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106-643: The Norwegian Lutheran minister Hans Egede established the company with $ 9,000 in capital from the Bergen merchants, $ 200 from the Danish-Norwegian king Frederick IV , and a $ 300 annual grant from the Royal Mission College . The merchants hoped to find easily accessible mineral wealth or at least a Norwegian-like environment for agricultural production. Aid from the Mission College was aimed at spreading

212-598: A calculation (made every eight years) based on their population density. Those members are elected by proportional representation . No party may have a seat unless it wins at least four percent of the vote nationwide. The other 19 members are elected by each constituency at large, one for each constituency. No-one may be a member of the Storting unless they are eligible to vote. Judges of the Supreme Court and most government officials are not eligible for membership. The members of

318-499: A completely new modern Nynorsk version. The Nynorsk version was compiled by a committee headed by professor Hans Petter Graver . These are based on propositions 21, 22 and 25. Before this, the official name of the Kingdom of Norway ( Bokmål : Kongeriket Norge , Nynorsk : Kongeriket Noreg ) would have been "Kongeriget Norge", as in the modern Danish form if taken literally from the old constitution. The Norwegian constitution has

424-604: A fear of antagonizing the Dutch. Departing Bergen on 2 May 1721, Egede led the Haabet and two other boats to Baal's River (the modern Nuup Kangerlua) and, on 3 July, established Hope Colony ( Haabets Colonie ) on the Island of Hope ( Haabet Oe , modern Kangeq ) with his family and a few dozen colonists. His settlers were devastated by scurvy and most of the colonists returned home as quickly as they could; only Egede, his family, and

530-467: A few others remained to welcome two supply ships in 1722. Egede's (now ship-borne) explorations found no Norse survivors along the western shore and future work was hampered by the two mistaken beliefs – both prevalent at the time – that the Eastern Settlement would be located on Greenland's east coast (it was later established it had been among the fjords of the island's extreme southwest) and that

636-612: A few years later enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral . The cathedral with its shrine to St. Olav became the major Nordic place of pilgrimage until the Lutheran reformation in 1537. The whereabouts of Saint Olaf's grave have been unknown since 1568. Saint Olaf is traditionally regarded as being responsible for the final conversion of Norway to Christianity, and is still seen as Norway's patron saint and "eternal king" ( Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae ). The Nordic churches were initially subordinate to

742-598: A fortress for the colony in 1728, but this new settlement of Good Hope (Godthaab) also failed due to scurvy and the group was recalled in 1730. Subsequent corporate-led administrations of Greenland learned from the Bergen Company's failure and received both trading monopolies over the island and enough naval support to generally maintain them. Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( Bokmål : Den norske kirke , Nynorsk : Den norske kyrkja , Northern Sami : Norgga girku , Southern Sami : Nöörjen gærhkoe )

848-598: A number of large Christian organizations were created; they still serve as a "second line" in Church structure. The most notable of these are the Norwegian Missionary Society and the Norwegian Lutheran Mission . During World War II , after Vidkun Quisling became Minister President of Norway and introduced a number of controversial measures such as state-controlled education, the church's bishops and

954-517: A parent and child may not be members at the same time. The Storting may pass a vote of no confidence in any member or in the whole Council, at which point the member or members must resign. The heir to the throne, if over 18, has a seat in the Council but no vote. If the King is absent from the realm or is too ill to carry out his duties, then the heir to the throne (if over 18) may act in his place; afterwards he

1060-455: A person (not a member) to supervise the public administration. The Storting has the power to naturalise aliens. Any member of the Storting or member of the Council of State may propose a bill. To become law, a bill must be debated twice, with at least three days between each debate, and then presented to the King for his assent. If the Kings signs it, it becomes law (and it is then published under

1166-473: A person to end membership in the Church of Norway. The Dissenter Act ( Lov angaaende dem, der bekjende sig til den christelige Religion, uden at være medlemmer af Statskirken ) was approved by the Storting on 16 July 1845 to allow the establishment of alternative religious (Christian) bodies. This act was replaced in 1969 by Lov om trudomssamfunn og ymist anna . Until 2012, the constitutional head of

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1272-525: A political tool to control the government during the 19th century, but no impeachments had been made since 1927. A parliamentary report and a proposition for constitutional amendment was presented in 2004 to change the legal basis of the High Court of the Realm and reduce its political bias. The proposal was passed by a unanimous Storting on 20 February 2007, and came into effect in 2009. The new court of impeachment

