Rigsraadet
Encyclopedia
Rigsraadet, or Riksrådet, (English
The Council of the Realm or The Council of the State - sometimes translated as "Privy Council"), is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that ruled the countries together with the kings from late Middle Ages to the 17th century. Norway
had a Council of the Realm (Riksrådet) that was abolished by the Danish-Norwegian king in 1536. In Sweden
the parallel Council
gradually came under the influence of the king during the 17th century.
its members seem have developing from being the councillors of the king to being representatives of the magnates and noblemen. From the 1320s it clearly appears as a force and from the 1440s it is the permanent opponent of the royal power, replacing the Danehof
.
The Council consisted of noblemen who were appointed either by the king or their peers on the Council. Until the 1536 Reformation
, bishops were automatically members. So were the supreme officials (today the “cabinet ministers”) while the lower ranking “ministers” did not have any formal right to membership. The “backbenchers” of the council took part in the daily negotiations of the problems and the administration, voted and took on diplomatic tasks. Most of them were squires who also had to look after their lands.
As a whole it was the role of the Council to rule together with the king, to control him and to manage the affairs of State well. The councillors were seen as a guarantee towards the nobility (and in theory also towards “the people”) that everything was done right. The Council took over the rule in the space that appeared by a succession or at interregna. It led the negotiations over the creation of a new haandfæstning and in theory it also had to call for a rebellion against kings who did not keep their promises, a right that was used in 1523. However in the 16th century it was not quite unusual that the councillors to some degree identified with the State rejecting too extravagant demands from the Danish gentry
. The background of this normally was that they themselves represented the Danish answer to the peerage.
The number of councillors was not laid down. Normally it was about 20 but from time to time deaths might reduce their number wherefore it was supplied by mass creations. Not until 1648 it was finally fixed to 23.
The authority of the council was indisputable and within some limits the kings also tried to co-operate. However most of the kings neglected some of the rules and for instance foreign questions presented many loopholes. The many military defeats of the 17th century and especially the growing economic problems and conservatism of the nobility also weakened the prestige of the Council and the king gradually tried to strengthen his own influence. At the introduction of absolute monarchy
1660 the Council was abolished.
The word ”Rigsråd” was revived in Denmark in the 19th century. 1854-1866 it was used about a special federal council
dealing with all common legislative questions of Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein
, from 1863 of Denmark and Schleswig alone. It had hardly other things in common with its old namesake than the title. The loss of Schleswig 1864 made it redundant and it was abolished by the new constitution two years later.
. There doesn't seem to have been any clear rules for how many members the council should have, or who should be councillors. During the 15th century, the number could be from 30 to 40, whereas after 1500 it was barely above 10. The Norwegian bishops were automatically members. There was at the time five bishops in mainland Norway (the archbishop in Trondheim
, the bishops in Oslo
, Hamar
, Stavanger
, Bergen
), plus one in the Faroe Islands
, two on Iceland
, one in Greenland
, and one in Orkney (lost to Scotland
in 1468). The bishops from the islands rarely participated in the Norwegian riksråd. In addition, the chaplains of the royal chapels in Oslo and Bergen were permanent members. So were the commanders of the five strongest castles of Norway: Bohus
, Akershus
in Oslo, the castles in Bergen
, Tønsberg
and Trondheim
. The rest of the council was recruited from the Norwegian nobility. Only Norwegians were eligible for these places in the Norwegian Riksråd - however, this was also taken to include foreigners who had married a Norwegian. As several of the bishops and commanders of the castles were foreign - mostly Danish, but also some Swedish and German - the number of Norwegians in the Norwegian Riksråd gradually diminished. The archbishop of Trondheim mostly acted as the head of the council.
As Norway had of old been a hereditary kingdom
, the Norwegian Riksråd's task did not, originally include the election of the king, as in Sweden and Denmark. However, as successive kings died without leaving any issue, starting with Olav IV
in 1387, it fell to the Riksråd to interpret the succession laws. This it did so freely that Norway more and more became, in reality, an elected monarchy, like its Nordic neighbours. This was formally affirmed in 1450, when Christian I of Denmark
took the Norwegian throne as an elected monarch. On his death, in 1481, the Riksråd ruled the country for two years, in an interregnum
, before electing Christian's son as the new king - a period which could be seen as the height of the council's power.
In the early 16th century, the power of the Norwegian council diminished. The Danish union kings conducted a policy of strengthening their own power at the cost of the nobility, and the Norwegian nobility was too weak to put up a strong opposition. In addition, the few Norwegian noble families became more and more intermarried with the Danish nobility, giving them less of an interest in maintaining separate Norwegian structures. During the troubled transition to the reign of king Christian III
, the Norwegian archbishop led a rebellion in support of Christian's rival to the throne. After Christian had won, he proclaimed that the Norwegian Riksråd was abolished, in 1536. The archbishop went into exile, the Protestant reformation was carried through in Denmark and Norway, and the Norwegian Riksråd never assembled again.
in 1520. Gustav Vasa took over and successfully restored Swedish sovereignty in 1523.
