| Treaty of Kiel | |
|---|---|
| Type of treaty | Peace treaty |
| Signed Location |
14 January 1814 Kiel, Holstein, Germany |
| Effective | Immediately |
| Expiration | N/A |
| Signatories | Sweden on behalf the Sixth Coalition, Denmark-Norway |
| Depositary | N/A |
| Language | French |
The Treaty of Kiel was a settlement between Sweden and Denmark-Norway on 14 January 1814, whereby the Danish king, a loser in the Napoleonic Wars, ceded Norway to the king of Sweden, in return for the Swedish holdings in Pomerania. However, the treaty signed in Kiel would never come into force. Sovereignty over Pomerania passed to Prussia, and Norway declared its independence, adopted a constitution and elected prince Christian Frederik as king. After a short war with Sweden, Norway accepted entering into a personal union with Sweden at the Convention of Moss. The Treaty of Kiel, however, specifically excluded from the exchange the Norwegian dependencies of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands; these territories remained in the union with Denmark.
The personal union of Sweden and Norway
On hearing news of the treaty, the Crown Prince of Denmark and Norway, Christian Frederik, the resident viceroy in Norway, founded a Norwegian independence movement, most likely with the surreptitious goal of re-unification with Denmark. His initiative was successful, partly due to clandestine support from the Danish Crown, but also because it was supported by prominent and influential Norwegians. They convinced the Prince that it would be unwise to claim the throne as his inheritance. Instead they advised him to assume the regency and call an election of representatives to a constituent assembly. On 10 April the national assembly met at Eidsvoll to decide on a constitution. Norway eventually declared independence on 17 May 1814, electing Christian Frederik as King. A short war with Sweden later that year led to the abdication of Christian Frederik in October. After having made the necessary amendments to the constitution, the Norwegian Storting on 4 November elected Karl XIII of Sweden as King of Norway, creating the union between Sweden and Norway.
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