1378-562: A provost are known as provostship priest ( prostiprest ). All priests were appointed by the King-in-Council until the late 20th century and thus held the status of embetsmann (higher civil servant appointed by the King). Prior to 2000 ordination required the theological civil servant examination ( cand.theol. ) that required six years of university studies, but from 2000 other equivalent degrees may also be accepted for certain applicants over

1484-462: A relic from the earlier laws of Denmark–Norway , Article 2 in the constitution originally read, "The Evangelical-Lutheran religion remains the public religion of the State. Those inhabitants, who confess thereto, are bound to raise their children to the same. Jesuits and monastic orders are not permitted. Jews are still prohibited from entry to the Realm." In 1851, the last sentence was struck out after

1590-587: A sovereign state throughout spring and early summer of 1814. After failing to secure the support of the United Kingdom , war with Sweden became unavoidable. The Swedish Campaign against Norway was short and decisive. However, while badly trained and equipped, the Norwegian Army put up a determined fight, holding the Swedes back at Kongsvinger and securing a tactical victory at the battle of Langnes . This enabled

1696-578: A strait existed nearby communicating with the western half of the island. In fact, his 1723 expedition found the churches and ruins of the Eastern Settlement, but he considered them to be those of the Western . At the end of the year, having found no Norse survivors after months of searching, he turned north to establish a whaling station on Nipisat Island and begin a mission among the Inuit . The whaling station

1802-657: A version written in English, provided by the Storting . 17 May, the date of the signing of the constitution, is celebrated as Norwegian Constitution Day with the school children's flag parades. In the capital Oslo, the parade passes the Royal Palace where thousands of schoolchildren wave to the King and Queen . A notable feature of the Norwegian Constitution Day celebration is the virtual absence of any military parades,

1908-491: A year, is the highest representative body of the church. It consists of 85 representatives, of whom seven or eight are sent from each of the dioceses. Of these, four are lay members appointed by the congregations; one is a lay member appointed by church employees; one is a member appointed by the clergy; and the bishop. In addition, one representative from the Sami community in each of the three northernmost dioceses, representatives from

2014-810: Is a member of Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe , having signed the Leuenberg Agreement with other Lutheran and Reformed churches in 1973. It is also a member of the Porvoo Communion with 12 other churches, among them, the Anglican churches of Europe. It has also signed some other ecumenical texts, including the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church and

2120-454: Is a member, automatically become members. This has been controversial, because many become members without knowing, and this favours the Church of Norway over other churches. This law remained unchanged even after the separation of church and state in 2012. In 2000, the Church of Norway appointed the first openly partnered gay priest. In 2007, a majority in the general synod voted in favour of accepting people living in same-sex relations into

2226-449: Is accountable for his actions to the King and to the Storting. If the heir is under 18 then the Council exercises the King's powers. The King may pass temporary ordinances about commerce, customs, "all livelihoods" and public administration. These remain in force until the next Storting. The King in Council may pardon criminals after they have been sentenced, except in cases of impeachment . In proceedings on impeachment, he may not pardon

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2332-612: Is also the second oldest working national constitution in the world, after the Constitution of the United States . In May 2014, the Storting passed the most substantial changes since 1814, particularly by including paragraphs on human rights. Until 1814, Norway was part of the Kingdom of Denmark–Norway . Following the defeat of Napoleon's troops at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813,

2438-605: Is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway . The church became the state church of Norway around 1020, and was established as a separate church intimately integrated with the state as a result of the Lutheran reformation in Denmark–Norway which broke ties with the Holy See in 1536–1537; the King of Norway was

2544-484: Is composed of five regular Supreme Court of Norway judges and six lay judges appointed by the Storting. In May 2012, parliament passed a constitutional amendment, for the second time, to separate church and state. This formally made Norway a secular country with no official religion, although the Church of Norway is still mentioned in the Constitution. Article 12 in the constitution, which stated that more than half of

2650-449: Is retained", On 27 May 2016 Stortinget ( Parliament of Norway ) approved a new legislative act to establish the Church of Norway as an independent legal entity rather than a branch of the civil service, and the law took effect on 1 January 2017. The church remains state funded. Until 1845 the Church of Norway was the only legal religious organization in Norway and it was not possible for

2756-570: The Book of Concord: Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church presented in 1580. All Evangelical Lutheran clergy (bishops, priests/pastors, deacons and other ministers) along with the teaching in classes for the Rite of Confirmation for young people and those considering full adult membership are required to read and understand with clergy swearing faithfulness at their ordination . The church