Over the next two centuries the Monarchy and the Riksrad were constant rivals. When Gustavus Adolphus was crowned in 1594 the Riksrad drafted the charter of Nyköping which took many of the king's powers. During Queen Christina of Sweden's reign a large proportion of crown land was alienated (given to nobles) which led to major financial instability in Sweden.
King Charles XI was Sweden's first absolute monarch who led an immense 'reduction (Sweden)
' policy (the retrieval of land from the nobility) in 1654 1.5% of land was the crown's and 72% belonged to the noblitiy. by 1700, 35.5% of land belonged to the crown and 33% belonged to the nobility.
This continued until the end of the Swedish absolutists in 1718 when Charles XII was killed during the Great Northern War
.
The Privy Council
, Riksråd, officially was the ruling body of Sweden until 1974.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
The Council of the Realm or The Council of the State - sometimes translated as "Privy Council"), is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that ruled the countries together with the kings from late Middle Ages to the 17th century. Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
had a Council of the Realm (Riksrådet) that was abolished by the Danish-Norwegian king in 1536. In Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
the parallel Council
Privy Council of Sweden
The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
gradually came under the influence of the king during the 17th century.
Rigsraadet in Denmark
The Council of DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
its members seem have developing from being the councillors of the king to being representatives of the magnates and noblemen. From the 1320s it clearly appears as a force and from the 1440s it is the permanent opponent of the royal power, replacing the Danehof
Danehof
Danehof was the name of the Danish medieval parliament which played a certain role between c. 1250 and 1413.The precondition of the Danehof – like that of the Håndfæstning - was the growing power and opposition among the Danish magnates after 1250. They wanted limitations of the royal power,...
.
The Council consisted of noblemen who were appointed either by the king or their peers on the Council. Until the 1536 Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, bishops were automatically members. So were the supreme officials (today the “cabinet ministers”) while the lower ranking “ministers” did not have any formal right to membership. The “backbenchers” of the council took part in the daily negotiations of the problems and the administration, voted and took on diplomatic tasks. Most of them were squires who also had to look after their lands.
As a whole it was the role of the Council to rule together with the king, to control him and to manage the affairs of State well. The councillors were seen as a guarantee towards the nobility (and in theory also towards “the people”) that everything was done right. The Council took over the rule in the space that appeared by a succession or at interregna. It led the negotiations over the creation of a new haandfæstning and in theory it also had to call for a rebellion against kings who did not keep their promises, a right that was used in 1523. However in the 16th century it was not quite unusual that the councillors to some degree identified with the State rejecting too extravagant demands from the Danish gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
. The background of this normally was that they themselves represented the Danish answer to the peerage.
The number of councillors was not laid down. Normally it was about 20 but from time to time deaths might reduce their number wherefore it was supplied by mass creations. Not until 1648 it was finally fixed to 23.
The authority of the council was indisputable and within some limits the kings also tried to co-operate. However most of the kings neglected some of the rules and for instance foreign questions presented many loopholes. The many military defeats of the 17th century and especially the growing economic problems and conservatism of the nobility also weakened the prestige of the Council and the king gradually tried to strengthen his own influence. At the introduction of absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
1660 the Council was abolished.
The word ”Rigsråd” was revived in Denmark in the 19th century. 1854-1866 it was used about a special federal council
Federal Council
-Governmental bodies:* Federal Council of Australasia, a forerunner to the current Commonwealth of Australia* Federal Council of Austria, the upper house of the Austrian federal parliament...
dealing with all common legislative questions of Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, from 1863 of Denmark and Schleswig alone. It had hardly other things in common with its old namesake than the title. The loss of Schleswig 1864 made it redundant and it was abolished by the new constitution two years later.
Riksrådet in Norway
The Norwegian Riksråd gradually emerged around 1300, evolving from the King's council. It emerged clearly as a power factor after 1319, during the minority of king Magnus VII ErikssonMagnus IV of Sweden
Magnus Eriksson as Magnus IV was king of Sweden , including Finland, as Magnus VII King of Norway , including Iceland and Greenland, and also ruled Scania . He has also vindictively been called Magnus Smek...
. There doesn't seem to have been any clear rules for how many members the council should have, or who should be councillors. During the 15th century, the number could be from 30 to 40, whereas after 1500 it was barely above 10. The Norwegian bishops were automatically members. There was at the time five bishops in mainland Norway (the archbishop in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, the bishops in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Hamar
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
, Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
, Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
), plus one in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
, two on Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, one in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and one in Orkney (lost to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1468). The bishops from the islands rarely participated in the Norwegian riksråd. In addition, the chaplains of the royal chapels in Oslo and Bergen were permanent members. So were the commanders of the five strongest castles of Norway: Bohus
Bohus Fortress
Bohus Fortress lies along the old Norwegian - Swedish border in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches...
