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87-512: The Norwegian War Medal was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway by Royal Decree on 23 May 1941 with the addition of the Royal Decree of 13 November 1942. It may be awarded to Norwegian and foreign members of the military who in a meritorious way have participated in the Second World War for Norway . The War Medal may also awarded posthumously to all Norwegians and foreigners who fought in

174-506: A certificate, signed by the king. The medal was first produced at the firm Spink & Son in London . Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII ( Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈhôːkʊn] ; 3 August 1872 – 21 September 1957) was King of Norway from 18 November 1905 until his death in 1957. The future Haakon VII was born in Copenhagen as Prince Carl of Denmark . He

261-477: A committee of the Norwegian government identified several princes of European royal houses as candidates for the vacant Norwegian crown. Although Norway had legally had the status of an independent state since 1814, it had not had its own king since 1387. Gradually, Prince Carl became the leading candidate, largely because he was descended from independent Norwegian kings. He also had a son, providing an heir-apparent to

348-811: A forest cabin in Målselvdalen valley in inner Troms County, where they would stay until evacuation to the United Kingdom. The Allies had a fairly secure hold over northern Norway until late May. The situation was dramatically altered, however, by their deteriorating situation in the Battle of France . With the Germans rapidly overrunning France, the Allied high command decided that the forces in northern Norway should be withdrawn. The royal family and Norwegian government were evacuated from Tromsø on 7 June aboard HMS Devonshire with

435-639: A general of the Norwegian Army . During World War II , Olav stood by his father's side in resisting the German occupation of Norway . During the campaign he was a valuable advisor both to civilian and military leaders. When the Norwegian government decided to go into exile, he offered to stay behind with the Norwegian people, but this was declined. He reluctantly followed his father to the United Kingdom , where he and his staff and servants and aides continued to be

522-518: A government in office against the will of the Storting . Thus, in practice, his role was mostly representative in nature. Nonetheless, like his father before him, he commanded great moral authority as a symbol of the nation's unity. During the summer of 1990, the King suffered from health problems, but recovered somewhat during Christmas the same year. At the age of 87, on 17 January 1991, while residing in

609-470: A great man, just and forceful; a leader in these fatal times to our country. Inspired by Haakon's stand, the government unanimously advised him not to appoint any government headed by Quisling. Within hours, it telephoned its refusal to Bräuer. That night, NRK broadcast the government's rejection of the German demands to the Norwegian people. In that same broadcast, the government announced that it would resist

696-518: A key advisor to the government-in-exile and his father. One source states that Olav helped "to build and lead a free fighting force" and made radio broadcasts" while in England. Olav made several visits to Norwegian and Allied troops in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. In 1944, he was appointed to the post of Norwegian Chief of Defence and after the war he led the Norwegian disarmament of

783-526: A pair of "royal testers" of roughly Olav's age. The car is a battery-powered, one-third size replica on a four-foot wheelbase, and is on permanent loan to the Norsk Teknisk Museum in Oslo. As Crown Prince, Olav had received extensive military training and had participated in most major Norwegian military exercises. Because of this he was perhaps one of the most knowledgeable Norwegian military leaders and

870-597: A practice continued by his son and grandson. Norway was invaded by Nazi Germany in April 1940. Haakon rejected German demands to legitimise the Quisling regime 's puppet government, vowing to abdicate rather than do so. He refused to abdicate after going into exile in Great Britain. As such, he played a pivotal role in uniting the Norwegian nation in its resistance to the invasion and the subsequent five-year-long occupation during

957-800: A show of resistance to the occupation. Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the capitulation of German forces in Europe on 8 May 1945 . After the end of the war, Crown Prince Olav and five government ministers returned to a liberated Norway on 13 May 1945. Haakon and the rest of the Norwegian royal family returned to Norway aboard the cruiser HMS  Norfolk , arriving with the First Cruiser Squadron to cheering crowds in Oslo on 7 June 1945 , exactly five years after they had been evacuated from Tromsø . Olav V Olav V ( Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈûːlɑːv dɛn ˈfɛ̂mtə] ; born Prince Alexander of Denmark ; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991)

