In 1280 King Eirik Magnusson added the crown and silver axe to the lion. Its form of government is a limited and hereditary monarchy. Prior to and in the early phase of the Viking Age Norway was divided into several smaller kingdoms. Norway retained its own parliament and separate institutions, except for the common king and foreign service. Norway had grown into one of the world's leading shipping nations, but Sweden retained control of both the diplomatic and consulate corps. It is believed that only the King has a personal fortune of a notable size. However, if two separate Stortings approve the law, it becomes valid even without the King's consent. Crown Prince Haakon is heir to the throne, followed by Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Since 1991 the king has been Harald V, the 66th since Unification, but the first king in many hundred years to actually have been born in Norway.Following the introduction of a parliamentary system of government in 1884, the duties of the Monarch have become largely representative and ceremonial. A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises authority in accordance with a written or unwritten constitution. Membership of International organizations, dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden, Line of succession to the Norwegian Throne, House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Royal House web site on the orders and medals, Socialist Left web page on proposed republic (Norwegian), History of Norway from the Norwegian government web site, The history of power during the Danish era (Norwegian), "1870–1914: industrialisering og demokrati - Norgeshistorie", Royal House web page on the dissolution of the union, RNoN web page on the HNoMY Norge (Norwegian), VG article on Socialist Left party leader's critique of the palace refurbishment where the republican admits to revering King Olav (Norwegian), Aftenposten article on the Popularity of the Monarchy, https://www.nrk.no/norge/fra-tirsdag-er-ikke-kongen-lenger-hellig-1.14039929, Government web page on the procedure for pardoning criminals (Norwegian), Private web page on criminal care in Norway (Norwegian), Royal House web page on the official residences, Royal House web site with information on the history and architecture of the Royal Palace, Aftenposten article on the restoration of Bygdøy (Norwegian), Royal House web page on Skaugum receiving an award for good farming, Dagbladet article on the new Royal Train (Norwegian), A web page featuring the history of the coat of arms of Norway, An article from the Norwegian National Archives depicting the seal of Duchess Ingebjørg, Web page on rules for the use of the coat of arms (Norwegian), "8 av 10 vil beholde kongehuset: Størst oppslutning blant de unge", Video from NRK of the history of the present monarchy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monarchy_of_Norway&oldid=1018532666, Articles with Norwegian-language sources (no), CS1 Norwegian Bokmål-language sources (nb), Articles containing Norwegian-language text, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Formally dissolves and installs governments, Presides over meetings in the Council of State (i.e. History. King Olav V was deemed the people's king and the spontaneous show of mourning from the population upon his death in 1991 demonstrated the high standing he had among the Norwegian people. In 2004 a total of 51 applications for pardon were approved and 274 were denied.[20]. Not recognised by any United Nations members. The Norwegian Catholic bishops were replaced with Danes and the Norwegian church was subdued and made wholly Danish. The first coronation in Norway and in all Scandinavia took place in Bergen in 1163 or 1164. The Storting would propose laws to reduce the king's power or to assert Norwegian independence. After Harald's death, Eric ruled as "overking" of his brothers, who also held status as kings and had control over certain regions. The constitution of 1814 already specified that Norway would have a separate flag, and the present design was introduced in 1821. The church was an important factor in trying to maintain the separate Norwegian monarchy. The government, comprising the prime minister and the Statsråd (Council of State), is nominally chosen by the monarch with the approval of the Storting (Stortinget), the country’s legislature. [citation needed], This article is about the history and function of the Norwegian monarchy as an institution. Article 2 All inhabitants of the Realm shall have the right to free exercise of their religion. This is as opposed to an Absolute Monarchy, in which the Royals have complete control over the affairs of the state. [25], The Royal Palace in Oslo functions as the main official residence of the monarch. Constitutional practice has replaced the meaning of the word King in most articles of the constitution from the king personally to the elected government. In this case the previous conservative Prime Minister was opposed to giving power to the radicals and advised the appointment of someone else. [2] On hearing news of the treaty, the Prince of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederick, the resident viceroy in Norway, participated in founding a Norwegian independence movement. Despite royal objections, this was removed from the Norwegian flag in 1898. When used as the Royal coat of arms the shield features the insignias of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav around it and is framed by a royal ermine robe, surmounted by the crown of Norway. The crown prince undertakes various public ceremonial functions, as does the king's wife, Queen Sonja. The legislative and executive powers lie with the country’s elected bodies. The Norwegian monarch is the monarchical head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. In this new union the King was much more a King