, Akershus
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
in Oslo, the castles in Bergen
Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus fortress is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Bergenhus fortress is located in the entrance to the harbor in Bergen. This is one of the oldest and best preserved castles in Norway.-History:...
, Tønsberg
Tønsberg Fortress
Tønsberg Fortress was a medieval fortress, located in Tønsberg, Norway which was defended by the fortress for over 300 years.-History:...
and Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. The rest of the council was recruited from the Norwegian nobility. Only Norwegians were eligible for these places in the Norwegian Riksråd - however, this was also taken to include foreigners who had married a Norwegian. As several of the bishops and commanders of the castles were foreign - mostly Danish, but also some Swedish and German - the number of Norwegians in the Norwegian Riksråd gradually diminished. The archbishop of Trondheim mostly acted as the head of the council.
As Norway had of old been a hereditary kingdom
Hereditary Kingdom of Norway
The Kingdom of Norway as a unified realm was initiated by King Harald Fairhair in 9th century. His efforts in unifying the petty kingdoms of Norway, resulted in the first known Norwegian central government...
, the Norwegian Riksråd's task did not, originally include the election of the king, as in Sweden and Denmark. However, as successive kings died without leaving any issue, starting with Olav IV
Olav IV of Norway
Olaf II Haakonsson was king of Denmark as Olaf II and king of Norway as Olaf IV . Olaf was son of King Haakon VI of Norway and the grandson of King Magnus IV of Sweden. His mother was Queen Margaret I of Denmark which made him the grandson of King Valdemar IV of Denmark...
in 1387, it fell to the Riksråd to interpret the succession laws. This it did so freely that Norway more and more became, in reality, an elected monarchy, like its Nordic neighbours. This was formally affirmed in 1450, when Christian I of Denmark
Christian I of Denmark
Christian I was a Danish monarch, king of Denmark , Norway and Sweden , under the Kalmar Union. In Sweden his short tenure as monarch was preceded by regents, Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna and Erik Axelsson Tott and succeeded by regent Kettil Karlsson Vasa...
took the Norwegian throne as an elected monarch. On his death, in 1481, the Riksråd ruled the country for two years, in an interregnum
Interregnum
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
, before electing Christian's son as the new king - a period which could be seen as the height of the council's power.
In the early 16th century, the power of the Norwegian council diminished. The Danish union kings conducted a policy of strengthening their own power at the cost of the nobility, and the Norwegian nobility was too weak to put up a strong opposition. In addition, the few Norwegian noble families became more and more intermarried with the Danish nobility, giving them less of an interest in maintaining separate Norwegian structures. During the troubled transition to the reign of king Christian III
Christian III of Denmark
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
, the Norwegian archbishop led a rebellion in support of Christian's rival to the throne. After Christian had won, he proclaimed that the Norwegian Riksråd was abolished, in 1536. The archbishop went into exile, the Protestant reformation was carried through in Denmark and Norway, and the Norwegian Riksråd never assembled again.
Riksrådet in Sweden
The Riksråd was the upper parliamentary house in Sweden populated by the nobility. The Swedish nobility often played a prominent role in Swedish history, it both helped and hindered the nation. Sten Sture of the Riksråd led the resistance against the Danish dominated Union of Kalmar until he was killed alongside other nobles during the Stockholm bloodbathStockholm Bloodbath
The Stockholm Bloodbath, or the Stockholm Massacre , took place as the result of a successful invasion of Sweden by Danish forces under the command of King Christian II...
in 1520. Gustav Vasa took over and successfully restored Swedish sovereignty in 1523.
Over the next two centuries the Monarchy and the Riksrad were constant rivals. When Gustavus Adolphus was crowned in 1594 the Riksrad drafted the charter of Nyköping which took many of the king's powers. During Queen Christina of Sweden's reign a large proportion of crown land was alienated (given to nobles) which led to major financial instability in Sweden.
King Charles XI was Sweden's first absolute monarch who led an immense 'reduction (Sweden)
Reduction (Sweden)
In the reductions in Sweden, fiefs that had been granted to the Swedish nobility were returned to the Crown.The first reduction under Charles X Gustav of Sweden in 1655 restored a quarter of "donations" made after 1632. In the Great Reduction of 1680 under Charles XI of Sweden the Crown...
' policy (the retrieval of land from the nobility) in 1654 1.5% of land was the crown's and 72% belonged to the noblitiy. by 1700, 35.5% of land belonged to the crown and 33% belonged to the nobility.
This continued until the end of the Swedish absolutists in 1718 when Charles XII was killed during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
.
The Privy Council
Privy Council of Sweden
The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
, Riksråd, officially was the ruling body of Sweden until 1974.