The Revolution of 1772, also known as The Bloodless Revolution () or the Coup of Gustav III ( or older ''Gustav III:s statsvälvning''), was a Swedish

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

performed by King

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...

on 19 August 1772 to introduce a division of power between the king and the

Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates (; informally ) was the name used for the Estates of Sweden when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King. It was a Diet made up of the Fou ...

, resulting in the end of the

Age of Liberty In Swedish history, the Age of Liberty () was a period that saw parliamentary governance, increasing civil rights, and the decline of the Swedish Empire that began with the adoption of the Instrument of Government in 1719 and ended with Gustav ...

and the introduction of the

Swedish Constitution of 1772 The 1772 Instrument of Government () was the constitution of the Kingdom of Sweden from 1772 to 1809. It was promulgated in the wake of the Revolution of 1772, a self-coup mounted by King Gustav III, and replaced the 1720 Instrument of Governm ...

, which would strengthen the power of the monarch and the start the absolutist period known as the Gustavian era.

Background

The

was a period in Swedish history that spanned from 1718 to 1772, during which the Riksdag of the Estates held significant power and limited the authority of the monarch. This period saw the introduction of various reforms, including freedom of the press and the abolition of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

. Before the revolution, Sweden had been governed by a constitutionalist system as a result of an increase in the power of the

due to the death of

Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

and the subsequent 1719 Instrument of Government which diminished the power of the monarch. This constitution was repealed a few months later, however, it was replaced by the similarly constitutionalist

Instrument of Government The Instrument of Government was the first constitution of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and was also the first codified and written constitution in England. It was drafted by Major-General John Lambert in 1653. Anteced ...

of 1720. However, by the mid-18th century, the

had become a period of political stagnation and

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

. Furthermore, the Riksdag had become deeply divided and unable to effectively govern the country, leading to calls for reform from various quarters.

References

* Beth Hennings, ''Gustav III: En biografi'' (1957), Norstedts förlag 1990 * Berättelser ur svenska historien / 42. Frihetstidens sista år och Revolutionen 1772 18th-century coups d'état

1772 Events January–March * January 10 – Shah Alam II, the Mughal Emperor of India, makes a triumphant return to Delhi 15 years after having been forced to flee. * January 17 – Johann Friedrich Struensee and Queen Caroli ...

18th century in Sweden Conflicts in 1772 1772 in Sweden 18th century in Stockholm Sweden during the Age of Liberty Sweden during the Gustavian era Gustav III Rebellions in Sweden France–Sweden relations 1772 in politics Self-coups {{Sweden-hist-stub

Background

See also

References