2862-830: The Archbishop of Bremen , until the Nordic Archdiocese of Lund was established in 1103. The separate Norwegian Archdiocese of Nidaros (in today's Trondheim ) was created in 1152, and by the end of the 12th century covered all of Norway , parts of present Sweden , Iceland , Greenland , the Isle of Man , the Orkney Islands , the Shetland Islands , the Faroe Islands and the Hebrides . Another site of medieval pilgrimage in Norway

2968-494: The Constitutional Committee , was the assembly's resident expert on foreign constitutions, and played an important part in shaping the language of the constitution. Diriks is credited with formulating §100, concerning freedom of speech , and §102, guarding against unreasonable searches and seizures . The constitution shows a curious mix of radical and traditional values. The principle of separation of powers between

3074-782: The Evangelical Lutheran tradition of Western Christian faith, with its foundation on the Bible ' s Old and New Testaments and occasionally including the Apocrapha , along with the three historic creeds of faith in the Apostles' , Nicene , and Athanasian Creeds , Luther's Small Catechism , Luther's Large Catechism , the Smalcald Articles and the Augsburg Confession of 1530, along with several other seminal documents in

3180-591: The French Revolution in 1789, and the subsequent U.S. and French constitutions. The authors, Christian Magnus Falsen and Johan Gunder Adler , were also influenced by the Spanish Constitution of 1812 . A deviation from the republican constitutions of France and the United States was the retention of monarchy . Importing republicanism was seen as an attempt to emulate the French and Americans directly, something

3286-584: The Holy See , around two decades after the start of the Protestant Reformation . It later resulted in the separation of the Catholic Church dioceses in Norway and throughout Scandinavia and establishment of a state church intimately integrated with the state and completely subject to royal authority, with the King as Head of the Church on Earth instead of the Pope/Bishop of Rome. This action followed

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3392-448: The Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Bishop Munib Younan in the city of Lund , Sweden , in 2016. As of 2017 the church is legally independent of the government. According to the constitution it serves as the "people's church" in the Kingdom of Norway . Until 1969, the church's name for administrative purposes was simply the "State Church" or sometimes just "the Church", whereas

3498-526: The Reformation among the long-lost Norsemen, who were presumed to still be Catholic or to have lapsed from Christianity altogether. The company was granted broad powers to govern the peninsula (as it was then considered to be), to raise its own army and navy, to collect taxes, and to administer justice; the king and his council, however, refused to grant it monopoly rights to whaling and trade in Greenland out of

3604-545: The Sami Church Council is responsible for the Church of Norway's work among the country's indigenous Sami people. The Bishops' Conference of the Church of Norway convenes three times a year, and consists of the twelve bishops in the church (the 11 diocesan bishops and the Preses ). It issues opinions on various issues related to church life and theological matters. The church also convenes committees and councils both at

3710-518: The Treaty of Kiel of January 1814 ceded Norway to Sweden. In response, the Crown Prince of Denmark–Norway and resident viceroy in Norway, Christian Frederik , started a Norwegian independence movement . The most likely goal of the young Crown Prince was reunification with Denmark. His initiative was successful, and a national assembly at Eidsvoll was called. The assembled representatives were elected by

3816-445: The 1970s. In 1814 and 1903, the word Lappish ( lappisk ) would have been used. In February 2006, a constitutional amendment was aimed at reverting 16 minor spelling errors to the proper 1903 forms. Different approaches to revise the language throughout the document were suggested: In 2014, when the language in the constitution was officially revised they went with the first approach, which produced an updated Bokmål version and

3922-409: The 2012 constitutional reform. Each parish has an autonomous administration. The state itself does not administer church buildings; buildings and adjacent land instead belong to the parish as an independent public institution. The Minister of Church Affairs, Trond Giske , was responsible for proposing the 2012 amendments, explaining that "the state church is retained". An act approved in 2016 created

4028-415: The Church of Norway as an independent legal entity, effective from 1 January 2017. The church has an episcopal-synodal structure, with 1,284 parishes, 106 deaneries, 11 dioceses and, since 2 October 2011, one area under the supervision of the Preses . The dioceses are, according to the rank of the five historic sees and then according to age: The General Synod of the Church of Norway, which convenes once

4134-515: The Church of Norway increased autonomy, and states that "the Church of Norway, an Evangelical-Lutheran church, remains Norway's people's church, and is supported by the State as such" ('people's church' or folkekirke is also the name of the Danish state church , Folkekirken ), replacing the earlier expression which stated that "the Evangelical-Lutheran religion remains the public religion of

4240-462: The Church of Norway voted to allow same-sex marriages . The decision was ratified on 11 April 2016. The first same-sex marriage ceremony in the church occurred on 1 February 2017 just after midnight. On 21 May 2012, the Norwegian Parliament passed a constitutional amendment for the second time (such amendments must be passed twice in separate parliaments to come into effect) that granted

