Editing Haakon VII (section)

===Background and election===
{{see also|Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden}}
[[File:King_Oscar_II_of_Sweden.jpg|thumb|upright|Prince Carl's maternal great-uncle, [[Oscar II of Sweden]], who was [[King of Norway]] until October 1905.]]
Following several years of disagreements on various topics, the [[Union between Sweden and Norway]] which had existed since 1814 was [[Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden|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 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, 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 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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Berg|first1=Roald|title=Norge på egen hånd 1905–1920 (Norsk utenrikspolitikks historie, volume 2)|date=1995|publisher=Universitetsforlaget|location=Oslo|isbn=8200223949|page=309|language=no}}</ref>

[[File:Stemmesedler ja og nei (til prins Carl kong Haakon VII) fra den norske folkeavstemningen om monarki 12. og 13. november 1905. Yes or No, Norwegian referendum on monarchy (utstilling i Nasjonalbiblioteket 2021) IMG 8949.jpg|thumb|Ballots with ''yes'' and ''no'' from the [[1905 Norwegian monarchy referendum]].]]
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 the offer conditional on the holding of a referendum to show whether monarchy was the choice of the Norwegian people. After the [[1905 Norwegian monarchy referendum|referendum]] overwhelmingly confirmed by a 79 percent majority (259,563 votes for and 69,264 against) that Norwegians desired to remain a monarchy,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Jubilee|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,752591,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813201519/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,752591,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 August 2009|magazine=Time|page=1|date=8 December 1930|access-date=17 December 2008}}</ref> Prince Carl was formally offered the throne of Norway by the [[Storting]] (parliament) and was elected on 18 November 1905. When Carl accepted 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 (given name)|Haakon]], a name which had not been used by kings of Norway for over 500 years.<ref name="Taking his name">{{cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.5780|title=Blue Plaque for King Haakon VII of Norway|access-date=12 April 2008|publisher=English Heritage|year=2005|author=English Heritage|archive-date=13 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213070825/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.5780|url-status=live}}</ref> In so doing, he succeeded his maternal great-uncle, [[Oscar II of Sweden]], who had abdicated the Norwegian throne in October.

[[File:Norwegian_delegation_20_November_1905_at_Amalienborg.jpg|thumb|300px|A delegation from the [[Storting|Norwegian Parliament]] is received on 20 November 1905 at Amalienborg by King Christian IX of Denmark, who gives his consent to the election of his grandson Prince Carl as King of Norway. Painting by [[Paul Gustav Fischer|Paul Fischer]].]]

Two days later, on 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 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 (politician)|Carl Berner]], conveyed a greeting and congratulations from the Norwegian people, and expressed the people's wishes for a happy cooperation. The king replied: 
<blockquote>
Mr. President of the Storthing, gentlemen: The first greeting from 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 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!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kongehuset.no/tale.html?tid=27169|title=Alt for Norge – Kongens "Ja"|website=kongehuset.no|publisher=[[Monarchy of Norway|The Royal House of Norway]]|date=20 November 1905|access-date=28 December 2021|language=no|archive-date=28 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228222252/https://www.kongehuset.no/tale.html?tid=27169|url-status=live}}</ref>
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