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112-731: The emblem is often used as a symbol of official State authority by the Monarchy , the Riksdag , the Government of Sweden and by Swedish embassies around the world, but also appears in other less formal contexts, such as the Sweden men's national ice hockey team , who wear the symbol on their sweaters and hence are called "Three Crowns", and atop the Stockholm City Hall (built 1911–1923). The Three Crowns are also used as

224-722: A rebellion against Christian II. Vasa made an alliance with Lübeck and successfully conquered most of Sweden. He was elected King of Sweden in 1523, effectively ending the Kalmar Union. After the Northern Seven Years' War , the Treaty of Stettin (1570) saw Frederick II renounce all claims to Sweden. One of the last structures of the Union remained until 1536/1537 when the Danish Privy Council , in

336-696: A "fictitious nature" and therefore "highly unsatisfactory". Thus, the monarch lost all formal executive powers, becoming a ceremonial and representative figurehead . The monarch, while explicitly referred to as the "Head of State" ( Statschefen ) in the 1974 Instrument of Government, is not even the nominal chief executive. The Instrument of Government of 1974 does grant the person serving as king or queen regnant absolute immunity from criminal (but not civil) charges for as long as he or she remains in office. The monarch therefore cannot be prosecuted or otherwise held to account for his or her actions, both official and private, in judicial proceedings. None of

448-466: A blue background (azure, three crowns or). The Grant arms formed the basis of the arms of the burgh of Grantown-on-Spey , which was founded on the clan's land in 1765. The coat of arms of the chief of Clan Arthur (or Clan MacArthur) uses the three gold crowns on blue (azure, three antique crowns or). The three gold crowns on blue design appears on the coat of arms of the Spanish city of Burriana in

560-630: A bridgehead in 1628 . Brandenburg was torn apart by a quarrel between the Protestants and the Catholics. When Gustavus Adolphus began his push into northern Germany in June–July 1630, he had just 4,000 soldiers. But he was soon able to consolidate the Protestant position in the north, using reinforcements from Sweden and money supplied by France at the Treaty of Bärwalde . Gustavus Adolphus

672-494: A caretaker government, supported by the conservatives, led by legal scholar Hjalmar Hammarskjöld , which remained in power longer than expected due to the outbreak of World War I (in which Sweden remained neutral ) and increased defence spending was no longer a controversial issue. Nevertheless, in the year of the outbreak of the Russian Revolution , social tensions continued to rise; the general election in 1917 gave

784-690: A considerable section of the Swedish capital of Stockholm have been at the disposal of the monarch since 1809. Scandinavian peoples have had kings since prehistoric times. As early as the 1st century CE, Tacitus wrote that the Suiones had a king, but the order of Swedish regnal succession up until King Eric the Victorious (died 995), is known almost exclusively through accounts in historically controversial Norse sagas (see Mythical kings of Sweden and Semi-legendary kings of Sweden ). Originally,

896-482: A cousin of Charles Frederick, of the same house of Holstein-Gottrop, and a descendant of a sister of Charles X Gustav of Sweden was elected heir to the throne of Sweden by the Hat faction (Swedish: Hattarna ). The Hat faction wanted to obtain better conditions at the Treaty of Åbo from Empress Elizabeth of Russia , who had adopted his nephew as her heir . His mother, Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach (1682–1755),

1008-483: A crown prince previously elected in January 1810, Charles August , suddenly had died of a stroke during a military exercise. Although the 19th century Bernadotte monarchs that would follow Charles XIV John 's reign tried to defend the power and privileges they still had, the tide incrementally turned against "personal regal rule" ( Swedish : personlig kungamakt ) with the growth of the liberals, social democrats, and

1120-467: A field of blue ( Azure, three crowns Or ), The East Anglian flag as it is known today was proposed by George Henry Langham and adopted in 1902 by the London Society of East Anglians (established in 1896). It superimposes the three crowns in a blue shield on a St George's cross . The three crowns appear, carved in stone, on the baptismal font (c.1400) in the parish church of Saxmundham , and on

1232-458: A golden shield), Norway (a golden lion with an axe on a red shield) and Sweden (a golden lion on blue and white wavy stripes) plus the union mark with the three golden crowns on a blue shield, which is also the case for the following union Kings in the 15th century. Since the three crowns had been used in Sweden between the unions, both King Karl Knutsson Bonde , who periodically drew Sweden out of

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1344-671: A less prominent place in the shield, and is officially referred to as a heraldic reminder of the former Kalmar Union. Denmark has used the Three Crowns in this way since 1546, a practice disputed by Sweden until 1613. The name "Tre Kroner", or Three Crowns, is also used in Denmark. During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the Royal Danish Navy often named its ships after the insignia of the Danish monarch's coat of arms, and

1456-486: A majority consensus in Swedish political discourse on the role of the monarchy within the constitutional framework. The official motive for the radical changes which came to pass in 1975 was for it to be as descriptive as possible of the workings of the state and clear on how decisions actually are made. Minister of Justice Lennart Geijer further remarked on the 1973 government bill that any continued pretensions of royal involvement in government decision making would be of

1568-784: A political compromise reached at the summer resort of Torekov in 1971 (hence known as the Torekov compromise , Swedish : Torekovskompromissen ) by representatives of four of the parties in the Riksdag (the Social Democrats , the Centre Party , the Liberal People's Party , and the Moderate Party , that is all the parties except the Communists ). It mandated that the monarchy would remain largely as it

