Norway Flag / Norwegian Flag

Norway Flag / Norwegian Flag

Norway Flag

Norway was originally inhabited by the Sammi (Lapp) people, as well as other nomads, being ruled by local chieftains until it was united under King Olaf II in 1015. In 1380, Norway and Denmark were united through royal marriage, Sweden joining Norway and Denmark in the Kalmar Union, under one sovereign, in 1397. Although Sweden broke away from the union in 1523, Norway remained under Danish rule until 1814, when it was ceded to Sweden. Conflict between the Norwegian parliament and the Swedish crown prevailed until 1905, however, when Norway was declared independent and Prince Carl (of Denmark) was elected its king, taking the name Haakon VII.

During the period of Danish rule, Norway flew the Dannebrog ('Danish Cloth') until 1814, thereafter briefly flying the Danish flag to which a Norwegian lion had been added. The current Norway flag, the design of Frederik Meltzer, a politician from Bergen, dates from 1821, when a blue Scandinavian cross (representing Sweden, which ruled Norway at that time) was added to the red and white Danish flag. Not only does the flag reflect Norway's historical and continuing links with Denmark and Sweden, but the red, white and blue colors are also associated with liberty, appearing in the flags of France, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the United States.