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Riksdag of the Estates (Swedish:Riksens ständer; informallySwedish:ståndsriksdagen) was the name used forthe Estates ofSweden when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to theKing. It was aDiet made up of theFour Estates, which historically were the lines of division in Swedish society:
The inclusion of a fourth estate,Bondeståndet, is a peculiarity of the Swedish realm, with few parallels in Europe. The English wordpeasant is however an inexact translation, as it did not include the entire peasantry, as it is usually defined in an English context. It did not include unlanded or semi-landed groups such as crofters, lodgers and seasonal labourers and of the three categories of Swedishbönder, that is peasants, it included only two. Those were theskattebönder ("tax peasants"), yeomen who owned their own land and were taxed, as well as thekronobönder ("Crown farmers" or "farmers of the Crown"), who farmed land owned by the Crown. The third group, thefrälsebönder ("farmers of the nobility/gentry"), who farmed land owned by the nobility, were not represented, as they were considered to be represented by their landowners.
The meeting atArboga in 1435 is usually considered to be the first Riksdag, but there is no indication that the fourth estate, the farmers, were represented there.[citation needed]
Theconstitution of 1809 divided the powers of government between the monarch and the Riksdag of the Estates, and after 1866 between the monarch and the newRiksdag. In 1866 all the Estates voted in favor of dissolution and at the same time to constitute a new assembly,Sveriges Riksdag. The four former estates were abolished. TheHouse of Nobility (Swedish:Riddarhuset) remained as a quasi-official representation of theSwedish nobility until 2003. Although the Nobility remains as a legal entity it is no longer an entity of public law but merely a private association. All Noble privileges have been abolished. However, a number of entailed properties (fidekomisser) remain to be commuted (that is, turned into limited liability companies). The modernCentre Party, which grew out of the Swedish farmers' movement, could be construed as a modern representation with a traditional bond to the Estate of the Farmers.
Following theFinnish War in 1809, Sweden ceded its eastmost provinces to theRussian Empire. Comprising much of present-day Finland, these became aGrand Duchy under theEmperor, but the political institutions were kept practically intact. The Finnish estatesassembled in 1809 at Porvoo to confirm the change in their allegiance. ThisDiet of Finland followed the forms of the Swedish Riksdag, being the legislative body of the new autonomous region. However, during the reigns ofAlexander I andNicholas I it was not assembled and no new legislation was enacted. The diet was next assembled by tsarAlexander II in 1863, due to the need to modernize the laws. After this the Diet met regularly until 1905, when it passed an act forming a new unicameral parliament. That assembly has been Finland's legislative body since then. TheFinnish House of Nobility (Finnish:Ritarihuone;Swedish:Riddarhuset) carries on the tradition of the Estate of Nobility, but no new families have been ennobled since 1906.
