mént of foreign affairs. After many fruitless endeavours, a coalition
ministry was formed upon this basis, composed of men of all
three parties, under the leadership of H a g b r u p and G r a m . On the
13th November, 1895, the third union-committee was appointed, and
completed its labours in January, 1898; but Norwegians and Swedes
had not come to an agreement upon the subject of a mutual adjustment.
While the union-committee was sitting, the union disputes
had lain in abeyance, and the diplomatic and consular supplies
were voted unconditionally. On the other hand the efforts to
authorise the Norwegian flag of 1821 were continued by the liberal
party. These had been begun in 1879, but had been dropped for
the time. When the bill had come before all the Storthings since
1893, it became law in 1898, after being passed three times, without
the king’s sanction.
Since the 17th .February, 1898, the government has been carried
on by the second S t e e n -Bl e h r ministry.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Ru d o l f K e y s e r . Norges Sistorie. I. I I . Kristiania. 1865—70 (till 1887).
P. A. Mu n c h . S e t norske Folks Sistorie. 8 Vol. Kristiania. 1852—68 (til 1397).
J. E. Sa r s . TJdsigt over det norske Folks Sistorie. I—IV. Kristiania. 1873—91
(tiU 1814),
O. A. 0YERLAND. Illustrerei Norges Sistorie. 1—V. 3. Kristiania. 1885—95
(tiü 1814).
Yn g v a r Nie l s e n . Bidrag til Norges Sistorie i 1814. I. I I . Kristiania. 1882—85.
« Aktstykker vedkommende Stormagternes Mission til K j0benhavn og Christiania
i A a r et 1814. Kristiania. 1895.
« Aktstykker vedkommende Konventionen i Moss 14de August 1814. Kristiania.
1894.
« 1814. Det f 0rste ordentlige Storthing. Optegnelser og AJdstykker. Kristiania.
1882.
« Norges Sistorie efter 1814. I—I I I . Kristiania. 1882—91 (from 1814
till 1837).
J. E. Sa r s . Norges politiske Sistorie 1815—85 (in course of publication).
The Historical Society of Norway («Den norske historiske Forening»), founded
in 186.9, publishes a Historical Review («Historisk Tidsskrift»), and memoirs
illustrating the history of the country. Since 1857, a series of original historical
writings has been published a t the expense of the so-called «Kildeskriftfond*.
INTERNATIONAL POSITION
In the middle ages Norway formed a consolidated kingdom
under a Norwegian Royal house, and had no. particular relations
with the neighbouring countries. After 1319, dynastic
circumstances brought about unions, sometimes between Norway
and Sweden or Norway and Denmark, or, at other times, between
the three countries. As the Norwegian constitution then was far
more strictly monarchical and centralised than the Danish and
Swedish, it followed that Norway, which had also the smallest
population, and was therefore the weakest of the three countries as
regards the maintenance of its own interests, could be administered
- 9 although by no means satisfactorily — by the king, who generally
resided in Denmark. At the time of the reformation, after
Sweden had finally withdrawn from the union, this state of.affairs
B which could not but obscure to some extent the international
equalit^j™ acquired a more decided character; but in
spite of the one-sided promise of a Danish king to the effect
that Norway should be «a branch of the realm of Denmark», it
did not go so far as to rob the country of its character as a separate
kingdom. On the contrary, the Norwegian constitution
continued to differ from that of Denmark by the greater power
it granted to the king. Moreover, it is worthy of special remark,
that although the Norwegian, Senate («Rigsraad») was dissolved and
certain governmental matters thus came into the hands of the
Danish Senate, Norway was nevertheless repeatedly represented by
her own national assembly of deputies, which was in a position
of constitutional equality with that of Denmark. The last of these
Norwegian national assemblies, that of 1661, is especially impor