Privy Council of Sweden
Encyclopedia
The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm (in Swedish Riksrådet until 1687; sometimes Latinised as Senatus Regni Sueciae) consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service. The constitution of 1634 stipulated that the king must have a Privy Council, but he was free to choose whomever he might find suitable for the job, as long as he was of Swedish birth. Particularly from Gustav Vasa, councillors were more the monarch's foremost advisors than autonomous lords.
At the introduction of absolutism, Charles XI had the equivalent organ named as kungligt råd, Royal Council. In the Period of Liberty, the medieval name was reused, but after the bloodless revolution of king Gustav III
, the old organ was practically abolished, and he established in its stead the statsråd (Council of State), rather similar organ but circumventing the then constitution. In the 1809 Constitution, statsråd became the constitutional governmental cabinet. Beginning in the 19th century that council was gradually transformed into a cabinet of ministers led by a prime minister that functions independently of the monarch. With the constitution of 1975, the privy council was abolished and replaced by regeringen, which formalised the complete separation from the monarch. However, members of the Swedish Cabinet are still referred to as "Statsråd" or "Councillors of State".
The High Council originated as a council of regional magnate
s (stormän) acting as advisers to the monarch of the combined Swedes realms (from 996, approximately). Foremost among the council was the military commander, the Riksjarl (jarl, English
: earl
), an office heritable within a younger branch of the House of the Kingdom of Nericia
, one of the constitutate parts of the realm.
During the reign of Magnus III of Sweden
between 1275 and 1290 the meetings of the Council became a permanent institution having the offices of Steward or Justiciar , Constable (Swedish: Marsk) and Chancellor (Swedish: Kansler), who until the 1530s was always an eccleasiastic.
in 1632, the 1634 Constitution
of Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna
laid the foundation for the administration of modern Sweden. For instance, the subdivision into counties
(Swedish: län) is a legacy from this time.
From 1634, the Senate was headed by the five Great Officers of The Realm
, each leading a branch of government:
The Councillors of the Realm ("senator") had the highest rank in the Kingdom after the Royal family and were styled the King's Cousins. A councillor might be found in a range of other circumstances; City councillor and so on. Also, the 1809 name for the Swedish Government was 'Council of State'. 'Councillor of State' was in many countries an honorary title.
There is some justification for this misunderstanding for the period 1680 to 1719. From around 1672, the year of the coming of age of Charles XI, the Senate was assembled less and less frequently and instead the King ruled from his Cabinet 'in Council'. He formed an ad hoc group of trusted relations, maybe a Senator or two, a few secretaries and knowledgeable persons, to discuss a particular matter or group of matters. The Scanian War
(1674–1679) gave the king the opportunity to establish - with the approval of the Estates - an absolute Monarchy along the lines of Renaissance Absolutism. Council, Parliament, local government, legal system, Church of Sweden, all were brought within the power of the King and his Secretaries.
This was the culmination of a long power-struggle between the Absolutist Kings and the republican leanings of the Aristocracy. The first of the Riksdag Acts ratifying the change of system was a declaration that the King was not bound by the 1634 Constitution, which no King or Queen had ever consented to freely. The Rikets Råd, the Senators of the Realm, were now called Kungliga Råd, Royal Councellors, being appointed and dismissed at the King's pleasure.
In 1713 the son and successor of Charles XI, Charles XII
, issued a new working order for the Chancellery to enable him to conduct government from the battle-field, but his sudden death at the siege of Fredricshald in Norway in 1718 provided the opportunity for the parliament (Riksdag of the Estates
) to write a new Constitution
in 1719 and 1721, that gave Sweden half a century of first renewed Senatorial, and then Parliamentary government.
The first Estate, the Nobility, dominated both the parliament and the Senate. The Senate now had 16 members and was chaired by the King. Each Senator had one vote, while the King as chairman had two. The Senate was the government of the Kingdom but also the supreme judicial authority.
From 1738 the Estates could remove Senators to create a majority corresponding to that of the Estates, the Estates also appointing the President of the Chancellery (the prime minister), along party lines.
The Freedom of the Press Act (1766) was also passed during this period.
This Age of Liberty lasted until the bloodless Coup d'État or Revolution of king Gustav III
in 1772 which restored royal sovereignty under the guise of the 1634 Constitution.
In 1789, by the Förenings- och Säkerhets Acten (English: the Act of Union and Security), an amendment charter to the constitution, the exclusive right of the Nobility to high offices was abolished and the Estates of the Burghers and the Peasantry (Yeomanry) also received these Privileges - a step towards modern democracy. Aristocratic control of state organs ceased, although the then High Councillors retained their title for life. The High Council's judicial function devolved on the Konungens Högsta Domstol (English: King's Supreme Court) composed of an equal number of noble and non-noble members. In the 1789 constitutional amendment Gustav III, having desired to abolish the constitutional power of the Council (a pesky limitation to royal power in the executive branch, in his view), had instead received the right to determine the number of High Councillors. He decided to have zero of them, and appointed instead Councillors of State - a circumvention that enabled him to deny their constitutional prerogatives if need arose.
