with the sister kingdom. In 1891 began the Norwegian contest for a separate consular service, a contest which finally ended in the rupture of the Union. Sweden was willing to concede a separate consular service, but not on the terms demanded by Norway. On February 8, 1905, the Norwegian prime minister announced to the Stor

thing that negotiations with Sweden regarding the consular service had been broken off. On April 5, the Prince Regent, who had assumed the government because of the ill-health of the King, appealed to Norway to resume negotiations upon the basis of a joint control of foreign relations. To this appeal the Norwegian government replied on April 17, 1905, that it was obliged "to advise against entering into new negotiations regarding the affairs of the Union until after a Norwegian consular service has been established." The Norwegian government required furthermore that an agreement be made in advance permitting each country to act freely regarding its future relations, before further negotiations would be opened with reference to the continuance of the Union.

The Norwegian demands were refused by the Prince Regent on April 25, 1905. On May 24, 1905, the Storthing passed a law organizing a separate Norwegian consular service, which was vetoed by the King on May 27. The Norwegian Council had on May 26 indicated its intention to resign if the King should not approve the consular law, but the King had refused to accept the resignations because of his inability to form a new government. On June 6 the members of the Council formally withdrew from office, and the Storthing resolved on June 7, 1905, "to empower the resigning Council of State until further notice to exercise as the Norwegian government the powers belonging to the King in accordance with the constitution of the kingdom of Norway and with existing laws, with the changes rendered necessary by the fact that the union with Sweden which provides that there shall be a common king, is dissolved in consequence of the fact that the King has ceased to act as king of Norway." On November 18, 1905, the Norwegian constitution was revised so as to omit all reference to the union with Sweden.

Prince Carl of Denmark was elected king of independent Norway and was crowned as Haakon VII at Trondhjem on June 22, 1906. ↓ ↓

ASCHEHOUG, T. H. tiania, 1891-93. government.

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Norges Nuvaerende Statsforfatning. (2d ed., Chris3 vols.) The standard treatise on the Norwegian

ASCHEHOUG, T. H. Das Staatsrecht der vereinigten Königreiche Schweden und Norwegen. (Freiburg, 1886. Handbuch des oeffentlichen Rechts.) Contains brief studies on the constitutional law of Norway and Sweden.

MORGENSTIERNE, BREDO. Laerbog i den Norske statsforfatningsret. (Christiania, 1900.)

CONSTITUTION OF NORWAY1

(November 4, 1814)

A. FORM OF GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION

ARTICLE I. The Kingdom of Norway is a free, independent, indivisible, and inalienable state. Its form of government is that of a limited hereditary monarchy.

ART. 2. The Evangelical Lutheran religion shall remain the public religion of the state. Such inhabitants as profess this religion are required to educate their children therein. Jesuits shall not be admitted.

B.

THE EXECUTIVE POWER, THE KING, AND THE

ROYAL FAMILY

ART. 3. The executive power shall be vested in the King. ART. 4. The King shall always profess, maintain, and defend the Evangelical Lutheran religion.

ART. 5. The King's person shall be sacred; he shall not be censured or impeached; the responsibility shall rest upon his council.

ART. 6. The order of succession shall be lineal and agnatic in the legitimate descendants from male to male, the nearer line being preferred to the more remote, and within the same line the older descendant being preferred to the younger.

1In the preparation of this text assistance has been received from the translations issued by Knute Nelson (Chicago, 1899), and by H. L. Brækstad (London, 1905). Numerous articles of the Norwegian constitution have been repealed; on this account the articles in force are not numbered consecutively.

A posthumous child shall also be considered in the line of succession and shall take his proper place therein as soon as he is born.

When a prince in the line of succession to the Norwegian crown is born, his name and the time of his birth shall be reported to the Storthing at its next succeeding session and be entered in its journal.

ART. 7. If there be no prince entitled to the succession, the King may propose a successor to the Storthing, which shall have the right to choose another person if it does not approve of the one proposed by the King.

ART. 8. The age of the majority of the King shall be fixed by law.

As soon as the King has attained the age prescribed by law he shall publicly declare himself of full age.

ART. 9. As soon as the King, upon coming of age, assumes the government, he shall take the following oath before the Storthing:

I promise and swear that I will govern the Kingdom of Norway in conformity with its constitution and laws; so truly help me God and his holy Word!

If the Storthing is not in session at the time, the oath shall be deposited in writing with the Council of State, and shall be solemnly renewed by the King at the next Storthing, either verbally, or in writing through the person whom he may appoint for that purpose.

ART. IO. When he becomes of age, the King shall be crowned and anointed in the Cathedral of Trondhjem, at such time and with such ceremonies as he may prescribe.

ART. 12. The King shall personally appoint a Council of State of Norwegian citizens, who shall be not less than thirty years of age. This Council shall consist of one Minister of State and of at least seven other members.

The King shall apportion the business among the members of the Council of State in such manner as he considers proper.