Treaty of Kiel — 1814 peace treaty between the UK plus Sweden, and Denmark–Norway
The Treaty of Kiel transferred Norway from Denmark to Sweden, reshaping Scandinavian political borders and triggering Norway's 1814 independence movement.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 14 January 1814
- Norway ceded to
- Kingdom of Sweden under Charles XIII
- Denmark received
- Swedish Pomerania (later lost to Prussia)
- Excluded territories
- Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands
- Union formally established
- 4 November 1814
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Denmark–Norway had allied with Napoleonic France during the ongoing Napoleonic Wars, placing it in opposition to the Sixth Coalition. As French power collapsed, Sweden and the United Kingdom pressured Denmark to settle hostilities, compelling Frederick VI to negotiate terms that would align Denmark with the anti-French alliance.
On 14 January 1814 in Kiel, Denmark–Norway and the United Kingdom plus Sweden concluded a peace treaty. Frederick VI ceded the Kingdom of Norway to Charles XIII of Sweden in exchange for Swedish Pomerania, while retaining the Norwegian dependencies of Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. Heligoland was separately ceded to Great Britain.
Norway rejected the transfer, declared independence, adopted a constitution, and elected Christian Frederik as king. Sweden refused to deliver Swedish Pomerania, which passed to Prussia after the Congress of Vienna. Following a brief Swedish–Norwegian war, Norway entered a personal union with Sweden at the Convention of Moss, formally ratified when the Storting elected Charles XIII king of Norway on 4 November 1814.
Political Outcome
Norway was ceded by Denmark to Sweden; Norway subsequently declared independence before accepting a personal union with Sweden. Swedish Pomerania passed to Prussia rather than Denmark.
Norway in union with Denmark; Denmark–Norway allied with France
Norway in personal union with Sweden; Denmark aligned with anti-French coalition and stripped of Norway