The Civil Code of 1734 (

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

: ''1734 års lag''), was passed by the Swedish

Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates ( sv, Riksens ständer; informally sv, Ståndsriksdagen) was the name used for the Estates of Sweden when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to t ...

in 1734, and put in effect after it had been ratified by

Frederick I of Sweden Frederick I ( sv, Fredrik I; 28 April 1676 – 5 April 1751) was prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and King of Sweden from 1720 until his death and (as ''Frederick I'') also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730. He ascended the throne f ...

23 January 1736. It became the foundation of the later

civil code A civil code is a codification of private law relating to property, family, and obligations. A jurisdiction that has a civil code generally also has a code of civil procedure. In some jurisdictions with a civil code, a number of the core ar ...

in Sweden – including

Österland Österland (''Eastland'') or Österlanden (''Easternlands''), one of the four traditional lands of Sweden, was a medieval term used for the southern part of Finland. The term occurs in documents approximately between 1350–1470 and gradually fe ...

, which became Finland when annexed by Russia in 1809; though many alterations have been made in both Sweden and Finland since. The current

Swedish Code of Statutes The Swedish Code of Statutes ( sv, Svensk författningssamling; SFS) is the official law code of Sweden which contains the statutes and ordinances enacted and designated by the Government, including a publication of all new Swedish laws enacted by ...

is founded on the civil code of 1734. The Civil Code of 1734 replaced the previous ''

Kristofers landslag The Kristofers landslag (The Country Law of Christopher) from 1442, was passed under Christopher of Bavaria as king of Sweden in 1442. It was an amended version of the original national law, the ''Magnus Erikssons landslag'' from circa 1350. It was ...

'' (The National Law of

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

) from 1442, and the '' Stadslagen'' (The City Law) from 1347–57. It was the first civil code to apply the same law to all of Sweden. Previously, the ''

'' referred to the

Medieval Scandinavian law Medieval Scandinavian law, also called North Germanic law, was a subset of Germanic law practiced by North Germanic peoples. It was originally memorized by lawspeakers, but after the end of the Viking Age they were committed to writing, mostly by ...

concerning the countryside, which could vary depending on the county, or the '' Stadslagen'' concerning the cities.Nationalencyklopedin (NE) There was a need to establish a civil code and laws applying to all Sweden, both cities and countryside. The work with a national civil code begun during the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...

in 1686, although its completion was delayed during the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...

. The Civil Code is therefore more influenced by the 17th-century Carolean age rather than the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

or the

Age of liberty In Swedish and Finnish history, the Age of Liberty ( sv, frihetstiden; fi, vapauden aika) was a period that saw parliamentary governance, increasing civil rights and the decline of the Swedish Empire that began with Charles XII's death in 1718 ...

of the 1730s. It was translated to the Finnish language in 1738, though not published in it until 1759. It is divided into the following Books ( Swedish : "''balkar''" ) * The Book of Marriage * The Book of Parents * The Book of Inheritance * The Book of Land * The Book of Building * The Book of Commerce * The Book of Crimes * The Book of Judicial Procedure * The Book of execution of Judgments

References

Sources

Nationalencyklopedin ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 19 ...

(NE) {{authoritycontrol 1734 books 1734 in law 1734 in Sweden Political history of Sweden Political history of Finland 18th century in Finland 18th century in Sweden Legal history of Sweden Legal history of Finland Sweden during the Age of Liberty