Pallantides
02-07-2010, 01:30 AM
http://www.biocrawler.com/w/images/e/ed/Eidsvoll_riksraad_1814.jpeg
Writing of the constitution
Following the defeat of Napoleons troops at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813 and the Treaty of Kiel of January 1814, the Crown Prince of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederik, the resident vice-roy in Norway, founded a Norwegian independence movement. The most likely goal of the young Crown Prince was ultimate re-unification with Denmark. His initiative was successful, and a national assembly at Eidsvoll was called. The assembled representatives were elected by the congregations of the state church throughout Norway, and by military units. They convened at the Eidsvoll manor on April 10. During five weeks of the spring of 1814, the constitution was written. The constitution was ratified by the assembly on May 16, and signed the following day, the latter date now celebrated as the Norwegian Constitution Day.
The Norwegian constitution was inspired by the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the French revolution in 1789 and the subsequent U.S. and French constitutions. The authors Christian Magnus Falsen and Johan Gunder Adler were also influenced by the Spanish Constitution of 1812. The constitution is considered one of the most radically democratic constitutions in the world at that time.[citation needed] The principle of separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches was directly inspired by the US and French systems.
A deviation from the republican constitutions of France and the USA was the retention of monarchy. Importing republicanism was seen as trying to emulate the French and Americans directly, something the lawmakers at Eidsvoll sought to avoid. The choice of monarchy as state form would also facilitate reunification of Denmark-Norway, something the Crown Prince was not alone in seeking. The king's power was however severely curtailed. His absolute veto over laws was removed. The council of Eidsvoll not surprisingly chose Crown Prince Christian Frederik as king. He was thus chosen, and as such a king by the will of the people rather than by the grace of God. In a Europe where almost all countries were ruled by absolute monarchy, this was seen as extremely radical. The right to vote was extended to all men who were either farmers possessing their own land, civil servants, or urban property owners. With this, about half of all Norwegian men earned the right to vote.
The union with Sweden
The young king and Norwegian officials tried to find international backing for their bid for Norway as a sovereign state throughout spring and early summer of 1814. After failing to secure the support of Great Britain, war with Sweden became unavoidable. The Swedish Campaign against Norway was short and decisive. However, while badly trained and equipped, the Norwegian Army put up a determined fight, holding the Swedes back at Kongsvinger and securing a tactical victory at the battle of Langnes. This enabled the King to avoid an unconditional surrender as he was forced into negotiations with the Swedes, leading to the Convention of Moss.
Putting the strategic situation and his own abdication to good use, he persuaded the Swedish crown prince Carl Johan (the former Marshal Bernadotte of France) to let the Norwegians keep their constitution. The Swedish crown prince wanted to appease the Norwegians and avoid a bloody continuation of the war. Realizing that a forced union with himself as ruler of a conquered and hostile country would be very uneasy, he accepted the Norwegian proposition. Norway then entered into a personal union with Sweden with only such amendments to its constitution as were necessary to form the Union between Sweden and Norway. On October 7, an extraordinary session of the Storting convened, and king Christian Frederik delegated his powers to the parliament and abdicated on October 10. The Storting adopted the constitutional amendments on November 4 and on the same day unanimously elected Charles XIII king of Norway, rather than acknowledging him as such, thus reinforcing the concept a King by the will of the people.
The Norwegian Constituent Assembly
The Assembly
Riksforsamlingen is the name given to the 1814 Constitutional Assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway. The prefix "Riks" in Norwegian has a Germanic root (Reichs- in German, Rijks- in Dutch, Rigs- in Danish, Riks- in Swedish), meaning "realm", and "forsamlingen" translates to "the assembly".
The Assembly was convened to forge the Norwegian Constitution ("Norges Grunnlov"). The delegates were popularly dubbed Eidsvollsmennene ("The Men of Eidsvoll"). The Assembly met in The Eidsvoll Manor (Eidsvollsbygningen). They met April 10 outside Eidsvoll church and the assembly was formally opened the next day. The assembly was composed of delegates from around the country. However, the northernmost parts of the country were not represented because of the long distances and lack of time.
The presidents and vice presidents of the assembly were chosen for one week, thus continuously changing. Among those who served as presidents were Peder Anker, (the first one), Frederik Heidmann, Jens Schou Fabricius, Christian Magnus Falsen and Georg Sverdrup (the last one). Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie was the assembly's permanent secretary.
