Union and Security Act
The Union and Security Act (Swedish: Förenings- och säkerhetsakten, Finnish: Yhdistys- ja vakuuskirja), alternately Act of Union and Security was proposed by king Gustav III of Sweden to the assembled Estates of the Realm during the Riksdag of 1789. It was a document, adding to the Swedish Constitution of 1772 new provisions and divisions of power. The King strengthened his grip on power, while at the same time riding on a popular wave that also meant the decrease in aristocratic power. It has been described as "fundamentally conservative".[1]
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[edit] Passage
After the ending of the Theater War, in February 1789 Gustav summoned the Riksdag of the Estates and placed an Act of Union and Security before them. Three of the four estates accepted it but the Nobles rejected it. However Gustav proclaimed that it was the law anyway.[1]
[edit] The act
The Act of Union of Security gave the king the sole power to declare war and make peace instead of sharing this power with the estates.[2] The estates would lose the ability to initiate legislation,[3] however they would keep the ability to vote on new taxes.[1]
Most noble privileges were abolished with the Act, with most offices now available to all regardless of rank. It also made most land purchasable by anyone instead of just nobles.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Byron J. Nordstrom (2000). Scandinavia since 1500. U of Minnesota Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-8166-2098-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=Pa4g1A1n53cC&pg=PA112. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
- ^ Koch, Christophe; Cogswell, Joseph Green (1837). History of the revolutions in Europe, from the subversion of the Roman empire in the west, to the Congress of Vienna. S. Babcock & Co.. p. 197. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tiEMAAAAYAAJ.
- ^ a b Crawley, Charles William; Clark, George (1965). The New Cambridge Modern History. Cambridge University Press. p. 483. ISBN 0-521-04547-9. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mfV7qQ_oiVEC.
