The1720 Instrument of Government (Swedish:1720 års regeringsform) adopted on 2 May 1720 by theRiksdag of the Estates (Swedish parliament), was theconstitution of theKingdom of Sweden from 1720 to 1772, and was thus in force for almost the entirety of the period ofconstitutional monarchy known as theAge of Liberty, having replaced the largely identicalInstrument of Government (1719).
The decision to enact a new constitution so soon after the previous one was prompted by the decision ofQueen Ulrika Eleonora to abdicate in favour of her husband Frederick of Hesse, who thus becameKing Frederick I. The Riksdag disapproved of this manoeuvre and suspected Frederick of having ambitions of restoringabsolute monarchy, and so in exchange for ratifying his accession as king it forced him to accept a new constitution, which imposed tighter restrictions upon royal power than its predecessor.[1][2] In most respects, however, the 1720 Instrument was identical to that of 1719.[3]
The 1720 Instrument of Government remained in force for fifty years, before being replaced by the1772 Instrument of Government, which ended the period ofconstitutionalism and restoredabsolutism in Sweden.[4]
The 1719 and 1720 Instruments of Government replaced the Carolean absolute monarchy with a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, where the king shared power with theRiksdag of the Estates. The Riksdag comprised fourestates (thenobility,clergy,burghers andpeasantry), each consisting of a number of representatives elected by members of the respective social groups. Women were granted limited suffrage, providing they were taxpaying guild members of legal majority.[5] Theexecutive functions of government were discharged by theCouncil of the Realm (Swedish:riksråd), which consisted of 16 members drawn from the first three estates of the Riksdag. The councillors were appointed by the Riksdag: each of the first three estates nominated three candidates forcabinet posts to the king, who was then allowed to select his preference from the three choices. The king was also permitted to participate in the council's decision-making, and although he had to vote on decisions like any other member of the council, his vote counted double that of the ordinary Councillors.