4346-484: The Church of Norway was a church free of the State. Since World War II, a number of structural changes have taken place within the Church of Norway, mostly to institutionalize lay participation in the life of the church. Norwegians are registered at baptism as members of the Church of Norway, and many remain members, using services such as baptism , confirmation , marriage and burial, rites which still have cultural standing in Norway. 68.7% of Norwegians were members of

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4452-407: The Church of Norway. The church is led by ordained priests , traditionally and primarily divided into the ranks chaplain , parish priest ( sogneprest ) who was traditionally the head of a parish ( prestegjeld ; literally area that owes allegiance to a priest), provost ( prost ) and bishop . Today more priests may hold the title parish priest, while some priests who work directly under

4558-580: The Church of Norway. The Church of Norway does not own church buildings, which are instead owned by the parish and maintained by the municipality. The focus of church life is the Sunday Communion and other services, most commonly celebrated at 11:00 a.m. The liturgy is similar to that in use in the Roman Catholic Church. The language is entirely Norwegian, apart from the Kyrie Eleison , and

4664-408: The Constitution states that the church is to be Evangelical-Lutheran. After the changes in 1997 and 2012, until the change in 2017, all clergy remained civil servants (state employees), and the central and regional church administrations remained a part of the state administration. The Church of Norway is regulated by its own law ( kirkeloven ) and all municipalities are required by law to support

4770-422: The Council of State are not members of the Storting, but have the right to attend and take part on debate (but not to vote). Members of the Storting are privileged from arrest during their attendance and while travelling to and from the Storting, "unless they are apprehended in public crimes." They are not accountable for the opinions they express in the Storting. The Storting shall meet in the capital every year on

4876-522: The Council's permission, otherwise he automatically forfeits the Crown. It sets out the line of succession , and provides that if the line of succession dies out then the Storting shall elect a new king. It sets out the King's coronation oath. Executive power is vested in the King, but the government is conducted in his name by a Council of State, and all of his decisions must be counter-signed by an official. The Council consists of at least eight members chosen by

4982-584: The King to avoid an unconditional surrender as he was forced into negotiations with the Swedes, leading to the Convention of Moss . Putting the strategic situation and his own abdication to good use, he persuaded the Swedish crown prince Carl Johan (the former Marshal Bernadotte of France) to let the Norwegians keep their constitution. The Swedish crown prince could have named his terms to Norway, but wanted to appease

5088-407: The King, came increasingly to rest in his Council of State ( statsråd ). Similarly, the King originally had the right to appoint members of the Council, who were answerable to him alone, and they could not be chosen from the members of the Storting . With the establishment of parliamentarism in 1884, the Council was effectively chosen by general election, in that the King appointed only members of

5194-467: The King, including the Prime Minister. Members must be Norwegian citizens who are eligible to vote. More than half the members must be present to conduct business, but if not enough members are present then temporary members may be appointed. In the event of a tied vote, the Prime Minister or, in his absence, the Council's highest-ranking member, has a second and casting vote. Two spouses, two siblings, or

5300-455: The Lutherans, Presbyterians, Reformed, Methodists, etc. Until the modern era, the Church of Norway was not only a religious organisation but also one of the most important instruments of royal power and official authority, and an important part of the state administration, especially at the local and regional levels. The church professes to be "truly Catholic, truly Reformed, truly Evangelical" in

5406-546: The Netherlands (now in Belgium). Catholic priests were persecuted, monastic orders were suppressed, and the crown took over church property, while some churches were plundered and abandoned, even destroyed. Bishops (initially called superintendents ) were appointed by the king. This brought forth tight integration between church and state. After the introduction of absolute monarchy in 1660 all clerics were civil servants appointed by

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5512-512: The Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland had campaigned for the rights of the Jews, and in 1897 also the next to last sentence. Monastic orders were permitted 1897, but the ban on Jesuits was only lifted in 1956. Universal male suffrage was introduced in Norway in 1898 and universal suffrage in 1913 by amendments of the constitution. Some constitutional scholars hold that it may be necessary to change

5618-419: The Norwegians and avoid a bloody continuation of the war. Realizing that a forced union with himself as ruler of a conquered and hostile country would be very uneasy, he accepted the Norwegian proposition. Norway then entered into a personal union with Sweden, and the constitution was amended as necessary to form the Union between Sweden and Norway . Notably, while Norway was to keep most of its own institution,

