383 chamber of the chancellery.” In addition to this central role, the chancellery was placed in charge of the seals of state,^ and it should be pointed out that the leading force behind the drafting of the Form of Government was none other than the chancellor of the realm, himself, Axel Oxenstierna. The collegial form of operation prescribed by the kansliordningen of 1626 was not actually implemented in practice, for the chancellor directed the affairs of the chancellery without any noticeable measure of collegial deliberation. It was only with the kansliordningen of 1661 and its implementation that the chancellery was given real collegial governance, and thus one can date the foundation of the kanslikollegium as such to this point in time; one consequence was that the minutes of the college commence in 1661.^ The new kansliordningen stipulated that the college was to have four councillors {kansliråd), each of whom was to be appointed from among the members of the aristocratic State Council. Including the chancellor, then, there were to be five councillors of the realm among the personnel of the kanslikollegium, thus giving the leadership of that college a markedly aristocratic character.*' The kansliordningen of 1661 called for the subdivision of the college into sections based on a geographical and political breakdown of administrative tasks {expeditioner). This provision represented an administrative innovation, for the distribution of tasks prior to this time had been on the basis of language.**' There were now to be three state secretaries {statssekreterare) at the head of three sections, and they were to serve at the same time as adjunct members of the college board. In dealing with their sections, these state secretaries were to be aided by three secretaries of lower rank, or one each for the sections dealing with “Finnish, Estonian, Livonian, and Ingrian expeditioner,” “German expeditioner,''’ and “Seanian expeditioner,’’' respectively.** With the passage of time, the word expedition itself came to designate the various political sections of the chancellery, and the personnel budgets of the kanslikollegium therefore came to list titles such as the “Livonian expedition," the “German expedition,” and so on.*- Furthermore, in order to improve the efficiency and ■ SRF, 12—13. Arne Munthe, "Kansliet under det karolinska tidevarvet,” in Oscar WieselGREN et al., Kungl. Maj:ts kanslis historia (2 v., Uppsala, 1934—1935), I, 91. « Ibid., 92—93 Ibid., 103—104. " Sec the rubrics in the margins of the kansliordningen; RA, Kansliet F; II a (organisation), 1661 års kansliordning. RA, Kanslikollegium, serie F: IX 3, Stater 1700—1719, Personalstat för kanslikollegium 1714.
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