General Notes

Oscar II (1829-1907), king of Sweden (1872-1907) and of Norway (1872-1905),
third son of King Oscar I, and brother of King Charles XV, born in Stockholm.
The chief event of his reign was his sophisticated response to increasing
tension between Sweden and Norway; in 1905 he decided to relinquish the throne
of Norway, thus severing the union between the two countries that had existed
since the Napoleonic era. Oscar II encouraged industrial progress in Sweden.
He was a naval authority and a writer; in addition, as an expert in
international affairs, he served as arbitrator of several international
disputes.