Early unions and relations with Danish Norway ca. 1400 Sweden and Norway were already partly linked by dynastic ties in the
Middle Ages and
early modern period. This led to the
first personal union in 1319 under King
Magnus Eriksson, which lasted until 1355. From 1397, both realms belonged to the
Kalmar Union, an alliance of all three Nordic kingdoms under one monarch, initiated by
Danish Queen
Margaret I. This union broke apart in 1523 when Sweden seceded under
Gustav Vasa, while Norway remained with Denmark. After that, rivalry and wars shaped the relationship between Sweden and
Denmark-Norway. There were several border changes in Sweden's favor: In the
Torstenson War, Sweden forced Norway to cede the provinces of
Jämtland and
Härjedalen in the
Peace of Brömsebro in 1645, and in the
Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, Norway lost
Bohuslän, among other territories, to Sweden, and also briefly ceded the province of
Trøndelag, which Norway regained in 1660. During the
Napoleonic Wars, Sweden changed alliances and lost
Finland to
Russia in 1809. Denmark-Norway, on the other hand, sided with Napoleon and suffered a heavy defeat in 1814. In January 1814, the
Treaty of Kiel forced Denmark to cede Norway to Sweden. The Norwegians responded with a declaration of independence: on May 17, 1814, the
Norwegian Constituent Assembly adopted a
liberal constitution and elected the Danish prince
Christian Frederik as king. However, Sweden – represented by Crown Prince
Karl XIV John (Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte) – did not accept this and invaded Norway with around 50,000 soldiers in the summer of 1814. After brief fighting (including battles for the
Fredriksten Fortress and at the
Kjølberg Bridge), Norway surrendered in part. On August 14, 1814, an agreement was reached in the
Convention of Moss. Norway recognized Swedish sovereignty but was allowed to retain its
Eidsvoll Constitution (one of the most liberal of its time) with certain adjustments and enter into a personal union with Sweden. King Christian Frederik abdicated, and the Swedish king
Charles XIII (known as Charles II in Norway) became joint head of state. This personal union, officially called the
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, began in November 1814 and was to last for almost a century.
Union between Sweden and Norway (1814–1905) The Swedish-Norwegian Union was unique in that both states retained their own constitutions, parliaments, laws, administrations, currencies, and armies. They were united by the monarch—who was king of both Sweden and Norway—and a common foreign and consular policy, which was directed from Stockholm. Norway thus had internal autonomy, but found itself in a subordinate position in foreign policy. In the early phase of the union, the Norwegians grudgingly accepted this arrangement; in 1821, the Norwegian parliament (
Storting) at least succeeded in having its own flag (with a union symbol in the corner) introduced. The royal governor's office, which was usually held by a Swede, was abolished in 1873 under pressure from Norway. Since then, the Norwegian head of government has held the title of
Prime Minister and resided in
Christiania (Oslo).
Relations after 1905 (Norway),
Gustav V (Sweden), and
Christian X (Denmark) in Malmö (1914) In the years that followed, Sweden and Norway signed a friendship treaty (1907) and Norway and Sweden remained in the
Scandinavian Monetary Union until 1914. Although a certain mutual scepticism remained in the politically
conservative camp in both countries, friendly relations soon prevailed. In the
First World War, both Sweden and Norway declared their
neutrality; efforts were made to settle trade issues jointly and to alleviate bottlenecks together. While Norway
was occupied by
Nazi troops in 1940, Sweden maintained its neutrality during the
Second World War. Nevertheless, Sweden supported the Norwegians in subtle ways: Norwegian refugees found refuge in Sweden, and some Norwegians could train militarily on Swedish soil to liberate their homeland. After 1945, ties continued to strengthen. Both countries joined the
United Nations in 1946 and, together with Denmark,
Iceland, and
Finland, founded the
Nordic Council in 1952. Although they took different paths in terms of security policy – Norway was one of the founding members of
NATO in 1949, while Sweden pursued a policy of non-aligned neutrality – this had little impact on bilateral cooperation. During the
Cold War, Stockholm and Oslo worked closely together to build trust between NATO and the
Eastern Bloc and remained closely intertwined economically and culturally. An important step toward economic integration between the two countries was the introduction of the
Nordic Passport Union (1954) and Norway's subsequent participation in the
EFTA, while Sweden joined the
EU in 1995. The open border and linguistic similarities facilitated mobility: tens of thousands of Swedes and Norwegians live and work in the neighboring country, which has created family and social ties. The countries also emphasized their closeness at the state level. In the 21st century, relations remained excellent. Both countries share values such as democracy, social welfare, and often act in union. They cooperate closely on energy issues (e.g., interconnection of electricity grids) and on environmental and climate protection in the far north. When Sweden abandoned its non-aligned security policy in the wake of the
Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022 and applied to join NATO, Norway expressly welcomed this. Both countries have cooperated lately in Northern Europe to strengthen their defense readiness against Russia. == Economic relations ==