1680-484: A timely fifteenth-century re-interpretation of the already well-established emblem. When the Kalmar Union , the personal union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden, was instituted by Queen Margrete I in 1397, the three crowns symbol reverted to its use as a symbol of the union of three realms. Her successor, Eric of Pomerania , used a coat of arms quartered between the coats of arms of Denmark (three blue lions on

1792-423: A war with Denmark ( Kalmar War ) in the last year of his reign. Gustavus Adolphus inherited three wars from his father when he ascended to the throne. From 1612, when Count Axel Oxenstierna was appointed Lord High Chancellor , which he remained until Gustavus Adolphus's death, the two men struck a long and successful partnership and complemented each other well: In Oxenstierna's own words, his "cool" balanced

1904-437: Is Carl XVI Gustaf , while his heir is Crown Princess Victoria . The Swedish monarch has numerous residences, primarily state-owned but some privately owned; their official residence and workplace is Stockholm Palace , while Drottningholm Palace serves as the monarchy's private residence. Other notable residences include Gripsholm Castle and Ulriksdal Palace , as well as others throughout Sweden. Several large palaces and

2016-410: Is amongst the oldest in the world, with a regnal list stretching back to the tenth century, starting with Eric the Victorious ; the Swedish monarchy has, for the past thousand years, undergone cycles of decline and strengthening, culminating in the modern constitutional monarchy. The Swedish monarchy has been one of the key features in the development of Swedish culture, having for centuries patronized

2128-572: Is best characterized by foreign wars : first a lengthy campaign within Poland and then with Denmark. In the latter case, the risky 1658 March across the Belts which resulted in the Treaty of Roskilde , would prove to be the largest permanent territorial gain Sweden ever had: Skåne , Blekinge and Bohuslän now became Swedish provinces and have remained so ever since. Charles X Gustav was not satisfied, as he wanted to crush Denmark once and for all, but

2240-447: Is generally regarded as a constitutional monarch who stayed out of politics and controversy. In 1954, a royal commission began work on whether Sweden should undergo constitutional reform to adapt the 1809 Instrument of Government to current political realities, or whether a new one should be written; ultimately the latter idea was chosen. The future role of the monarchy was settled in a manner well known within Swedish political discourse:

2352-579: Is that of the coat of arms and flag of the Province of Munster , a region in the southwest of Ireland . Like the Swedish model, it comprises two crowns above and one below. These represent the three great duchies of the province, Desmond , Ormond and Thomond . The design was used as the flag of the Lordship of Ireland between 1171-1541 following the Norman invasion of Ireland until being replaced by

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2464-532: Is the Kingdom of Sweden for more than a millennium. Originally an elective monarchy , it became a hereditary monarchy in the 16th century during the reign of Gustav Vasa , though virtually all monarchs before that belonged to a limited and small number of political families which are considered to be the royal dynasties of Sweden. The official continuous count usually begins with the kings who ruled both Svealand and Götaland as one kingdom. Sweden's monarchy

2576-702: The 1659 Assault on Copenhagen did not prove successful for the Swedes, largely due to the Dutch naval intervention to the aid of the Danes. Charles X Gustav died in Gothenburg in 1660 and as the Crown passed to his five-year-old son Charles XI , a new regency government would assume the responsibilities of the state. The regency government, composed of aristocrats and led by Chancellor Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie ,

2688-631: The Black Death , the union weakened, and Scania was captured by Denmark. In 1397, after the Black Death and domestic power struggles, Queen Margaret I of Denmark united Sweden (then including Finland ), Denmark and Norway (then including Iceland ) in the Union of Kalmar with the approval of the Swedish nobility . Continual tension within each country and the union led to open conflict between

2800-492: The Cabinet Council ( skifteskonselj ) in a session that establishes the new government following a general election or major cabinet reshuffle and also chairs information councils ( informationskonselj ) approximately four times a year to get information from the assembled Government, apart from that given by ministers in individual audiences or through other means. Formally, it is the explicit responsibility of

2912-634: The Estates in 1599. In 1604, the Estates finally recognized the regent and de facto ruler as King Charles IX. His short reign was one of uninterrupted warfare. The hostility of Poland and the breakup of Russia involved him in overseas contests for the possession of Livonia and Ingria , the Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611) and the Ingrian War , while his pretensions to claim Lapland brought on

3024-405: The Kalmar Union , and King Gustav Vasa , who terminated it in 1521, used the crowns quartered with the lion as a symbol of Sweden, and this has continued to the present day. Since the 15th century, the crowns have been regarded as the "main" arms of Sweden and thus can be used independently as the lesser coat of arms of the country. The symbol is known to have been placed atop the central tower of

3136-551: The Pope and contains the symbols of all participant countries, including Sweden. This discovery suggests the symbol was introduced no later than by Albrekt's predecessor, Magnus Eriksson (1316–74). Use of the three crowns as a heraldic symbol of Sweden has been attested, in the Nordisk Familjebok , to the late 13th century, the three crowns first ringing the shield of Magnus Ladulås (1240-1290) and later appearing on

