On several occasions there was friction between the king and the
Norwegian Storthing. At the treaty of Kiel the king had promised that
Norway would assume a part of the Norwegian-Danish public debt; but as
the Norwegians had never acknowledged this treaty, they held that it
was not their duty to pay any part of the debt, and declared besides
that Norway was not able to do so. But as the powers had agreed to
help Denmark to enforce her claims, a compromise was effected in 1821,
by which the Storthing agreed to pay three million dollars, the king
relinquishing his civil list for a certain number of years. The same
Storthing adopted the law abolishing the nobility in Norway. This step
also was strongly opposed by Charles John, but as it had been adopted
by three successive Storthings, the act under the constitution became
a law in spite of any veto.

For a number of years there existed a want of confidence between the
king and the Norwegian people. The king did not like the democratic
spirit of the Norwegians, and the reactionary tendencies of his
European allies had quite an influence upon his actions. In 1821 he
proposed ten amendments to the constitution, looking to an increase
of the royal power, among which was one giving the king an absolute
instead of a suspensive veto; another giving him the right to appoint
the presidents of the Storthing, and a third authorizing him to
dissolve the Storthing at any time. But these amendments met the most
ardent opposition in the Storthing, and were unanimously rejected.

When the Norwegians commenced to celebrate the anniversary of the
adoption of the constitution (May 17), the king thought he saw in this
a sign of a disloyal spirit, because they did not rather celebrate the
day of their union with Sweden, and he forbade the public celebration