5724-405: The Prime Minister and other members of the Council, and other senior government and military officials. He may appoint his own household officials at his own discretion. He may honour people for distinguished service, but not grant hereditary privileges. The armed forces may not be deployed outside the realm, nor may foreign forces be allowed into the realm (except to defend it from attack), without

5830-419: The Reformation until 2017, when the church became a legal entity separate from the state administration. The Church of Norway is mentioned specifically in the 1814 constitution and is subject to the Church Act. Municipalities are required by law to support activities of parishes and to maintain church buildings and church yards. Other religious communities are entitled to the same level of government subsidies as

5936-417: The Seal of the Realm). The King may veto a bill, but his veto may be overridden if the bill is passed in the same form by the next elected Storting. Article 85 states that "Any person who obeys an order the purpose of which is to disturb the liberty and security of the Storting is thereby guilty of treason against the country." Chapter D (Articles 86 to 91) vests the judicial power in a Supreme Court and

6042-409: The State." The constitution also says that Norway's values are based on its Christian and humanist heritage, and according to the Constitution, the king is required to be Lutheran. The government still provides funding for the church as it does with other faith-based institutions, but the responsibility for appointing bishops and provosts now rests with the church instead of the government. Prior to 1997,

6148-410: The Storting's consent. A prince or princess may not marry without the King's consent; contravention of that rule disqualifies them from succession to the throne. They "shall not be personally answerable to anyone other than the King" or a person delegated by him. Article 16 says that the Church of Norway is the Established Church, "and will as such be supported by the State." However it also guarantees

6254-419: The activities of the Church of Norway and municipal authorities are represented in its local bodies. The amendment was a result of a compromise from 2008. Minister of Church Affairs Trond Giske then emphasized that the Church of Norway remains Norway's state church , stating that "the state church is retained. Neither the Labour Party nor the Centre Party had a mandate to agree to separate church and state." Of

6360-454: The age of 35 with relevant experience. Norway was gradually Christianized beginning at the end of the Early Middle Ages and was part of Western Christianity , acknowledging papal authority until the 16th century. The Roman Catholic Church exercised a significant degree of sovereignty in Norway and essentially shared power with the King of Norway as the secular ruler. The Lutheran reformation in Denmark–Norway in 1536–1537 broke ties with

6466-448: The appointments of parish priests and residing chaplains was also the responsibility of the government, but the church was granted the right to hire such clergy directly with the new Church Law of 1997. The 2012 amendment implies that the church's own governing bodies, rather than the Council of State , appoints bishops. The government and the parliament no longer have an oversight function with regard to day-to-day doctrinal issues, although

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6572-411: The church as the country's " people's church " and requires the King of Norway to be a member. It is by far the largest church in Norway; until the mid 19th century the state church had a near-total monopoly on religion in Norway. It was the only legal church in Norway, membership was mandatory for every person residing in the kingdom and it was forbidden for anyone other than the official priests of

6678-426: The church very much under the control of the elected body. Suffrage was extended, but was still restricted to certain groups of men. All men who were either farmers possessing their own land, civil servants, or urban property owners could vote. With this, about half of all Norwegian men were granted the right to vote. The young king and Norwegian officials tried to find international backing for their bid for Norway as

6784-517: The church was the King of Norway , who is obliged to profess himself a Lutheran. After the constitutional amendment of 21 May 2012, the church is self-governed with regard to doctrinal issues and appointment of clergy. The Church of Norway was subject to legislation, including its budgets, passed by the Storting, and its central administrative functions were carried out by the Royal Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs until 2017. Bishops and priests were civil servants also after

6890-461: The church's head from 1537 to 2012. Historically the church was one of the main instruments of royal power and official authority, and an important part of the state administration; local government was based on the church's parishes with significant official responsibility held by the parish priest. In the 19th and 20th centuries it gradually ceded most administrative functions to the secular civil service. The modern Constitution of Norway describes

6996-412: The concept a King by the will of the people. The union amendments were revoked after the dissolution of the 91-year union in 1905. The question of a King was again considered, and the Storting elected to offer the throne to the 33-year-old Prince Carl of Denmark, married to Princess Maud of Wales , the daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. By bringing in a king with British royal ties, it

7102-451: The congregations of the state church and by military units throughout Norway. They convened at the Eidsvoll manor on 10 April. The constitution was written during five weeks of the spring of 1814. It was ratified by the assembly on 16 May, and signed the following day. The latter date is now celebrated as the Norwegian Constitution Day . The Norwegian constitution was inspired by the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 and