of Norway than under the previous Danish system. Article 12 states: If the Danish nobles were to elect as king someone other than the next in line to the throne the Union would be dissolved. A short war ensued, ending in a new agreement between the Norwegian parliament and the Swedish king. Attempts to persuade the prince to accept the throne on the basis of Parliament's choice failed; Carl insisted that he would accept the crown only if the Norwegian people expressed their will for monarchy by referendum and if the parliament then elected him king. After the war the Norwegian royal house succeeded in maintaining a balance between regality and approachability. However, with the break the Norwegians were able to forge a more progressive political development than was the case in Denmark. Article 6 of the Constitution stipulates the order of succession to the Throne. The Royal House is a branch of the princely family of Glücksburg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. This means that the King is formally the head of state but that his duties are mainly representative and ceremonial. Olav's death extinguished the Norwegian male royal line; he was also the last Norwegian king to be born on Norwegian soil for the next 567 years. [17], A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it. He or she: However, the monarch does retain some royal prerogatives. This left the Norwegian monarchy weakened in manpower, noble support, defensibility and economic power. Since 1991 the king has been Harald V, the 66th since unification, but the first king in many hundreds of years to actually have been born in Norway. Over the centuries kings consolidated their power, and eventually a strict succession law made Norway a principally hereditary kingdom. It was initially proposed that the Norwegian dependencies of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroes would remain with Norway, but that point was dropped during the negotiations, so they became Danish.[6]. This weakened the monarchical governing structures of Norway: the Riksråd, for example, was gradually undermined as the Norwegian nobles did not have the King's confidence to the same extent as their Danish counterparts. [11] King Oscar II spoke and wrote Norwegian fluently. [citation needed], In the Norwegian state budget of 2010 the sum of 142.5 million Norwegian kroner was allocated to the Royal Household. The constitutional article about the coronation was annulled in 1908. In practice, the monarch will ask the leader of a parliamentary block that has a majority in the Storting to form a government. The Evangelical - Lutheran religion shall remain the official religion of the State. The crown prince also acts as regent in the king's absence. It meets under the King's chairmanship at least once a week usually on Fridays. Norwegian economy is a mixed economy, it has a private sector, and a considerable state sector, with a wide ranging social safety net. In accordance with the constitution, the Norwegian King as head of state must be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. [23] 20.9 million was in addition allocated to rehabilitation of royal property. When king Olav V ascended the throne in 1957 he still wanted to receive the blessing of the church for his reign and the Benediction of the king was introduced. History of the Norwegian People, Volumes II. By bringing in a king with British royal ties, it was hoped that Norway could court Britain's support.[12]. His two-year-old son Alexander, the heir apparent, was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince Olav. Haakon VII was sworn in as king of Norway on 27 November. [citation needed] On one occasion during the invasion the King was given an ultimatum by the Germans demanding Norway's surrender. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper, as well as the autonomous countries of … King Harald V and Queen Sonja also received the benediction in 1991. Opens th… In practice the king was elected by the Riksråd in a similar way to Denmark. The king had diplomatic relations with most of the European kingdoms and formed alliances with Scotland and Castile, among others. But it rests with the King to make a decision according to his own judgment. [...] During the civil war era the unclear succession laws and the practice of power-sharing between several kings simultaneously gave personal conflicts the potential to become full-blown wars. [16], Since 1991, the ruling Norwegian monarch have been a descendant of all previous Norwegian monarchs since 1818. 1. The Royal Palace in Oslo was built during this period. No women voted, as universal suffrage was not granted until 1913; however Norwegian feminists collected more than 200,000 signatures in favor of dissolution. He or she: 1. Although businessmen needed assistance abroad, the Swedes had little insight into Norwegian shipping, and consulates were not even established in several important shipping cities. After his death at the age of 17 his mother Margrethe united the three Scandinavian kingdoms in personal union under one crown, in the Kalmar Union. [22] 16.5 million was also given to the monarchs as appanage. The King, Queen, Crown Prince and Crown Princess are exempt from paying any taxes and their personal finances are not revealed to the public. Contemporary Norwegian constitutional practice has replaced the meaning of the word "king" in most articles from the meaning the King-in-person; apart from those dealing with the monarchy specifically, as opposed to those dealing with the apparatus of government and affairs of state at large; to the cabinet of the Prime Minister (also known as the King-in-Council when chaired by the King), which is accountable to the Storting, and thus ultimately to the electorate. Built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of Norwegian and Swedish king Charles III (Carl Johan, Charles XIV of Sweden, reigned 1818-1844), it serves as the official residence of the present Norwegian Monarch.