Sweden's 1809 Instrument of Government: The Constitution That Tamed a King

In 1809, Sweden lost Finland to Russia, saw its king deposed in a military coup, and then did something remarkable: it wrote a new constitution. The 1809 Instrument of Government split power between the monarch and the Riksdag, creating a balance that would last until 1974. This episode unpacks the political crisis, the drafting by Hans Järta and others, the influence of Montesquieu's separation of powers, and how Sweden became a constitutional monarchy without a revolution. Learn about the forgotten figure of Georg Adlersparre, the 'March of the Western Army,' and why the 1809 constitution is a key to understanding modern Sweden's aversion to executive power.

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