Sweden's 1713 Absolutist Constitution

In the aftermath of Sweden's catastrophic defeat at Poltava in 1709, King Charles XII remained in Ottoman exile for years, leaving the kingdom rudderless. This power vacuum led to a radical political experiment: the 1713 Constitution that dismantled absolute monarchy and created Sweden's first parliamentary government. Lucas and Luna explore how the Riksdag seized control, the role of Arvid Horn and the Caps, and how this shift laid the groundwork for Sweden's Age of Liberty. They discuss the key figures like Charles XII's sister Ulrika Eleonora, the constitutional committee that drafted the Instrument of Government, and the tense negotiations that divided power between nobles, clergy, burghers, and peasants. From the camp at Bender to the halls of Stockholm, this episode uncovers a forgotten turning point when Sweden traded autocracy for oligarchy.

#SwedishHistory #AgeOfLiberty #CharlesXII #Riksdag #InstrumentOfGovernment1713 #ArvidHorn #Caps #Absolutism #GreatNorthernWar #Bender #UlrikaEleonora #Parliamentarism #1713Constitution #Sweden #FexingoHistory #HistoryPodcast #PoliticalHistory #ConstitutionalHistory #VikingAge #SwedishEmpire

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