[26]. This information was verified by the prime minister himself. The Kingdom of Norway as a unified realm was initiated by King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. Norway is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. The date of the first formation of a unified Norwegian kingdom is set as 872 when he defeated the last petty kings who resisted him at the Battle of Hafrsfjord; however, the consolidation of his power took many years. Norway is a constitutional monarchy. This prompted a set of events in which the struggle against Danish dominance in Norway was coupled with the struggle against the Reformation. In addition the King awards several other distinguished medals for a wide range of accomplishments. Manned and maintained by the Royal Norwegian Navy, it is used both for official and private travels in Norway and abroad. The Norwegian parliament had considered other candidates but ultimately chose Prince Carl, partly because he already had a son to continue the line of succession, but more significantly because Carl was married to Maud of Wales, the daughter of King Edward VII. The king was unable to form any other government that had the support of parliament, and so it was deemed on 7 June that he had failed to function as King of Norway. • The legislative and executive powers live with the country’s elected bodies. A referendum on retaining the monarchy or becoming a republic was held in Norway on 12 and 13 November 1905. This has never been tested in practice. Prince Carl impressed the delegation in many ways, not least because of his sensitivity to the liberal and democratic movements that had led to Norway's independence. [citation needed]. The Council of State is the Government of Norway and is chaired by the King. He ratifies laws and royal resolutions, receives and sends envoys from and to foreign countries and hosts state visits. Article 21 states: The King shall choose and appoint, after consultation with his Council of State, all senior civil, and military officials. [6] In turn the king recognised the Norwegian constitution, which was only changed to facilitate the union. 3. The Labour party later dropped the abolition of monarchy from their programme. [...][17]. A constitutional monarchy is the opposite of an absolute monarchy in which the monarch has total power over the government and the people. Is Head of State 2. [33], Håkon the Old (1217–1263) used a shield with a lion. Norway’s Parliament votes on whether to keep monarchy On Tuesday, 36 of the 169 representatives in Norway’s parliament voted in favour of replacing the country’s monarchy with a … If the line of succession comes to an end then the Storting may elect a new king or queen. [12], The early years of the new Norwegian monarchy were marked by a shortage of funds. [14], In later years the marriages of the then Crown Prince Harald in 1968 and of Crown Prince Haakon in 2001 sparked considerable controversy, but the lasting effect on the popularity of the monarchy has been minimal. [33] The axe is the martyr axe of St. Olav, the weapon used to kill him in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. The King and Queen and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess try to visit as many places as possible in Norway. [6][12], During the summer a Norwegian delegation had already approached the 33-year-old Prince Carl of Denmark, the second son of the Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark. The royal princes even had a hunting lodge built in Norway so that they could spend more private time there. Article 20 states: The King shall have the right in the Council of State to pardon criminals after sentence has been passed. [34] The rendering used as the official coat of arms of Norway is slightly different and was last approved by the king 20 May 1992.[35]. All of the official residences are partially open to the public. Only people descended from the reigning monarch are entitled to succeed to the throne. Until then the law of Magnus the law-mender given in 1274 and 1276 had been the law of Norway. Furthermore, he was in 1031 revered as Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae ("Eternal King of Norway"), and subsequently, the 1163 Succession Law stated that all kings after Olaf II's son, Magnus I, were not independent monarchs, but vassals holding Norway as a fief from Saint Olaf.[4]. King Haakon VII told the government he would abdicate if they decided to accept. The Government of Norway is a Constitutional Monarchy. The Norwegian monarch is the monarchical head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingdoms which were united to form Norway; it has been in unions with both Sweden and Denmark for long periods. A short war with Sweden later that year ended with the Convention of Moss. The Convention of Moss was from a Norwegian point of view a significant improvement over the terms dictated to Denmark-Norway at the treaty of Kiel. Norway is a constitutional monarchy and divides state power between the Parliament, the Cabinet, and the Supreme Court. His steadfast opposition to the German demands of surrender was important for the fighting spirit of the Norwegian population. Power Distribution Similar to the way in which the powers and duties of the president of the United States are described in the U.S. Constitution , the powers of the monarch, as the head of state, are enumerated in the constitution of a constitutional monarchy. The annual New Year's Eve speech is one occasion when the King traditionally raises negative issues. [citation needed], The royal farms generate some revenue, but this is always re-invested in the farms themselves. When both failed the effects were harsh. 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