Charles XV died Sept. 18, 1872, and, having no sons, was succeeded by his younger brother, Oscar II, the late ruler of Sweden.  The Storthing appropriated the necessary funds for the expense of the coronation at Throndhjem (July 18, 1873), while the king sanctioned the bill abolishing the office of Statholder.  But soon differences between the Storthing and the ministry brought on sharp conflicts.  Long before Norway deposed King Oscar II (June 7, 1905), disruptions and war would doubtless have occurred had it not been for the wisdom and tact of the king.  The last straw that broke the camel’s back in this instance was the refusal of separate consular representation for Norway.  The basis of this last demand was not mainly the commercial value to Norway of having its distinct consuls, though this was an element, but the right of Norway as a nation entirely independent of Sweden to be represented as such in its commercial relations with foreign nations.  Sweden and Norway are now not only two distinct nations, but are competitors in trade and commerce.  Norway’s shipping and carrying trade far exceeds that of Sweden.  The Norwegians have always been a seafaring people, and Norwegian sailors and marines are found in large numbers in the commercial marine and navies of all Europe and America.  From the standpoint of Norway, common justice demanded that Norwegian merchants and sailors should, like every other nation, have their own consuls to represent and protect them in foreign countries.

Not being able to secure the approval of the king for separate consular representation, the Storthing, on June 7, 1905, passed resolutions declaring the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden, and that King Oscar had ceased to be the ruler of Norway.  In the place of the king, the Storthing appointed the members of the Norway Council of State to act as a temporary government for the nation.  The Storthing further declared that Norway had no ill feeling against King Oscar or his dynasty of Sweden, and asked the king to cooperate in selecting one of his own house to be king of Norway.

The Riksdag of Sweden met in extraordinary session, June 21, 1905, at the call of King Oscar, to consider the action of the Norwegian Storthing in declaring the dissolution of the union between the two countries.  The opening of the session was marked by the usual ceremonial pomp, but also by a gravity and solemnity befitting the unusual occasion.  The emotional feeling was intense and repressed with difficulty by both speakers and audience.  The king, in his address to the Riksdag, maintained with dignity that he had acted within his constitutional rights and that Norway had not the power to dissolve the union which legally could be effected only by mutual consent.  Nevertheless, it was with great sadness that he now urged negotiations for the severance of the ties between the two nations, believing that “the union was not worth the sacrifice which acts of coercion would