Historedia
EuropeEvent

Succession of Ulrika Eleonora

When
1718–1719
Where
Sweden; Stockholm
Episodes
3

Following the death of Charles XII in late November 1718, his sister Ulrika Eleonora claimed the Swedish throne. After negotiating the abolition of absolute monarchy, she was elected queen in January 1719 and crowned in March, ending the era of autocratic rule.

Episodes

  1. 5 December 1718 · SwedenClaim to the Throne

    Ulrika Eleonora received news of her brother's death on 5 December 1718 and claimed the Swedish throne based on proximity of blood.

  2. 15 December 1718 · SwedenConstitutional Negotiations

    Ulrika Eleonora agreed to abolish absolute monarchy and the right to inherit the throne to secure her position against her nephew.

  3. 23 January 1719 to 11 April 1719 · StockholmElection and Coronation

    Ulrika Eleonora was elected queen in January 1719, signed the Instrument of Government in February, and was crowned in March.

Background and detail

Background. Ulrika Eleonora was the youngest child of King Charles XI. Upon the death of her brother Charles XII in 1718, she became the only adult member of the royal house present in Sweden. She asserted her claim to the throne based on proximity of blood, citing the precedent of Queen Christina over her nephew's primogeniture claim.

Succession. News of Charles XII's death reached Ulrika Eleonora on 5 December 1718. She subsequently declared her intention to reinstate the older constitutional system rather than maintain Carolinian absolutism. This led to negotiations where she agreed to abolish absolute monarchy and the right to inherit the throne for herself and her competitor.

Coronation. After signing the new constitution, Ulrika Eleonora was elected queen on 23 January 1719. She signed the Instrument of Government on 19 February 1719 to secure the support of the Estates. Her coronation took place in Uppsala Cathedral on 17 March 1719, followed by her formal entrance into Stockholm in April.

People involved

Sources

  1. Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-13
  2. Charles XII of Sweden Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-25

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.