Featured Project: Eidsvoll 1814

May 17 is Norwegian Constitution Day or the National Day of Norway. The holiday is observed May 17 each year to commemorate the signing of the Norwegian constitution, which declared Norway to be an independent nation.

Prior to independence, Norway had become entangled on the French side of the Napoleonic War. Following the defeat of Napoleon’s troops at the Battle of Leipzig and the Treaty of Kiel, the Crown Prince of Denmark-Norway, Christian Frederik, founded the Norwegian independence movement. In 1814, a national assembly was called at Eidsvoll where representatives assembled to draft the Constitution. Co-authored by Christian Magnus Falsen, the Constitution was signed into law on May 17, 1814.

Did you know the Norwegian Constitution is the second oldest in the world that is still in continuous force? It is second only to the U.S. Constitution (1787).

To learn more about Norway’s history and road to independence, check out the Eidsvoll 1814 project on Geni! The project is dedicated to tracing the family trees to all the people who had a hand in writing Norway’s constitution in Eidsvoll.

View the Eidsvoll 1814 Project