3248-456: The Riksdag of the Estates , through Västerås arvförening , designated the sons of King Gustav I as the heirs to the Throne. Tax reforms took place in 1538 and 1558, whereby multiple complex taxes on independent farmers were simplified and standardised throughout the district and tax assessments per farm were adjusted to reflect ability to pay. Crown tax revenues increased, but more importantly

3360-574: The Royal Family undertake a variety of official, unofficial and other representative duties within Sweden and abroad. The monarch and his or her family play a central role in state visits to Sweden and conduct state visits to other nations on behalf of Sweden. Other members of the Royal Family may also represent the country abroad at lesser functions. Many of the Swedish general flag flying days have direct royal connections; among them are

3472-665: The Treaty of Malmö . The union was the work of Scandinavian aristocracy who sought to counter the influence of the Hanseatic League , a northern German trade league centered around the Baltic and North Seas. Denmark in particular was in a power struggle with the League and had recently suffered a humiliating defeat in the Danish-Hanseatic War (1361-1370) that allowed the League to become even more powerful. On

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3584-765: The University of East Anglia . A three crowns design is the coat of arms of the city of Kingston upon Hull , a large port in Yorkshire , but this design sees the three crowns stacked vertically and relates back to the Royal charter of 1299. The emblem is used by the city council and the city's two rugby league teams. In the literature, the coat of arms of the legendary King Arthur is also often given as azure with three crowns or . Indeed, Britain included three realms, Logres (England), Cambria (Wales) and Alba (Scotland). The University of Oxford uses as its arms

3696-540: The Valencian Community , but, like Coutts & Co, is arranged one over two instead of two over one. The crowns here refer to the fact that in 1901, the Queen Regent of Spain, Maria Christina of Austria , gave the town the title of city, and was crowned three times. A symbol with three crowns was used by Chrysler on some of its New Yorker models in the 1960s. A symbol for the marque's top model,

3808-428: The absolute monarchy in Sweden, which his grandfather King Charles XI had created, made that marriage clause irrelevant. When Charles Frederick was confronted with Ulrika Eleonora, he was forced by Arvid Horn to greet her as queen. He asked to be granted the title Royal Highness and to be recognised as her heir, but when her husband, Frederick of Hesse , instead was given the title, he left Sweden in 1719. In 1723, he

3920-522: The economic sciences . Eriksgata was the name of the traditional journey of newly elected medieval Swedish kings through important provinces to have their election confirmed by local Things . The actual election took place at the Stone of Mora in Uppland and participation was originally restricted to the people of that area; hence, the need of having the election confirmed by the other parts of

4032-627: The heir apparent is crown prince ( kronprins ) or crown princess ( kronprinsessa ). The wife of a crown prince would also receive a corresponding title, but not the husband of a crown princess. The traditional official title used until 1980 for other dynastic male heirs was hereditary prince ( arvfurste ), although the word prince ( prins ) was used in constitutional legal texts such as the Act of Succession and also colloquially and informally. Female dynasts are titled princess ( prinsessa ). Kalmar Union Chronological history The Kalmar Union

4144-681: The name days of the King (28 January), the Queen (8 August), and the Crown Princess (12 March); the birthdays of the King (30 April), the Queen (23 December), and the Crown Princess (14 July); and Gustavus Adolphus Day ( Swedish : Gustav Adolfsdagen ), on 6 November, in memory of King Gustavus Adolphus , who was killed on that date ( old style ) in 1632 in the Battle of Lützen . None of these flag days are public holidays , however. Perhaps

4256-586: The prime minister (who, since 1975, is elected by the Riksdag ) was transferred to the Speaker of the Riksdag ; the prime minister appoints and dismisses the other ministers at his or her discretion. Furthermore, bills passed by the Riksdag become law without royal assent : the prime minister or any other cabinet minister signs them "On Behalf of the Government" ( På regeringens vägnar ). Although

4368-645: The roundel on military aircraft of the Swedish Air Force and as a sign on Swedish military equipment in general, and also on the uniforms and vehicles of the Swedish Police Authority . Because of their Scandinavian origin, the Three Crowns are also lesser-known features in the royal coat of arms of Denmark where they might be referred to as the "union mark". One of several traditional explanations have suggested. Albrekt of Mecklenburg (1338–1412), who ruled Sweden 1364–89, brought

4480-582: The 12th century, the consolidation of Sweden was still affected by dynastic struggles between the Erik and Sverker clans, which ended when a third clan married into the Erik clan and the House of Bjälbo was established on the throne. That dynasty formed pre- Kalmar Union Sweden into a strong state, and finally King Magnus Eriksson (reigned 1319–1364) even ruled Norway (1319–1343) and Scania (1332–1360). Following

4592-479: The 1430s. The Engelbrekt rebellion , which started in 1434, led to the overthrow of King Erik (in Denmark and Sweden in 1439, as well as Norway in 1442). The aristocracy sided with the rebels. King Erik's foreign policy, in particular his conflict with the Hanseatic League, necessitated greater taxation and complicated exports of iron, which in turn may have precipitated the rebellion. Discontent with

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4704-592: The 15th century porch of Woolpit church, both in Suffolk. The emblem of three crowns is evident in East Anglian local heraldry ; they appear in the arms of the diocese of Ely and the borough of Bury St Edmunds where the crowns are shown pierced with arrows to represent the martyrdom of St. Edmund . They were also included in the arms of the former Isle of Ely County Council , the Borough of Colchester and

