Monarchy of Norway
His Majesty the King of Norway | |
---|---|
Norges konge ( Royal coat of arms of Norway | |
Incumbent | |
Harald V since 17 January 1991 | |
Details | |
Style | Crown Prince Haakon |
First monarch | Harald Fairhair |
Formation | c. 872 |
Residence | Royal Palace in Oslo |
Website | The Norwegian Monarchy |
Constitution |
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Norway portal |
The Norwegian monarch is the 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.
The present monarch is King
Whilst the
The King does not, by convention, have direct participation in government. He ratifies laws and royal resolutions, receives and sends envoys from and to foreign countries, and hosts state visits. He has a more tangible influence as the symbol of national unity. The annual New Year's Eve speech is one occasion when the King traditionally raises negative issues. The King is also Supreme Commander of the
History
The position of King of Norway has been in continuous existence since the
Germanic kingdom
Prior to and in the early phase of the
Middle Ages
In the 12th and 13th centuries the Norwegian kingdom was at its geographical and cultural peak. The kingdom included Norway (including the now Swedish provinces of Jemtland, Herjedalen, Særna, Idre and Båhuslen), Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Shetland, Orkney and other smaller areas in the British Isles. The king had diplomatic relations with most of the European kingdoms and formed alliances with Scotland and Castile, among others. Large castles such as Haakon's Hall and cathedrals, the foremost being Nidaros Cathedral, were built.
In the tradition of Germanic monarchy the king had to be elected by a representative assembly of noblemen. Men eligible for election had to be of royal blood; but the eldest son of the previous king was not automatically chosen. During the
After the death of
The Black Death of 1349–51 contributed to the decline of the Norwegian monarchy, as the noble families and the population in general were gravely affected. However, the most devastating factor for the nobility and the monarchy in Norway was the steep decline in income from their holdings. Many farms were deserted and rents and taxes suffered. This left the Norwegian monarchy weakened in manpower, noble support, defensibility and economic power.[4]
Union with Denmark
The Kalmar Union was not only possible due to the complex history of the royal dynasties of Scandinavia but was also, among other things, a direct reaction to the expansive and aggressive policies of the Hanseatic League.[4]
On 6 June 1523 Sweden left the union permanently, leaving Norway in an unequal union with a Danish king already embarked on centralising the government of the union.
In the following centuries the Norwegian monarchs mostly resided abroad. 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. The King was also less able to govern according to Norwegian needs, as the distance meant he and his advisors had less knowledge of conditions in Norway.[5]
Norway was one of few countries where the
The Danish nobles pushed the king to reduce Norway to a Danish province in order for them to gain more control in the election of future kings. However, the hereditary nature of the Norwegian monarchy meant that the King had to maintain the basic principle of Norway being a separate and extant kingdom. If the Danish nobles were to elect as king someone other than the next in line to the throne the Union would be dissolved. This gave the king the upper hand in the negotiations for the håndfesting. Potential heirs to Norway were present in both the royal dynasties of Sweden and Schleswig-Holstein, so if the King of Denmark did not assert his position as King of Norway they would.[5]
During this time the Danish kings were more preoccupied with securing the traditionally Danish fringe territories, and therefore paid little attention to and made few attempts at maintaining Norwegian interests. As a result, Jemtland, Herjedalen, Båhuslen, Shetland and Orkney were lost to Sweden and Scotland. In addition all contact with Greenland ceased.
In 1661
Emerging independence
During the Napoleonic Wars the King aligned Denmark–Norway with France. When Napoleon lost the war, the king was forced to cede Norway to the king of Sweden under the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. 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]
On hearing news of the treaty, the Prince of the
The end result was that the Norwegian monarchy became a constitutional monarchy. In this new union the King was much more a King of Norway than under the previous Danish system. The only area of policy not in the hands of the Norwegians was foreign policy.
Norway had been brought along into the new developments of the world[clarification needed] as they arrived in Denmark. However, with the break the Norwegians were able to forge a more progressive political development than was the case in Denmark. Denmark introduced a constitutional monarchy 35 years after Norway. Parliamentarism was introduced in Norway 17 years before Denmark and 33 years before Sweden.[7] The union with Denmark also had its adverse effects on the monarchy: among other things it resulted in the Crown of Norway losing territory which today amounts to 2 322 755 km2 (although most of this was uninhabited areas of Greenland).[8] Very little royal activity had been relocated to Norway; the country thus lacks the monumental palaces of the period which can be seen in Copenhagen and other parts of Denmark.
