History UsefulNotes / NorwegianConstituentAssembly

* MemeticMutation: Over the years, the actual story has fallen victim of this. Christian Frederik has often been cast as a royal hero of sort, on a heroic mission to save Norway from Sweden. In this respect, the "independence party" and their leaders are lancers for him, while Count Wedel is TheMole or the EvilChancellor. For this to work, one has to oversee the fact that Christian was actually heir to the Danish crown and would be king there in time, effectively bringing Norway back to a union with Denmark. In RealLife, the Prince Regent was close to pull a british BerserkButton as well as the Swedish one, and could have made matters worse, had he stayed on. Most of his FairyTale qualities come from the fact that he left as soon as he did (not unlike the Scottish Bonnie Prince Charlie - although Christian Frederik was as far from a WarriorPrince as you could possibly get him).

** Sadly inverted later in the case of {{UsefulNotes/Poland}} in 1830, when the British turned their heads away and let the Russian army crush the Polish rebellion, effectively putting the Poles under martial law all the way up to 1917. Resulted in a WhatTheHellHero statement from many authors, among them, not surprisingly at all, Norwegian Creator/HenrikWergeland.

** When he came close to actual carnage, this was taken UpToEleven. At Langnes, he was close to a Norwegian officer being carried off the battlefield. He immidiately asked "Dear God! Am I to blame for all this?" Then, he effectively ordered the Norwegian soldiers to give up fighting - earning another WhatTheHellHero moment from his generals.

* WhatTheHellHero: When the Norwegians learned that the Danish king had given up Norway almost without any fighting at all, they got a bit - ''resentful'' - towards him.
** Count Wedel almost kicked down the doors in the beginning of March, stating exactly this when he learned what was brooding in Norway (knowing full well what the Swedish army actually could manage).
** When the Danish king learned of the progress in Norway, he actually said, and thought the same on behalf of Christian Frederik (especially after the international pressure began).
** At the beginning of the Swedish campaign, Captain Spørck, spotting the Swedish army advancing across the border, called for enforcement, but got orders to move his men elsewhere. The result was a ''heavy'' WhatTheHellHero statement towards the king, and a similar on towards the captain. Veterans had this attitude for a generation or more, because of this.
** Also Christian Frederik. When he gathered an army of 5000 men at Rakkestad, ready to encounter the Swedes in a defnining battle, and then just broke off and ''left'' after receiving the news of Fredrikstad capitulating, he earned a ''lot'' of WhatTheHellHero moments.

The Battle of Leipzig in november 1813 was crucial. Napoleon was stalled again, and by now, Sweden had gotten their new designated heir to the throne: Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, former general under Napoleon, who made a FaceHeelTurn or otherwise, to find himself being in charge of the Swedish army. After the victory of Leipzig, he felt he had support enough for a northward turn, and set his army on the border of Denmark. Denmark negotiated desperately for a month to no avail, trying to convince Sweden to take parts of Norway as a "deposit" until the real peace negotiations were about to take place, thus involving all the greater European powers. Sweden, with Carl Johan as spokesman, rebuffed every Danish attempt with harsh words and more threats. Austria tried to intervene for the sake of good will, and for the Danes, but Russia, interested in keeping Finland, convinced Austria to stay out of the matter, which she did. Denmark was invaded by a force consisting of Swedish, Prussian and Russian soldiers, and gave in quickly. The Danes complied to the treaty, which was signed January 14, 1814. Norway was to be handed over to Sweden in the spring of 1814. So far so good.

* TookALevelInKindness: Carl Johan after his HeelFaceTurn in August, showing his true magnificence, and earning thanks and praises from official Norway (and Creator/HenrikWergeland) for a hundred years and more.