4816-417: The 1720 Instrument in Government was later replaced by the 1772 Instrument of Government in a self-coup orchestrated by the King. On 17 September 1809 in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn , as a result of the poorly managed Finnish War , Sweden had to surrender Finland to Russia. King Gustav IV Adolf and his descendants were deposed in a coup d'état led by dissatisfied army officers. The childless uncle of

4928-503: The Estates to sign the 1719 Instrument of Government , which ended the absolute monarchy and made the Riksdag of the Estates the highest organ of the state and reduced the role of monarch to a figurehead . The Age of Liberty ( Swedish : frihetstiden ) with its parliamentary rule, dominated by two parties – the Caps and the Hats – had begun. Ulrika Eleonora had had enough after a year on

5040-672: The King's "heat". The war against Russia (the Ingrian War ) ended in 1617 with the Treaty of Stolbovo , which excluded Russia from the Baltic Sea. The final inherited war, the war against Poland , ended in 1629 with the Truce of Altmark , which transferred the large province of Livonia to Sweden and freed the Swedish forces for subsequent intervention in the Thirty Years' War in Germany, where Swedish forces had already established

5152-525: The Old – reigned 1050–1060), U 11 ( Håkan the Red – late 11th century) and U 861 ( Blot-Sweyn – reigned c. 1080). About 1000 A.D., the first king known to rule both Svealand and Götaland was Olof Skötkonung , but further history for the next two centuries is obscure, with many kings whose tenures and actual influence/power remains unclear. The Royal Court of Sweden, however, does count Olof's father, Eric

5264-560: The Swedes and the Danes in the 15th century. The union's final disintegration in the early 16th century led to prolonged rivalry between Denmark-Norway and Sweden (with Finland) for centuries to come. Catholic bishops had supported the King of Denmark , Christian II , but he was overthrown in a rebellion led by nobleman Gustav Vasa , whose father had been executed at the Stockholm bloodbath . Gustav Vasa (hereinafter referred to as Gustav I)

5376-555: The Swedish king had combined powers limited to that of a war chief, a judge and a priest at the Temple at Uppsala (see Germanic king ). However, there are thousands of runestones commemorating commoners, but no known chronicle about the Swedish kings prior to the 14th century (though a list of kings was added in the Västgöta Law ), and there is a relatively small number of runestones that are thought to mention kings: Gs 11 ( Emund

5488-580: The Swedish provinces and called them an Eriksgata , while those visits bear little resemblance to the medieval tradition. The full title of the Swedish monarch from 1523 to 1973 was: Translated as " By the Grace of God , King of the Swedes, the Goths , and the Wends " or "By the Grace of God, King of Sweden, of the Goths and Vandals ". During the reign of the House of Holstein-Gottorp from 1751 to 1818,

5600-461: The Victorious, as Sweden's first king. The power of the king was greatly strengthened by the introduction of Christianity during the 11th century, and the following centuries saw a process of consolidation of power into the hands of the king. The Swedes traditionally elected a king from a favored dynasty at the Stones of Mora , and the people had the right to elect the king as well as to depose him. The ceremonial stones were destroyed around 1515. In

5712-437: The Younger (1512–1520). Sten Sture the Younger was killed in the 1520 Battle of Bogesund when the Danish king Christian II invaded Sweden with a large army. Subsequently, Christian II was crowned King of Sweden, and supporters of Sten Sture were executed en masse in the Stockholm Bloodbath . After the Stockholm Bloodbath, Gustav Vasa (whose father, Erik Johansson , was executed) travelled to Dalarna , where he organized

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5824-458: The aftermath of the Count's Feud , unilaterally declared Norway to be a Danish province . This did not happen. Instead, Norway became a hereditary kingdom in a real union with Denmark. Norway continued to remain a part of the realm of Denmark–Norway under the Oldenburg dynasty for nearly three centuries, until it was transferred to Sweden in 1814. The ensuing union between Sweden and Norway lasted until 1905, when prince Carl of Denmark ,

5936-438: The arts and sciences. Several of Sweden's most prestigious academies and cultural institutions are under Swedish royal protection. This historical role politically, militarily and culturally, in spite of the country's otherwise liberal leanings, has resulted in the Swedish monarchy being popular. In recent years, however, some of the most serious criticism ever published has taken place about the way his monarchy has developed under

6048-518: The banner of the House of Griffin . His coronation was held in Kalmar on 17 June 1397. One main impetus for its formation was to block German expansion northward into the Baltic region . The main reason for its failure to survive was the perpetual struggle between the monarch, who wanted a strong unified state, and the Swedish and Danish nobility, which did not. The Union lost territory when Orkney and Shetland were pledged by Christian I , in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against

6160-440: The castle Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) in Stockholm , destroyed by fire in 1697, no later than the early 16th century. In the 1550s, King Gustav Vasa of Sweden found that the Danish King Christian III had added the three crowns to his own coat of arms. Because the three crowns had been a Swedish symbol since the 14th century and were used by Danish monarchs only during the Kalmar Union , Gustav interpreted Christian III's use of

6272-445: The coat of arms of the provinces of Götaland and Svealand respectively, the lion was earlier, erroneously, called the "Göta lion". Magnus used the symbols frequently, probably to mark his three kingdoms; Sweden, Norway and Scania . At the middle of the 14th century, neighbouring Denmark 's severe financial problems caused most of the country to be pawned to German princes, primarily Gerhard III and John III . Since Denmark's king