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1044-500: A total of 461 passengers. This evacuation became extremely costly for the Royal Navy when the German warships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau attacked and sank the nearby aircraft carrier HMS Glorious with its escorting destroyers HMS Acasta and HMS Ardent . Devonshire did not rebroadcast the enemy sighting report made by Glorious as it could not disclose its position by breaking radio silence. No other British ship received

1131-655: A two-day journey, the family arrived to Kristiania (now Oslo) early on the morning of 25 November 1905. The king was received at the harbour by the Prime Minister of Norway Christian Michelsen . On the deck of the Heimdal, the Prime Minister gave the following speech to the king: For almost 600 years, the Norwegian people have not had their own king. Never has he been completely our own. Always have we had to share him with others. Never has he had his home with us. But where

1218-607: The Bishop of Zealand , Hans Lassen Martensen . He was baptised with the names Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel , and was known as Prince Carl (namesake of his maternal grandfather the King of Sweden-Norway, who died only 11 days after his baptism). Carl belonged to the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (often shortened to Glücksburg) branch of the House of Oldenburg . The House of Oldenburg had been

1305-556: The Constitution of Norway vests the King with considerable executive powers, in practice nearly all major governmental decisions were made by the Government (the Council of State ) in his name. Haakon confined himself to non-partisan roles without interfering in politics, a practice continued by his son and grandson. However, his long rule gave him considerable moral authority as a symbol of

1392-717: The Danish royal family since 1448; between 1536 and 1814 it also ruled Norway, which was then part of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway . The house was originally from northern Germany, where the Glücksburg (Lyksborg) branch held their small fief. The family had links with Norway beginning from the 15th century. Several of his paternal ancestors had been kings of Norway in union with Denmark and at times Sweden. They included Christian I , Frederick I , Christian III , Frederick II , Christian IV , and Frederick III . Frederick III integrated Norway into

1479-542: The Frederick VIII's Palace , an 18th-century palace which forms part of the Amalienborg Palace complex in central Copenhagen , and their country residence, Charlottenlund Palace , located by the coastline of the Øresund strait north of the city. In contrast to the usual practice of the period, where royal children were brought up by governesses , the children were raised by Crown Princess Louise herself. Under

1566-602: The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Yorkshire Regiment) , the British regiment named for his grandmother Queen Alexandra . The King represented Norway extensively abroad during his reign, conducting state visits to both neighbouring countries and more distant destinations such as Ethiopia and Iran . King Olav V opened the 14th World Scout Jamboree in July 1975 in the presence of 17,259 Scouts from 94 countries. Although

1653-671: The Oslo Cathedral . Princess Märtha was the daughter of Haakon's sister Princess Ingeborg and Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland . It was the first royal wedding in Norway after the dissolution of the union, and the alliance was met with great enthusiasm, also in Sweden, and it was seen as a sign that all the disharmony after the events of 1905 had now passed. Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha were to have three children: Ragnhild (1930–2012), Astrid (born 1932) and Harald (born 1937), who

1740-624: The Royal Danish Navy . He was educated at the Royal Danish Naval Academy from 1889 to 1893, graduating as a second lieutenant. He subsequently remained in service with the Royal Danish Navy until his appointment as Norwegian king in 1905. In 1894 he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant and in 1905 to the rank of admiral . During his naval career, he took part in several naval expeditions, including one in 1904–1905 with

1827-603: The Second World War . He returned to Norway in June 1945 after the defeat of Germany. Haakon became King of Norway when his grandfather Christian IX was still reigning in Denmark , and before his father and elder brother became kings of Denmark. During his reign he saw his father Frederick VIII, his elder brother Christian X , and his nephew Frederik IX ascend the throne of Denmark in 1906, 1912, and 1947 respectively. Haakon died at

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1914-490: The Storting . He took the Old Norse name Haakon and ascended to the throne as Haakon VII, becoming the first independent Norwegian monarch since Olaf II in 1387. As king, Haakon gained much sympathy from the Norwegian people. Although the Constitution of Norway vests the King with considerable executive powers, in practice Haakon confined himself to a representative and ceremonial role while rarely interfering in politics,

