Europe were undoubtedly those with strong communal representation (Spain in
the fifteenth century, Sweden in the eighteenth, the Netherlands, the Tyrol, the
southern German territories).
Two theses emerged from this work: estate representation arises not only to
solidify royal (princely) rule, but also in places where subjects, thanks to their
economic and political power, are able to force the government to establish
institutionalized forms of deliberation (Blockmans).4 Where no assemblies of
estates existed, there was also no modern parliamentarism (Löwenthal).5