6384-430: The coins of Magnus Eriksson (1316-1374). The first coat of arms of Sweden from the 13th century featured a golden lion on a background of wavy blue and white diagonal lines (in blazons , "bendy wavy Argent and azure, a lion Or"). It is still part of the present greater coat of arms of Sweden which is quartered between the lion coat of arms and the three crowns. As the lion and the crowns were occasionally re-interpreted as

6496-430: The crown of Norway. Margaret became regent of Denmark and Norway when Olaf died in 1387, leaving her without an heir. She adopted her great-nephew Eric of Pomerania the same year. The following year, 1388, Swedish nobles called upon her help against King Albert . After Margaret defeated Albert in 1389, her heir Eric was proclaimed King of Norway. Eric was subsequently elected King of Denmark and Sweden in 1396 under

6608-415: The crowns were placed in a row on the vehicle rear and over each other in the front. During the 1980s and 1990s, Broderbund Software used a stylised variant of the symbol. Monarchy of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden , by law a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system . There have been kings in what now

6720-481: The current king's fifty-year reign. Sweden in the present day is a representative democracy in a parliamentary system based on popular sovereignty , as defined in the current Instrument of Government (one of the four Basic Laws of the Realm which makes up the written constitution ). The monarch and the members of the royal family undertake a variety of official, unofficial and other representational duties within Sweden and abroad. The current king of Sweden

6832-460: The day to inform not only the head of state, but also the speaker and representatives of the opposition parties in the Riksdag, on foreign affairs issues in a confidential manner. While the monarch is no longer the commander-in-chief ( högste befälhavare ) of the Swedish Armed Forces , as he once was under the 1809 Instrument of Government, he is the foremost representative of the Swedish defence establishment and holds supreme rank in each of

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6944-457: The death of Karl, Sweden was mostly ruled by a series of "protectors of the realm" ( riksföreståndare ), with the Danish kings attempting to assert control. First of these protectors was Sten Sture, who kept Sweden under his control until 1497 when the Swedish nobility deposed him. A peasant rebellion led Sture to become regent of Sweden again in 1501. After his death, Sweden was ruled by Svante Nilsson (1504–1512) and then Svante's son Sten Sture

7056-460: The death of King Gustav I in 1560, he was succeeded by his oldest son Eric XIV . His reign was marked by Sweden's entrance into the Livonian War and the Northern Seven Years' War . The combination of Eric's developing mental disorder and his opposition to the aristocracy led to the Sture Murders in 1567 and the imprisonment of his brother John (III) , who was married to Catherine Jagiellon , sister of King Sigismund II of Poland . In 1568 Eric

7168-407: The death of his father, Sigismund tried to rule Sweden from Poland , leaving Sweden under the control of a regent – his paternal uncle (Gustav I's youngest son) Charles (IX) – but was unable to defend his Swedish throne against the ambitions of his uncle. In 1598 Sigismund and his Swedish-Polish army were defeated at the Battle of Stångebro by the forces of Charles, and he was declared deposed by

7280-473: The defence budget cuts made by Prime Minister Karl Staaff and the cabinet just before the First World War in event known as the Courtyard Crisis accompanied by the Peasant armament support march ( Swedish : bondetåget ), it was seen as a deliberate provocation by conservatives and reactionaries against the uncodified norm of a parliamentary system supported by the liberals and the social democrats, leading to Staaff's resignation. Gustaf V then appointed

7392-412: The expansion of the franchise. The daughter of Gustav IV Adolph , Princess Sofia Wilhelmina (21 May 1801 – 1865) married Grand Duke Leopold of Baden , and their granddaughter Victoria of Baden married the Bernadotte king Gustaf V of Sweden . The present King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is thus Gustav IV's heir through his grandfather, Gustav VI Adolf . When King Gustav V publicly objected to

7504-410: The flag of the Kingdom of Ireland . A shield of three golden crowns, placed two above one, on a blue background, has been used a symbol of East Anglia for centuries. The coat of arms was ascribed by mediaeval heralds to the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia and the Wuffingas dynasty which ruled it. The flag of the East Anglian king and saint, Edmund the Martyr consists of three gold crowns on

7616-591: The former king was almost immediately elected as King Charles XIII . The Instrument of Government of 1809 put an end to royal absolutism by dividing the legislative power between the Riksdag (primary) and the king (secondary), and vested executive power in the king when acting through the Council of State . The present Bernadotte dynasty was established in September 1810 when the Riksdag, convened in Örebro , elected French Marshal and Prince of Pontecorvo Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte as crown prince. This took place because Charles XIII had no legitimate heir, and

7728-456: The governance of the realm are vested in him. Carl XVI Gustaf became king on 15 September 1973 on the death of his grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf and because of his father's early death has become the longest reigning monarch in Swedish history. His King's Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 2023. Leading up to that year and including it, beginning already in 2018, some of the most serious criticism ever published took place about Carl Gustaf and

7840-500: The influence of the aristocracy by nationalizing estates and properties which had been handed out to them by his predecessors, introducing the Allotment system ( Swedish : indelningsverket ) which would form the basis of the armed forces until the 20th century, and with the support of the Estates he was declared in 1680 an absolute monarch . Charles XI was succeeded by his son, Charles XII , who would prove to be an extremely able military commander, defeating far larger enemies with

