Instrument of Government (1809)

The 1809 Instrument of Government (Swedish: 1809 års regeringsform), adopted on 6 June 1809 by the Riksdag of the Estates and King Charles XIII, was the constitution of the Kingdom of Sweden from 1809 to the end of 1974.

This came to an end with the Revolution of 1772, a self-coup perpetrated by Gustav III, who subsequently ruled as an enlightened despot under the 1772 Instrument of Government.

This military catastrophe provided an opportunity for disaffected liberals, backed by elements of the Swedish Army, to mount a coup against the unpopular king.

The new constitution was drawn up by a committee led by Hans Järta, and was officially adopted by the Riksdag on 6 June,[1] Sweden's national day.

In 1810 they therefore held a second election and chose the French Marshal and Prince of Pontecorvo Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, who was adopted by Charles XIII and officially recognised as heir apparent.

[2] A further important change came in 1876 with the creation of the office of Prime Minister of Sweden, reflecting practice in other parliamentary democracies such as the United Kingdom.

Although the 1809 Instrument's statement that "the King alone shall govern the realm" (article 4) remained unchanged, it was understood that he was to exercise his powers through the ministers and act on their advice.