The assembly agreed upon the text of the Constitution on 17 May 1814. Sverdrup was chosen as president the same day. The Constitution was signed and dated 18 May 1814, but the 17th of May is today celebrated as the Norwegian National Day. The members said farewell May 20, when they held each other's hands saying "United and loyal until the mountains of Dovre crumble!"
Background
Forced in early 1814 to sign the Treaty of Kiel as an ally of France in the later phase of the Napoleonic Wars, the king of Denmark-Norway had to cede Norway to the king of Sweden. The people of Norway, never consulted, objected to the royal sell-out. The vice-roy and heir presumptive of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederik, took the lead in an insurrection and called a Constitutional Assembly at Eidsvoll. The Norwegian Constitution of May 17 formalised Norway’s independence after nearly 400 years of union with Denmark. On the same day, Christian Frederik was elected King of Norway. As a result of this, Sweden invaded Norway. After a campaign of two weeks, a peace treaty (The Convention of Moss) was concluded. King Christian Frederik was forced to abdicate, but Norway remained nominally independent and kept its Constitution with only such amendments as were required to allow it to enter into a loose personal union with Sweden. On November 4, the Storting amended the Constitution accordingly, and elected the Swedish king King Charles XIII as king of Norway. Although the two states retained their separate governments and institutions, except for the king and the foreign service, Norwegians grew increasingly discontented with the union, which had been forced upon them. In 1905 the union was peacefully dissolved, giving Norway its full independence.
Some of the key figures of the Eidsvoll assembly.
Christian Magnus Falsen
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/ChristianMagnusFalsen.jpg
(1782-1830)
Nationality: Norwegian
Profession: Statesman, jurist, and historian
Political orientation: Selvstendighetspartiet(Independence Party)
Falsen was the leader of the Independence Party, he was a key player in the Constitutional assembly and is considered to be the 'Constitutional father', with the help of Adler he wrote the first draft for the Constitution of Norway.
Johan Gunder Adler
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/JohanGunderAdler.jpg
(1784-1852)
Nationality: Danish-Norwegian
Profession: Lector, writer and statesman
John Gunder Adler was born and raised in Copenhagen, in 1812 he came to Norway to be a warden at the learned school of Fredrikshal(Halden), in his time of study he befriended with Georg Sverdrup and Christian Magnus Falsen. In February 1814 Adler and Falsen meet again to discuss and work on the proposal for the Norwegian Constitution, from Falsen's farm in Vollebæk the two friends shaped the Consitutional proposal that was later used by the constitutional committee work under the Norwegian Constituent Assembly, it's unclear wich chapter the two had responsibility for, the proposal seem to have been influenced by the American and the French Constitution and since Adler was fluent in French and Falsen in English we can assume that they were most likely familiar with both works. In 1814 they both met Eidsvoll Verk, Falsen as a 'Edisvoll man' and Adler as a spokesperson for Christian Frederik, later Adler became the Cabinet secretary for Christian Frederik both in his period as the King of Norway(1814) and as the King of Denmark(1839-1848), under the Danish king he was also a Secretary of State.
Wilhem Friman Koren Christie
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/WilhemFrimanKorenChristie.jpg
(1778-1849)
Nationality: Norwegian
Profession: Judge and chancellor secretary
Political orientation: Selvstendighetspartiet(Independence Party)
Christie belonged to the "Quodlibet" wich was a circle of leading with political and literary interests, March 1814 this group held a series of meetings where they debated and discussed the question of independence and the plans for a Norwegian Constitution. Christie was an eager participant and made himself a spokesperson for constitutional rulling after the American, English and Fench pattern. In Eidsvoll Christie lost his vote to be a part of the Constitutional committee, but was instead chosen as the secretary Norwegian Constituent Assembly, Christie is noted for is effort as the President of the Storting in the autumn of 1814 and as a leader of the committee that negotiated with the Swedes, in his negotiations with Sweden he managed to get a union with Sweden without making any drastic changes to the Constitution, he was also the president of the Constituent Assembly from 1815 to 1818 and he was also leader of many political committees, he later withdrew from politics due to bad health.
