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Instrument of Government (1772)

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31: 311:(the king had two votes in this Court's judgements, as in all decisions by the council in the Age of Liberty). The Privy Council did not however function so much as a political institution as in the Age of Liberty, and in these matters the king could put it aside and listen to other advisors and councillors as the king also often did. 369:, the 1772 Instrument of Government had a peculiar status. While the Russian emperors, reigning in Finland as grand dukes, never gave any indication that they considered their autocratic powers limited by any constitution, a theory was developed in Finland that the old Instrument of Government remained in force, 185:
Gustav III was therefore able to attract considerable support for his scheme to overthrow the government and replace the 1720 Instrument of Government with a new constitution. On 19 August 1772 the king rallied the Stockholm garrison and arrested the Council of the Realm, along with several prominent
264:, and although it invoked ideas like the separation of powers, it provided few practical checks upon the king's power. Moreover, in 1789 Gustav removed many of the few limits which did exist upon his power by compelling the Riksdag to pass the 194:
The Instrument of Government was a somewhat curious mix of different influences. In part it was based on earlier Swedish political traditions, harking back above all to the reign of the revered
186:
members of the Cap party. Two days later he convened a session of the Riksdag and compelled it to accept a new constitution which he had drawn up, the 1772 Instrument of Government.
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The king governed the civil service and Parliaments were assembled only at the king's will when the king had to raise taxes and legislate (legislation was regulated in
385:) were an important political faction in Finland at this time, and their legacy of constitutional legalism has had a significant effect on later Finnish politics. 588: 377:. This theory was, however, never put forward officially and never accepted in St. Petersburg. It did gain considerable popular currency in Finland, so that 314:
The king however, had to listen to the advice of the Privy Council in cases concerning treaties about peace, armistice and alliances with foreign powers and
182:(1757–1762). Indeed, some historians argue that by the early 1770s the situation had deteriorated to the extent that Sweden was on the brink of anarchy. 812: 827: 381:
measures instituted from the 1890s onwards were commonly decried as an "unconstitutional" assault on the country's autonomy. The "Constitutionals" (
842: 807: 862: 686: 396:, as successor to the old Estates of the Realm, moved to assume sovereign power in Finland, based on the old Swedish provisions in case of a 857: 409: 852: 603: 318:
to other countries. In these cases the council also could veto the king, if all members of the Council shared this view unanimously.
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of the Instrument of Government was rather vague, in part due to its having been written in haste in the aftermath of the
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The matter remained officially uncontested and arguably unresolved for more than a century, but after the abdication of
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and army officers. The king was forced to abdicate and sent into exile, and a new constitution was then drawn up, the
207: 203: 138:. Under this system, the king played a relatively minor role in the government, which was instead dominated by the 802: 766: 448: 378: 162:
of political and artistic freedom, but it was also characterised by factional struggles between the so-called "
