the svea court of appeal in the early modern period 102 several law terms had passed. The exact duties of the Court during the King’s absence overseas and after his return had not been defined clearly. This suggests the piece-meal way in which the court started its work in a situation of financial crisis that had the potential to rock the survival of the dynasty. What kind of institution then was founded in 1614? This seems to have been somewhat unclear, and it seems to have been a hybrid of ministry of justice and a traditional royal court, adjudicating in the king’s name, but instead of being itinerant, it was firmly based in Stockholm – probably because it managed the royal administration of justice during the king’s absence from Sweden. The royal instructions for the King’s absence in 1621 delegated all complaints of the common people to the Court of Appeal, the Treasury (Cammaren) and the provincial governors (Ståtthållerne). This division of labour gave all justice-relatedmatters (justicien vedkommer) to the Court of Appeal to handle. The Council of the Realm was to help the Court in all matters “so that it may fully perform its tasks and administer justice ex æquo” (må hafva sin fulle gångh och justicien ex æquo administreret).290 This left the Court of Appeal in charge of quite a wide range of justice-related tasks that it was to manage in an equitable spirit. The establishment of the Svea Court of Appeal has some more parallels to that of theReichskammergericht in 1495. Maximilian I, as King of the Romans since 1486, elected heir apparent to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire before his succession in 1508, needed financial support for his anti-French policy and saw the Reichstag as an opportunity to get a levy (Reichshilfe) for a quick military intervention in Italy. By contrast, the Imperial Estates wanted reform of the judiciary and the peace-keeping procedures of the Empire. In order to induce the Estates to grant funds for the war, Maximilian had to agree to the reform demands. Thus, the so-called Ewige Landesfriede, passed at the Diet of Worms in 1495, forbade the medieval right to feud. At the same time, the permanent Reichskammergericht, the Imperial Chamber Court, was established in order to have an authoritative tribunal to resolve disputes in a peaceful way.291 290 Instructions for the Council of the Realm during the king’s absence abroad (1621, 1622) Svenska riksrådets protokoll I, 1621–1629, ed. Kullberg, pp. iv-v, vii. 291 Schmid, Peter 2003 esp. pp. 130-137.
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