History of the Riksdag History of the Riksdag The Riksdag is the national legislature of Sweden. However, when it was founded in 1866 Sweden did not have a parliamentary system of government. The national legislatures of Estonia and Finland are also called Riksdag in Swedish. The precursor to the modern Riksdag was the Riksdag of the Estates (). Of ancient origin in the Viking Things, the meeting of the Swedish nobility at Arboga, in 1435 is considered as the first Riksdag. This informal representation was formalized in 1527 by King Gustav I of Sweden to include representatives of all the four estates, which historically
History of the Riksdag there were new requirements on income or wealth, i.e. census suffrage. Despite the fundamental change in the principles of representation, the social composition of the Riksdag did not alter by much, and the system of government had not changed. Under the Constitution of 1809 the Riksdag still divided the powers of government with the King. From the second half of the 19th century, when the Riksdag was founded, until the early 20th century, Swedish society underwent a number of fundamental changes that impacted on the political system. Political demands, but also sheer economic progress, increased the share of citizens eligible