Johan Collett
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/JohanCollett.jpg
Peder Anker
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/PederAnker.jpg
Carsten Tank Anker
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/CarstenTankAnker.jpg
Omund Bjørnsen Birkeland
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/OmundBirkeland.jpg
Niels Aall
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/NielsAall.jpg
Nicolai Wergeland
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/NicolaiWergeland.jpg
Hans Henrich Rode
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/HansHenrichRode.jpg
Writing of the constitution
Following the defeat of Napoleons troops at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813 and the Treaty of Kiel of January 1814, the Crown Prince of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederik, the resident vice-roy in Norway, founded a Norwegian independence movement. The most likely goal of the young Crown Prince was ultimate re-unification with Denmark. His initiative was successful, and a national assembly at Eidsvoll was called. The assembled representatives were elected by the congregations of the state church throughout Norway, and by military units. They convened at the Eidsvoll manor on April 10. During five weeks of the spring of 1814, the constitution was written. The constitution was ratified by the assembly on May 16, and signed the following day, the latter date now celebrated as the Norwegian Constitution Day.
The Norwegian constitution was inspired by the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the French revolution in 1789 and the subsequent U.S. and French constitutions. The authors Christian Magnus Falsen and Johan Gunder Adler were also influenced by the Spanish Constitution of 1812. The constitution is considered one of the most radically democratic constitutions in the world at that time.[citation needed] The principle of separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches was directly inspired by the US and French systems.
A deviation from the republican constitutions of France and the USA was the retention of monarchy. Importing republicanism was seen as trying to emulate the French and Americans directly, something the lawmakers at Eidsvoll sought to avoid. The choice of monarchy as state form would also facilitate reunification of Denmark-Norway, something the Crown Prince was not alone in seeking. The king's power was however severely curtailed. His absolute veto over laws was removed. The council of Eidsvoll not surprisingly chose Crown Prince Christian Frederik as king. He was thus chosen, and as such a king by the will of the people rather than by the grace of God. In a Europe where almost all countries were ruled by absolute monarchy, this was seen as extremely radical. The right to vote was extended to all men who were either farmers possessing their own land, civil servants, or urban property owners. With this, about half of all Norwegian men earned the right to vote.
The union with Sweden
The young king and Norwegian officials tried to find international backing for their bid for Norway as a sovereign state throughout spring and early summer of 1814. After failing to secure the support of Great Britain, war with Sweden became unavoidable. The Swedish Campaign against Norway was short and decisive. However, while badly trained and equipped, the Norwegian Army put up a determined fight, holding the Swedes back at Kongsvinger and securing a tactical victory at the battle of Langnes. This enabled the King to avoid an unconditional surrender as he was forced into negotiations with the Swedes, leading to the Convention of Moss.
Putting the strategic situation and his own abdication to good use, he persuaded the Swedish crown prince Carl Johan (the former Marshal Bernadotte of France) to let the Norwegians keep their constitution. The Swedish crown prince wanted to appease the Norwegians and avoid a bloody continuation of the war. Realizing that a forced union with himself as ruler of a conquered and hostile country would be very uneasy, he accepted the Norwegian proposition. Norway then entered into a personal union with Sweden with only such amendments to its constitution as were necessary to form the Union between Sweden and Norway. On October 7, an extraordinary session of the Storting convened, and king Christian Frederik delegated his powers to the parliament and abdicated on October 10. The Storting adopted the constitutional amendments on November 4 and on the same day unanimously elected Charles XIII king of Norway, rather than acknowledging him as such, thus reinforcing the concept a King by the will of the people.
The Norwegian Constituent Assembly
The Assembly
Riksforsamlingen is the name given to the 1814 Constitutional Assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway. The prefix "Riks" in Norwegian has a Germanic root (Reichs- in German, Rijks- in Dutch, Rigs- in Danish, Riks- in Swedish), meaning "realm", and "forsamlingen" translates to "the assembly".
The Assembly was convened to forge the Norwegian Constitution ("Norges Grunnlov"). The delegates were popularly dubbed Eidsvollsmennene ("The Men of Eidsvoll"). The Assembly met in The Eidsvoll Manor (Eidsvollsbygningen). They met April 10 outside Eidsvoll church and the assembly was formally opened the next day. The assembly was composed of delegates from around the country. However, the northernmost parts of the country were not represented because of the long distances and lack of time.
The presidents and vice presidents of the assembly were chosen for one week, thus continuously changing. Among those who served as presidents were Peder Anker, (the first one), Frederik Heidmann, Jens Schou Fabricius, Christian Magnus Falsen and Georg Sverdrup (the last one). Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie was the assembly's permanent secretary.