2001-540: The Treaty of Karlstad , mediated by the great powers of Europe . Its provisions included the full recognition of Norway's sovereignty and the abdication of the Swedish King Oscar II from the Norwegian throne. One month later, the union was formally dissolved as King Oscar II on 26 October signed the documents recognizing Norway as an independent state, and abdicated as Norwegian king on the same day. Subsequently,

2088-470: The Union between Sweden and Norway which had existed since 1814 was dissolved in 1905 . The union was unilaterally dissolved by the Storting (Norwegian parliament) on 7 June, and the dissolution was later confirmed by the Norwegian people in the 1905 Norwegian union dissolution referendum held on 13 August. After weeks of negotiations, the dissolution of the union was then recognized by Sweden on 23 September in

2175-664: The protected cruiser HDMS  Heimdal to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. On 28 October 1895, at the age of 23, Carl was engaged to his first cousin Princess Maud of Wales . Princess Maud was the youngest daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom ). The Princess of Wales was Carl's aunt, being the eldest daughter of King Christian IX and Queen Louise . The wedding

2262-530: The Amalienborg Palace complex. Furthermore, the bride's father gave them Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate as a country residence for his daughter's frequent visits to England. It was there that the couple's only child, Prince Alexander , the future Crown Prince Olav (and eventually King Olav V of Norway ), was born on 2 July 1903. Following several years of disagreements on various topics,

2349-595: The German Ambassador to Norway, demanded a meeting with Haakon. The German diplomat called on Haakon to accept Adolf Hitler 's demands to end all resistance and appoint Vidkun Quisling as prime minister. Quisling, the leader of Norway's fascist party, the Nasjonal Samling , had declared himself prime minister hours earlier in Oslo as head of what would be a German puppet government ; had Haakon formally appointed him, it would effectively have given legal sanction to

2436-457: The German demands. It would conflict with all that I have considered to be my duty as King of Norway since I came to this country nearly thirty-five years ago. Haakon went on to say that he could not appoint Quisling as prime minister, since he knew neither the people nor the Storting had confidence in him. However, if the cabinet felt otherwise, the King said he would abdicate so as not to stand in

2523-542: The German invasion as long as possible, and expressed their confidence that Norwegians would lend their support to the cause. After Norway was eventually conquered, Quisling "transformed [the country] into a one-party fascist state and recruited 6,000 Norwegians to fight alongside the Germans on the Russian front". A very small percentage of the population supported Quisling and many joined the Norwegian resistance movement . After

2610-667: The German occupying forces. On 13 May 1945 Crown Prince Olav and five government ministers returned to a liberated Norway. The arrival was documented in a newsreel by British Pathé News . His war decorations from other nations, including the War Crosses of Norway, France, Greece and the Netherlands, the US Legion of Merit and the French Médaille Militaire , are testament to the international recognition of his contribution to

2697-413: The King reported the German ultimatum to the cabinet sitting as a council of state. Haakon told the cabinet: I am deeply affected by the responsibility laid on me if the German demand is rejected. The responsibility for the calamities that will befall people and country is indeed so grave that I dread to take it. It rests with the government to decide, but my position is clear. For my part I cannot accept

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2784-646: The Norwegian Legation at 10 Palace Green , Kensington , which became the seat of the Norwegian government in exile. Here Haakon attended weekly Cabinet meetings and worked on the speeches which were regularly broadcast by radio to Norway by the BBC World Service . These broadcasts helped to cement Haakon's position as an important national symbol to the Norwegian resistance . Many broadcasts were made from Saint Olav's Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe , where

2871-406: The Norwegian capital. This led to the withdrawal of the rest of the German flotilla, preventing the invaders' planned dawn occupation of Oslo. The Germans' delay in occupying Oslo, along with swift action by the president of the Storting , C. J. Hambro , created the opportunity for the royal family , the cabinet, and most of the 150 members of the Storting (parliament) to make a hasty departure from