The loss of the Finnish War
in 1809 prompted a military coup which removed Gustav IV Adolf
, replacing the Gustavian era with a new dynasty and a new constitution restoring initiative to the Estates.
was adopted, and while the King named the Statsråd: the Council of State, the legislative powers of Government were once again shared with the Estates
.
The Statsråd had nine members - also called Statsråd - the leading members being the Justitie-Statsminster, the Minister of State for Justice and the Statsministern för Utrikes Ärendena, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. The departmental reform of 1840 created seven departments or ministries headed by a Statsråd - a return of sorts to 1634. In 1866 the 4 Estates were abolished and the new two-Chamber Riksdag
was elected.
From 1876 the Justitie-Statsminster is called Statsminister Prime Minister
.
From 1917 parliamentarian principles were once more established and the Monarch ceased to exercise his constitutional power to appoint the Statsråd. From now on the Government depends politically on support from the Parliament, the Prime Minister exercising the Royal prerogatives. However, the Swedish
term used for the Government during this period, still was Kungl. Maj:t, an abbreviation of Kunglig Majestät the Royal Majesty.
At the introduction of absolutism, Charles XI had the equivalent organ named as kungligt råd, Royal Council. In the Period of Liberty, the medieval name was reused, but after the bloodless revolution of king Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
, the old organ was practically abolished, and he established in its stead the statsråd (Council of State), rather similar organ but circumventing the then constitution. In the 1809 Constitution, statsråd became the constitutional governmental cabinet. Beginning in the 19th century that council was gradually transformed into a cabinet of ministers led by a prime minister that functions independently of the monarch. With the constitution of 1975, the privy council was abolished and replaced by regeringen, which formalised the complete separation from the monarch. However, members of the Swedish Cabinet are still referred to as "Statsråd" or "Councillors of State".
The High Council originated as a council of regional magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s (stormän) acting as advisers to the monarch of the combined Swedes realms (from 996, approximately). Foremost among the council was the military commander, the Riksjarl (jarl, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
), an office heritable within a younger branch of the House of the Kingdom of Nericia
Närke
' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the southwest, and Värmland to the northwest...
, one of the constitutate parts of the realm.
During the reign of Magnus III of Sweden
Magnus III of Sweden
Magnus III Ladulås of Sweden, Swedish: Magnus Birgersson or Magnus Ladulås was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290....
between 1275 and 1290 the meetings of the Council became a permanent institution having the offices of Steward or Justiciar , Constable (Swedish: Marsk) and Chancellor (Swedish: Kansler), who until the 1530s was always an eccleasiastic.
Modern Sweden
Following the change of policies upon the death of Gustav II Adolf in action at LützenLützen
' is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 14 km northeast of Weißenfels, and 18 km southwest of Leipzig.The town was the scene of two famous battles:...
in 1632, the 1634 Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
of Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
laid the foundation for the administration of modern Sweden. For instance, the subdivision into counties
Counties of Sweden
The Counties of Sweden are the first level administrative and political subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is divided into 21 counties. The counties were established in 1634 on Count Axel Oxenstierna's initiative, superseding the historical provinces of Sweden to introduce a modern administration...
(Swedish: län) is a legacy from this time.
From 1634, the Senate was headed by the five Great Officers of The Realm
Great Officers of The Realm
The Great Officers of the Realm were the five leading members of the Swedish Privy Council from the later parts of the 16th century to around 1680. With the constitution of 1634, the five officers became heads of five different branches of government...
, each leading a branch of government:
- Lord High StewardLord High Steward of SwedenThe Lord High Steward or Lord High Justiciar was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council from the 13th century until 1809, excluding periods when the office was out of use....
(or Lord High Justiciar) (Swedish: Riksdrots) - Lord High ConstableLord High Constable of SwedenThe Lord High Constable was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from the 13th century until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council and, from 1630 and on, the head of the Swedish Council of War...
(Swedish: Riksmarsk) - Lord High AdmiralLord High Admiral of SwedenThe Lord High Admiral or Admiral of the Realm was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from c. 1571 until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council and the head of the navy and Admiralty of Sweden...
(Swedish: Riksamiral) - Lord High ChancellorLord High Chancellor of SwedenThe Lord High Chancellor was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from 1561 until 1680, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Privy Council of Sweden...
(Swedish: Rikskansler) - Lord High TreasurerLord High Treasurer of SwedenThe Lord High Treasurer was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council between 1602 and 1684, excluding periods when the office was out of use...
