Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1182

 1130 NORWAY.

(NORGE.)

Reigning King.

Haakon VII., born August 3, 1872; the second son, Car], of Frederik King of Denmark, elected King of Norway by the Storting, November 18, 1905 ; accepted the crown through his grandfather, the late King Christian of Denmark, November 18, 1905 ; landed in Norway November 25, 1905 ; married, July 22, 1896, to Princess Maiid, born November 26, 1869, the third daughter of the late Edward VII., King of Great Britain and Ireland.

Son. — Prince Olav, Crown Prince, born July 2, 1903.

According to the Constitution, Norway is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy. The royal succession is in direct male line in the order of primo- geniture. In default of male heirs the King may propose a successor to the Storting, but this assembly has the right to nominate another, if it does not agree with the proposal.

By Treaty of January 14, 1814, Norway was ceded to the King of Sweden by the King of Denmark, but the Norwegian people declared themselves independent and elected Prince Chribtian Frederick of Denmark as their King. The foreign Powers refused to recognise this election, and on August 14 a convention was made proclaiming the independence of Norway in union with Sweden. This was followed on November 4 by the election of Karl XIII. as King of Norway. Norway declared this union dissolved, June 7, 1905, and after some months' negotiation, a mutual agreement for the repeal of the union was signed, October 26, 1905. The throne of Norway was offered to a prince of the reigning house of Sweden, but declined, and, after a plebiscite, Prince Carl of Denmark was formally elected King. In October, 1907, a treaty guaranteeing the integrity of Norwegian territory was signed at Kristiania by the representatives of Norway, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Russia, and on January 8, 1908, received the unani- mous approval of the Storting.

The following is a list of the Sovereigns of Norway since the year 1204 with the date of their accession.

Inge Baardssn. .','•'. . 1204 Erik af Pommern

Haakon Haakonssn. . .1217

Magnus Lagab^ter .... 1203

Erik Magnuss^n .... 1280

Haakon V. Magnussn. . . 1290

Magnus Eriksson .... 1319

Haakon VI. Magnuss<£n. . . 1365

Olav Haakonss^n .... 1381

Margreta 138S

Kristofer af Bayern.

Karl Knutss^in ....

Same Sovereigns as in Den mark

1450-181 Kristian Fredrik .... 1 Same Sovereigns as in Sweden

1814-1905 Haakon VII HW

The King has a civil list of 700,000 kroner, or 38,546/.

Constitution and Government.

The Constitution of Norway, called the Grundlov, bears date May 17, 1814, with several modifications passed at various times. It vests the legislative power of the realm in the Storting, the representative of the sovereign people. The royal veto may be exercised twice ; but if the same bill pass three Stortings formed by separate and subsequent elections, it becomes the law of the land without the assent of the sovereign. The King