2958-639: The Norwegian forces and merchant marine and fell for the Norwegian Resistance . The distribution ceased in 1951, but in 1979 it was determined by Royal decree that this medal was to be awarded Norwegian and foreign seamen who served on Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission ( Nortraship ) vessels during World War II for 18 months, or on board Royal Norwegian Navy vessels. The criteria were again changed in 2012. The medal can be awarded to Norwegians who have served meritously during war, for Norway. It has been awarded for war against ISIL. The obverse side of

3045-604: The Oldenburg state with Denmark, Schleswig and Holstein . His subsequent paternal ancestors had been dukes in Schleswig-Holstein . Christian Frederick , who was King of Norway briefly in 1814, the first king of the Norwegian 1814 constitution and struggle for independence, was his great-granduncle. Carl was raised with his siblings in the royal household in Copenhagen, and grew up between his parents' residence in Copenhagen ,

3132-564: The Representatives of the Norwegian People, who in their unanimous Storthing decision on 18 November has elected me their King, has touched me very deeply. The people have thereby shown me a confidence which I know how to appreciate, and which I hope will still grow stronger as it gets to know my wife and me. As it will be known to you, gentlemen, it was at my request that the newly concluded referendum took place. I wanted to be sure that it

3219-598: The Royal Lodge Kongsseteren in Oslo , he became ill and died in the evening of a heart attack . An interview given by King Harald V and hints in a biography by Jo Benkow , who was the President of the Storting at that time, mention the possibility that King Olav suffered great trauma upon learning of the outbreak of the first Gulf War , which began on the day he died. Olav's son succeeded him as King Harald V . On

3306-502: The Storting's representatives in Oslo wrote to their monarch on 27 June, asking him to abdicate. The King declined, politely replying that the Storting was acting under duress. The King gave his answer on 3 July, and proclaimed it on BBC radio on 8 July. After one further German attempt in September to force the Storting to depose Haakon failed, Terboven finally decreed that the royal family had "forfeited their right to return" and dissolved

3393-601: The adjacent RAF Greenham Common airfield in March 1942 prompted another move to Foliejon Park in Winkfield , near Windsor , in Berkshire , where they remained until the liberation of Norway. Haakon also spent time at Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland , Scotland, made available for his use by Theodore Salvesen , a ship-owner of Norwegian extraction. The King's official residence was

3480-488: The age of 85 in September 1957, after having reigned for nearly 52 years. He was succeeded by his only child and son, who ascended to the throne as Olav V . Prince Carl was born on 3 August 1872 at his parents' country residence, Charlottenlund Palace north of Copenhagen , during the reign of his paternal grandfather, King Christian IX . He was the second son of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (the future King Frederick VIII), and his wife Louise of Sweden . His father

3567-401: The capital by special train. The Storting first convened at Hamar the same afternoon, but with the rapid advance of German troops, the group moved on to Elverum . The assembled Storting unanimously enacted a resolution, the so-called Elverum Authorization , granting the cabinet full powers to protect the country until such time as the Storting could meet again. The next day, Curt Bräuer ,

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3654-421: The constitution nominally vested Olav with executive power, he was not responsible for exercising it. One source states that his "duties were largely ceremonial". His acts were not valid without the countersignature of a minister–usually the Prime Minister –who then became politically responsible for the act in question. He had the right to appoint the government, but in practice it was not possible for him to keep

3741-731: The country's unity. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Norwegian government advocated that Norway pursue a policy of neutrality . The King supported the policy of neutrality by participating in the so-called meeting of the Three Kings held on 18 December 1914 in Malmö in Sweden . There, the three Scandinavian monarchs King Haakon, King Christian X of Denmark (Haakon's brother) and King Gustav V of Sweden (Haakon's mother's cousin) met along with their foreign ministers to discuss and emphasize