Union with Sweden
The Treaty of Kiel stipulated that Norway was to be ceded by the king of Denmark–Norway to the king of Sweden. This was however rejected in Norway, where calls for self-determination were already mounting. A Norwegian constituent assembly was called, and a liberal constitution was adopted on 17 May 1814. A short war ensued, ending in a new agreement between the Norwegian parliament and the Swedish king.
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. Notably, Norway was no longer to be treated as a Swedish conquest but rather as an equal party in a personal union of two independent states. Both the principle and substance of the Norwegian Constitution were preserved, with only such amendments as were required to allow for the union with Sweden. Norway retained its own parliament and separate institutions, except for the common king and foreign service.
The Norwegian
The union was nevertheless marked by the Norwegians' constant and growing discontent with being in a union of any kind. The Storting would propose laws to reduce the king's power or to assert Norwegian independence. These would most often be vetoed by the king, but as he only had the power to veto the same law twice, it would eventually be passed. The constitution of 1814 already specified that Norway would have a
The Royal
Full independence
In
In a plebiscite of the Norwegian people on 13 August, there were an overwhelming 368,208 votes (99.95%) in favor of dissolution of the Union, against 184 (0.05%) opposed, with 85% of Norwegian men voting. No women voted, as universal suffrage was not granted until 1913; however Norwegian feminists collected more than 200,000 signatures in favor of dissolution.[6][12]
During the summer a Norwegian delegation had already approached the 33-year-old
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. Though the Norwegian constitution stipulated that the Storting could choose a new king if the throne were vacant, Carl was aware that many Norwegians – including leading politicians and high-ranking military officers – favored a republican form of government. 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.
On 12 and 13 November, in the second constitutional plebiscite in three months, Norwegian voters
Thus the new king became Haakon VII, King of Norway. His two-year-old son
A new monarchy
The early years of the new Norwegian monarchy were marked by a shortage of funds. The Norwegian state was poor and funds were needed elsewhere than in the upkeep of a large court. In that sense it was a stroke of good fortune that Prince Carl had set as a condition for accepting the throne that he would not be forced to keep a large court. However, the royal travels and the upkeep of the royal residences, after the initial refurbishment in 1905, were to some extent neglected. One example of the negative financial situation is that Prince Carl had been promised a Royal Yacht when he accepted the throne, but this was not fulfilled until 1947.[13]
One important incident in the early years of the new monarchy was in 1928 when the King appointed the first Labour government. The
During the
After the war, the Norwegian royal house succeeded in maintaining a balance between regality and approachability. King
In later years the marriages of the then Crown Prince
Constitutional and official role
Although the
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.
Immunity
Article 5 stated: The King's person is sacred; he cannot be censured or accused. The responsibility rests with his Council.[17]
This article applies to the king personally. The king has legal
Article 37 states: The Royal Princes and Princesses shall not personally be answerable to anyone other than the King, or whomever he decrees to sit in judgment on them.[17]
This means that the Princes and Princesses also have immunity on the discretion of the king. He could decide to let them be judged by the regular courts or he could decide to judge them himself. This has never been tested in practice.
Council of State
The
Article 12 states: The King himself chooses a Council from among Norwegian citizens who are entitled to vote. [...] The King apportions the business among the Members of the Council of State, as he deems appropriate.
Article 30 states: [...] Everyone who has a seat in the Council of State has the duty frankly to express his opinion, to which the King is bound to listen. But it rests with the King to make a decision according to his own judgment. [...][17]
Veto of laws
The King has to sign all laws in order for them to become valid. He can veto any law. However, if two separate
Article 78 states: If the King assents to the Bill, he appends his signature, whereby it becomes law.[17]
If he does not assent to it, he returns it to the Storting with a statement that he does not for the time being find it expedient to sanction it. In that case the Bill must not again be submitted to the King by the Storting then assembled. [...][17]
Church of Norway
Until 2012 the constitutional head of the Church of Norway, also known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway, was the King. The Church of Norway professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion.
Since 2012 the Church has been self-governing, although it remains the established state church, which 63,7% of the population are members of. In accordance with the constitution, the Norwegian King as head of state must be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway.
