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The heir to the throne, who took the name of Charles, died suddenly in 181o, and a Riksdag at Orebro had again to deal with the question of a successor. Opinions were divided when a sug gestion was made that they should elect one of Napoleon's mar shals, Jean Bernadotte, prince of Ponte Corvo. It seemed certain that Napoleon would approve and accordingly Bernadotte was chosen and assumed the name of Charles John. He is the founder of the present Swedish dynasty, the succession to the throne having been provided for in an ordinance passed in 181o. The old King Charles XIII. had shown courage and patriotic feeling during Gustavus III.'s war with Russia, but he was not very intelligent and he lacked strength of character. The crown prince therefore began to exert considerable influence, with stimulating and beneficent results.
In 1811 Napoleon prepared to break down Russia's resistance. A great war began, and the crown prince perceived that Sweden could not possibly go into it with France against England and Russia. He seems early to have thought out his plans for the conquest of Norway, and in 1812 he brought about a complete change in Swedish policy with this goal in view. Napoleon's occupation of Swedish Pomerania without declaration of war facilitated this change, and Russia and England favoured the idea that Norway should pass over to Sweden from Napoleon's ally Denmark. After the defeat of the French armies in Russia Charles John took part as commander of the northern army in the final conflict and there were Swedish troops also under him. With these the crown prince now made a movement against Denmark, who by the Peace of Kiel (1814) was forced to hand over Norway in return for Pomerania. Herewith begins a new order of foreign policy in Swedish history.
The project of uniting the Scandinavian peninsula into one kingdom now became a reality. The interests of Sweden's for eign policy lay now more to the west and she was less dependent upon Russia, more dependent upon the western Powers. The Norwegians themselves desired independence for their country and an assembly held at Eidsvold in 1814 framed a constitution and elected Prince Christian Frederick of Augustenburg as king. The Norwegians were forced as the result of a short war to sur render; the prince laid down his crown and a Storting which was called together endorsed the union with Sweden. Special condi tions affecting the union were framed in the "act of union" passed by the parliaments of both countries in 1815 ("riksakt").
More than loo years of peace followed upon the riksact. The industrial economic revolution proceeded in Sweden as in other countries evolving new classes, which claimed their share in the Government of the country and burst asunder the old methods of representation. The break between the new and the old began during the reign of Charles XIV. and embittered his later years. He was a strong personality capable and lovable, but distrustful of new ideas and apprehensive of too great changes. A Liberal Opposition was formed in the Riksdag, above all among the burghers, and took a strong line against the Government's prosecution of newspapers which even amounted to suppression, against bureaucratic formalities, and against the king's tendency to disregard the advice of his ministers. From
the '3os onwards there was question of reforms in the matter of the representation of the people and a great many bills were put forward without accomplishing more than a few small reforms. In 1840 the State council was changed by the creation of special departments. With the king's active co-operation the State's foreign debts were paid while internal debts were diminished and in 1834 a regulation of the exchange was affected. Much was done for the canal system; in 1822 one section of the Gotha canal was opened and in 1832 the rest of it. In 1842 the board school system was changed.
(1844-59).—Charles was succeeded by his son, a man of gifts and of more open mind but of less strength of will than his father. During the earlier years of his reign he stood for a policy of reform but later he changed noticeably towards conservatism. During the last two years of his life he was ill, and the administration was taken in hand by his son Charles. The restrictions on agriculture and commerce were re laxed; the gild system was done away with in 1846; the old rules for only allowing trade to the towns were removed. By decisions reached in the Riksdag for 1844-45 the right to suppress news papers was definitely abrogated. In 1847 an important poor law system was introduced. One of the greatest questions of that period was that of communication; railways had to be built, but there were differences of opinion as to the laying down of the main lines through the sparsely inhabited land. In the Riksdag of 1853-54 it was decided that the main lines should be built by the State and the direction of the work was placed in the hands of Col. Nils Ericson. Friends of reform concentrated more and more on the demand for a thorough-going change in the forma tion of the Riksdag and many proposals were submitted without any of them being accepted. The revolutionary movement which marked the year 1848 on the continent set brains on fire also in Sweden and some street disturbances occurred in Stockholm. The Government produced a new scheme of representation, which, however, was rejected by the Riksdag of 185o. A strong Scandinavian movement manifested itself especially in Denmark and Sweden, although the Norwegians also took part in it ; great meetings of students were held, but no programme for the unity of the Scandinavian countries with any real life in it was ever framed. When the Schleswig question led to war between Den mark and the German States, a Swedish army was collected together in Skaane and troops were carried over to Fyen, in case Jutland should be invaded; but they never had occasion to come into action. During the Crimean War Sweden and Norway maintained neutrality. In Nov. 1855 they reaped the benefit : a treaty was concluded with England and France by which the Union States undertook not to cede any portion of their terri tories to Russia while the two other powers undertook to pre vent any Russian efforts in that direction (the November treaty). Side by side with the peace treaty in Paris there was concluded a separate agreement between Russia, France and England in which Russia undertook not to fortify the Aland Islands.