3828-583: The day of his election, as the formal beginning of his reign. On 22 June 1906, King Haakon and Queen Maud were solemnly crowned and anointed in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim by the Bishop of Trondheim Vilhelm Andreas Wexelsen . The coronation was in keeping with the constitutional mandate, but many Norwegian statesmen had come to regard coronation rites as "undemocratic and archaic". The coronation clause

3915-508: The democratic political parties. During Norway's five years under German control, many Norwegians surreptitiously wore clothing or jewellery made from coins bearing Haakon's "H7" monogram as symbols of resistance to the German occupation and of solidarity with their exiled King and Government, just as many people in Denmark wore his brother 's monogram on a pin. The King's monogram was also painted and otherwise reproduced on various surfaces as

4002-559: The deputy prime minister at the time advised against appointing Christopher Hornsrud as Prime Minister. Haakon, however, refused to abandon parliamentary convention and asked Hornsrud to form a new government. In response to some of his detractors he stated, "I am also the King of the Communists" ( Norwegian : "Jeg er også kommunistenes konge" ). On 21 March 1929, Crown Prince Olav married his first cousin Princess Märtha of Sweden at

4089-407: The estate Kongesæteren at Holmenkollen in Oslo as a gift from the Norwegian people. King Haakon gained much sympathy from the Norwegian people. He travelled extensively through Norway. As king, Haakon endeavored to redefine the role of the monarchy in egalitarian Norway and to find a balance between the informal Norwegian way of life and the monarchy's need for formal representation. Although

4176-550: The eulogy at the funeral, before the casket was moved to Akershus Fortress where a private service was held. Olav was finally laid to rest next to his wife Märtha in the green sarcophagus of the Royal Mausoleum . King Olav's leadership during the Second World War made him a symbol of Norwegian independence and national unity. As King Olav's wife, Princess Märtha , died of cancer, the King Olav V's Prize for Cancer Research

4263-419: The fourth best score in his class. Olav then went on to study jurisprudence and economics for two years at Balliol College, Oxford . During the 1930s, Crown Prince Olav was a naval cadet serving on the minelayer/cadet training ship Olav Tryggvason . Olav moved up the ranks of the Norwegian armed forces, rising in the army from an initial rank of first lieutenant to captain in 1931 and colonel in 1936. He

4350-540: The home is, there will also be the fatherland. Today it is different. Today, Norway's young king comes to build his future home in Norway's capital. Named by a free people as a free man to lead his country, he will be completely our own. Once again, the Norwegians' king will be the strong, unifying mark for all national deeds in the new, independent Norway ... Two days later, on 27 November, Haakon VII took his constitutional oath before parliament as Norway's first independent king in 518 years. However, Norway counts 18 November,

4437-412: The invasion. Bräuer suggested that Haakon follow the example of the Danish government and his brother, Christian X , which had surrendered almost immediately after the previous day's invasion, and threatened Norway with harsh reprisals if it did not surrender. Haakon told Bräuer that he could not make the decision himself, but could only act on the advice of the Government. In a meeting in Nybergsund ,

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4524-413: The medal features the portrait of King Haakon VII of Norway , his name and motto Alt for Norge . The reverse features a wreath, the inscription Krigsmedalje and the king's monogram . The medal is in bronze and the ribbon is in the colours of the Royal Standard : red and yellow. If a recipient earns the medal more than once, up to three stars may be attached to the ribbon. Along with the medal comes with

4611-431: The message that the king's grandson had been elected King of Norway, while Christian IX expressed his consent to the election of Prince Carl. The head of the delegation, the President of the Storting Carl Berner , conveyed a greeting and congratulations from the Norwegian people, and expressed the people's wishes for a happy cooperation. The king replied: Mr. President of the Storthing, gentlemen: The first greeting from

4698-450: The morning of 20 November, a large crowd gathered outside King Haakon and Queen Maud's residence in Bernstorff's Palace in Copenhagen. The attendees greeted the royal couple as they appeared in the window and started singing the patriotic song Ja, vi elsker dette landet . Later the same day, King Christian IX of Denmark received a delegation from the Storting in an audience in Christian VII's Palace at Amalienborg . The delegation conveyed

