Yes, we love the king of Norway

A monarchy is a country that has a king or a queen. Most people in Norway are happy with the monarchy and our king. We can’t imagine the 17th of May (the Norwegian national day) without the king waving from the castle balcony. The monarchy is an important part of our country. However, many people are also against it. How did Norway become a monarchy?

Offisielt portrett av Hans Majestet Kong Harald i uniform

Norway united as one kingdom

Norway has been a monarchy for over a thousand years. Harald Fairhair was the first king and united Norway into one kingdom. After winning an important battle just outside Stavanger in 872, he crowned himself king of Norway.

Harald Hårfagre i slaget ved Hafrsfjord. Maleri av Ole Peter Hansen Balling fra 1870
Harald Hårfagre i slaget ved Hafrsfjord. Maleri av Ole Peter Hansen Balling fra 1870

Norway’s new governance system

Before Harald Fairhair became king, Norway was divided into several tribes. Each tribe had its own leader. These leaders went on Viking expeditions to Eastern Europe. There they learned a lot about how to form a state and they got the idea of uniting the country into one kingdom.

«Sverd i fjell» er et monument innerst i Hafrsfjord i Stavanger kommune. Monumentet er laget av skulptøren Fritz Røed fra Bryne. Det er tre store sverd som er satt ned i svaberget til minne om slaget i Hafrsfjord i 872.
«Sverd i fjell» er et monument innerst i Hafrsfjord i Stavanger kommune. Monumentet er laget av skulptøren Fritz Røed fra Bryne. Det er tre store sverd som er satt ned i svaberget til minne om slaget i Hafrsfjord i 872.

Norway became a hereditary kingdom

Passing of the throne in the Viking Age

In the Viking Age the throne was passed to one of the king’s sons. All sons had equal right to the throne, and had to claim it at “Tinget”. “Tinget” could choose or reject the son who tried to claim the throne. To become king you had to both inherit the throne, and then be elected. This could lead to conflict, and sometimes, war between the king’s sons.

The Law of Succession

To avoid conflicts about who would inherit the royal throne, they wrote a law called the Law of Succession in 1163. In this law, the king’s oldest son would have the right to inherit the throne.

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Kroning av Magnus Erlingsson. Litografi av Erik Werenskiold hentet fra Heimskringla.
Kroning av Magnus Erlingsson. Litografi av Erik Werenskiold hentet fra Heimskringla.

What happens if the king doesn’t have a son?

In 1990 the constitution (Grunnloven) changed the tradition. It was decided that gender should no longer play a role. The king’s eldest child will inherit the throne. This means that Princess Ingrid Alexandra will inherit the throne from her father Crown Prince Haakon.

If the king does not have any children, he can suggest someone who should become king or queen after him, but it is the Parliament (Stortinget) who makes the final decision.

📷 Princess Ingrid Alexandra on
her 16th birthday 21.01.2020
Prinsesse Ingrid Alexandra i kjole i anledning hennes 16-års dag

Why is Norway still a monarchy?

Norway could have been a republic today. When Norway left the union with Sweden in 1905, the country had to decide if it should remain a monarchy, or become a republic.

1905 referendum

The Norwegian authorities didn’t want to change the monarchy, but some of the people did. They were called republicans, and did not want a country ruled by a king. Danish Prince Carl was going to become the new king, but he didn’t want that without the peoples support. Therefore, the country held an election, in which the monarchy and the Prince won with 79 percent of the votes.

Well-known republicans

Some famous people wanted to keep peace so they accepted the monarchy even if they did not believe in it. They felt it was more important to remain as one country under a king. Prince Carl chose the name Haakon.

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Offisielt kroningsbilde av kong Haakon VII og dronning Maud
Offisielt kroningsbilde av kong Haakon VII og dronning Maud

What is a republic?

A republic is a type of state where the formal leader is not a king or a queen.

Most of today’s countries are republics, and are often ruled by a president, like in the United States, France, Iceland or Finland. The people choose a president by voting.

Those who are supporters of a republic are called republicans.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, i dagligtale Mount Rushmore, er et nasjonalt minnesmerke som ligger i Keystone, Sør-Dakota, USA.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, i dagligtale Mount Rushmore, er et nasjonalt minnesmerke som ligger i Keystone, Sør-Dakota, USA.

