Sweden's 1814 Campaign: The Last War and the Union with Norway

Sweden's final war as a belligerent was not against Russia or Denmark, but against its neighbour Norway in 1814. Following the Treaty of Kiel, Sweden's Crown Prince Carl Johan (former French Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte) claimed Norway as a reward for switching sides in the Napoleonic Wars. But Norwegians had other ideas: they drafted their own constitution at Eidsvoll on 17 May 1814, elected King Christian Frederick, and prepared to fight. The ensuing short war—just two weeks—ended with the Convention of Moss, a remarkably lenient settlement that preserved Norway's new constitution and internal autonomy while accepting union with Sweden. This episode unpacks the diplomatic maneuvering, the Battle of Kjølberg Bridge, the role of the British blockade, and how this reluctant union—held together by shared monarchs and foreign policy—lasted until 1905. It's a story of national identity, pragmatic compromise, and the end of Sweden's era of war.

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