7952-441: The liberals and social democrats greatly strengthened representation in both Riksdag chambers and a conservative government was no longer a defensible option. Following the definite breakthrough of parliamentarism in 1917, with the appointment of the coalition government of liberals and social democrats led by professor Nils Edén , the political influence of the King was considerably reduced and an unwritten constitutional precedent

8064-665: The most globally known ceremony in which the Royal Family annually participate is the Nobel Prize award ceremony held at the Stockholm Concert Hall (and the subsequent banquet in the Stockholm City Hall ), where the monarch hands out the Nobel Prizes on behalf of the Nobel Foundation for outstanding contributions to mankind in physics , chemistry , literature , physiology or medicine , and

8176-469: The nature of King Erik's regime has also been cited as a motivating factor for the rebellion. King Erik also lacked a standing army and had limited tax revenues. The death of Christopher of Bavaria (who had no heirs) in 1448 ended a period in which the three Scandinavian kingdoms were uninterruptedly united for a lengthy period. Karl Knutsson Bonde ruled as king of Sweden (1448–1457, 1464–1465 and 1467–1470) and Norway (1449-1450). Christian of Oldenburg

8288-474: The navy consequently often had a ship named after the Three Crowns. This practice in turn lent the name to the naval fort of Trekroner guarding the harbour of Copenhagen , the Danish capital. It was also the name of a number of farms, causing a new city quarter in Roskilde to take the name "Trekroner" from one such farm. Some heraldic displays outside of Sweden also incorporate triple crown designs. Some of

8400-551: The new system was perceived as fairer. A war with Lübeck in 1535 resulted in the expulsion of the Hanseatic traders , who previously had had a monopoly on foreign trade. With its own burghers in charge, Sweden's economic strength grew rapidly, and by 1544 Gustav controlled 60% of the farmlands in all of Sweden. Sweden now built the first modern army in Europe, supported by a sophisticated tax system and an efficient bureaucracy. At

8512-434: The notable of these uses are discussed below. The historical region of Galicia , now divided between Poland and Ukraine , had under Austro-Hungarian rule as its coat-of-arms a blue shield with three gold crowns as part of the design. The crowns are said to represent Lodomeria , a historical province that was united with Galicia, while Galicia itself was represented by the black crow. The emblem of Henry III of France

8624-565: The other members of the royal family or the employees the Royal Court enjoy similar immunity. At the request of the Speaker of the Riksdag, the monarch opens the annual session of the Riksdag ( Riksmötets öppnande ) in the chamber of the Riksdag building . The king or queen regnant also receives Letters of Credence of foreign ambassadors sent to Sweden and signs those of Swedish ambassadors sent abroad. The monarch also chairs

8736-407: The payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret , betrothed to James III of Scotland in 1468. The money was never paid, so in 1472 the islands were annexed by the Kingdom of Scotland . Diverging interests (especially the Swedish nobility 's dissatisfaction with the dominant role played by Denmark and Holstein ) gave rise to a conflict that hampered the union in several intervals starting in

8848-535: The personal level, the union was achieved by Queen Margaret I of Denmark (1353–1412). She was a daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark and had married King Haakon VI of Norway and Sweden, who was the son of King Magnus IV of Sweden , Norway and Scania . Margaret succeeded in having her and Haakon's son Olaf recognized as heir to the throne of Denmark. In 1376, Olaf inherited the crown of Denmark from his maternal grandfather as King Olaf II, with his mother as guardian; when Haakon VI died in 1380, Olaf also inherited

8960-535: The prime minister to keep the monarch informed on the affairs of the realm; the failure to do so following the 2004 tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean (in which many Swedes perished) gave rise to wide criticism of Prime Minister Göran Persson for his handling of the matter. The monarch also chairs the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs ( Utrikesnämnden ), a body that enables the government of

9072-514: The realm. The Eriksgata gradually lost its importance when, as of the 14th century, representatives of other parts of Sweden began to participate in the election. After 1544, when hereditary monarchy was instituted, that meant that the Eriksgata had little practical importance. The last king to travel the Eriksgata according to the old tradition was Charles IX , whose reign began in 1604. Later, kings, up until present times, have made visits to all

9184-484: The regency, Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna wrote the 1634 Instrument of Government , which although never approved by any monarch, continued to have an important normative role in the state administration. Christina early on showed an interest in literature and the sciences and famously brought René Descartes to Sweden. Sweden continued to be involved in the Thirty Years' War during reign of Christina and that conflict

9296-517: The rule of the Riksdag of the Estates and reinstate absolute monarchy in Sweden. He nearly lost his throne in consequence. On the second occasion during the December Crisis of 1768 , under the guidance of his eldest son, Gustav , he succeeded in overthrowing the "Cap" (Swedish: Mössorna ) senate, but was unable to make any use of his victory. Adolf Frederick's son, King Gustav III , was more successful in restoring royal authority. In 1772,

9408-458: The same time, he broke with the papacy and established a reformed state church : the Church of Sweden . Throughout his reign, Gustav I suppressed both aristocratic and peasant opposition to his ecclesiastical policies and efforts at centralisation, which to some extent laid the foundation for the modern Swedish unitary state . Legally Sweden has only been a hereditary monarchy since 1544 when