(Swedish: Riksskattmästare)
Parliamentarism vs. absolute monarchy
The words 'Senate' and 'Senator' are often used incorrectly as having the same meaning as 'Council' and 'Councillor'. 'Privy Council' in this context, is an absolute aberration. The word 'råd' in Swedish has a dual meaning, both the advisor and the advice given (as well as the body of advisors as collective), but 'council' is entirely different from 'Senate'.The Councillors of the Realm ("senator") had the highest rank in the Kingdom after the Royal family and were styled the King's Cousins. A councillor might be found in a range of other circumstances; City councillor and so on. Also, the 1809 name for the Swedish Government was 'Council of State'. 'Councillor of State' was in many countries an honorary title.
There is some justification for this misunderstanding for the period 1680 to 1719. From around 1672, the year of the coming of age of Charles XI, the Senate was assembled less and less frequently and instead the King ruled from his Cabinet 'in Council'. He formed an ad hoc group of trusted relations, maybe a Senator or two, a few secretaries and knowledgeable persons, to discuss a particular matter or group of matters. The Scanian War
Scanian War
The Scanian War was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark-Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish provinces along the border with Sweden and in Northern Germany...
(1674–1679) gave the king the opportunity to establish - with the approval of the Estates - an absolute Monarchy along the lines of Renaissance Absolutism. Council, Parliament, local government, legal system, Church of Sweden, all were brought within the power of the King and his Secretaries.
This was the culmination of a long power-struggle between the Absolutist Kings and the republican leanings of the Aristocracy. The first of the Riksdag Acts ratifying the change of system was a declaration that the King was not bound by the 1634 Constitution, which no King or Queen had ever consented to freely. The Rikets Råd, the Senators of the Realm, were now called Kungliga Råd, Royal Councellors, being appointed and dismissed at the King's pleasure.
In 1713 the son and successor of Charles XI, Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
, issued a new working order for the Chancellery to enable him to conduct government from the battle-field, but his sudden death at the siege of Fredricshald in Norway in 1718 provided the opportunity for the parliament (Riksdag of the Estates
Riksdag of the Estates
The Riksdag of the Estates , was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King...
) to write a new Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
in 1719 and 1721, that gave Sweden half a century of first renewed Senatorial, and then Parliamentary government.
The first Estate, the Nobility, dominated both the parliament and the Senate. The Senate now had 16 members and was chaired by the King. Each Senator had one vote, while the King as chairman had two. The Senate was the government of the Kingdom but also the supreme judicial authority.
From 1738 the Estates could remove Senators to create a majority corresponding to that of the Estates, the Estates also appointing the President of the Chancellery (the prime minister), along party lines.
The Freedom of the Press Act (1766) was also passed during this period.
This Age of Liberty lasted until the bloodless Coup d'État or Revolution of king Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
in 1772 which restored royal sovereignty under the guise of the 1634 Constitution.
In 1789, by the Förenings- och Säkerhets Acten (English: the Act of Union and Security), an amendment charter to the constitution, the exclusive right of the Nobility to high offices was abolished and the Estates of the Burghers and the Peasantry (Yeomanry) also received these Privileges - a step towards modern democracy. Aristocratic control of state organs ceased, although the then High Councillors retained their title for life. The High Council's judicial function devolved on the Konungens Högsta Domstol (English: King's Supreme Court) composed of an equal number of noble and non-noble members. In the 1789 constitutional amendment Gustav III, having desired to abolish the constitutional power of the Council (a pesky limitation to royal power in the executive branch, in his view), had instead received the right to determine the number of High Councillors. He decided to have zero of them, and appointed instead Councillors of State - a circumvention that enabled him to deny their constitutional prerogatives if need arose.
The loss of the Finnish War
Finnish War
The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and the Russian Empire from February 1808 to September 1809. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire...
in 1809 prompted a military coup which removed Gustav IV Adolf
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
, replacing the Gustavian era with a new dynasty and a new constitution restoring initiative to the Estates.
The Constitution of 1809
On June 6, 1809 a new ConstitutionConstitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
was adopted, and while the King named the Statsråd: the Council of State, the legislative powers of Government were once again shared with the Estates
Riksdag of the Estates
The Riksdag of the Estates , was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King...
.
The Statsråd had nine members - also called Statsråd - the leading members being the Justitie-Statsminster, the Minister of State for Justice and the Statsministern för Utrikes Ärendena, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. The departmental reform of 1840 created seven departments or ministries headed by a Statsråd - a return of sorts to 1634. In 1866 the 4 Estates were abolished and the new two-Chamber Riksdag
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
was elected.
From 1876 the Justitie-Statsminster is called Statsminister Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
.