* HeelFaceTurn: Carl Johan made a HeelFaceTurn in favor of the Norwegian claims by August 5, 1814. This turn was so complete and surprising that nobody, to this day, exactly knows what happened. Consider his epic rants before war was declared, and his proclamation that the Assembly at Eidsvoll was an illegal rebellion, and the constitution invalid. And then, he suddenly turns around and ''accepts'' it. This event made Carl Johan a true MagnificentBastard, considering that he actually managed to ''make friends'' with the Norwegian elite afterwards. Even the most hardy followers of Christian Frederik became his trusted co-workers over time.

* MagnificentBastard: Carl Johan. First, he managed to maneuvre the ''entire'' set of greater powers to accept that Sweden just snatched Norway under Denmark`s nose. Then, he effectively managed to throttle both Denmark ''and'' Norway in a quick military defeat, and later on gained enough trust with the Norwegian political elite to establish a union that would last for the rest of the century - by making a tactical HeelFaceTurn of truly epic proportions. Bonus points for getting the main street of Oslo, capital of Norway, to bear his name, and the most visible statue in that capital, the only equestrian statue in that city, is a depiction of him (no other king of Norway has a similar monument). The may 17. parade passes through the street of Carl Johan ''every fricking year''!

The premise for this, is clearly foreign politics. UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} had wavered slightly in support for Napoleon, and [[UseFulNotes/UnitedKingdom Great Britain]] would like to see that Denmark would be unable to support the Emperor with ships. Hence, the Royal Navy hijacked and stole the Danish fleet in a surprise attack in 1807, thus crippling Denmark considerably. What was more dramatic from a Norwegian point of view: every contact with Denmark was broken. The British instigated a NavalBlockade of Norway that same autumn, and in spite of still being in a union, Norway was on her own.

On the case of voting rights, the assembly turned out to be surprisingly liberal for their time. In one draft, full voting for all was implemented, but pragmatism led to voting rights for everyone who possessed property. Unlike the UnitedKingdom, where only people with a certain amount of property had voting rights, Norway extended it to all who owned land whatsoever. This was reckoned a bold democratic manoevre at the time. Of course, only men had the right to vote, for anoher 99 years.

Denmark had to acknowledge this, and sent a trusted man north to rule in place of the Danish king. Christian August was quite GenreSavvy, and called in a number of Norwegians to help him. At the same time, UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} decided to attack. A mostly Norwegian army managed to beat the Swedes back in 1809, thus bolstering a Norwegian sentiment that they actually could manage on their own, while the Swedes, embarrassed by this lack of military achievement (being beaten by a farmer milita nonetheless), ousted their own king Gustaf IV Adolf and elected another one, his uncle Charles the XIII. Problem was, the man had no children, so the Swedes had to look elsewhere for a royal heir.

* AristocratsAreEvil: Johann Caspar Hermann, count of Wedel-Jarlsberg was the only true nobleman present at the assembly. His leanings towards a loose union with Sweden has carried him into history as a mole for the Swedes, although he never was evil per se. Reading the sources closer, reveals a cunning and quite GenreSavvy politician, BlessedWithSuck because of his title. New seats for nobility was never erected in Norway after 1814. Wedel inverted the trope himself by supporting and even proposing this for the constitution, effectively making himself the last count in Norway.

* GenreSavvy: The greater lot of the assembly. The count of Wedel-Jarlsberg may get special attention, as well as the central 12 to make the first proposal for the constitution. The farmers also count, with the Telemark Farmer Huvestad as the most savvy. He lay forth the claim for property rights after the fashion of the old Norse standards. He got his will.

** Also when regarding the defences at Fredrikstad. Military experts a mite more GenreSavvy than Christian Frederik had warned him on the poor condition of the fortress. His solution: to move the cannon batteries ''away from the fortress'', finding better use for them another place, leaving the town more or less defenseless. He reasoned that the Swedes would go around the city. Of course, they went straight for it, and the "summer kingdom" of Christian Frederik was doomed. WhatAnIdiot.

* TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar: The Swedes played it straight. Notes had to be exchanged and formalized, and declarations had to be ratified by the right people. This came out to the advantage of Norway, who played a delaying gambit (Christian Frederik was good at this). This is the reason why Sweden didn`t invade at once. When they eventually did, a CurbStompBattle ensued.

* PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower: The bombardment of the island of Kråkerøy close to Fredrikstad on august 4. The Swedish firepower was immense, and the treaty of Moss followed ten days later, securing peace in Scandinavia for posterity, and a union between Norway and Sweden for 91 years.

*** To follow this narrative a bit further, Britain saw it fit to support Norwegian independence from Sweden in 1905, and ''that'' paid off some 35 years later, when the Norwegian commercial fleet helped securing the lifeline for a Britain under German blockade during WorldWarII (although with a high personal cost). If Norway had been an "unseparable" unit under Sweden from 1814, Britain might as well have been starved out by UsefulNotes/NaziGermany.

* TsaristRussia: Supported Sweden to the point that Carl Johan actually ''fawned'' for the tsar after the securing of Norway. When a proud WarriorPrince turns sycophantic for the Tsar, it`s [[OOCISSeriousBusiness pretty damn serious]].

1812 was the worst of the bad years in Norway. People died of starvation all over the place, unless they had hunting to fall back on, or lived by the coast. At the same time, Napoleon tried to invade Russia and failed splendidly, while a good lot of his soldiers froze to death. Russia decided to make up for the annexation of Finland by giving Sweden Norway. In a meeting the following summer (1813), Russia and Great Britain asked Sweden if Norway was OK with them, and Sweden said yes. The Treaty of Kiel was under way. A problem soon rose when it was clear nobody asked Norway about it. Let alone Denmark - although the British took time for some CannonBoatDiplomacy during summer 1813.

* NoExceptYes: Carstensen, a merchant and rather bumbling comic relief from the town of Risør, managed this when it came to a pivotal point of negotiations. His vote covered the trope to a T.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Georg Sverdrup. After heckling Nicolai Wergeland in April, he actually tried to convince the Assembly to force the same Wergeland to withdraw his statements. Sverdrup, already a {{badass}} of some renown, really earned the {{jerkass}} label after that one. History shows he resented Wergeland for years afterwards.

* BadassArmy: The Swedish, of course. Coming straight from the European battle field, and led by the most DangerouslyGenreSavvy war leader the alliance could muster: Carl Johan.

* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Carl Johan knew ''exactly'' where to enter Norway, avoiding every mistake (almost) that Sweden had made in the campaign of 1809. He even knew the Norwegian battle plan, sketched out in 1813. The only place the Swedish actually ''lost'' a battle were at Matrand, where they also lost in 1809.

* TacticalWithdrawal: The entire Norwegian battle plan was built on this trope, initially trying to trick Swedish troops into difficult areas where Norway could use GuerillaWarfare. Sadly, [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy Carl Johan knew this]], and planned invasion on the flattest countryside he could find. At one point, this resulted in an actual AttackAttackRetreatRetreat situation because of conflicting orders (between the Norwegian King and his generals).

* DysfunctionalFamily: The Anker family and their relations: Jacob Aall, who supported Count Wedel against the Prince, was the son-in-law of Peder Anker, who was the cousin of Carsten Anker, the proprietor of Eidsvold and TheObiWan of the Prince. The fact that Wedel was married to Peder`s other daughter, making him an in-law of Jacob Aall as well, makes this even more interesting. The Norwegian elite was so small that everybody knew eachother or were related. Thus, the assembly had shades of a family feud. Carsten Anker was not present, being on a diplomatic mission to London - and thus avoiding more conflict on his home turf.

* MentorArchetype: Carsten Anker to Christian Frederik. The former was TheObiwan to the latter, as Christian was merely 26 years of age when coming to Norway, and Anker was an old, experienced diplomat who knew what was to be learned about Norway and foreign relations. Taken even further because Anker had known Christian since he was a little boy, having him on his lap and telling him stories about how he one day would become king of Norway... This may have passed over in LoverAndBeloved territory, although history keeps quiet about it. It was also Anker who provided the facilities for the Constituent Assembly to use, being the owner of the iron mines at Eidsvold (The Prince had been a house guest there for a year at the time). Anker was arguably TheManBehindTheMan in many respects.

