The Wild Duck | Historical Context

The Wild Duck Historical Context

Union With Sweden and the Constitution

Since 1536, Norway had been a province of Denmark, but in the early 1800s, Sweden attacked Denmark. The resulting peace treaty transferred Norway to Sweden. Crown Prince Christian Fred-erik, the nephew of the Danish king, refused to accept this transfer. He initiated an uprising and called for the convention of a national assembly. The delegates wrote and signed a constitution, and elected Christian Frederik king of a free and independent Norway.

Norway received no support from Europe. Swedish troops attacked, and Christian Frederik resigned two weeks later. Sweden accepted Norway's constitution, which was amended to reflect the union effective November 1814. A Norwegian government and the National Assembly, the Storting, would make national policy. Though Norway remained an independent nation, it shared Sweden's king and foreign policy.

Norway Becomes a Parliament

Despite the popularity of King Charles John, the popularly elected Storting continued to struggle against the king and his cabinet. In...
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