The Holstein Party (Swedish: ''Holsteinska partiet''), was the name of a political group in 18th-century Sweden which played a significant role in politics after the death of

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...

in 1718 and until 1727. The party was created in 1718 of those who favored

Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Charles Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp () (30 April 1700 – 18 June 1739) was a Prince of Sweden and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp and an important member of European royalty. His dynasty, the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gott ...

, son of Charles XII’s elder sister

Hedvig Sophia of Sweden Hedvig Sophia Augusta of Sweden (26 June 1681 – 22 December 1708), Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp, was the eldest child of Charles XI of Sweden and Ulrike Eleonore of Denmark. She was heir presumptive to the Swedish throne until her death and the ...

, as heir to the throne before that of

Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor (23 January 1688 – 24 November 1741), known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen of Sweden, reigning in her own right from 5 December 1718 until her abdication on 29 February 1720 in favour of her husband ...

. The party lost to the followers of Ulrika Eleonora in 1719, and to her spouse and successor

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 ...

in 1720. But due to Frederick I’s plans to strengthen royal power with support of the ''

Hovpartiet Hovpartiet (English: ''The Royal Court Party'') was the name for a political group in Sweden during the Age of Liberty. It had the goal to strengthen royal power against the parliament of the Riksdag of the Estates. It is most known in history a ...

'', the Holstein Party were given a favorable situation have Charles Frederick appointed heir to the throne, a situation which was supported by Tsar

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

of Russia who wished influence in Sweden. In the

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

of 1723, the attempt of the king and ''Hovpartiet'' to introduce absolute power was crushed and the Holstein Party, whose follower filled the seats of parliament and bought more followers by granting allowances and titles from Holstein and Russia, especially to those losing their property 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 ...

: Charles Frederick was granted the title Royal Highness, a Swedish allowance and an informal promise to be considered as heir to the throne should such an election be necessary. The marriage of Charles Frederick to the Russian princess

Anna Petrovna Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (russian: А́нна Петро́вна; 27 January 1708 – 4 March 1728) was the eldest daughter of Emperor Peter I of Russia and his wife Empress Catherine I. Her younger sister, Empress Elizabeth, ...

and the accession of her mother as Empress

Catherine I of Russia Catherine I ( rus, Екатери́на I Алексе́евна Миха́йлова, Yekaterína I Alekséyevna Mikháylova; born , ; – ) was the second wife and empress consort of Peter the Great, and Empress Regnant of Russia from 1725 un ...

in 1725 signified a triumph for the Holstein Party: the rumours that Charles Frederick was about to be appointed Russian heir to the throne or at least be granted the Baltic provinces made him an attractive heir to the Swedish throne by those in Sweden wishing to restore 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 ...

, and ambassador

Josias Cederhielm Josiah ( or ) or Yoshiyahu; la, Iosias was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE) who, according to the Hebrew Bible, instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Josiah is credited by most biblical s ...

was sent to Russia. These plans were however prevented by

Arvid Horn Count Arvid Bernhard Horn af Ekebyholm (6 April 166418 April 1742) was a Swedish general, diplomat and politician, a member of the noble Horn family. He served twice as President of the Privy Council Chancellery (1710–1719 and 1720–1738) ...

with support of the king and the ambassadors of France and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

to prevent Sweden from being involved in a war through Russia's promise to reconquer Slesvig to Holstein from Denmark. During the Riksdag of 1726-1727, Horn managed to have the Riksdag vote for Sweden to join the

Treaty of Hanover (1725) The Treaty of Hanover was a treaty of defensive alliance signed on 3 September 1725 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Electorate of Hanover, the Kingdom of France, and the Kingdom of Prussia. The alliance was formed to combat the power of the Au ...

against Russia, and the Holstein followers was removed from the royal council and replaced with the followers of Horn. The defeat of the Holstein Party was completed by the death of Catherine I, which destroyed the power base of Charles Frederick in Russia and forced him to leave for Holstein.

References

*Holsteinska partiet i Nordisk familjebok (andra upplagan, 1909) 18th century in Sweden 1718 establishments in Sweden 1727 disestablishments Sweden during the Age of Liberty Political parties established in 1718