Prior To 1814
Denmark–Norway had become entangled on the French side in the Napoleonic War through its participation in the Gunboat War. Having lost its fleet, it was virtually defenseless as the tides turned against France. The British navy had blocked all Norwegian ports effectively from 1808, thus breaking many bonds to Denmark, and leaving Norway to itself. Under those conditions, tension grew in Norway, and a fledgling independence movement was formed in 1809. The Swedish campaign in 1809 had been averted at Kongsvinger (battle at Trangen), something that made the Norwegians more prone to independence.
The years of 1812 and 1813 were known for severe famine due to the blockade, and the hardships were long remembered in Norway.
Read more about this topic: Norway In 1814
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