Proto-absolutism or ‘Military Monarchy’? The Brief Reign of Karl X Gustav, 1654–59

Abstract

The dynastic shift that came with Queen Christina’s decision to abdicate in 1654, without an heir of her own body to continue the Vasa line, did not result in any great political crisis. That it did not do so owed, in part, to the loyalty of the nobility, who saw state service and not political self-interest as their primary obligation; in equal measure, it owed to the sturdy dependability of the lower orders, who despite the deep and justified grievances which they aired at the 1650 Riksdag were still obedient subjects, whether that obedience stemmed from the populist traditions of the Vasa house or because habits of deference had simply been beaten into them by the exigencies of a state at war. Christina herself must take some of the credit, too. She was not, perhaps, quite so dedicated to the welfare of the Swedish state as her father had been or her chancellor was, but she was conscientious and responsible enough to ensure that she would have a competent and popular successor.