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230 NOTES
Norway refused to be absorbed by Sweden, and through a representa-
tive assembly at Eidsvold declared its independence, adopted a Con-
stitution on May 17, 1814, and chose as King, Prince Christian Fred-
erik, the later King Christian VIII of Denmark. The Swedish Crown
Prince Karl Johan led an invasion of Norway in July, and there was
fighting until the Convention of Moss, August 14, in which he ap-
proved the Norwegian Constitution in return for the abdication of
Christian Frederik. Negotiations then led to the federation of Norway
as an independent kingdom with Sweden in a union. This was for-
mally concluded on November 4, 1815, by the adoption of the Act of
Union, and the election of the Swedish King Karl XIII as King of
Norway.
The last four lines of stanza 6 refer to ** Scandinavism,” i.e., a move-
ment beginning some time before 1848 to bring about a close federa-
tion or alliance of the three Northern kingdoms (see pages 239, 240).
Page 30.
ANSWER FROM Norway. First printed in a newspaper, April 7, 1860,
with the title “‘Song for the Common People,” this poem refers to
a stage of the long conflict over the question of a viceroy in Norway,
so important in the history of the union of Sweden and Norway. The
Norwegian Constitution gave to the King power to send a viceroy
to reside in Norway, and to name as such either a Swede or a Norwe-
gian. Until about 1830 the viceroy had always been a Swede, thereafter
always a Norwegian. On December g, 1859, the Norwegian Storting
voted to abolish this article in a proposed revision of the Constitution.
The matter was discussed in Sweden with vehemence and passion. The
storm of feeling raged most violently in March, 1860, when on the
17th, in Stockholm, this revision was rejected. However, no viceroy was
appointed after 1859, and in 1873 the question was amicably settled as
the Norwegians desired.
While the situation was tense, an unfounded rumor had spread, that
on one occasion the Norwegian flag had been raised over the residence
of the Swedish-Norwegian Minister in Vienna. This caused loud com-
plaints in Sweden, that ‘the Norwegian colors had displaced the Swed-
ish,” while in the House of Nobles a member declared that Norway
ought to be ‘‘an accessory” to Sweden; that “young, inexperienced”
Norway’s demand of equality with Sweden was like a commoner’s
importunity for equality with a nobleman. He went on to say that the
Swedish nation must crave again its (pure) flag: “For in our ancient
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