The assembly agreed upon the text of the Constitution on 17 May 1814. Sverdrup was chosen as president the same day. The Constitution was signed and dated 18 May 1814, but the 17th of May is today celebrated as the Norwegian National Day. The members said farewell May 20, when they held each other's hands saying "United and loyal until the mountains of Dovre crumble!"
Background
Forced in early 1814 to sign the Treaty of Kiel as an ally of France in the later phase of the Napoleonic Wars, the king of Denmark-Norway had to cede Norway to the king of Sweden. The people of Norway, never consulted, objected to the royal sell-out. The vice-roy and heir presumptive of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederik, took the lead in an insurrection and called a Constitutional Assembly at Eidsvoll. The Norwegian Constitution of May 17 formalised Norway’s independence after nearly 400 years of union with Denmark. On the same day, Christian Frederik was elected King of Norway. As a result of this, Sweden invaded Norway. After a campaign of two weeks, a peace treaty (The Convention of Moss) was concluded. King Christian Frederik was forced to abdicate, but Norway remained nominally independent and kept its Constitution with only such amendments as were required to allow it to enter into a loose personal union with Sweden. On November 4, the Storting amended the Constitution accordingly, and elected the Swedish king King Charles XIII as king of Norway. Although the two states retained their separate governments and institutions, except for the king and the foreign service, Norwegians grew increasingly discontented with the union, which had been forced upon them. In 1905 the union was peacefully dissolved, giving Norway its full independence.
Some of the key figures of the Eidsvoll assembly.
Christian Magnus Falsen
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/ChristianMagnusFalsen.jpg
(1782-1830)
Nationality: Norwegian
Profession: Statesman, jurist, and historian
Political orientation: Selvstendighetspartiet(Independence Party)
Falsen was the leader of the Independence Party, he was a key player in the Constitutional assembly and is considered to be the 'Constitutional father', with the help of Adler he wrote the first draft for the Constitution of Norway.
Johan Gunder Adler
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/JohanGunderAdler.jpg
(1784-1852)
Nationality: Danish-Norwegian
Profession: Lector, writer and statesman
John Gunder Adler was born and raised in Copenhagen, in 1812 he came to Norway to be a warden at the learned school of Fredrikshal(Halden), in his time of study he befriended with Georg Sverdrup and Christian Magnus Falsen. In February 1814 Adler and Falsen meet again to discuss and work on the proposal for the Norwegian Constitution, from Falsen's farm in Vollebæk the two friends shaped the Consitutional proposal that was later used by the constitutional committee work under the Norwegian Constituent Assembly, it's unclear wich chapter the two had responsibility for, the proposal seem to have been influenced by the American and the French Constitution and since Adler was fluent in French and Falsen in English we can assume that they were most likely familiar with both works. In 1814 they both met Eidsvoll Verk, Falsen as a 'Edisvoll man' and Adler as a spokesperson for Christian Frederik, later Adler became the Cabinet secretary for Christian Frederik both in his period as the King of Norway(1814) and as the King of Denmark(1839-1848), under the Danish king he was also a Secretary of State.
Wilhem Friman Koren Christie
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/WilhemFrimanKorenChristie.jpg
(1778-1849)
Nationality: Norwegian
Profession: Judge and chancellor secretary
Political orientation: Selvstendighetspartiet(Independence Party)
Christie belonged to the "Quodlibet" wich was a circle of leading with political and literary interests, March 1814 this group held a series of meetings where they debated and discussed the question of independence and the plans for a Norwegian Constitution. Christie was an eager participant and made himself a spokesperson for constitutional rulling after the American, English and Fench pattern. In Eidsvoll Christie lost his vote to be a part of the Constitutional committee, but was instead chosen as the secretary Norwegian Constituent Assembly, Christie is noted for is effort as the President of the Storting in the autumn of 1814 and as a leader of the committee that negotiated with the Swedes, in his negotiations with Sweden he managed to get a union with Sweden without making any drastic changes to the Constitution, he was also the president of the Constituent Assembly from 1815 to 1818 and he was also leader of many political committees, he later withdrew from politics due to bad health.
Johan Collett
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/JohanCollett.jpg
Peder Anker
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/PederAnker.jpg
Carsten Tank Anker
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/CarstenTankAnker.jpg
Omund Bjørnsen Birkeland
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/OmundBirkeland.jpg
Niels Aall
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/NielsAall.jpg
Nicolai Wergeland
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/NicolaiWergeland.jpg
Hans Henrich Rode
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/Pallantides/Eidsvoll%201814/HansHenrichRode.jpg