the crowd. They settled on the Riot Act of 1685, which prohibited revolt. Gjerdrum was sent to the square to read the relevant clauses of the Riot Act and order the crowd to disperse, but he had inadequate stature and was largely ignored. Wedel-Jarlsberg then ordered cavalry into the square; some people were ridden down and a stampede ensued. The cavalry were joined by light infantry who began beating demonstrators with rifles. Among those injured was Wergeland, who was struck by the flat of a cavalry sabre. Fortunately, nobody was killed or seriously wounded, but in all around thirty civilians suffered significant injuries in the melee. Aftermath In the wake of the 'battle', six men were arrested - Frederik Christian Blehrs, Ole Eilertsen, Andreas Hansen, Hans Myhre, Christian Mortensen and Andreas Høyer - for public drunkenness and/or disorder, though they were all soon released. Wergeland subsequently wrote to politimester Gjerdrum and Major-General Wedel-Jarlsberg complaining about damage done to his student uniform during the scuffle, leading to a long-running exchange of letters which the politically savvy Wergeland was able to spin to his advantage. Wergeland's subsequent questioning by the police made him a public hero and figurehead of Norwegian nationalism. He hinted that the Baron had not been entirely sober that day; the quotation was omitted from the record but remembered by Wergeland's cousin, who was present. Most famously, when asked to state his age, Wergeland replied, "I am six years older than the Norwegian Constitution. I hope the present gentlemen remember when that constitution was written." This line in particular gave Wergeland the honour of "initiating the day". Around Norway there was great anger toward the Swedes and the governor in particular. It became a matter of heated discussion in Norwegian newspapers for a year afterwards. To defuse the tensions, King Charles XIV John agreed to lift the prohibition on constitutional celebrations on 17 May. It has been celebrated ever since as Norway's national day. Notes References Nilsson, Torbjörn, 2018. Torgslaget 1829: Myter och minnen om ett norsk-svenskt drama, Stockholm: Santérus Forlag Ethnic riots Political riots Political history of Norway 1829 riots 1829 in Norway 19th century in Oslo