'''The Norwegian Constituent Assembly''' was a elected body of 112 men who gathered at Eidsvold in eastern Norway with the purpose of making a constitution for Norway during the NapoleonicWars in 1814. They gathered there April 10, and was finished May 17, sitting in hard debates for a little over five weeks. During this time, they managed to get 112 paragraphs in place.

*** To follow this narrative a bit further, Britain saw it fit to support Norwegian independence from Sweden in 1905, and ''that'' paid off some 35 years later, when the Norwegian commercial fleet helped securing the lifeline for a Britain under German blockade during WorldWarII (although with a high personal cost). If Norway had been an "unseparable" unit under Sweden from 1814, Britain might as well have been starved out by NaziGermany.

Sweden invaded in the summer, and the Norwegians had to beat them back once again. But this time, Carl Johan was in charge, and a savvy tactician with experience from the Napoleonic army, who had beaten the french at Leipzig, was not an easy match. The Prince Regent soon had to face the facts, and by august, he packed his bags and left quietly, leaving the Norwegians to settle matters with the Swedes. As was the situation in January, central powers intervened, and through shrewd diplomacy the constitution was respected, with some amendments to please the Swedes. Carl Johan, who had been a french general, could not for the sake of shame overrule a constitution that was built on the principles from {{the french revolution}}. This saved the day to some extent, and the union with Sweden became as loose as you could possibly get it - ratified at Moss in August. Charles XIII was elected king of Norway by November 4, but the union with Sweden was so shaky it rattled considerably every tenth year over one issue or another. Local farmers and veterans who had been at the front in 1809 and again in 1814, complained, and even 40 years afterwards, and as long as there were veterans alive, they claimed they could have won "had not the great ones bailed out". On the other hand, the compromise secured peace in Northern Europe, which apparently was a good thing.

* GameChanger: The Popular Sovereignty principle, as stated by Rousseau. After TheFrenchRevolution, nobody actually dared to ignore it when put to use. It is, however, clear that ''not even the British'' saw it coming early on - they actually thought the Norwegians would happily embrace a union with Sweden.

* {{Sleepyhead}}: Some of them, most prominently Tvedten, a bailiff who supported the prince both asleep and awake

* WorfHadTheFlu: Christian Frederik had to "erxcuse himself" from being in power, after a secret agreement with the Swedes in august. Thus, he invoked this trope, sitting quietly on the sideline until parliament was assembled in October. Then, he officially gave ruling power over to parliament, and finally left Norway for good, sheltered by darkness - never to set foot in Norway again.

** The defence of Halden made a show for it. When the Swedish were allowed after the armistice were declared, the Norwegian troops marched out under full salutation from the Swedes. The Swedes were actually impressed by the fact that the fortress of Halden was held against bombardment for ''two weeks'', and never surrendered.

* MagnificentBastard: Carl Johan. First, he managed to maneuvre the ''entire'' set of greater powers to accept that Sweden just snatched Norway under Denmark`s nose. Then, he effectively managed to throttle both Denmark ''and'' Norway in a quick military defeat, and later on gained enough trust with the Norwegian political elite to establish a union that would last for the rest of the century - by making a tactical HeelFaceTurn of truly epic proportions. Bonus points for getting the main street of Oslo, capital of Norway, to bear his name, and the most visible statue in that capital, the only equestrian statue in that city, is a depiction of him (no other king of Norway has a similar monument). The may 17. promenade passes through the street of Carl Johan ''every fricking year''!

** The entire Norwegian society. The feeling of resentment towards the Swedish king remained, and the political for dissolving the union began ten days after the agreement was brokered in August 1814. The Norwegians remained defiant towards their Swedish overlords all the way up to the end of the union in 1905.