This book will be the first to deeply analyze the Swedish court and monarchy through a longue duree perspective to show the crucial role of the court in maintaining a relationship between the monarchy and nobility throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Sweden offered a different type of monarchy in comparison to the more often studied French and British monarchies. Sweden's court system successfully managed several coups and upheavals and maintained strong royal power throughout many transitions. Studying the Swedish model offers insights into how courts functioned in European principalities in general by providing a resilient and flexible framework for royal authority in tandem with the nobility. Based on extensive research conducted in the Swedish National Archives, the Palace Archives, and the Royal Library, the book presents some never-before published case studies and materials that drive the impact of court studies on many different areas of research, including gender studies, political science, and art history.
Author(s): Fabian Persson
Series: Palgrave Studies in Modern Monarchy
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 349
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Figures
Dramatis Personae
Chapter 1: Resilient European Courts: An Introduction
Monarch and Aristocracy in Symbiosis
The Historiography of Royal Service
A Landscape of Courts
The Role of the Aristocracy
Continuity or Rupture?
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 2: Reviving a Battered Court and Monarchy
The Council and the Constitution
Revival and Rebuilding
New Courtiers
Old Servants
Fighting Disorder
Personal Royal Power
Power and Sociability
The Ruthless Determination of Lovisa Ulrika
Conclusions
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 3: Expansion and Differentiation: Space at Court
Three Spheres of Royal Space
Access for the General Public
Access for the Elite
The Staterooms
The King’s Apartment
The Inner Rooms
Where Were the Courtiers?
Court Space Outside the Palace
Conclusions
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 4: The Court as the World
Centres of Sociability
Entering the World
Court Life, Court Time
Learning Courtliness
The Court’s World View
Conclusion
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 5: Winners and Losers in the Politics of Familiarity
King and Aristocracy
Aristocratic Poverty
The Importance of Court Appointments
Combining Offices
Balancing Favourites
Favourite Pages
The Machinery of Patronage
The Enemy Within
King Versus Opposition
Conclusions
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 6: Survival and Revolutions
New Royals and Adaptable Aristocrats
Courtier Continuity
An Army of Courtiers
Yes-Men and Powerbrokers
Conclusion
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 7: Living Etiquette
Who Decided What
Clashes Over Etiquette
Difficult Children
Cut and Thrust
Ceremonial Memory and Codification
Change After 1809
A Changing Constant
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 8: Ties of Honour
Orders as Part of Elite Life
Visibility
Hoping for Distinction
Proliferation
Dissatisfaction
A Ridiculous System
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 9: The Rift Between Monarchy and Nobility
A Nineteenth-Century Apogee?
The Pervasive Court
The Limited Court
The Minimalist Court
A Return to Royal Conservatism
Going Their Separate Ways
Consequences
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Chapter 10: Magnificent, Engaging, or Remote
Royal Appearances in Public
Public Interest in Royal Events
Doing One’s Royal Duty
A Different Kind of Royalty
The Twentieth-Century Court
References
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Epilogue
Glossary of Court Positions
References
Manuscript Sources
Bernadottearkivet (Stockholm)
Krigsarkivet, Stockholm (KrA)
Kungliga biblioteket, Stockholm (KB)
Kungl Maj:ts Ordens arkiv (Stockholm)
Linköpings stiftsbibliotek
Lunds Universitetsbiblioteks handskriftsavdelning (Lund)
Riksarkivet (Stockholm)
Slottsarkivet, Stockholm (SLA)
Svenska Akademiens arkiv, Stockholm
Uppsala Universitetsbibliotek handskriftsavdelning, Uppsala
Vadstena landsarkiv, Vadstena
The National Archives, London
Published Sources
Secondary Publications
Author Index
Place Index
Subject Index
