On This Day

Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden (Constitution Day)

Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway (Swedish: Svensk-norska unionen; Norwegian: Den svensk-norske union (en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms,...

Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway (Swedish: Svensk-norska unionen; Norwegian: Den svensk-norske union (en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch and common foreign policy that lasted from 1814 until its peaceful dissolution in 1905.

The two states kept separate constitutions, laws, legislatures, administrations, state churches, armed forces, and currencies; the kings mostly resided in Stockholm, where foreign diplomatic representations were located. The Norwegian government was presided over by viceroys: Swedes until 1829, Norwegians until 1856. That office was later vacant and then abolished in 1873.

Events Before

  1. Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is published by Thomas Egerton in the United Kingdom

    Pride and Prejudice is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was aged 20–21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows…

  2. John Tyler (23) later 10th US President, marries 1st wife Letitia Christian Tyler (22)

    John Tyler (23) later 10th US President, marries 1st wife Letitia Christian Tyler (22)

  3. Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel (35) weds German opera singer Elisabeth Röckel (20) in Vienna, Austria, until hi

    Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel (35) weds German opera singer Elisabeth Röckel (20) in Vienna, Austria, until his death in 1837

  4. South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El

    South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador (The Liberator)

  5. American naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry defeats the British in the Battle of Lake Erie

    Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Events After

  1. Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron (27) marries Anne Isabella Milbanke (22) by special licence, at Seaham Hall in County D

    Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron (27) marries Anne Isabella Milbanke (22) by special licence, at Seaham Hall in County Durham

  2. Burned US Library of Congress re-established with Thomas Jefferson's 6,500 volumes

    Burned US Library of Congress re-established with Thomas Jefferson's 6,500 volumes

  3. Napoléon Bonaparte and his supporters leave Elba to start a 100-day reconquest of France

    Napoléon Bonaparte and his supporters leave Elba to start a 100-day reconquest of France

  4. Napoleon Bonaparte enters Paris after his escape from Elba and begins his 100-day rule

    Napoleon Bonaparte enters Paris after his escape from Elba and begins his 100-day rule

  5. Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies experiences a cataclysmic eruption, one of the most powerful in history, killing

    Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies experiences a cataclysmic eruption, one of the most powerful in history, killing around 71,000 people and causing a global volcanic winter

More from the 1810s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 17, 1814?
Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway (Swedish: Svensk-norska unionen; Norwegian: Den svensk-norske union (en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch and common foreign policy that lasted from 1814 until its peaceful dissolution in 1905. The two states kept separate constitutions, laws, legislatures, administrations, state churches, armed forces, and currencies; the kings mostly resided in Stockholm, where foreign diplomatic representations were located. The Norwegian government was presided over by viceroys: Swedes until 1829, Norwegians until 1856.
Why is Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden (Constitution Day) historically important?
The Norwegian government was presided over by viceroys: Swedes until 1829, Norwegians until 1856. That office was later vacant and then abolished in 1873.

Explore More