The 1814 constitution assembly. Painting by Oscar Wergeland. | Photo: Teigens Fotoatelier A/S - Stortinget cc pdm.

Norwegian history | reborn as a sovereign state | Norway

17 May 1814 is regarded as the birth of the modern-day Norwegian state. But it took almost another hundred years before the Norwegians could declare complete independence.

Reborn as a sovereign state | AD 1814

During the Napoleonic wars (AD 1802-1815), Denmark-Norway and Sweden fought on opposite sides. The Danish leadership sided with France, and lost, and had to hand over Norway to Sweden. Excluded from the deal were Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, which remained a part of Denmark.

The Norwegians strongly opposed the arrangement, and finally saw an opportunity to break away and recreate Norway as a sovereign state. The Danish Prince Christian Frederik, at the time the Danish governor of Norway, called for an assembly of Norwegian leaders, with the intent to declare independence. On 17 May 1814, a new Norwegian constitution was created, and Christian Frederik was elected king. However, Sweden saw this as a hostile act and the Swedish crown prince, Karl Johan, set out for Norway with his troops and forced through the new union. Prince Christian Frederik left Norway and was no longer king. Later, as fate would have it, he became King Christian VIII of Denmark.

Despite the hostilities, the Swedes allowed Norway to keep its constitution, and the country was again a separate national state, albeit the weaker party in a union. Under the same king, the two countries had a common foreign affairs front, but great autonomy when it came to internal matters. Norway’s new semi-independent status was very different from the situation prior to AD 1814. The country quickly built its own national institutions: a parliament, a government, a central administration, courts, and a national bank. A university had already been established in AD 1811. In AD 1801, the total population was 883,603.

Next period: Norwegian history | in union with Sweden | Norway

Or see the full: History timeline | from stone age to modern era | Norway

BC = before Christ | AD = anno domini = after Christ
Main source: Store norske leksikon – snl.no

LA Dahlmann | history timeline

Norway and its age-old farming culture | Norway

homestead and farm

Once you start taking an interest in the old Norwegian farming and family history, then the people of the past start coming to the fore.

Homestead | bringing home the winter hay | Norway

homestead and farm

On the historical Norwegian farm, winter feed for the domesticated animals was a precious resource. Sometimes it was harvested and temporarily stored far away from the farm.

Kipe | means a basket in Norwegian | Norway

words from history

A kipe is a tall, woven basket, often made of twigs from the birch tree. It was carried on the back, and typically used when carrying loads in a landscape full of steep fields and paths.

Vintage photos | the domestic animals | Norway

vintage photos

Watch some lovely vintage photos of mankinds’s many good friends.

Queen Maud of Norway | her background and childhood years

norwegian royal history

Queen Maud of Norway was born in London in 1869, as Princess Maud of Wales. Her grandmother was none other than the formidable Queen Victoria.

Fjords | gateways to mystery | Norway

landscape

Once upon a time in the distant past, imagine yourself sitting in a small boat, facing this mighty gateway into the bowels of the land.

Norway | a land of water

landscape

In the spring, the Norwegian mountain-snow melts and turns into creeks, rivers and magnificent waterfalls.

Norway | on the coastal path along the Oslofjord

landscape

Whether it be on a rainy day – or a beautiful summer’s day like this one – the coastal paths take us through some pleasing stretches of Norwegian scenery.

Ice export | a booming business for more than a century | Norway

landscape

From the early 1800s and well into the 1900s, Norway was a significant exporter of natural ice. But how did they prevent the ice from melting?

Moose calf saved from drowning in 1939 | Norway

wild animals

Magne Løvstuen and his family adopted this moose calf after saving it from drowning in Lake Mjøsa.

The last workhorse at Sandaker farm | Norway

domesticated animals

When I was a boy, it was the workhorse that pulled the heaviest weight in agricultural life. And this had been the reality for as long as anyone could remember.

Norwegian Buhund | viking dog with an ancient history | Norway

domesticated animals

The first Norwegian Buhund breed-standard came in 1926, based on a dog that had evolved, lived, and worked with the Norwegians since time immemorial.

Reindeer | an ancient presence in the Norwegian mountains

wild animals

When the ice melted after the last ice age, herds of reindeer followed in its wake. And with the animals came their main predator: the humans.

Ostehøvel | the Norwegian cheese slicer | Norway

food history

There are many types of cheese slicers, but Norwegian furniture maker Thor Bjørklund invented the Norwegian version in 1925.

Klippfisk | what is Norwegian klipfish? | Norway

food history

Klippfisk – or klipfish – is fish preserved through salting and drying. Since the early 1700s, the Norwegians have been large-scale klippfisk producers and exporters.

Food history | milk from the domesticated animals | Norway

food history

For thousands of years, milk from the domesticated animals has had a dominant position in the Norwegian diet. People used milk from the cow, the reindeer, the sheep and the goat.

Food history | the difference between mead and beer | Norway

food history

Mead and beer are both alcoholic drinks known from Norwegian history. The Norwegians call them «mjød» and «øl». But do you know the difference between the two?

The mountain safety code | always be prepared | Norway

general facts

The majestic Norwegian mountains can be treacherous – and they steal human lives every year. Study the Norwegian mountain code – and be prepared for your next journey.