4785-447: The neutrality of the Nordic countries, and in a joint declaration, confirmed the three states' strict neutrality during the war. The meeting in 1914 was followed by another three-kings meeting in Kristiania in November 1917. In 1927 , the Labour Party became the largest party in parliament and early the following year Norway's first Labour Party government rose to power. The Labour Party was considered to be "revolutionary" by many and

4872-406: The new Norwegian royal family left Copenhagen for Norway on board the Danish royal yacht , the paddle steamer Dannebrog . After crossing the Kattegat and the Skagerrak , the Dannebrog entered the Oslofjord , where at Oscarsborg Fortress near Drøbak , the family boarded the Norwegian naval ship Heimdal . The Heimdal then sailed the king the last part of the stretch from Drøbak, and after

4959-557: The night of his death and for several days up until the state funeral, Norwegians mourned publicly, lighting hundreds of thousands of candles in the courtyard outside the Royal Palace in Oslo, with letters and cards placed amongst them. The National Archives have preserved all these cards. The state funeral of King Olav V was held on 30 January 1991. During the funeral procession from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral , over 100,000 people lined up along Karl Johans gate to pay their respects. Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland gave

5046-417: The offer conditional on the holding of a referendum to show whether monarchy was the choice of the Norwegian people. After the referendum overwhelmingly confirmed by a 79 percent majority (259,563 votes for and 69,264 against) that Norwegians desired to remain a monarchy, Prince Carl was formally offered the throne of Norway by the Storting (parliament) and was elected on 18 November 1905. When Carl accepted

5133-410: The offer that same evening (after the approval of his grandfather Christian IX of Denmark ), he immediately endeared himself to his adopted country by taking the Old Norse name of Haakon , a name which had not been used by kings of Norway for over 500 years. In so doing, he succeeded his maternal great-uncle, Oscar II of Sweden , who had abdicated the Norwegian throne in October. Two days later, on

5220-404: The palace permanently and the palace was therefore refurbished for two years before he, Queen Maud and Crown Prince Olav could move in. While the Royal Palace was being refurbished, the King and Queen Maud lived their first year in Norway at the Bygdøy Royal Estate in Oslo which they continued to use frequently as a summer residence. After the coronation, King Haakon and Queen Maud also received

5307-441: The population of Norway was at the time 4 million. For his athletic ability and role as King, Olav earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1968, the Medal for Outstanding Civic Achievement in 1970 and was made Name of the Year in 1975. He had a strong interest in military matters and took his role as titular Commander-in-Chief very seriously. As well as his ceremonial roles in the Norwegian Army, he also served as Colonel-in-Chief of

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5394-489: The public lanes, even though as a monarch he was allowed to drive in bus lanes. When driving was restricted during the 1973 energy crisis , King Olav – who could have driven legally – wanted to lead by example; while preparing for a skiing trip, he dressed up in his skiing outfit and boarded the Holmenkollbanen suburban railway carrying his skis on his shoulder. When later asked how he dared to go out in public without bodyguards, he replied that "he had 4 million bodyguards" –

5481-431: The royal children lived in Washington, D.C. , where she struck up a close friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt . She died in 1954, before her husband ascended the throne. The British Film Institute houses an early film, made in 1913, in which a miniature car (a "baby Cadillac") commissioned by Queen Alexandra for Crown Prince Olav tows a procession of Londoners through the streets of the capital, before being delivered to

5568-435: The royal family were regular worshippers. Meanwhile, Hitler had appointed Josef Terboven as Reichskommissar for Norway. On Hitler's orders, Terboven attempted to coerce the Storting to depose the King; the Storting declined, citing constitutional principles. A subsequent ultimatum was made by the Germans, threatening to intern all Norwegians of military age in German concentration camps. With this threat looming,

5655-421: The shadow of his elder brother. Carl was less than two years younger than Christian, and the two princes were educated together at home by private tutors and had a joint confirmation at Christiansborg Palace Chapel in 1887. After his confirmation, as was customary for princes at that time, Carl was expected to start a military education. It was decided that he, in accordance with his own wishes, should enter