7208-438: The constitution described it as the "Evangelical-Lutheran Church". A constitutional amendment of 21 May 2012 designates the church as "Norway's people's church" ( Norges Folkekirke ), with a new provision that is almost a verbatim copy of the provision for the Danish state church ( folkekirken ) in the Constitution of Denmark ; the Minister of Church Affairs Trond Giske stressed that the reform meant that "the state church

7314-405: The constitution if Norway is to enter the European Union , as the first article states that Norway is a "free, independent" country. However, the debate on the EU has been relatively quiescent since the referendum in 1994, so such a change is not likely to occur in the immediate future. The Norwegian High Court of the Realm is warranted by the constitution and was frequently used by the Storting as

7420-405: The constitution was written, a chapter on human rights was added as well as being rewritten into modern Bokmål and Nynorsk . The events and the constitution of 1814 have a central place in Norwegian identity. For this reason, and to keep the text as consistent as possible, changes prior to the language revision in 2014 were written in a language close to the original. In 1814, Danish was still

7526-430: The day being almost wholly a civilian celebration. Each autumn the Storting is formally opened by the King. In an election year, the session starts with representatives for each county being formally recognised as the lawful representatives. This happens every fourth year (the Norwegian Constitution does not allow for intra-period snap elections ). After the session is opened and a secretary and president are elected for

7632-572: The debate, the youngest member of the cabinet reads The Report on the State of the Realm. The current text of the Constitution (as amended in May 2018) consists of 121 articles, grouped into chapters A to F. Chapter A consists of Articles 1 and 2, which state that Norway is "a free, independent, indivisible and inalienable realm" with "a limited and hereditary monarchy." The state's values are its "Christian and humanist heritage," democracy and "the rule of law and human rights." The mention of humanist values

7738-416: The defendant unless the Storting consents. (He may commute a death sentence without the Storting's consent, but the death penalty is now prohibited by Article 93.) The King is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and he appoints all civil and military officers, after consulting the Council. Royal princes and princesses are disqualified from holding office. The King may, after consulting the Council, dismiss

7844-508: The example set earlier in the reformation of the Church of England (Anglican Church) that was begun by the intense political action and requests for an annulment by King Henry VIII . This was followed in later centuries by a worldwide movement of the Anglican Communion which later recognized in the 20th and 21st century and declared intercommunion with several other denominations such as

7950-469: The executive, legislative and judicial branches was directly inspired by radical ideas from the US and French systems. The retention of a king, a constitutional church , defined as Evangelical-Lutheran, and the banning of Jesuits , monastic orders, and Jews, which latter were not allowed to travel to Norway, in the face of Republicanism was a traditionalist move; however, the king's power was severely curtailed, and

8056-399: The first weekday of October, unless the King designates another town due to an emergency. The King may also summon the Storting at other times if necessary. Each new Storting is opened by the King, or a person delegated by him, who makes a speech about the state of the realm. The Storting meets in open session, and its decisions are published, unless it decides otherwise. The Storting appoints

8162-595: The government parties, the Labour Party and the Centre Party supported a continued state church, while only the Socialist Left Party preferred a separation of church and state, although all parties eventually voted for the 2008 compromise. The final amendment passed by a vote of 162–3. The three dissenting votes, Lundteigen , Ramsøy , and Toppe , were all from the Centre Party . Though still supported by

8268-670: The king, but theological issues were left to the hierarchy of bishops and other clergy. When Norway regained national independence from Denmark in 1814, the Norwegian Constitution recognized the Lutheran church as the state church. The pietism movement in Norway (embodied to a great extent by the Haugean movement fostered by Hans Nielsen Hauge ) has served to reduce the distance between laity and clergy in Norway. In 1842, lay congregational meetings were accepted in church life, though initially with limited influence. In following years,

8374-399: The language of the 1903 version, leading to peculiar constructions. The word environment was written with the archaic spelling Milieu , differing from modern Norwegian and Danish miljø ; the modern context of that word was, however, non-existent in the 19th century. The " Sami ethnic group" was " den samiske Folkegruppe ", even though the word Sami ( samisk ) was not common until

8480-413: The lawmakers at Eidsvoll sought to avoid. The choice of monarchy as state form would also facilitate the reunification of Denmark–Norway, something the Crown Prince was not alone in seeking. The king's power was however severely curtailed. His absolute veto over laws was removed. The council of Eidsvoll chose Crown Prince Christian Frederik as king . Christian Adolph Diriks , who was the legal secretary of

8586-665: The liturgy for High Mass: (If there is a baptism it together with the Apostles' Creed may take place here or after the Sermon) (If there is no Communion, i.e., the Eucharist , the service concludes with the Lord's Prayer, an optional Offering, the Blessing and a moment of silent prayer) The Church of Norway traces its origins to the introduction of Christianity to Norway in the 9th century. Norway

