ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the evolution of the peasant estate of the Swedish diet, the Riksdag, is described during the early modern era. First, it addresses the question of why a peasant estate arose in the Riksdag, when it was absent in virtually all other representative assemblies in premodern times. In doing so, Sweden is compared with the neighbouring and culturally similar kingdom of Denmark, which briefly had peasant representation, but then abolished it. In Sweden, but not in Denmark, a substantial portion of the peasantry, up to half of it, was independent of any feudal lord and dominated local politics in large parts of the country. There were also contingent reasons for the difference between the two Scandinavian kingdoms. The contentious politics of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries caused political actors to seek support from the peasants: during the fifteenth century as soldiers, and during the sixteenth century as political supporters in the Riksdag. Above all, the kings sought support from the peasants against the overly mighty nobles. These developments had no parallel in Denmark. Second, the development of the peasant estate during the period 1617–1718 is described. During this period, Sweden emerged as a great power in Northern Europe. The estate of peasants was disadvantaged by its low status, the lack of organisation and its representatives’ inexperience and lack of education. Nevertheless, it was instrumental in curbing the meteoric rise of noble power during this era. And the peasant representation was highly valued by the peasants because of the possibility of presenting grievances to the king. Third, the chapter addresses the continued evolution of the estate during the parliamentary rule of the period 1719–1772. During this period, the Riksdag ruled supreme and the political skills of peasant representatives grew immensely. The general peace and low taxes of the era also contributed to the emergence of a rich, confident upper crust of peasant-farmers. However, they were still excluded from the most important political arena, the Secret Committee, which contributed to the widespread resentment towards this system among the peasantry. Finally, the legacy of the peasant estate is discussed, together with its importance for the political culture of modern Sweden.