5742-428: The sighting report, and 1,519 British officers and men and three warships were lost. Devonshire arrived safely in London and King Haakon and his Cabinet set up a Norwegian government in exile in the British capital. Initially, King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav were guests at Buckingham Palace , but at the start of the London Blitz in September 1940, they moved to Bowdown House in Berkshire. The construction of

5829-464: The snow-covered woods and escaped harm, continuing farther north through the mountains toward Molde on Norway's west coast. As the British forces in the area lost ground under Luftwaffe bombardment, the King and his party were taken aboard the British cruiser HMS Glasgow at Molde and conveyed a further 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) north to Tromsø , where a provisional capital was established on 1 May. Haakon and Crown Prince Olav took up residence in

5916-400: The supervision of their mother, the children received a rather strict Christian-dominated upbringing, which was characterized by severity, the fulfillment of duties, care and order. As a younger son of the Crown Prince, there was little expectation that Carl would become king. He was third in line to the throne after his father and elder brother, Prince Christian , and spent his early life in

6003-457: The telegram King Haakon had sent to his brother King Christian X: Have received the wording of the sentence and congratulate Denmark on the result. Queen Maud died unexpectedly while visiting the United Kingdom on 20 November 1938. In 1939, King Haakon toured southeast Montana and parts of the proposed secessionist state of Absaroka , with supporters of the secession movement claiming this event as formal recognition of their state. Norway

6090-424: The throne, and the fact that his wife, Princess Maud, was a member of the British royal family was viewed by many as an advantage to the newly independent Norwegian nation. The democratically minded Prince Carl, aware that Norway was still debating whether to remain a kingdom or to switch instead to a republican system of government, was flattered by the Norwegian government's overtures, but he made his acceptance of

6177-464: The war against Hitler . Haakon was injured in an accident in 1955; his son Olav served as regent until his death. Haakon died at the Royal Palace in Oslo on 21 September 1957. He was 85 years old. After his death, Olav succeeded him as Olav V. Olav reigned as a "People's King," and became extremely popular, despite the fact that he had no queen consort (his wife, Märtha of Sweden , died in 1954). He liked to drive his own cars, and would drive in

6264-570: The war, Quisling was convicted of treason and executed. The following morning, 11 April 1940, in an attempt to wipe out Norway's unyielding king and government, Luftwaffe bombers attacked Nybergsund , destroying the small town where the Government was staying. Neutral Sweden was only 26 kilometres (16 mi) away, but the Swedish government decided it would "detain and incarcerate" King Haakon if he crossed their border (which Haakon never forgave). The Norwegian king and his ministers took refuge in

6351-450: The way of the Government's decision. Nils Hjelmtveit , Minister of Church and Education, later wrote: This made a great impression on us all. More clearly than ever before, we could see the man behind the words; the king who had drawn a line for himself and his task, a line from which he could not deviate. We had through the five years [in government] learned to respect and appreciate our king, and now, through his words, he came to us as

6438-675: Was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales . He became heir apparent to the Norwegian throne when his father was elected King of Norway in 1905. He was the first heir to the Norwegian throne to be brought up in Norway since Olav IV in the fourteenth century, and his parents made sure he was given as Norwegian an upbringing as possible. In preparation for his future role, he attended both civilian and military schools. In 1929, he married his first cousin Princess Märtha of Sweden . During World War II his leadership

6525-404: Was a people and not a party that wanted me to be king, as my task above all should be to unite, not divide. My life I will devote to the good of Norway, and it is the fervent wish of my wife and I that the people who have chosen us will unite to cooperate and strive towards this great goal, and with full confidence I can then take as my motto: ALL FOR NORWAY! Just three days later, on 23 November,

6612-563: Was an accomplished athlete. Olav jumped from the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo and competed in sailing regattas. He won a gold medal in sailing at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and remained an active sailor into old age. On 21 March 1929 in Oslo, he married his first cousin Princess Märtha of Sweden with whom he had two daughters, Ragnhild and Astrid and one son, Harald . As exiles during World War II , Crown Princess Märtha and

