"There are two parties in the Kingdom Assembly," Torjus read aloud from the latest leaflet to reach Homme farm. "The Independence Party, who support Prince Kristian and want Norway to separate completely from Sweden, and the Union Party. The Union men don't believe we can survive on our own without imported grain. They say we need to ally ourselves with Sweden, but have our own constitution."

"Our own?" asked his father Halvor, now eighty-two and nearly blind. "Like the Amerikaners and French. Hmm--"

"How old is the news?" Tone asked.

Torjus glanced at the leaflet's masthead. "A couple months is all. In April, a hundred and twelve men met at Eidsvoll. Some from business, some from government."

"City folk," Halvor said, and snorted.

"Also thirty-seven good honest country bonder." Torjus flipped to another article. "Ah. News from the wars. Listen to this! The Sixth Coalition against France took Paris on the thirty-first of March!"

"Took Paris?" Tone echoed. "Napoleon is defeated at last!"

"The little fellow had quite a run there," Halvor drawled, "but this is not an age for empire."

.

A few weeks later, Torjus read the latest draft of the constitutional document. "Power shall be divided between the king, the judicial seat, and the parliament which they'll call the Stor-Ting."

"A 'big ting,'" Tone said as she kneaded flatbread dough. "Will it work like the local tings?"

"I think so. This says that members of Storting will pass laws and mint coins. The king enforces the laws enacted by Storting, has the power of veto, and is the chief military leader. The judicial seat will judge according to the laws passed by Storting, without any meddling from the king or from the Storting."

"What's a 'veto'?" asked ten-year-old Jon, looking up from his schoolwork.

Torjus studied the leaflet a while. "The king can throw out a law passed by Storting one time, two times, but not three times. If Storting passes the same law in three votes, then it goes into effect in spite of the king's opposition."

"Ah, good," Tone said. "None of that divine right nonsense they had on the continent. Look at all the trouble that caused."

Halvor chuckled. "We Norse have always known how to keep our kings in line."

"We have?" Jon asked.

"Ever since the old days, if the jarls decide they don't like their king's leadership, they simply choose someone else to hold the throne." Halvor said.

"So our new Storting is a bunch of jarls?"

"No, they're regular everyday Norwegians." Torjus skimmed, then read aloud. "Members of Storting will be elected by men over the age of twenty-five who own land."

Old Halvor nodded. "That sounds good. That sounds very good. The true voice of Norway." He smiled. "Too late for me, isn't it, son? I signed all my property over to you. Well, you must take care and vote wisely."

.

BEHIND THE SCENES

By 1800, nearly 100 percent of Norwegians wereliterate, compared with about 50% in the rest of Europe! See the chapter set in 1744.

A "bonde" is somewhat like an English country squire.

"Stor" means big. A "ting" is an assembly of peers that makes judgments on community matters in an ancient democratic process used as far back as Viking times.