244 Scandinavian States. 



In 1397 by the Calmar convention, a more permanent 

 union was effected between Sweden and Norway, lasting 

 till 1448, when Norw^ay became a dependency of Den- 

 mark; then, after another period of variable fortunes, 

 Sweden about 1523 became an independent constitu- 

 tional monarchy under Gustav Vasa, and Norway re- 

 mained joined to Denmark under Frederick I. 



Sweden then started on a career of conquest, being 

 almost continuously at war with all her neighbors and es- 

 pecially with Eussia and Poland, whereby, especially 

 under Gustavus Adolphus and the adventurous Charles 

 XII, her territory was greatly enlarged. With the 

 treaties of Stockholm and Nystadt (1720 and 1721) she 

 came into more peaceful waters, but permanent peace 

 and a settled policy was not attained until the election of 

 Bemadotte, one of Napoleon's administrators, to the 

 Idngship and the peace of Kiel in 1814, whereby Sweden 

 became a constitutional hereditary monarchy in the mod- 

 ern sense. At the same time Norway was taken away 

 from Denmark and forced to a union with Sweden, 

 which persisted until this very year, when a peaceful 

 separation took place by the action of the Norwegian 

 people. The union has always been hateful to the 

 Norwegians, although only the king and the department 

 of foreign affairs (in which Norway is represented by a 

 delegation from its Council) were in common, all other 

 matters of administration being separate as well as the 

 parliaments (Storthing in Norway, and Eiksdag in 

 Sweden) . 



Denmark did not become a constitutional monarchy 

 until 1849. 



