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provisions of the Kiel treaty took place, which in reality accorded
with the manner in which the Norwegian people asserted their
independence.
In absolving the Norwegians from their oath of allegiance to
him, Frederik VI called upon them to become subject to the
Swedish king. But the Norwegians were far from wishing to do
so. The greater number of them considered it almost treason to
think of a union with Sweden, and the events of the last year had
in no wise contributed to change this feeling. The vice-regent.
Prince Christian Frederik, supported by the prevailing opinion,
wished to set himself up as king, after receiving the preliminary
communication regarding the Treaty of Kiel. In order to gain
time, he made a tour through Gudbrandsdalen to Trondhjem, seeking
everywhere, by his engaging personality and his eloquence, to
influence public feeling in his favour. In Trondhjem he received
some support, but a large number of the citizens of that town
agreed to draw up an address, in which they intended to point
out to him the necessity to the country of having a constitution.
The prince, however, looked upon his position as that of next heir
to the throne, who could straightway have himself proclaimed
king. On his way back from Trondhjem, he summoned some of
the most respected men of the east country to an assembly at
Eidsvold Ironworks, on the 16th February. These maintained that
though there was nothing to prevent the Danish king from giving
up his own and his descendants claim to the Norwegian throne,
he had no right to hand Norway over to another ruler, as he had
done by the Treaty of Kiel. On the contrary, this had given the
Norwegians themselves the right of deciding their own future, and
consequently of determining all constitutional matters. This view,
which was expressed by Professor Georg Sverdrup, won immediate
sympathy, and it was resolved that a national assembly should
meet at Eidsvold, to give the country a constitution. In the mean
time, Prince Christian Frederik was to govern as regent. As a
sign of the country’s independence, she immediately received a flag
of her own, which was the Danish one hitherto in use, with the
ancient arms of Norway in the upper square next the pole.
The national assembly met at Eidsvold on the 10th April. The
majority of the 112 members were in favour of Norway’s being
a separate kingdom. A minority of 30, led by Count Herman
Wedel-Jarlsberg, held that a union with Sweden would be beneficial
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