From the Union. of Calmar till 1814 Norway continued united with Denmark; lint while it shared in the general fortunes of the latter State, it retained its own constitutional mode of government, and exercised its right of elect ing, the sovereign until, like time sister king dom, it agreed of its own free will to relinquish this privilege in favor of hereditary succession to the throne. (See DENmAume.) Norway declined in prosperity and energy after the fourteenth century, in the middle of which the Black Death swept over it, leaving the land exhausted and partially depopulated. Oppressed by Den mark, her colonies and her commerce lost, there seemed to be little left of the national life. The Napoleonic wars severed the union which had existed for more than 400 years; for Demnark, after having given unequivocal proofs of adhesion to the cause of Boma part e, was compelled. after the trim»ph of the Allies, to purchase peace by aban doning its sovereignty over Norway. Crippled in her resources and also bankrupt, she saw her self constrained to sign the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, by which it was stipulated that she should cede Norway to Sweden, receiving by way of indemnity Swedish Pomerania and the island of Rfigen. which were subsequently exchanged with Prussia for Lanenburg. The Norwegians refused to admit the validity of the Treaty of Kiel, and a National Diet, assembled at Eidsvold. tendered the crown of Norway, as an independent kingdom, to time Danish Crown Prince Christian Frederick (the future Christian VIII.). This Assembly drew up a constitution based on the French Con stitution of 1791. These measures found, how ever, neither supporters nor sympathizers among the other nations; and with the sanetion of the Great Powers, Bernadotte, Crown Prince of Swe den, led an army into Norway, and after taking Frederikstad and Frederikshald. to Christiania. Denmark being unable to support the (louse of Prince Christhin, and Norway being utterly destitute of the means necessary for prosecuting a war, resistance was of no avail, and the Norwegians were glad to accept the proposals made to them by the Swedish King for a union with Sweden on the understanding that they should retain the newly promulgated Coll and enjoy full liberty and independency within their OW11 boundaries. These conditions were agreed to and strictly maintained ; a few unim portant alterations in the Constitution,neeessitat ed by the altered conditions of the new union, being the only changes introduced in the machin ery of government.
Norway has firmly resisted every attempt on time part of time Swedish monarchs to infringe upon the constitutional prerogatives of the nation.
and the feeling of national autonomy has been intensified by a striking difference between the democratic population of Norway and the more conservative population of Sweden, where the aristocracy still exercises considerable influence on the Government. The national movement, which continued throughout the nineteenth cen tury in spite of repeated attempts on the part of the sovereign to mediate between the Nor wegian :mil Swedish parliaments, had as its ultimate aim the reduction of the bond between the two kingdoms to a mere personal union. Conservative, Liberal, and Radical ministries succeeded each other in rapid alternation, but while the two former were too weak to effect any' permanent arrangement, the Radi cals, who were as a rule in a decided majority, failed in their policy against the resolute re sistance of the Swedish Landsihing. The Nor wegian Parliament, the Storthing, for some time before 1890, sought to enforce its policy by refus ing to vote adequate supplies for the defense of the united kingdoms, and attempted to organize the military strength of the nation in the form of a militia and volunteer corns, on whose sympathy the Storthing might depend. After 1890 the policy of the Radical Party, which in secret was aiming at complete separation from Sweden, crystallized in the demand for a special Ministry of Foreign Anirs for Norway as well as a distinct diplo matic and consular service. This, however, the sovereign refused to concede. A temporary truce was concluded in 1895, when a new law regu lating the commercial relations of the two coun tries went into effect, and a joint committee composed of Swedish and Norwegian representa tives was intrusted with the execution of its provisions: but in the election of 1597 the Radical Party gained an overwhelming victory, and the conflict was renewed with increased ardor. In 1899 King Oscar II. finally gave his consent two law removing the emblem of Sweden from the flag of Norway, which thus resumed the use of its old ensign. A bill, however, tending toward the final establishment of a separate consular ser vice for Norway failed of the royal approval in 1900. In 1S98 a law providing for direct elec tion to the Storthing by universal manhood suf frage went into effect. This was supplemented by a law in 1901 dealing with communal electors. by which the suffrage was granted to all adult males and such women as paid a tax on an in come of more than 300 kroner.