Battle of the Square
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Square (Norwegian: Torvslaget) was a skirmish between Norwegian demonstrators and forces of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway that that took place in Christiania (now Oslo
, Norway
) in the evening of 17 May 1829.
The demonstrators were participating in the annual celebration
of the Constitution of Norway
, which was outlawed by Charles XIV John of Sweden
, King of Sweden and Norway, the previous year. The intervention by police and troops roused civic outrage in Norway, and forced Charles XIV to lift the prohibition.
, Denmark ceded Norway to the King of Sweden (significantly, not the Kingdom of Sweden) in the Treaty of Kiel
signed in January 1814. When this became known to Norwegians, it provoked additional support for an independent Norway. Prince Christian Frederik of Denmark, and viceroy in Norway, was elected on 17 May 1814 as King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly under a new constitution.
However, the Treaty of Kiel ultimately prevailed. Frederik was unable to secure international support, which was in support of the treaty. In a short war with Sweden in July and August 1814, Crown Prince Carl John of Sweden, and later King Charles XIV John of Sweden, defeated the Norwegians and ousted Frederik. Carl John's generous peace terms recognized the Norwegian constitution, requiring only those sections which prevented a personal union
with Sweden to be modified. On August 30, King Charles XIII of Sweden
(known as Charles II in Norway) was proclaimed the ruler of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway.
Charles XIII died on 5 February 1818 and was succeeded by Carl John, as Charles XIV John of Sweden and Charles III John of Norway. While he had agreed to allow the Norwegians to keep their constitution, Charles XIV John disapproved of the annual celebrations; he believed they were more in honour of the deposed Christian Frederik rather than himself as King of Norway. Charles XIV John made it a point to attend the celebrations in Christiania, until 1828 when be forbade the celebrations altogether.
. Government authorities learned that the steamer The Constitution was scheduled to land at Christiania at 6 PM on the 17th. An attempt to sabotage the symbolically-named ship, and prevent it from serving as a potential nationalistic flashpoint at Christiania, failed; the ship arrived on schedule.
At the time, the steamers The Constitution and Prince Carl were sources of national pride in Norway.
May 17 was a bright cloudless Sunday in Christiania. The arriving steamer was met by the crowd that customarily gathered to see the ship arrive. However, as feared by the authorities, the ship also served as an outlet for nationalistic fervour. As the ship arrived, the younger boys and gamins began to shout hurrahs; 20-year old Henrik Wergeland
, who had placed himself on the castle's dike, shouted "Long live the Constitution!" This instigated a larger response from the crowd, who spontaneously began singing the anthems from the previously circulated flyers. The crowd then moved to the town square in front of the main church, and remained there during the evening. The square had some heaps of cobblestone waiting to be placed in the streets.
In the Akershus Fortress, Swedish viceroy
von Platen
and Baron Wedel-Jarlsberg, commander of military forces, sought a legal justification to disperse the crowd lest a riot ensue. They settled on the Riot Act of 1685 which prohibited revolt. The chief of police was sent to the square to read the relevant clauses of the Riot Act and order the crowd to disperse, but he had inadequate stature and was largely ignored. Wedel-Jarlsberg then ordered cavalry into the square; some people were ridden down and the terror-stricken remainder fled to the cobblestone heaps and into stairways. The cavalry were joined by light infantry who began beating demonstrators with rifles. Wergeland was beaten flat by a cavalry sabre; he considered it a grave insult to his self-made school uniform.
The commotion drew the regular bourgeoisie, and some were severely beaten as well. One attorney was unable to stand for two weeks afterwards.
s, whom they toasted to, and speeches.
Wergeland sent an accusatory letter to the police department for the treatment of his uniform; the style of writing was such that it was reportedly received with some amusement. Wergeland's subsequent questioning made him a public hero and figure for the national day. He hinted that the Baron had not been entirely sober that day; the quotation was omitted from the record but remembered by Wergeland's cousin, who was present. Most famously, when asked to state his age, Wergeland replied, "I am six years older than the Norwegian Constitution. I hope the present gentlemen remember when that constitution was written." This line in particular gave Wergeland the honour of "initiating the day".
Around Norway there was great anger toward the Swedes and the governor in particular. It became a matter of heated discussion in Norwegian newspapers for a year afterwards. To defuse the tensions, King Charles XIV John agreed to lift the prohibition on constitutional celebrations on May 17.
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) in the evening of 17 May 1829.
The demonstrators were participating in the annual celebration
Norwegian Constitution Day
Norwegian Constitution Day is the National Day of Norway and is an official national holiday observed on May 17 each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to simply as syttende mai or syttande mai , Nasjonaldagen or Grunnlovsdagen , although the latter is less frequent.- Historical...
of the Constitution of Norway
Constitution of Norway
The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll , then signed and dated May 17...
, which was outlawed by Charles XIV John of Sweden
Charles XIV John of Sweden
Charles XIV & III John, also Carl John, Swedish and Norwegian: Karl Johan was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
, King of Sweden and Norway, the previous year. The intervention by police and troops roused civic outrage in Norway, and forced Charles XIV to lift the prohibition.
