Moss Convention

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The Moss Convention (Norwegian: Mossekonvensjonen ) was an armistice agreement between the Swedish Crown Prince Karl Johann and the Norwegian Parliament ( Stortinget ). It was signed on August 14, 1814 in Moss , Norway and ended the Swedish-Norwegian War .

background

The Kingdom of Denmark , with which Norway was linked in personal union, found itself on the losing side as a result of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. In the Peace of Kiel on January 14, 1814, Denmark had to cede from the previous personal union of Norway to the Kingdom of Sweden , which was on the victorious side in these wars. In an attempt to gain control over his own fate, a national assembly was called in Norway and a constitution was drawn up and signed in Eidsvoll on May 17, 1814 . Under the leadership of the Danish Crown Prince Christian Friedrich , independence was proclaimed. Sweden, with the support of the major European powers, rejected Norway's independence. On July 26, 1814, a Swedish army led by Crown Prince Karl Johann attacked Norway. After brief armed conflicts between Swedish and Norwegian troops in Østfold , negotiations were initiated in Moss, which ended on August 14, 1814 with an armistice. The battle at Langnes-Schanze, which was victorious for the Norwegians, gave them a better negotiating position.

Place of signature of the Convention

content

The signed convention consisted of four documents in French with the following main points:

  • The agreement was made on behalf of the Swedish King Charles XIII. signed by the Swedish Crown Prince and the Norwegian Parliament, which was thus recognized.
  • The Norwegian Parliament should meet by the end of September and begin work on ratifying the Convention in October.
  • The Swedish king accepted the Norwegian constitution with the amendment that a personal union with Sweden would be established.
  • Christian Friedrich renounced all claims to the Norwegian throne and left Norway. That last agreement was secret.

Historical meaning

The Norwegian public was initially shocked by the indulgence in their negotiation. After a period of time, however, the Moss Convention was, from a Norwegian point of view, a great step forward compared to the Peace of Kiel, which was concluded without Norwegian participation. Now Norway should not become a conquered, but an equal partner in the personal union with Sweden. Both the principles and the content of the Norwegian Constitution were confirmed. Norway received its own national assembly and full self-government. In addition, external affairs should be pursued jointly with the Swedish king. The Moss Convention ended the last war between Sweden and Norway, and it was also the last war for Sweden. The Moss Convention is one of the 60 most important historical documents of Norway to be included in the collection of the Norwegian Committee for World Heritage Sites.

The End

The Karlstad Treaty ended the union established by the Moss Convention.

literature

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