What is the difference between a monarchy and a republic?

Elections or inheritance

One of the differences between monarchies and republics is that in a republic, the people elect a president by voting. In a monarchy, the king or queen inherits their role from their family.

Rule for a lifetime

Another difference is that in a republic, the leader of the state does not keep their job for life. The president leads the country for a few years. In a monarchy, a king or queen will only lose their title after their death, or they can choose to step down.

Not everyone is suited to rule

In a monarchy the people have to accept the king or queen they get, no matter who they are. There have been many terrible monarchs. One example is King Charles VI of France, who was king from 1380-1422. He was called “the crazy one”.

Strict requirements

In a republic, the people can vote for different people who want to become president. There are strict rules about who can be president. In the United States, for example, you must have been born in the country and be over 35 years old. 

The many tasks of a president

In the US, Congress presents new laws to the president, who has the power to either accept them or refuse them. The president is the leader of the country, and is commander of the US army.

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Stemmesedler som blir lagt i stemmeurne
Stemmesedler som blir lagt i stemmeurne

What does the Norwegian monarch do?

Head of state

The ruling king or queen is the monarch of a country. The monarch is the official leader in the country, called the Head of state. But doesn’t actually make many decisions. It is written in the laws that the king or queen has the power to make decisions, but today the politicians decide together.

Leads the Council of Ministers each Friday

Every autumn, the king or queen holds the traditional opening of the Parliament (Stortinget). The monarch holds a meeting with all the ministers at the Royal Palace on Fridays, where they meet to get the king or queen’s approval of their decisions.

The country’s most important ambassadors

The king or queen travels on state visits in other countries to keep political friendships and deals. King Harald is involved when Norwegian business is presented in other countries. The royal family also visits people all across Norway, and is always there to show sympathy when national tragedies take place.

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Hans Majestet Kong Harald i uniform på vei ut av Stortinget.
Hans Majestet Kong Harald i uniform på vei ut av Stortinget.

The European monarchies

There are twelve monarchies in Europe. The monarchies that are ruled by kings and queens are called kingdoms. All the kings and queens in the kingdoms today are related through the line of George II of Great Britain.

The longest-ruling monarch in the UK was Queen Elizabeth II. She was queen for more than 70 years.

📷 King George II of England
Portrett av Georg II av Storbritannia
Read more about some of the events that took place during Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

Resistance to the monarchy

A lot of opposition

People have often been against the European monarchies, especially during the French revolution (1789-1799) and the American revolution (1775 – 1783). The people wanted to remove the king who had all the power, and wanted a republic where they could vote for their head of state.

Few monarchies remain

Today, there are only 46 monarchies in the world. Seven of these are kingdoms in Europe. Monarchies are not as strong as they used to be, and democracy will probably lead to more countries becoming republics in the future.

The Norwegian king is still popular

In 2019, 38 politicians at the Parliament (Stortinget) voted to end the monarchy. 130 politicians voted to keep it. The monarchy is clearly still popular.

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Offisielt bilde av Deres Majesteter Kongen og Dronningen, Deres Kongelige Høyheter Kronprinsen og Kronprinsessen. Kongen og Kronprinsen i uniform, og Dronningen og Kronprinsessen i gallakjoler.
Offisielt bilde av Deres Majesteter Kongen og Dronningen, Deres Kongelige Høyheter Kronprinsen og Kronprinsessen. Kongen og Kronprinsen i uniform, og Dronningen og Kronprinsessen i gallakjoler.

Sources:

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Media rights:

    1. Jørgen Gomnæs, Det kongelige hoff
    2. Ole Peter Hansen Balling / Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design
    3. Getty Images
    4. Erik Werenskiold
    5. Ann Cathrin Buchardt, Det kongelige hoff
    6. Peder O. Aune (CC BY 2.0) 
    7. Getty Images
    8. Getty Images
    9. Sverre Chr. Jarild / Stortinget (CC BY-ND 2.0)
    10. Adobe Stock
    11. Jørgen Gomnæs, Det kongelige hoff