792: 787: 438: 416: 253: 147: 127: 100:, which further strengthened royal power at the expense of the Riksdag. It remained in force throughout the 89: 733: 702: 433: 362: 265: 241: 143: 139: 97: 85: 293: 289: 285: 620: 393: 389: 797: 745: 428: 245: 222: 214: 69: 34: 867: 832: 596: 570: 534: 249: 643: 502: 477: 405: 261: 121: 80:(1719-72). Although in theory the 1772 Instrument merely readjusted the balance of power between 61: 599: 338: 93: 57: 17: 300: 171: 151: 45: 592: 366: 342: 226: 195: 453: 443: 374: 179: 77: 240:
concepts like the separation of powers in theory, in practice he tended to rule as an
781: 308: 269: 237: 230: 101: 663: 229:, drawn up four years later, and indeed Gustav was an avowed admirer of the nascent 328: 315: 167: 163: 109: 53: 533:(in Swedish) (3rd ed.). Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell. pp. 283–284. 397: 334: 257: 218: 30: 280:
Significant provisions of the Instrument of Government included the following:
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On the other hand, large parts of the Instrument were also inspired by recent
159: 81: 65: 415:
The Instrument of Government was finally superseded when Finland adopted a
671: 569:(in Swedish) (4th ed.). Stockholm: AV Carlsons. pp. 412–413. 373:, with Finland's position as part of the Empire having the nature of a 638: 497: 472: 574: 538: 225:. This concept would also be one of the main principles behind the 365:, created in 1809 from the eastern third of Sweden as part of the 29: 531:
Historia för gymnasiet: allmän och nordisk historia efter år 1000
621:
Articles 6 and 7 of the Instrument (Instrument of Government or
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During the Age of Liberty (1719–1772), Sweden was governed as a
675: 268:, which revised the Instrument of Government in a more nakedly 565:
Borg, Ivan; Nordell, Erik; Rodhe, Sten; Nordell, Erik (1967).
88:(Swedish Parliament), without changing Sweden's status as a 288:). An offensive war also had to be approved by Parliament ( 60:
from 1772 to 1809. It was promulgated in the wake of the
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was mounted against Gustav's son and successor, King
92:, in practice it is generally seen as instituting an 404:, as well as within Finland, culminating, after the 210:but had fallen out of use in the previous century. 158:). The Age of Liberty is generally remembered as a 96:, especially after its modification in 1789 by the 174:in the Riksdag and by military humiliation in the 146:functions of government being discharged by the 687: 8: 694: 680: 672: 76:, which had been in force for most of the 664:Text of the 1772 Instrument of Government 560: 558: 556: 554: 552: 550: 548: 763:Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression 616: 614: 612: 417:new, republican instrument of government 400:. This led to a power struggle with the 353:, which superseded the 1772 Instrument. 299:The Privy Council's justice department ( 465: 236:However, while Gustav may have admired 198:; for example, it revived the posts of 307:), functioned as a fairly independent 591:18 October 1776 published in 1992 by 7: 493: 491: 489: 487: 524: 522: 520: 518: 516: 514: 512: 410:Finnish declaration of independence 134:and later under the near-identical 25: 567:Historia för gymnasiet. Årskurs 1 244:, akin to contemporaries such as 813:1809 disestablishments in Sweden 402:Provisional Government of Russia 333:After the Swedish defeat in the 206:, which had once been among the 828:Sweden during the Gustavian era 351:Instrument of Government (1809) 136:Instrument of Government (1720) 132:Instrument of Government (1719) 843:Early modern history of Sweden 18:Constitution of 1772 (Finland) 1: 808:1772 establishments in Sweden 529:Bäcklin, Martin, ed. (1965). 