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| Constitution of 17 May 1814 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Constitution of 17 May 1814 |
| Native name | Grunnloven av 17. mai 1814 |
| Jurisdiction | Kingdom of Norway |
| Created | 17 May 1814 |
| System | Constitutional monarchy |
| Date repealed | 4 November 1814 (amended) |
Constitution of 17 May 1814 was the foundational charter adopted at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll on 17 May 1814 that established a constitutional framework for the Kingdom of Norway after the Napoleonic Wars. Drafted by delegates drawn from rural Norwegian society and urban elites, the document sought to assert Norwegian sovereignty in the aftermath of the Treaty of Kiel and the collapse of Denmark–Norway's union with France under Napoleon. The constitution influenced later liberal and nationalist movements in Scandinavia and across Europe during the 19th century.
In early 1814, the diplomatic rearrangements following the Treaty of Kiel transferred Norwegian sovereignty from Denmark to the Kingdom of Sweden under the aspiring crown of Charles XIII of Sweden. In response, Norwegian leaders convened the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll at Eidsvoll Verk to assert independence, inspired by documents such as the United States Constitution, the French Constitution of 1791, and the Constitutional Charter of 1814 in Norway debates that echoed discussions from the Congress of Vienna and reactions to the Napoleonic Wars. Prominent figures at Eidsvoll included Christian Magnus Falsen, Georg Sverdrup, Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie, Johan Nordahl Brun, and representatives from estates and municipalities influenced by prior statutes like the Norwegian Law Code of 1687. Delegates organized into factions often labeled the Independence Party (Selvstendighetspartiet) and the Union Party (Unionspartiet), drawing on ideas circulating in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, London, and Paris. The assembly produced a draft constitution that balanced monarchical authority connected to Christian VII's era precedents with checks resonant with the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights.
The constitution established a hereditary monarchy under a monarch with powers bounded by a representative legislative assembly called the Storting. It enumerated civil liberties including protections against arbitrary detention akin to principles in the Habeas Corpus Act and protections influenced by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It regulated taxation, conscription, and property rights in a manner recalling provisions from the Swedish Instrument of Government (1809) and the Danish Constitutions debates. The document created institutions such as a Council of State (cabinet) and specified the separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, paralleling models seen in the United States Congress, French National Assembly, and the Prussian legal reforms. It granted suffrage and eligibility criteria tied to property and civil status that echoed reformist trends in Britain and Germany, while establishing the Supreme Court of Norway and legal procedures influenced by the Code Napoléon and older Scandinavian legal traditions.
After adoption, the constitution was challenged by diplomatic pressure from Sweden and negotiations led by Crown Prince Charles John (formerly Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte), culminating in the Convention of Moss and subsequent personal union between Norway and Sweden under a negotiated settlement. The union preserved the constitution with amendments recognizing the Union between Sweden and Norway and the shared foreign policy, while maintaining separate institutions like the Storting and Norwegian ministries. Implementation involved conflicts with actors such as Christian Frederick (later King Christian VIII of Denmark), Swedish statesmen in Stockholm, and representatives of the Great Powers including Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Domestic politics saw tensions among conservatives linked to the old Danish monarchy, rural elites associated with the Farmers' movement and urban merchants in Bergen and Christiania (Oslo), while cultural figures like Henrik Wergeland and Camille Corneille (note: cultural milieu) debated nationhood and constitutionalism.
The constitution was lauded by nationalists and liberals across Norway, and later celebrated by intellectuals and poets such as Henrik Wergeland and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson as a symbol of Norwegian identity alongside symbols like the Norwegian flag and national celebrations on May 17. Foreign observers in Britain, France, and Germany compared it with the Belgian Constitution (1831) and constitutions arising from the Revolutions of 1848. Its endurance influenced demands for parliamentary rule exemplified by later conflicts involving the Storting and the Norwegian cabinet system, and it served as a reference in jurisprudence and constitutional scholarship alongside works by jurists referencing the Principles of Constitutional Law. The constitution's nationalist resonance contributed to cultural movements in Oslo University (then Royal Frederick University), Bergen Museum, and the broader Scandinavian renaissance in literature and historiography.
Although the constitution adopted on 17 May 1814 remained the foundational law, it underwent amendments following the Convention of Moss and subsequent negotiations that integrated Norway into a personal union with Sweden. The union required modifications to provisions concerning the monarch and foreign affairs, producing texts ratified by the Storting and accepted by Swedish authorities including Charles XIV John of Sweden and Norway. Over the 19th century, the constitution experienced additional amendments during political struggles involving the Prime Minister of Norway, the Council of State, and parliamentary reformers, culminating in developments that influenced the eventual dissolution of the union in 1905 and the accession of Haakon VII of Norway. The original 1814 document was never fully repealed but evolved through amendments and reinterpretations by courts and legislatures, remaining a cornerstone alongside later constitutional acts and legal instruments in Norwegian constitutional history.
Category:Constitutions Category:History of Norway Category:1814 in Norway