Pardoning criminals
Article 20 states: The King shall have the right in the Council of State to pardon criminals after sentence has been passed.[17]
A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it. It may be given if new information on the crime or criminal has come to light after sentencing has begun. A pardon may entail a complete or partial withdrawal of punishment. The practical execution of this right has been delegated to the
In impeachment proceedings, the King cannot pardon a defendant without the consent of the Storting.
Appointing senior officials
Article 21 states: The King shall choose and appoint, after consultation with his Council of State, all senior civil, and military officials.[17] The appointment is made by the Monarch after having been advised by the council of state and having received its consent.
Dismissing the government
Article 22 states: The Prime Minister and the other Members of the Council of State, together with the State Secretaries, may be dismissed by the King without any prior court judgment, after he has heard the opinion of the Council of State on the subject.[17]
Chivalric orders
Article 23 states: The King may bestow orders upon whomever he pleases, as a reward for distinguished services[...][17]
Norway has two chivalric orders: the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. In addition the King awards several other distinguished medals for a wide range of accomplishments.[citation needed]
War
Article 25 states: The King is
Article 26 states: The King has the right to call up troops, to engage in hostilities in defence of the Realm and to make peace, to conclude and denounce conventions, to send and to receive diplomatic envoys.[17]
The King is treated by the armed forces as their highest commander, but there is, beyond legal fiction, no doubt that the complete control of the armed forces is actually held by the elected government of the day.[
Coronation
From before recorded Norwegian history the monarch would be installed by acclamation, a ceremony held on the
The Constitution requires the new King to immediately take an oath before the Storting (or, if the Storting is not in session, before the Council of State and again before the Storting once it is in session). The oath is as follows: "I promise and swear that I will govern the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its Constitution and Laws; so help me God, the Almighty and Omniscient."
Succession
The
Finances
The King, Queen, Crown Prince and Crown Princess are exempt from paying any taxes and their personal finances are not revealed to the public. Other members of the royal family have lost that privilege upon marriage. It is believed that only the King has a personal fortune of a notable size.[citation needed]
The royal farms generate some revenue, but this is always re-invested in the farms themselves.[citation needed]
In the Norwegian state budget of 2010 the sum of 142.5 million
Residences
The royal family and the monarch have several residences at their disposal throughout the country. All of the official residences are partially open to the public.[25]
Current residences
Royal Palace
The
Gamlehaugen
Gamlehaugen is a mansion and estate which functions as the monarch's residences in Bergen. Originally the home of Prime Minister Christian Michelsen, the estate became the royal family's residence in 1927.
Stiftsgården
Stiftsgården in Trondheim is a large wooden townhouse which has been used by the royal family since the early 1800s. The building has been the setting for the main festivities during coronations, benedictions and weddings which traditionally have taken place in the Nidaros Cathedral.
Ledaal
Ledaal is a large manor house in Stavanger. The manor originally belonged to the influential Kielland family but has been the property of Stavanger Museum since 1936 and became a royal residence in 1949.
Other residences
The crown princely couple resides at Skaugum Manor in Asker municipality outside of Oslo, while the three princesses of Norway live on estates in Oslo, Fredrikstad and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both Skaugum and Bygdøy Royal Estate are working farms producing grain, milk and meat; the profits are re-invested in the farms themselves.[28] In 2004 the King transferred management of the farming activities on Bygdøy to the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.[29]
The King owns a royal yacht bearing the name HNoMY Norge. Crewed and maintained by the Royal Norwegian Navy, it is used both for official and private travels in Norway and abroad.[30] The Norwegian Railway Museum maintains a royal train carriage.[31]
The royal family also possess several other holiday homes of a private nature.[32]
Former and historic residences
- Paléet. A magnificent townhouse which was as a royal residence between 1801 and 1849 prior to the construction of the Royal Palace.
- Akershus Fortress. The castle in Oslo was converted into a palace by King Christian IV during the union between Denmark and Norway
- Bergenhus Fortress. Originally, the medieval castle was a residential palace while Sverresborg provided defence for the city.
- Håkon V Magnusson who was the last king of Norway prior to the establishment of the Kalmar Union.
- Various Kongsgård estates were used by the Norwegian kings during the Viking Age and early Middle Ages. This includes significant estates like Alrekstad, Avaldsnes Kongsgård estate and the Oslo Kongsgård estate.
