Instrument of Government (1634)


The Instrument of Government of 1634 was Sweden's first constitution adopted on 29 July 1634. It regulated some of the administration, judiciary and the military. It was never accepted by the monarch but was nonetheless in use until Charles XI formally established an absolute monarchy in Sweden. The Riksdag of the Estates confirmed his power in 1693 by officially proclaiming that the king was the sole ruler of Sweden effectively nullifying the constitution.