DenmarkNorway

Denmark–Norway refers to the historical political union of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway under a single monarch, a personal and administrative arrangement that lasted from roughly 1536/37 until 1814. The union began in the wake of the Reformation and the consolidation of royal power, when Norway’s separate institutions were increasingly integrated into a centralized Danish administration seated in Copenhagen.

In governance terms, the two kingdoms retained distinct legal traditions in some respects, but they shared foreign policy, military command, and the central government. From the mid-17th century, the Danish crown exercised strong centralized authority, culminating in the period of absolutist rule after 1660. The church was Lutheran, and the realm coordinated its domestic and colonial affairs through Copenhagen, with Norway continuing to operate its own local jurisdictions to some degree. The union included Norway’s territory and, over time, overseas possessions such as Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland in varying administrative arrangements.

Economically and culturally, the union facilitated integrated trade and armament development, while regional differences persisted. The Danish state supported maritime commerce and participation in broader European conflicts, notably against Sweden and during the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries. The two kingdoms shared a common monarch, coinage and many institutions, yet preserved distinct identities within the umbrella of the Danish realm.

The union ended in 1814, when the Treaty of Kiel ceded Norway to Sweden after the Napoleonic Wars. Norway subsequently established a constitutional framework in 1814 and entered a loose personal union with Sweden until 1905. The Denmark–Norway period is viewed as a formative era that shaped institutions, law, and national identities in both kingdoms.