Norway in 1814 - Christian Frederik Meets Increasing Opposition From Within and Abroad

Christian Frederik Meets Increasing Opposition From Within and Abroad

Count Wedel-Jarlsberg, the most prominent member of the Norwegian nobility, arrived in Norway on March 3 and confronted the regent, accusing him of playing a dangerous game. Christian Frederik responded by accusing Wedel-Jarlsberg of colluding with the Swedes. Returns from elections for delegates to the constitutional assembly also showed there were widespread misgivings about the independence movement. By the end of March, the opinion was openly expressed that Christian Frederik's ambition was to bring Norway back under Danish sovereignty.

Before Carsten Anker arrived in England, the British foreign secretary Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh reimposed the naval blockade of Norway and assured the Swedish king that the British would not accept any Norwegian claims of sovereignty. A conciliatory letter sent by Christian Frederik to the Swedish king was returned unopened. On March 9, the Swedish mission to Copenhagen demanded that Christian Frederik be disinherited from succession to the Danish throne, and that European powers should go to war with Denmark unless he disassociated herself from the Norwegian independence movement. On March 17, Niels Rosenkrantz, the Danish foreign minister, responded to the Swedish demands by asserting that the Danish government in no way supported Norwegian independence, but that they could not vacate border posts they did not hold. The demand for disinheriting Christian Frederik was not addressed.

In several letters to Hans Henrik von Essen, the commander of the Swedish military forces at Norway's borders, Bernadotte referred to Christian Frederik as a rebel who had probably been misled by the Danish nobility. He ordered his forces to treat all Danish officials who did not return home as outlaws, and all users of the "prince dollars" to be considered counterfeiters. Swedish troops amassed along the border to Norway, and there were daily rumors of an invasion.

In spite of his open opposition to Christian Frederik, Wedel-Jarlsberg was elected as a delegate to the constitutional convention on March 14. There were clear signs that the convention, only weeks away, would be contentious.

Carsten Anker arrived in London on March 24, where he met with an undersecretary of foreign affairs. The undersecretary rejected Anker's appeal for self-determination, and Anker found all other doors closed to him in London. On March 29, Christian Frederik sent Carsten Anker's brother Peder to London as an unofficial emissary. On April 3, Carsten Anker was imprisoned for three days in debtors' prison on account of an old debt, probably at the behest of the Swedish ambassador to London.

On March 31, Christian Frederik arrested officers of the naval vessels stationed in Norway as they were preparing to follow orders to bring the ships to Denmark. The ships were confiscated as ships of the Norwegian navy.

On April 1, Frederik VI sent a letter to Christian Frederik, asking him to give up his efforts and return to Denmark. The possibility of disinheriting the crown prince was mentioned in the letter. Christian Frederik rejected the overture, in the same letter invoking Norway's right to self-determination and the possibility of keeping Norway under the Danish throne. A few days later, Christian Frederik warned off a meeting with the Danish foreign minister Niels Rosenkrantz, pointing out that such a meeting would fuel speculation that the prince was motivated by Danish designs on Norway.