The Union of Sweden and Norway
In the aftermath of the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Denmark ceded Norway to the King of Sweden (significantly, not the Kingdom of Sweden) in the Treaty of Kiel
Treaty of Kiel
The Treaty of Kiel or Peace of Kiel was concluded between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Kingdom of Sweden on one side and the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway on the other side on 14 January 1814 in Kiel...
signed in January 1814. When this became known to Norwegians, it provoked additional support for an independent Norway. Prince Christian Frederik of Denmark, and viceroy in Norway, was elected on 17 May 1814 as King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly under a new constitution.
However, the Treaty of Kiel ultimately prevailed. Frederik was unable to secure international support, which was in support of the treaty. In a short war with Sweden in July and August 1814, Crown Prince Carl John of Sweden, and later King Charles XIV John of Sweden, defeated the Norwegians and ousted Frederik. Carl John's generous peace terms recognized the Norwegian constitution, requiring only those sections which prevented a personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
with Sweden to be modified. On August 30, King Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII & II also Carl, , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
(known as Charles II in Norway) was proclaimed the ruler of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway.
Charles XIII died on 5 February 1818 and was succeeded by Carl John, as Charles XIV John of Sweden and Charles III John of Norway. While he had agreed to allow the Norwegians to keep their constitution, Charles XIV John disapproved of the annual celebrations; he believed they were more in honour of the deposed Christian Frederik rather than himself as King of Norway. Charles XIV John made it a point to attend the celebrations in Christiania, until 1828 when be forbade the celebrations altogether.
Lead up to the celebrations of 1829
Despite the ban, illegal flyers national anthems and slogans began circulating weeks before 17 May 1829. These were noticed by the Christiania police and forces stationed in the Akershus FortressAkershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
. Government authorities learned that the steamer The Constitution was scheduled to land at Christiania at 6 PM on the 17th. An attempt to sabotage the symbolically-named ship, and prevent it from serving as a potential nationalistic flashpoint at Christiania, failed; the ship arrived on schedule.
At the time, the steamers The Constitution and Prince Carl were sources of national pride in Norway.
May 17 was a bright cloudless Sunday in Christiania. The arriving steamer was met by the crowd that customarily gathered to see the ship arrive. However, as feared by the authorities, the ship also served as an outlet for nationalistic fervour. As the ship arrived, the younger boys and gamins began to shout hurrahs; 20-year old Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist...
, who had placed himself on the castle's dike, shouted "Long live the Constitution!" This instigated a larger response from the crowd, who spontaneously began singing the anthems from the previously circulated flyers. The crowd then moved to the town square in front of the main church, and remained there during the evening. The square had some heaps of cobblestone waiting to be placed in the streets.
Intervention
The Christiania police department consisted of a superior constable, two deputies and nine regular policemen. Twelve men were normally sufficient for a town of that size, but was inadequate for the developing situation. After summoning civil reinforcements, the police quietly requested the gathering to disperse, but people were curious and refused to leave. A drunken man, wearing a hat with the inscription "Long live May 17th" was brought in for questioning, but was eventually released because he was unable to explain himself. The civil reinforcements began joining the crowd.In the Akershus Fortress, Swedish viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
von Platen
Baltzar von Platen (1766-1829)
Count Baltzar Bogislaus von Platen was a Swedish naval officer and statesman. He was born on the island of Rügen to Filip Julius Bernhard von Platen, Field Marshal and the Swedish Governor General of Pomerania, and Regina Juliana von Usedom.-Swedish Navy:At age 13 Baltzar entered the Royal...
and Baron Wedel-Jarlsberg, commander of military forces, sought a legal justification to disperse the crowd lest a riot ensue. They settled on the Riot Act of 1685 which prohibited revolt. The chief of police was sent to the square to read the relevant clauses of the Riot Act and order the crowd to disperse, but he had inadequate stature and was largely ignored. Wedel-Jarlsberg then ordered cavalry into the square; some people were ridden down and the terror-stricken remainder fled to the cobblestone heaps and into stairways. The cavalry were joined by light infantry who began beating demonstrators with rifles. Wergeland was beaten flat by a cavalry sabre; he considered it a grave insult to his self-made school uniform.
The commotion drew the regular bourgeoisie, and some were severely beaten as well. One attorney was unable to stand for two weeks afterwards.
Aftermath
Several people were brought in for questioning. They had to account for songs, toastToast
Toast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
s, whom they toasted to, and speeches.
Wergeland sent an accusatory letter to the police department for the treatment of his uniform; the style of writing was such that it was reportedly received with some amusement. Wergeland's subsequent questioning made him a public hero and figure for the national day. He hinted that the Baron had not been entirely sober that day; the quotation was omitted from the record but remembered by Wergeland's cousin, who was present. Most famously, when asked to state his age, Wergeland replied, "I am six years older than the Norwegian Constitution. I hope the present gentlemen remember when that constitution was written." This line in particular gave Wergeland the honour of "initiating the day".
Around Norway there was great anger toward the Swedes and the governor in particular. It became a matter of heated discussion in Norwegian newspapers for a year afterwards. To defuse the tensions, King Charles XIV John agreed to lift the prohibition on constitutional celebrations on May 17.