Treaty of Kiel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Treaty of Kiel | |
|---|---|
| Type of treaty | Peace treaty |
| Date drafted | January 14, 1814 |
| Date signed | January 14, 1814 |
| Effective date | Immediately |
| Expiration date | N/A |
| Signatories | Sweden on behalf the Sixth Coalition, Denmark-Norway |
| Depository nation/organization | N/A |
| Official language(es) | ? |
The Treaty of Kiel was a settlement between Sweden and Denmark-Norway on January 14, 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 specifically excluded the Norwegian dependencies of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, which remained under Danish rule.
[edit] The personal union of Sweden and Norway
Main article: Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
On hearing news of the treaty, the Prince of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederik, the resident vice-roy in Norway, founded a Norwegian independence movement, most likely with the surreptitious goal of re-unification with Denmark. The independence movement was successful, partly due to clandestine support from the Danish Crown, but also because the desire for independence was strong in Norway. On April 10, a national assembly met at Eidsvoll to decide on a constitution. Norway eventually declared independence on May 17 1814, electing Christian Frederik as King. A short war with Sweden later that year led to the ousting of Christian Frederik, and the Norwegian Storting electing Karl XIII of Sweden as King of Norway, creating the union between Sweden and Norway.
