History
The Norwegian monarchy dates back more
than one thousand years.
Harald Fairhair, regarded as the first Norwegian king,
united the petty
kingships of Norway into a single realm in about 885. From
the time of
Harald Fairhair until the present day, Norway has had more
than 60
named sovereigns. The current King belongs to the House of
Glücksburg,
which has ruled Norway since 1905.
Although Norwegian history goes back many centuries, modern
Norway as
an independent nation is relatively young. In 1380 Norway
and Denmark
were merged under a single monarch, but Norway was given a
subordinate
role in the union and came increasingly under Danish
control. The union with
Denmark was dissolved in 1814 in the aftermath of the
Napoleonic Wars.
For a brief time, Norway once again became an independent
nation, drawing
up its own constitution. Just a few months later, however,
Norway was
compelled to enter into a union with Sweden – this time as
an independent
nation, but with a common king and joint foreign policy. In
1905 the union
of Norway and Sweden was dissolved, and Norway chose its own
monarch:
King Haakon VII.
The Monarchy Today
Norway is a constitutional monarchy. This
means that the King is formally
the head of state but that his duties are mainly representative and ceremonial. The legislative and executive powers lie with the country’s elected bodies. When the Constitution states that: “the executive power is vested in the King”, this now means that it is vested in the Government.
the head of state but that his duties are mainly representative and ceremonial. The legislative and executive powers lie with the country’s elected bodies. When the Constitution states that: “the executive power is vested in the King”, this now means that it is vested in the Government.
