Kingdom of Norway (1814)

In 1814, the Kingdom of Norway made a brief and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to regain its independence. While Norway had always legally been a separate kingdom, since the 16th century it had shared a monarch with Denmark; Norway was a subordinate partner in the combined state, whose government was based in Copenhagen. Due to its alliance with France during the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark was forced to sign the Treaty of Kiel in January 1814 ceding Norway to Sweden.

However, many Norwegians were inspired by the rising tide of nationalism and resented being handed over without their consent to Sweden, a state they viewed as a traditional rival. Under the leadership of Christian Frederick, who was the Danish government's representative in Norway and also the king of Denmark's cousin and heir presumptive, Norway attempted to assert its rights as an independent state. A government was established and a constitution written, under which Christian Frederick was elected king of Norway in May 1814.

The fledgeling Norwegian state was unable to gain support or recognition from any foreign powers, and was defeated in a two-week war with Sweden in the summer of 1814. However, the Convention of Moss, signed at the end of the war in August, preserved many of the independence movement's achievements: Norway remained mostly autonomous in a personal union with Sweden, and was permitted to retain its new constitution with only slight modifications. Christian Frederick, forced to abdicate as king of Norway, would become king of Denmark as Christian VIII in 1839. Norway would eventually fully break away from Sweden in 1905.