Hovpartiet (English: ''The Royal Court Party'') was the name for a political group in Sweden during 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 ...

. It had the goal to strengthen royal power against the parliament of the

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 ...

. It is most known in history as the force behind Queen

Louisa Ulrika Louisa Ulrika of Prussia ( sv, Lovisa Ulrika; german: Luise Ulrike) (24 July 1720 – 16 July 1782) was Queen of Sweden from 1751 to 1771 as the wife of King Adolf Frederick. She was queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III. Backgr ...

Coup of 1756 The Coup of 1756 ( sv, Kuppen 1756) was an attempted coup d'état planned by Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden to abolish the rule of the Riksdag of the Estates and reinstate absolute monarchy in Sweden. The attempted coup was exposed and subdued in ...

, but it did in fact exist in some form or another from 1723 until

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

Revolution of 1772 The Revolution of 1772 also known as The Bloodless Revolution ( sv, Revolutionen), also known as the Coup of Gustav III ( or older ''Gustav III:s statsvälvning'') was a Swedish coup d'état performed by King Gustav III of Sweden on 19 August 177 ...

when its goal of an

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constitut ...

was finally realized.

History

First Hovpartiet

The first ''Hovparti'' was formed during the Riksdag of 1723, and consisted of those supporting king

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 his attempt to increase royal power and authority. The complete fiasco in this attempt, however, efficiently crushed the party.

Second Hovpartiet

After the succession of

Adolf Frederick of Sweden Adolf Frederick, or Adolph Frederick ( sv, Adolf Fredrik, german: Adolf Friedrich; 14 May 171012 February 1771) was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin, and Albertina ...

to the throne in 1751, the royalist absolutists found a new leader in the new queen,

Louisa Ulrika of Prussia Louisa Ulrika of Prussia ( sv, Lovisa Ulrika; german: Luise Ulrike) (24 July 1720 – 16 July 1782) was Queen of Sweden from 1751 to 1771 as the wife of King Adolf Frederick. She was queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III. Backgr ...

, who wished to overthrow the

Swedish constitution The Basic Laws of Sweden ( sv, Sveriges grundlagar) are the four constitutional laws of the Kingdom of Sweden that regulate the Swedish political system, acting in a similar manner to the constitutions of most countries. These four laws are: th ...

and reinstate absolute monarchy. Previously allied with the

Hats (party) The Hats ( sv, hattarna) were a Swedish political faction active during the Age of Liberty (1719–1772). Their name derives from the tricorne hat worn by officers and gentlemen. They vied for power with the opposing Caps party. The Hats, who ru ...

, she broke her alliance with them in 1751 and formed a new Hovparti among her followers. The party consisted largely of members of the aristocracy and personal friends of the royal couple and did not have a broad support among the public. They had no specific policy other than their opposition to the constitutional monarchy of 1719 and the belief in the absolute monarchy of the 17th-century

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 ...

. There were, however, some variations among the members as to whether the change of the constitution should truly be that of an absolute monarchy or simply reforms to add more royal power within the existing constitution. The party managed to have moderate success during the Riksdag of 1751-52. Hovpartiet participated in several attempted coups staged by queen Louisa Ulrika, the most famous one being the

. The failure of 1756 saw the execution of several of its leading members and offered the Hats party an opportunity to persecute its followers.

Third Hovpartiet

During the 1760s, Hovpartiet allied with the

Caps (party) The Caps ( sv, mössorna) were a political faction during the Age of Liberty (1719–1772) in Sweden. The primary rivals of the Caps were known as the Hats. The Hats are actually responsible for the Caps' name, as it comes from a contraction of ...

. After the election of 1765, it allied with the defeated

. At this point, it had only followers among the nobility in the

. During this time, it was led by Fredrik Carl Sinclair in parliament. Queen Louisa Ulrika had lost her leading position within the party after 1766 in favor of crown prince Gustav. In 1769, following the

December Crisis (1768) December Crisis (1768) ( sv, Decemberkrisen) was a political crisis which occurred in Sweden in December 1768 when Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden, demonstrated against his limited powers by refusing to sign state documents, thereby paralyzed the g ...

, it suggested reforms to the constitution to balance the power between monarch and parliament through an increase of royal power. The Riksdag of 1771-72 was a great success of Hovpartiet, which was able to use the scandals of the established parties of the time, and many members of the Hats party left their party to become members of Hovpartiet.Hofpartiet Nordisk familjebok (1909), band 11, s. 933-935 The

of Gustav III was a victory for Hovpartiet, but it also resulted in the abolition of both it and the rest of the parties of the Riksdag.

References

{{Reflist * Hofpartiet Nordisk familjebok (1909), band 11, s. 933-935 18th century in Sweden 1723 establishments in Sweden 1772 disestablishments in Sweden Defunct political parties in Sweden Monarchist parties Sweden during the Age of Liberty Conservatism in Sweden Swedish monarchists

History

First Hovpartiet

Second Hovpartiet

Third Hovpartiet

See also

References