6699-457: Was born as Prince Alexander Edward Christian Frederik in Appleton House on the royal Sandringham Estate , Flitcham , United Kingdom. His parents were Prince Carl , second son of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark (later King Frederick VIII) , and Princess Maud , youngest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom , who was the eldest son of Britain's Queen Victoria . In 1905, Carl

6786-624: Was celebrated on 22 July 1896, in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace , and was attended by the bride's grandmother, the 77-year-old Queen Victoria . After the wedding, the couple settled in Copenhagen , where Carl continued his career as a naval officer. They took up residence in the Bernstorff Mansion , an 18th-century Rococo style townhouse owned by Carl's uncle King George I of Greece , situated in Bredgade immediately adjacent to

6873-473: Was deleted from Norway's constitution in 1908, and although coronations are not expressly banned under current Norwegian legislation, this became the most recent coronation of a Norwegian monarch. In the period before and after the coronation, the King and Queen made an extensive coronation journey through Norway. The King and Queen moved into the Royal Palace in Oslo . Haakon became the first monarch to use

6960-506: Was elected King of Norway and took the name Haakon VII. The king gave his two-year-old son the Norwegian name Olav after Olav Haakonsson , king of Norway and Denmark. Olav was thus the first heir to the throne since the Middle Ages to have been raised in Norway. Unlike his father, who was a naval officer, Olav chose to complete his main military education in the army. He graduated from the three-year Norwegian Military Academy in 1924, with

7047-539: Was established in 1992. A 2005 poll by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation named King Olav " Norwegian of the Century ". Viktor Andersen portrayed the two-year-old Prince Alexander (Olav) in the 2009 NRK drama series Harry & Charles . Actor Anders Baasmo Christiansen was chosen to portray Crown Prince Olav in the 2016 drama The King's Choice while Tobias Santelmann portrayed Olav in

7134-433: Was invaded by the naval and air forces of Nazi Germany during the early hours of 9 April 1940. The German naval detachment sent to capture Oslo was opposed by Oscarsborg Fortress . The fortress fired at the invaders, sinking the heavy cruiser Blücher and damaging the heavy cruiser Lützow , with heavy German losses that included many soldiers, Gestapo agents, and administrative personnel who were to have occupied

7221-400: Was much appreciated and he was appointed Norwegian Chief of Defence in 1944. Olav became king following the death of his father in 1957. Owing to his considerate, down-to-earth style, King Olav was immensely popular, resulting in the nickname Folkekongen ('The People's King'). In a 2005 poll by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation , Olav was voted " Norwegian of the Century ". Olav

7308-462: Was respected by other Allied leaders for his knowledge and leadership skills. During a visit to the United States before the war, he and his wife had established a close relationship with President Roosevelt. These factors would prove to be important for the Norwegian fight against the attacking German forces . In 1939, Crown Prince Olav was appointed an admiral of the Royal Norwegian Navy and

7395-501: Was the eldest son of King Christian IX and Louise of Hesse-Kassel , and his mother was the only daughter of King Charles XV of Sweden (who was also king of Norway as Charles IV), and Louise of the Netherlands . At birth, he was third in the succession to the Danish throne after his father and older brother, but without any real prospect of inheriting the throne. The young prince was baptised at Charlottenlund Palace on 7 September 1872 by

7482-480: Was the second son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark (later King Frederick VIII and Queen Louise ). Prince Carl was educated at the Royal Danish Naval Academy and served in the Royal Danish Navy . After the 1905 dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway , he was offered the Norwegian crown. Following a November plebiscite , he accepted the offer and was formally elected king of Norway by

7569-574: Was to become king in 1991. During the Eastern Greenland Case , a territorial dispute between Norway and Denmark about the sovereignty over Eastern Greenland , a very tense atmosphere prevailed. On 5 April 1933, Norway lost the arbitration case which had been submitted to the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague . The next day, Aftenposten quoted across the front page

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