Instrument of Government (1809)

Instrument of Government (1809)

The Instrument of Government, or "Regeringsformen", adopted on June 6, 1809 by the Riksdag of the Estates was the constitution of Sweden from 1809 to 1974. It came about following the disastrous outcome in the Finnish War, when King Gustav IV Adolf was forced to abdicate and was succeeded by his uncle, Charles XIII.

History

The loss of Finland to Russia in the Finnish War, settled in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn, provided momentum for the Swedish nobility and other forces to depose the king and restore political power to parliament. For half a century, starting in 1719, often referred to as the age of liberty, Sweden had enjoyed parliamentary rule under the Riksdag of the Estates, but in 1772 that was ended by a "coup d'état" perpetrated by Gustav III. The coup enabled Gustav III to rule as an enlightened despot.

The aged and childless brother of Gustav III, Charles XIII was made king in 1809, but he was a mere puppet in the hands of parliament and the question of his successor had to be solved. The election, by parliament, of the French Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte in 1810, provided not only a successor, but also a vital regent and a new dynasty. The rights of Bernadotte's successors to accede to the Swedish throne were codified in an amendment to the constitution in the form of the Act of Succession (1810).

Reforms

The Instrument of Government of 1809 replaced the Instrument of Government from 1772. It established a separation of powers between the executive branch (the King) and the legislative branch (the Riksdag of the Estates) and gave King and parliament joint power over legislation. This meant that the power of the King was reduced compared to the enlightened absolutism of Gustav III, but it enabled the King to take a more active role in politics than during the Age of Liberty. In 1975, it was replaced by a new Instrument of Government, which made Sweden also formally a parliamentary monarchy.

During the period when it was in force several important reforms took place without affecting its status. In 1866 the Four Estates were replaced by a bicameral parliament, and in 1876 the office of the Prime Minister of Sweden was introduced. In the early 20th century universal suffrage was introduced and the country became a "de facto" parliamentary monarchy. In 1970 the parliament was transformed from a bicameral legislature to the unicameral Riksdag.

ee also

*History of Sweden
*Politics of Sweden
*Constitution of Sweden
*Privy Council of Sweden

External links

* [http://sv.wikisource.org/wiki/Regeringsform_1809 Regeringsform 1809] - at Wikisource (in Swedish)
* [http://sv.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikisource:Historiska_dokument Swedish historical documents] - at Wikisource


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Instrument of Government — may refer to: * Instrument of Government (1653), constitution of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland * Constitutions of Sweden: ** Instrument of Government (1634) ** Instrument of Government (1772) ** Instrument of Government (1809) …   Wikipedia

  • Instrument of Government (1634) — The Instrument of Government of 1634 was Sweden s first. It regulated some of the administration, judiciary and the military. It was never accepted by the monarch but was nonetheless in use until Charles XI became an absolute monarch.ee… …   Wikipedia

  • 1809 — This article is about the year 1809. Millennium: 2nd millennium Centuries: 18th century – 19th century – 20th century Decades: 1770s  1780s  1790s  – 1800s –  1810s  182 …   Wikipedia

  • Constitution of Sweden — Kingdom of Sweden This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Sweden …   Wikipedia

  • Pièces de monnaie suédoises — Les pièces de monnaie suédoises sont une des représentations physiques, avec les billets de banque, de la monnaie de la Suède. Sommaire 1 L unité monétaire suédoise 2 Les pièces de monnaie de Suède 2.1 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pièces de monnaies suédoises — Pièces de monnaie suédoises Les pièces de monnaie suédoises sont une des représentations physiques, avec les billets de banque, de la monnaie de la Suède. Sommaire 1 L unité monétaire suédoise 2 Les pièces de monnaie de Suède 2.1 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste des pièces de monnaie suédoises — Les pièces de monnaie suédoises sont une des représentations physiques, avec les billets de banque, de la monnaie de la Suède. Sommaire 1 L unité monétaire suédoise 2 Les pièces de monnaie de Suède 2.1 La premiè …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Minister for Justice (Sweden) — The Minister for Justice (Swedish: justitieminister) is the justice minister of Sweden and head of the Ministry of Justice. The current Minister for Justice is Beatrice Ask of the Moderate Party. The office was instituted in 1809 as a result of… …   Wikipedia

  • Committee on the Constitution (Parliament of Sweden) — The Committee on the Constitution (Swedish: Konstitutionsutskottet, KU) is a committee in the Parliament of Sweden. The committee prepares matters concerning the constitution and the Parliament Act and other matters concerning legislation of a… …   Wikipedia

  • Commander-in-chief — CINC redirects here. For other uses, see CINC (disambiguation). For other uses, see Commander in Chief (disambiguation). Epaulettes of commander in chief of November Uprising Jan Skrzynecki A commande …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”