Royal coat of arms
The Coat of arms of Norway is one of the oldest in Europe and serves both as the coat of arms of the nation and of the Royal House. This is in keeping with its origin as the coat of arms of the kings of Norway during the Middle Ages.[33]
In 1280 King Eirik Magnusson added the crown and silver axe to the lion.[33] The axe is the martyr axe of St. Olav, the weapon used to kill him in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030.
The specific rendering of the Norwegian arms has changed through the years, following changing heraldic fashions. In the late
The coat of arms of the royal house as well as the Royal Standard uses the lion design from 1905. The earliest preserved depiction of the Royal Standard is on the seal of Duchess Ingebjørg from 1318.[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]
When used as the Royal coat of arms the shield features the insignias of the
The Royal coat of arms is not used frequently. Instead, the king's monogram is extensively used, for instance in military insignia and on coins.
See also
- List of Norwegian monarchs
- Norwegian Royal Family
- Royal coronations in Norway
- House of Glücksburg
- Politics of Norway
- Lèse majesté in Norway
- Abel Prize
- Republicanism in Norway
References
- ^ Official royal house web site Archived 10 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ Royal House web site on the orders and medals Archived 17 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ Socialist Left web page on proposed republic (Norwegian) Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ a b c d History of Norway from the Norwegian government web site Archived 3 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ a b c d The history of power during the Danish era (Norwegian) Archived 14 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ a b c d History of Norway on historyworld.com Archived 12 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ The introduction of parliamentarism is not as clear cut in Denmark and Sweden as in Norway. In Denmark the year 1901 is usually given, but the years 1905 and 1920 are also important in this respect. In Sweden a parliamentary system was reintroduced in 1917.
- ^ This number is found by adding up the areas of Jämtland, Härjedalen, Bohuslän, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Shetland and Orkney. The entire area of Greenland was not effectively controlled by anyone at the time; however it is today under the Crown of Denmark and therefore would have been under the Crown of Norway.
- ^ Gjerset, Knut (1915). History of the Norwegian People, Volumes II. The MacMillan Company.
- ^ Norgeshistorie.no, Om; Institutt for arkeologi, konservering og historie (IAKH) ved UiO. "1870–1914: industrialisering og demokrati – Norgeshistorie". www.norgeshistorie.no.
- ^ Royal House web page on Prinsehytta Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in Norwegian) Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ a b c d e Royal House web page on the dissolution of the union Archived 19 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ RNoN web page on the HNoMY Norge (Norwegian) Archived 8 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ a b VG article on Socialist Left party leader's critique of the palace refurbishment where the republican admits to revering King Olav (Norwegian) Archived 25 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ Aftenposten article on the Popularity of the Monarchy Archived 3 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ VG article on the Monarch's popularity Archived 8 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 8 April 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The Constitution of Norway in English Archived 3 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- NRK, 7 May. Retrieved on 8 May. https://www.nrk.no/norge/fra-tirsdag-er-ikke-kongen-lenger-hellig-1.14039929
- ^ Government web page on the procedure for pardoning criminals (Norwegian) Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ Private web page on criminal care in Norway (Norwegian) Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 1 December 2006
- ^ The Royal Regalia at royalcourt.no, on display in Archbishop's Palace, Trondheim:Archived 12 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 6 May 2020
- ^ a b "Statsbudsjettet". www.statsbudsjettet.dep.no. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ "Statsbudsjettet". www.statsbudsjettet.dep.no. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ "- Kongens formue under 100 mill". e24.no. 13 April 2010. Archived from the original on 19 May 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ Royal House web page on the official residences Archived 10 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ Royal House web site with information on the history and architecture of the Royal Palace Archived 17 June 2007 at Wikiwix Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ Aftenposten article on the restoration of Bygdøy (Norwegian) Archived 19 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ Royal House web page on Skaugum receiving an award for good farming Archived 19 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ Royal House web page on Bygdøy Archived 4 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ Royal House web page on the royal yacht Archived 26 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ Dagbladet article on the new Royal Train (Norwegian) Archived 21 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ Royal House web page on royal residences Archived 11 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ a b c d A web page featuring the history of the coat of arms of Norway Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006
- ^ An article from the Norwegian National Archives depicting the seal of Duchess Ingebjørg Archived 14 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine (in Norwegian) Retrieved 5 November 2007
- ^ Web page on rules for the use of the coat of arms (Norwegian) Archived 18 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 November 2006