From 1917 parliamentarian principles were once more established and the Monarch ceased to exercise his constitutional power to appoint the Statsråd. From now on the Government depends politically on support from the Parliament, the Prime Minister exercising the Royal prerogatives. However, the Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
term used for the Government during this period, still was Kungl. Maj:t, an abbreviation of Kunglig Majestät the Royal Majesty.
The Constitution of 1974
In 1974 a new parliamentary Constitution replaced 17th century formula of The King in Council for Regeringen, the Cabinet.List of Lords High Chancellor and Presidents of the Chancellery from the advent of Absolutism in 1680 to 1809
- Count Bengt OxenstiernaBengt Gabrielsson OxenstiernaCount Bengt Gabrielsson Oxenstierna , Swedish statesman, was the son of Axel Oxenstierna’s cousin, Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna . Married to Magdalena Stenbock.- Career :...
(1685-July 12, 1702, acting from 1680)- Count Carl PiperCarl PiperCarl, Count Piper was a Swedish statesman. He entered the foreign office after completing his academical course at Uppsala, accompanied Benedict Oxenstjerna on his embassage to Russia in 1673, and attracted the attention of Charles XI during the Scanian War by his extraordinary energy and...
(acting July 12, 1702–1705)
- Count Carl Piper
- Count Nils Gyldenstolpe 1705 May 4, 1709
- Count Arvid HornArvid HornCount Arvid Bernhard Horn of Ekebyholm was a Swedish soldier, diplomat and politician. He served twice as President of the Privy Council Chancellery and was one of the leading figures of the Swedish Age of Liberty.- Soldier and diplomat :He was born Arvid Bernhard Horn in Vuorentaka ,...
(April 10, 1719–1739, acting from 1709) - Count Carl GyllenborgCarl GyllenborgCount Carl Gyllenborg was a Swedish statesman and author.-Biography:After serving in the Polish War, he was sent to London as secretary of legation. In 1715, he was made minister plenipotentiary, and two years later was imprisoned for five months because of his participation in the plot to...
(1739-December 9, 1746) - Count Carl Gustaf TessinCarl Gustaf TessinCount Carl Gustaf Tessin was a Swedish politician and son of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and Hedvig Eleonora Stenbock.-Life:Carl Gustaf Tessin was born in Stockholm...
(December 5, 1747-March 1752, acting from 1746) - Count Andreas Johan von Höpken (March 1752-1761)
- Count Claes Ekeblad (1761–1765)
- Count Carl Gustaf LöwenhielmCarl Gustaf LöwenhielmCount Carl Gustaf Löwenhielm was a Swedish diplomat and Lieutenant-General who was also notable for his paintings of the countries in which he served. He married on 18 September 1817 Jaquette Löwenhielm, the famous mistress of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway. The couple had no children and...
(1765-March 7, 1768)- Baron Fredrik von Friesendorff (acting 1768-1769)
- Count Claes Ekeblad (1769–1771)
- Count Ulrik Scheffer (1771–1772)
- Count Joachim von Düben (April 22, 1772-August 22, 1772)
- Count Ulrik Scheffer (August 22, 1772–1783)
- Count Gustaf Philip CreutzGustaf Philip CreutzCount Gustaf Philip Creutz , was a Swedish statesman, diplomat and poet. He was born in Finland and after concluding his studies at the Royal Academy of Turku he received a post in the Privy Council Chancery at Stockholm in 1751. Here he met Count Gyllenborg, with whom his name is indissolubly...
(June 1783-1785)- Baron Malte Ramel (acting 1785-1786)
- Baron Emanuel de Geer (1786–1787)
- Count Johan Gabriel OxenstiernaJohan Gabriel OxenstiernaCount Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna was a Swedish poet, politician, diplomat and member of the Swedish Academy, holding seat number 8. He was a prominent courtier at the court of king Gustav III of Sweden and is considered one of the foremost poets of the Gustavian period. He was a member of the...
(acting 1787-1789) - Count Karl Wilhelm von Düben (acting 1789-November 1790)
- Ulrich Gustaf Frank (acting November 1790-1792)
- Baron Evert Wilhelm Taube (acting 1792)
- Count Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna
- Baron Christofer Bogislaus Zibet (May 15, 1792–1793)
- Count Fredrik Sparre (July 16, 1792-December 14, 1797)
- Count Nils Anton Augustus Bark (August 1793-1799)
- Baron Christofer Bogislaus Zibet (October 1799-1801)
- Fredrik Wilhelm von Ehrenheim (1801–1809)
See also
- History of SwedenHistory of SwedenModern Sweden started out of the Kalmar Union formed in 1397 and by the unification of the country by King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. In the 17th century Sweden expanded its territories to form the Swedish empire. Most of these conquered territories had to be given up during the 18th century...
- List of Swedish monarchs
- Privy CouncilPrivy councilA privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
- Riksrådet