252:of Prussia, rather than as a 106:1809 Instrument of Government 74:1720 Instrument of Government 42:1772 Instrument of Government 863:Political history of Finland 858:Political history of Sweden 884: 326: 208:Great Offices of the Realm 119: 754: 709: 292:) and also new taxation ( 853:Legal history of Finland 759:Freedom of the Press Act 449:Russification of Finland 104:, until replaced by the 848:Legal history of Sweden 703:Constitutions of Sweden 439:Constitution of Finland 128:constitutional monarchy 90:constitutional monarchy 838:Grand Duchy of Finland 818:Constitution of Sweden 734:Union and Security Act 434:Constitution of Sweden 363:Grand Duchy of Finland 304: 266:Union and Security Act 254:constitutional monarch 155: 140:Riksdag of the Estates 130:, initially under the 98:Union and Security Act 86:Riksdag of the Estates 49: 37: 823:Defunct constitutions 597:Gunnar von Proschwitz 589:Countess de Boufflers 398:vacancy on the throne 394:Parliament of Finland 357:In Finland after 1809 217:ideas, in particular 33: 246:Joseph II of Austria 223:separation of powers 200:Lord High Chancellor 196:King Gustav II Adolf 178:(1741–1743) and the 148:Council of the Realm 35:Gustav III of Sweden 27:Swedish constitution 506:(1909), pp. 672–673 250:Frederick the Great 142:, with most of the 108:as a result of the 72:, and replaced the 644:Nordisk Familjebok 503:Nordisk Familjebok 478:Nordisk Familjebok 406:October Revolution 305:Justitierevisionen 242:enlightened despot 122:Revolution of 1772 62:Revolution of 1772 38: 775: 774: 767:Act of Succession 383:perustuslailliset 345:, by disgruntled 221:'s notion of the 204:Lord High Steward 94:absolute monarchy 58:Kingdom of Sweden 16:(Redirected from 875: 803:1772 in politics 696: 689: 682: 673: 668: 651: 650: 636: 630: 629: 618: 607: 585: 579: 578: 562: 543: 542: 526: 507: 495: 482: 470: 371:mutatis mutandis 21: 883: 882: 878: 877: 876: 874: 873: 872: 778: 777: 776: 771: 750: 705: 700: 666: 660: 655: 654: 648: 639:Regeringsformen 637: 633: 627: 619: 610: 593:Swedish Academy 586: 582: 564: 563: 546: 528: 527: 510: 496: 485: 473:Regeringsformen 471: 467: 462: 425: 359: 343:Gustav IV Adolf 331: 325: 278: 227:US Constitution 192: 124: 118: 70:King Gustav III 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 881: 879: 871: 870: 865: 860: 855: 850: 845: 840: 835: 830: 825: 820: 815: 810: 805: 800: 795: 793:1772 in Sweden 790: 788:1772 documents 780: 779: 773: 772: 770: 769: 764: 761: 755: 752: 751: 749: 748: 746:Current (1974) 743: 738: 737: 736: 726: 721: 716: 710: 707: 706: 701: 699: 698: 691: 684: 676: 670: 669: 659: 658:External links 656: 653: 652: 631: 608: 580: 544: 508: 483: 464: 463: 461: 458: 457: 456: 454:Walhalla-orden 451: 446: 444:Diet of Porvoo 441: 436: 431: 424: 421: 375:personal union 367:Russian Empire 358: 355: 327:Main article: 324: 321: 320: 319: 316:(state) visits 312: 297: 294:articles 45-46 286:articles 40-43 277: 274: 191: 188: 180:Pomeranian War 120:Main article: 117: 114: 78:Age of Liberty 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144:executive 82:the Crown 66:self-coup 575:10259755 423:See also 347:liberals 84:and the 647:(1915) 539:1610850 361:In the 301:Swedish 276:Details 172:parties 166:" and " 156:riksråd 152:Swedish 56:of the 46:Swedish 606:p. 149 602:  595:Prof. 573:  571:SELIBR 537:  535:SELIBR 481:(1915) 256:. The 741:1809 729:1772 724:1720 719:1719 714:1634 600:ISBN 337:, a 262:coup 248:and 202:and 64:, a 40:The 168:Hat 164:Cap 784:: 641:, 625:). 611:^ 547:^ 511:^ 500:, 486:^ 475:, 412:. 303:: 296:). 233:. 170:" 154:: 112:. 48:: 695:e 688:t 681:v 577:. 541:. 150:( 44:( 20:)

Index

Constitution of 1772 (Finland)

Gustav III of Sweden
Swedish
constitution
Kingdom of Sweden
Revolution of 1772
self-coup
King Gustav III
1720 Instrument of Government
Age of Liberty
the Crown
Riksdag of the Estates
constitutional monarchy
absolute monarchy
Union and Security Act
Gustavian era
1809 Instrument of Government
Coup of 1809
Revolution of 1772
constitutional monarchy
Instrument of Government (1719)
Instrument of Government (1720)
Riksdag of the Estates
executive
Council of the Realm
Swedish
golden age
Cap
Hat

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