Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates (formally ; informally ) 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 the King. It was a Diet made up of the Four Estates, which historically were the lines of division in Swedish society: The meeting at Arboga in 1435 is usually considered to be the first Riksdag, but there is no indication that the fourth estate, the peasants, had been represented there. The constitution of 1809 divided the powers of government
Riksdag Estonian Riigikogu, as well as the historical German "Reichstag" and the Danish "Rigsdagen". In Swedish use, "riksdagen" is usually uncapitalized. "Riksdag" derives from the genitive of "rike", referring to royal power, and "dag", meaning diet or conference; the German word "Reichstag" and the Danish "Rigsdag" are cognate. The "Oxford English Dictionary" traces English use of the term "Riksdag" in reference to the Swedish assembly back to 1855. The roots of the modern Riksdag can be found in a 1435 meeting of the Swedish nobility in the city of Arboga. This informal organization was modified in 1527 by the first modern