Dec 31, 2009

The Wild Duck | Historical Context

Union With Sweden and the Constitution
Since 1536, Norway had been a province of Denmark, but in the early 1800s, Sweden attacked Denmark. The resulting peace treaty transferred Norway to Sweden. Crown Prince Christian Frederik, the nephew of the Danish king, refused to accept this transfer. He initiated an uprising and called for the convention of a national assembly. The delegates wrote and signed a constitution, and elected Christian Frederik king of a free and independent Norway.

Norway received no support from Europe. Swedish troops attacked, and Christian...