Foto: Rebecca J Five Bergstrøm
By: Rebecca J. Five Bergstrøm
Academic Librarian, Law Library, University of Oslo.
Member of the IALL Board of Directors
The 17th of May is a festive day in Norway, where one of the main happenings are the children’s parades in every city and village, flags waving enthusiastically, and the joyful cheers of “hipp, hipp, hurra! It is also said that this is the one day of the year where you can eat all the ice cream you want! (Sometimes to us parents’ despair) In Oslo, a central part of the festivities involves the Royal Family greeting the children’s parade from the palace balcony, a cherished tradition initiated by King Haakon and Queen Maud.[1]
Beyond the festive parades and traditions, the 17th of May marks a key point in Norwegian history: the adoption of the Constitution. The Norwegian Constitution was drawn up and signed at Eidsvoll in 1814. It was adopted on 16th May and signed the following day, the 17th of May.
The 1814 Constitution was remarkably liberal for its era.[2] Inspired by foreign models, with the American Constitution being the most influential, along with the French Constitution of 1791. Key principles enshrined included the sovereignty of the people, the separation of powers, and the freedom of the individual.[3]
Norway’s Constitution holds a distinguished place in constitutional history; it is the second oldest, still-existing, written constitution in the world, surpassed only by the Constitution of the United States.[4] It has not remained static but has been frequently amended.
First revision was already in November 1814, due to the Union with Sweden, accommodating that Norway was united with Sweden under one King. Revisions related to the Swedish union was removed 18th of November 1905 after the dissolution of the union.[5] Other significant amendments were made in 2014, marking its bicentenary. On 6th May 2014, a full language revision was adopted, resulting in two equal official language versions: Bokmål and Nynorsk.[6] Previously, the language was based on a conservative norm from 1903. A week later, on 13th May 2014, several human rights were constitutionalised in a new Chapter E. This included the principle that all people are equal under the law and should not be subject to unfair treatment.
For further reading, sources suggest titles such as:
Norway’s Constitution in a Comparative Perspective
The impact of the US constitution on the Norwegian constitution and on emigration to America
Writing Democracy: The Norwegian Constitution 1814-2014 on JSTOR
Judicial Review in Norway – Judicial Review in Norway
I hope this provides a brief insight into Norwegian Constitution and the significance of the 17th of May!
[1] Barnetogets historie – Det norske kongehus
[2] poster-english297x420mm-uten-kuttemerker.pdf
[4] Norway’s Constitution in a Comparative Perspective
[5] novembergrunnloven – Store norske leksikon
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