Adoption of the 1772 Instrument of Government
- When
- 20 August 1772
- Where
- Stockholm, where the estates adopted the constitution
- Part of
- Swedish Coup of 1772
On 20 August 1772 the estates adopted the 1772 Instrument of Government, a constitutional but unclear charter strengthening the monarch.
On 20 August 1772 the estates adopted the 1772 Instrument of Government, described as a new, constitutional, but in many respects unclear constitution. It introduced a division of power between the King and the Riksdag of the Estates while strengthening the power of the monarch, ending the Age of Liberty and beginning the absolutist period known as the Gustavian era. Gustav then dictated a new oath of allegiance, which everyone signed without hesitation.
Sources
- Revolution of 1772 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
- Gustav III Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.