9520-537: The service arms. He ranks as a four star admiral in the Swedish Navy and general in the Swedish Army and Air Force . As part of his court, the monarch has a military staff , which is headed by a senior officer (usually a general or admiral, retired from active service) and includes active duty military officers serving as aides-de-camp to the monarch and his or her family. The monarch and members of

9632-806: The small but highly professional Swedish army. His defeat of the Russians at Narva when just 18 years old was to be his greatest victory. However his campaigning at the head of his army during the Great Northern War would ultimately lead to catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Poltava after which he spent several years in Turkey (now Moldova) . Some years later he was killed at the Siege of Fredriksten during an attempt to invade Norway. The Swedish Age of Greatness ( Swedish : stormaktstiden ) had ended. Charles XII's sister, Ulrika Eleonora , now claimed

9744-454: The so-called Three Crowns Conflict, with Sweden accusing Denmark of imperialism by using a Swedish symbol, and Denmark accusing Sweden of monopolizing the use of a Scandinavian union symbol. This conflict played a role at the outbreak of the Northern Seven Years' War in 1563. At the beginning of the 17th century the conflict was settled with both countries being allowed to use the Three Crowns in their coats of arms, although in Denmark it has

9856-409: The symbol as a sign of intent to conquer Sweden and resurrect the union. Christian countered that, since the monarchs of the union had used the three crowns, the symbol now belonged to both kingdoms and he had as much a right as the Swedish king to use it. In Sweden, the Three Crowns were regarded as an exclusively Swedish symbol. This led to a long-lasting diplomatic conflict between the two countries,

9968-474: The symbol from Germany as a sign of his rule over Sweden, Finland and Mecklenburg . Apart from the fact that Finland was not regarded as a country in its own right at the time, this theory has been refuted by later research, namely, the announcement in 1982 of the discovery of a frieze in Avignon in southern France , estimated to date back to 1336. The frieze was painted for an international congress led by

10080-511: The three gold crowns on blue accompanied by an open book. The origin of the three crowns is not exactly known but may refer to the arms of Thomas Cranley , Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 1390. Two dioceses of the Church of England use the three crowns emblem; Ely (gules three ducal coronets two over one or) and Bristol (sable three crowns arranged in pale or, similar to the city of Hull). The first corporate coat of arms

10192-685: The throne and abdicated in favor of her husband, Frederick , who had little interest in the affairs of state and was elected King by the Estates as King Frederick I, resulting in the 1720 Instrument of Government : content-wise almost identical to the one from 1719. Despite having many extra-marital affairs, Frederick I never sired a legitimate heir to the throne. After the death/impending death of King Frederick without heirs, Charles Frederick's heir, Charles Peter Ulrich, had become untenable in Sweden, as he had been taken to Russia by his aunt Elizabeth I of Russia , nominated as heir/Grand Duke, and became Emperor Peter III of Russia . In 1743, Adolf Frederick,

10304-573: The throne over her nephew and son of her elder sister, Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (see genealogy chart above). Charles Frederick had the claim of seniority within the family, but Ulrica Eleonora claimed that her elder sister had not "acquired the consent of the Parliamentary Estates " for her marriage to his father, according to laws of succession laid down in Norrköpings arvförening . The duke's party asserted that

10416-580: The title Heir to Norway ( Arvinge till Norge ) was also used, as well as other titles connected to the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp . When, after the Napoleonic Wars , Norway was in personal union with Sweden, the title included King of Norway , in older Swedish spellings: Sweriges, Norriges, Göthes och Wendes Konung . Upon his accession, Carl XVI Gustaf chose for his title simply Sveriges Konung (King of Sweden). The customary title of

10528-406: The union with Sweden in 1380, successive Swedish kings continued to use the union coat of arms with the three crowns. An alternative, less well-supported theory suggests that the three crowns are the three kingdoms in the traditional title of the Swedish king, king of Swedes , Goths and Wends . (the two last of which he held in competition with the Danish king). The Swedes- Goths - Wends represent

10640-469: The unwritten precedent was set in 1917, when Gustaf V had little choice but to support the idea of a parliamentary system and promised Prime Minister Nils Edén to stop seeking advice from secret advisors other than the duly appointed cabinet ministers and not to interfere in politics again; the Torekov compromise, struck in 1971 by the four major parties at the time, provided, and continues to provide,

10752-577: The way the monarchy has developed during his reign. When, on 1 January 1975, it replaced the Instrument of Government of 1809 as part of the Constitution of Sweden , the Instrument of Government of 1974 ( Swedish : 1974 års regeringsform ) transformed the advisory Council of State ( Statsrådet ) into the collegial Government ( Regeringen ), to which all executive power was transferred. Responsibility for nominating and dismissing

10864-458: Was "Manet ultima coelo" with three crowns. The French Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy was a Swedish colony between 1784 and 1878, and the island's coat of arms includes the three crowns as part of the design. The German towns of Otterfing and Tegernsee in Bavaria use the three gold crowns on blue design on their coats-of-arms. Practically identical to the three crowns of Sweden

10976-629: Was a personal union in Scandinavia , agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark , Sweden (then including much of present-day Finland ), and Norway , together with Norway's overseas colonies (then including Iceland , Greenland , the Faroe Islands , and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland ). The union