8692-522: The national level (such as the Doctrinal Commission ( Den norske kirkes lærenemnd ), and at diocesan and local levels, addressing specific issues related to education, ecumenical matters, the Sami minority and youth. There are 1,600 Church of Norway churches and chapels. Parish work is led by a priest and an elected parish council. There are more than 1,200 clergy (in 2007, 21% were women ministers) in

8798-533: The parliament then elected him king. On 13 November, the Norwegian votes decided on monarchy with a 78.9 percent majority, and Carl was elected King by the Storting, taking the regnal name Haakon VII . In 1942, the national socialist Minister President Vidkun Quisling , reintroduced the Jew clause , but the change was reverted after the war. After World War II and the restoration of peace and constitutional rule, there

8904-455: The party or coalition having a majority in the Storting. Further, the Council became answerable to the Storting, in the sense that a failed vote of confidence would cause the government to resign. This last happened in March 2000, when the governing coalition refused introduction of electrical power stations based on natural gas on environmental grounds, which a majority of the Storting supported. As

9010-514: The period, the King addresses the representatives with the Trontale ('Speech from the Throne') in his capacity as formal head of state. The Trontale summarizes the government's program for the coming year, and while delivered by the King, is written by the sitting government. The Trontale is followed by a general debate, where the opposition states their main points for the year to come. Following

9116-437: The persons in the Council of State had to be members of the state church was also repealed. In the run-up for the 200th anniversary for the Constitution, work was done to see if the Constitution could be amended to be more in tune with the times. In December 2011, a Committee appointed by the Storting put forth its report, suggesting that human rights be put in a separate chapter in the Constitution. In 2014, 200 years after

9222-496: The population attends church services or other religious meetings more than once a month. Baptism of infants fell from 96.8% in 1960 to 51.4% in 2019, while the proportion of confirmands fell from 93% in 1960 to 54.4% in 2019. The proportion of weddings to be celebrated in the Church of Norway fell from 85.2% in 1960 to 31.3% in 2019. In 2019 85.5% of all funerals took place in the Church of Norway. A survey conducted by Gallup International in 65 countries in 2005 found that Norway

9328-405: The priesthood. In 2008, the Norwegian Parliament voted to establish same-sex civil marriages, and the bishops allowed prayers for same-sex couples. In 2014, a proposed liturgy for same-sex marriages was rejected by the general synod. This question created much unrest in the Church of Norway and seems to serve as a trigger for conversions to independent congregations and other churches. In 2015,

9434-514: The right of all inhabitants of the realm to freely exercise their own religion. Article 33 states that Norges Bank is the central bank of Norway. Chapter C (Articles 49 to 85) is about the Storting and the rights of citizens. Legislative power is vested in the Storting, which consists of one house containing 169 members, elected every four years in free and secret elections. All Norwegian citizens who are aged 18 or over are eligible to vote. Article 50 guarantees this right to men and women. However

9540-440: The right to vote may be qualified by law in the case of citizens who are resident overseas, mentally ill or in "a reduced level of consciousness," and the right to vote may be lost by convicted criminals (in circumstances prescribed by law) and by citizens who serve in a foreign government without the Norwegian government's consent. There are 19 parliamentary constituencies. 150 seats are apportioned to each constituency according to

9646-400: The singing of hymns accompanied by organ music is central. A priest (often with lay assistants) celebrates the service, wearing an alb and stole . In addition, a chasuble is worn by the priest during the Eucharist and, increasingly, during the whole service. The Church of Norway baptises children, usually infants and usually as part of ordinary Sunday services. This is a summary of

9752-517: The state Church of Norway as of the end of 2019, a 1.2% drop compared to the year before and down about 11% from ten years earlier. However, only 20% of Norwegians say that religion occupies an important place in their life (according to a recent Gallup poll ), making Norway one of the most secular countries of the world (only in Estonia , Sweden and Denmark were the percentages of people who considered religion to be important lower), and only about 3% of

9858-404: The state church to authorise religious meetings. After the adoption of the 1845 Dissenter Act , the state church retained its legally privileged position, while minority religious congregations such as Catholics were allowed to establish themselves in Norway and were legally termed "dissenters" (i.e. from the government-sanctioned Lutheran state religion). Church employees were civil servants from

