Battle of the Square

The Battle of the Square, in Norwegian "Torvslaget", took place at the main square of Christiania at evening, May 17th, 1829.

The reason for the skirmish was that the King of Norway and Sweden, Carl Johan, was anxious about the increasing celebration of the Norwegian constitutional day. In 1814, his rival for the Norwegian crown, Christian Frederik, had been elected that same day, and Carl Johan felt that the celebrations of May 17th was a discourtesy to him as King of Norway. Therefore, he showed up in town himself at the celebration, and in 1828, he forbade it altogether.

The year after, the police department in Christiania felt a rising tension during the first two weeks of May. The staff consisted of no more than twelve men, a superior constable, two deputies and nine regular policemen, normally sufficient for a town of that size. During the weeks leading up to the 17th, illegal flyers with national anthems and slogans were spread around, and at the castle of Akershus, tensions rose.

At that time, Norway had two steamers, both a source of national pride. One was called "Prince Carl", the other "The Constitution". The latter was expected to land at Christiania at six P.M the 17th, and the leading men feared quite rightly for what might occur, with the steamer carrying that exact name. Sabotage was attempted, but it failed; the steamer arrived on schedule.

May 17th in Christiania 1829 was a Sunday with bright cloudless weather. Many citizens had taken the trip down to the quay as was customary to see the boat arrive. Among them was the 20-year old Henrik Wergeland, who had placed himself on the castle's dike. As the boat showed up, some of the younger boys and gamins started to shout out loud hurrahs, and Wergeland himself shouted: "Long live the Constitution!" After that, people started to sing spontaneously from the flyers the most popular anthems of the time.

After that, the citizens walked spontaneously to the town square in front of the main church, and there they remained during the evening. The police, with civil reinforcements, quietly requested people to break up and retire, but people were curious and refused to leave. At the square lay at the time some heaps of cobblestone, waiting to be placed in the streets. Henrik Wergeland walked quietly about, wearing his self-made student's uniform. A drunken man, wearing a hat with the inscription "Long live May 17th" was brought in for questioning, but was eventually released because he was not able to explain himself.

Inside the castle, the Swedish governor called for his commander, Baron Wedel-Jarlsberg, wondering what to do, lest they should have a riot on their hands. The civil reinforcements had at this point begun to switch sides. The commanders had to find a way to dissolve the crowd. Eventually, they found an old clause from 1685, stating that revolt was illegal. Had this first been read out loud, people would have to retreat inside.

A man was then sent to the square with the task of reading the clause out loud. But he was not very tall, and he was ignored completely. Among those who heard him was Henrik Wergeland. When people still didn't react, the commander ordered the cavalry into the square, and a number of people were ridden down. Terror broke loose, and people ran towards the stone-heaps and into the stairways. Wergeland was beaten by the flat of a drawn saber, and claimed this was an insult to his uniform. Later, the light infantry arrived, beating people with rifles.

At this point, the regular bourgeoisie in Christiania showed up, wondering about the commotion. Some of these were severely beaten, and in one case an attorney could not stand on his feet for two weeks. Wergeland sent an accusing letter to the police on behalf of his uniform, written in such a way that the department could not help but smile. The interrogation afterwards made Wergeland a public hero, and from then on a symbol of the national day. In the later interrogation, Wergeland hinted that the Baron himself had not been entirely sober that day. The quote was omitted from the records, but remembered by Wergeland's cousin, who was present. His most famous line from this scene is memorable, as the police asked him of his age: "I am six years older than the Norwegian Constitution. I hope the present gentlemen remember when that constitution was written." This line in particular has given Wergeland the honour of "initiating the day".

Others were also brought in for questioning. They had to account for their songs, their particular toasts, and for whom they had toasted, and the speeches that had been given.

The result of this skirmish, later known as the "Battle of the Square", was that great anger turned towards the Swedes, and the governor especially. People wrote about it all over the country. The newspapers in Norway debated the incident for nearly a year, and the tension was so high on the Norwegian side of the border that King Karl Johan had to allow the Norwegians to celebrate their constitutional day in peace.