ABSTRACT
The expanding early modern Swedish state required not only military personnel but also trained administrators and officers, creating new and wider opportunities for the Swedish people to improve their financial status and pursue professional advancement. The sons of burghers and priests could now choose an administrative or officer’s career and, if they were successful, achieve nobility in time. The relatively small nobility, which numbered about 450 adult males at the beginning of the century, thus grew to about 2,500 by the end. The creation of jobs and opportunities for education and careers was closely linked to the robust growth of the Swedish state and to the increased wealth of the Swedish aristocracy that resulted from this growth. In a changing society the desire to move up the social ladder became a prominent feature. The aristocracy’s newfound wealth manifested itself, as we have seen, in the construction of large, modern, city palaces and country estates, as well as the expansion of their households, which often included individuals who aspired to enhance their living standards and future prospects. As a result, a discernible pattern emerges, whereby the aspirations of both the state and the aristocracy influenced those of the less affluent, yet still ambitious, such as the lackey, the silver butler’s boy or even the hopeful kitchen boy. These individuals were part of the broader state-formation process.