9964-524: The state of Norway, the church ceased to be the official state religion on 1 January 2017 and its approximately 1250 active clergy ceased to be employed by the Norwegian government on 1 January 2017. Constitution of Norway Bokmål : Kongeriket Norges Grunnlov The Constitution of Norway (complete name: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway ; Danish : Kongeriget Norges Grundlov ; Norwegian Bokmål : Kongeriket Norges Grunnlov ; Norwegian Nynorsk : Kongeriket Noregs Grunnlov )

10070-656: The three theological seminaries, representatives from the youth council. Other members of the national council are also members of the general synod. The national council, the executive body of the synod, is convened five times a year and comprises 15 members, of whom ten are lay members, four are clergy and one is the presiding bishop. It prepares matters for decision-making elsewhere and puts those decisions into effect. The council also has working and ad hoc groups, addressing issues such as church service, education and youth issues. The Council on Ecumenical and International Relations deals with international and ecumenical matters, and

10176-434: The two countries were to share a common monarch and a common foreign policy. On 7 October, an extraordinary session of the Storting convened, and king Christian Frederik delegated his powers to the parliament and abdicated on 10 October. The Storting adopted the constitutional amendments on 4 November and on the same day unanimously elected Charles XIII king of Norway, rather than acknowledging him as such, thus reinforcing

10282-499: The universal written language in Norway. The current two official varieties of written Norwegian, Bokmål and Nynorsk (until 1929 called Riksmål and Landsmål respectively), were not developed until the late 19th century. Additionally, in 1903, the constitution underwent a very slight linguistic revision, changing the spelling of some words where orthography had changed since 1814 but still using conservative 19th century Danish. All amendments prior to 2014 have attempted to imitate

10388-467: The vast majority of the clergy disassociated themselves from the government in the Foundations of the Church ( Kirkens Grunn ) declaration of Easter 1942, stating that they would function only as pastors for their congregations, not as civil servants. The bishops were interned with deposed clergy and theological candidates from 1943, but congregational life continued more or less as usual. For three years

10494-631: Was Christianized as a result of missions from both the British Isles (by Haakon I of Norway and Olaf I of Norway ), and from the Continent (by Ansgar ). It took several hundred years to complete the Christianization, culminating on 29 July 1030 with the Battle of Stiklestad , when King Olaf II of Norway was killed. One year later, on 3 August 1031, he was canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell , and

10600-630: Was adopted on 16 May and signed on 17 May 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll . The latter date is the National Day of Norway ; it marks the establishment of the constitution. It is the fourth oldest written single-document national constitution in Europe after the Constitution of Poland , the French constitution of 1791 , and the Spanish Constitution of 1812 . The document

10706-404: Was hoped that Norway could court Britain's support. Additionally, Prince Carl was related on his father's side to Norway's medieval kings. Prince Carl, however, was well aware of a surge of republicanism in Norway and of the constitutional situation of the Norwegian throne. He insisted that he would accept the crown only if the Norwegian people expressed their will for monarchy by referendum and if

10812-474: Was made due to the popularity of secular humanism in Norway and the importance of secular ethics to millions of Norwegians. Chapter B is about the King (or Queen), the royal family, the Council of State and the Church of Norway . It consists of Articles 3 to 48. It states that the King must "at all times profess the Evangelical-Lutheran religion." He may not leave the state for longer than six months without

10918-419: Was much debate on how to handle the events of the previous five years. None of this led to any changes in the constitution; it had withstood the test of hard times. While radical in its day, the constitution of 1814 was a product of its age. As Norwegian democracy developed, some parts of it began to look increasingly dated. For example, the executive power, which in the constitution is consistently attributed to

11024-405: Was quickly burnt by the Dutch, whose better quality and lower-priced goods made the Bergen Company's trading operations impossible. The mission proved more successful and in 1724 Egede baptized his first child converts. The Bergen Company went bankrupt in 1727. King Frederick attempted to replace it with a royal colony by sending Major Claus Paarss and several dozen soldiers and convicts to erect

11130-541: Was the island of Selja on the northwest coast, with its memories of Saint Sunniva and its three monastery churches with Celtic influence, similar to Skellig Michael . The Reformation in Norway was accomplished by force in 1537 when Christian III of Denmark and Norway declared Lutheranism as the official religion of Norway and Denmark, sending the Roman Catholic archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson , into exile in Lier in

11236-524: Was the least religious among the Western countries surveyed, with only 36% of the population considering themselves religious, 9% considering themselves atheist, and 46% considering themselves "neither religious nor atheist". In spite of the relatively low level of religious practice in Norwegian society, the local clergy often play important social roles outside their spiritual and liturgical responsibilities. By law all children who have at least one parent who

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