Sweden-Norway Union

1. Sweden-Norway Union 1814-1905

2. 1814 • It started with Norway as a part of the Danish kingdom. • In May: The Constitution was concluded, the prince of Denmark was voted to be the king of a free, self-governing and independant Norway. • Norway ended up as part of a personal union with Sweden. Although nationalist aspirations were not to be fully realized until the events of 1905, 1814 was the crisis and turning point in events that would lead to a fully independent Norway.

3. Two ambitious kings in Scandinavia • 1814: • two ambitious future kings in Scandinavia • both hoped to unite Sweden, Denmark, and Norway under their throne. • The Norwegian people and their leaders were caught in the middle of this rivalry, attempting through the crisis to create a measure of self-determination.

4. The Treaty of Kiel • a settlement between Sweden and Denmar- Norway on january 1814 • the Danish king, a loser in the Napoleonic wars, ceded Norway to the king of Sweden. • To save Denmark, Frederick VI gives up Norway • The treaty of Kiel did not include the ancient Norwegian dependencies of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, which remained under Danish rule.

5. Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark – regent of Norway • In February Christian Frederik invited prominent Norwegians to a meeting in Eidsvoll. • the crown prince proclaimed his intent to resist Swedish hegemony and claim the Norwegian crown as his inheritance. • However, prominent Norwegian leaders convinced him that Norway's claim to independence should rather be based on the principle of self-determination, and that he should act as a regent.

6. the Norwegian independence movement, • the Norwegian independence movement, were not inclined to support Sweden in an all-out confrontation on the matter. • As time approaches for the constitutional convention, there was growing support for opposition to the treaty of Kiel.

7. The Constitution • Included: • the principle of the Norwegian people's right to self-determination • the constitution's key precepts included the assurance of individual freedom, the right to property, and equality.

8. Haakon VII, King of Norway • (born as Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel or Prince Carl of Denmark), • was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolutionof the union with Sweden. • As one of the few elected monarchs, Haakon quickly won the respect and affection of the Norwegian people. • .

9. His family background • Christian Frederick, who was King of Norway briefly in 1814, the first king of Norwegian 1814 constitution and struggle for independence, was his great-granduncle. • His parents: Prince Carl who married his first cousin Princess Maud of Wales, youngest daughter of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.

10. King Olav V • Their son, Prince Alexander, the future Crown Prince Olav and finally king Olav V of Norway, (1903) • Crown Prince Olav married his first cousin, Princess Märtha of Sweden with whom he had one son, Harald, and two daughters, Ragnhild and Astrid • Theirs wedding the first royal wedding in Norway in 340 years. • he married

11. "People's King • Olav became extremely popular. • He liked to drive his own cars and would drive in the regular highway lanes though he was allowed to drive in the public transportation lane. • He was an athlete. He jumped from Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, and also competed in sailing regattas. He won a gold medal in the 1928 Summer Olympics.

12. King Olav- ”the Norwegian of the century” • In 2005, Olav was proclaimed the Norwegian of the century, with 41 percent of the votes. • During the 1973 energy crisis Norway banned car-driving on certain weekends, but the king, not wishing to miss an opportunity to go skiing outside Oslo, took the tram. When he tried to pay for his tickets, the conductor told him that people further back had already paid for him. A journalist once asked him if he was afraid to walk around unprotected, he answered, "Why should I be afraid? I have 4 million bodyguards!"—referring to the Norwegian people.

13. Harald V, King of Norway • born 1937 • Harald was the first Norwegian-born prince since the birth of Olav IV in 1370. • As he is the great-grandson of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, he is also in the line of succession to the British throne (currently placed 60th). • As King of Norway, Harald is the head of the Church of Norway. • Harald married a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, in 1968, a marriage which sparked much public controversy. • Theyhave two children, Princess Märtha Louise and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne.

14. Haakon married commoner and single mother Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in 2001, Their relationship met with controversy due to Mette-Marit's status as a single mother and because the couple had openly lived together before announcing their engagement. Haakon and Mette-Marit

15. May 17- syttende mai • The Norwegian ConstitutionDay • the National Day of Norway • It is an official national holiday. • The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation.

16. Children's parades • All over Norway, children's parades with an abundance of flags form the central elements of the celebration. • Each elementary school arranges its own parade, led by the school's own marching band. • The parade takes the children through the community, often making stops at homes of senior citizens, war memorials, etc.

17. Bunad • In Norway, it is common to wear bunad as a costume at various celebrations, especially the May 17 National Day celebrations. • In recent years, its use has reached far outside folk dancing, folk music, and particular holidays. • Accepted as proper gala attire, it is increasingly common to see people, and especially women, dressed in bunad.

18. The graduating class from the Norwegian equivalent of high school - known as russ - has its own celebration on May 17, staying up all night and making the rounds through the community. Russ, Oslo Russ

19. Russ • The russ also have their own parades, in which they parody various local and political aspects, although recently this has become less frequent.

20. May 17 in Oslo • The longest parade is in Oslo, where some 100,000 people travel to the city centre to participate in the main festivities.

21. Historical background • The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814. • The constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation. • The celebration of this day begun spontaneously among students and others from early on, and for some years the king was reluctant to allow the celebrations. For a couple of years in the 1820s, king Carl Johan actually forbade it, as he thought the celebrations a kind of protest and disregard - even revolt. The king's attitude changed slightly after the Battle of the Square in 1829, an incident which resulted in such a commotion that the King had to allow it. It was, however, not until 1833, that anyone ventured to hold a public address on behalf of the day. That year, official celebration was initiated by the monument of the late politician Christian Krogh, known to have stopped the King from gaining too much personal power. • The address was held by Henrik Wergeland, thoroughly witnessed and accounted for by a Swedishspy, sent by the King himself.

22. Children • After 1864 the day became more established, and the first children's promenade was launched in Christiania, in a parade consisting only of boys. • The girls had their own promenade by a different route. • This initiative was taken by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, although Wergeland made the first known children's promenade at Eidsvoll around 1820.

23. After Second World War • The Second World War ended in Norway just nine days before that year's Constitution Day, on May 8, 1945, when the occupying German forces surrendered. • Even if The Liberation Day is an official flag day in Norway, the day is not an official holiday and is not broadly celebrated. Instead a new and broader meaning has been added to the celebration of Norwegian independence on May 17. • The day focused originally on the Norwegian constitution, but after 1905, the focus has been directed towards the royal family.