11088-402: Was a descendant of earlier royal dynasties of Sweden, great-granddaughter of Princess Catherine of Sweden , mother of King Charles X of Sweden . On his mother's side, Adolf Frederick was descended from King Gustav Vasa and Christina Magdalena , a sister of Charles X of Sweden . He succeeded as King Adolf Frederick 8 years later on 25 March 1751. During his 20-year reign, Adolf Frederick

11200-430: Was but would become entirely ceremonial, without any residual political powers left. Following the required double Riksdag votes that took place in 1973 and 1974, a new Instrument of Government was brought into effect. The monarch's functions and duties, as defined in the 1974 Constitution Act, include heading the special cabinet council held when there is a change of government, but no executive powers with respect to

11312-501: Was dethroned and succeeded by John III. In domestic politics John III showed clear Catholic sympathies, inspired by his queen, creating friction with the Swedish clergy and nobility. He reintroduced several Catholic traditions previously abolished, and his foreign policy was affected by his family connection to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , where his eldest son had been made King Sigismund III in 1587. Following

11424-660: Was elected King of Sweden by the estates of the realm , assembled in Strängnäs on 6 June 1523. Inspired by the teachings of Martin Luther , Gustav I used the Protestant Reformation to curb the power of the Roman Catholic Church . In 1527 he persuaded the estates of the realm , assembled in the city of Västerås , to confiscate church lands, which comprised 21% of the country's farmland. At

11536-635: Was forced into exile in 1332, the Danish Archbishop in Lund requested that Magnus become king of the Scanian provinces of Denmark. Magnus redeemed the pawn from John III and was sworn in as king of Scania the same year. Since he had also ambitions of redeeming the rest of Denmark, the crowns marked his dignity as king of three realms. Although Denmark was reconsolidated under King Valdemar Atterdag in 1340 and regained its territory, and Norway left

11648-596: Was granted in 1439 to the Drapers' Company in London with three triple crowns. Three crowns also form the logo of Coutts , the London-based private bankers, but in this case the design comprises one crown at the top, with two below. The coat of arms of the chief of Clan Grant displays the three gold crowns on a red background (gules, three ancient crowns or). Earlier it is recorded to have been three gold crowns on

11760-404: Was granted the title Royal Highness in his absence, but his pro-Russian policy at that time made him impossible as heir to the Swedish throne. His marriage in 1725 to Anna , the daughter of Peter of Great, did not help his case. His mother, and later Hedwig Eleonora, both supported and worked for his right to be considered heir of Sweden after his childless uncle. Ulrika Eleonora was forced by

11872-568: Was killed at the 1632 Battle of Lützen . Queen Maria Eleonora and the king's ministers took over the government of the Realm on behalf of Gustavus Adolphus' underage daughter Christina , until she reached the age of majority . Gustavus Adolphus is often regarded by military historians as one of the greatest military commanders of all time, with innovative use of combined arms . Christina succeeded her father aged six. A regency government ruled in her name until she turned 18 years of age. During

11984-499: Was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). Karl and Christian fought over control of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, leading Christian to seize Sweden from him from 1457 to 1464 before a rebellion led Karl to become king of Sweden again. When Karl died in 1470, Christian tried to become king of Sweden again, but was defeated by Sten Sture the Elder in the 1471 battle of Brunkeberg outside Stockholm. After

12096-515: Was little more than a figurehead , the real power being with the Riksdag of the Estates , often distracted by party strife. Twice he endeavored to free himself from the tutelage of the estates. The first occasion was in 1756. Stimulated by his consort Louisa Ulrika of Prussia (sister of Frederick the Great ), he tried to regain a portion of the attenuated prerogative through the Coup of 1756 to abolish

12208-490: Was more interested in feathering their own nests rather than working in the interest of the country at large. When Charles XI came of age in 1672, the effectiveness of the armed forces had seriously deteriorated and the country was ill-prepared as the King of Denmark, Christian V , invaded to settle old scores . The Danes were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempts, and Charles XI undertook several measures to prevent what had just almost happened from occurring again: reducing

12320-454: Was not quite continuous; there were several short interruptions. Legally, the countries remained separate sovereign states . However, their domestic and foreign policies were directed by a common monarch. Gustav Vasa 's election as King of Sweden on 6 June 1523, and his triumphant entry into Stockholm eleven days later, marked Sweden's final secession from the Kalmar Union. Formally, the Danish king acknowledged Sweden's independence in 1524 at

12432-423: Was set that would remain in effect until 1975. Only during World War II , in the so-called Midsummer crisis (regarding the issue whether neutral Sweden should permit rail transport of German troops from Norway passing through to Finland ), did Gustaf V allegedly try to intervene in the political process by threatening to abdicate . King Gustaf VI Adolf succeeded his elderly father who died in 1950, and he

12544-622: Was settled at the 1648 Peace of Westphalia , and the Swedish monarch received representation at the Imperial Diet due to the German conquests ( Bremen-Verden and Swedish Pomerania ) that were made. Having decided not to marry, Christina abdicated the throne on 5 June 1654 in favor of her cousin Charles X Gustav , went abroad, and converted to Roman Catholicism . The Estates elected Charles X Gustav as their new King, and his short reign

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