the svea court of appeal in the early modern period 214 ter was interpreted in a general way – from then on, two or three witnesses were always regarded as sufficient, despite older, divergent regulations.595 These few examples from the Becchius Palmcrantz collection show how the Court of Appeal in close cooperation with the King interpreted and developed the medieval legislation. The protection originally reserved to the King and his councillors was extended in order to match the growing state, its functions and representations. At the same time, the prescribed sanctions were adjusted. It seems from the material that the Court of Appeal often recommended to the King milder sentences than prescribed in the law and that the King often listened to the advice of his judges. That his subjects did not always think of the King, the authorities or the legal regulations with the required degree of “respectfulness and veneration” is clear. Of course, much more can be done on the subject. Even if significant parts of the Svea Court of Appeal archive are lost, the court’s reports to the King in referred cases are intact and ought to be examined together with Becchius Palmcrantz’s survey and other collections. An interesting and probably rewarding task would be to compare cases concerning slander of the King and his councillors from the Svea Court of Appeal with similar cases from the Göta Court of Appeal. Thunander’s study on the Jönköping practice concerns criminal cases referred to the Court of Appeal from courts of first instance before execution and does not investigate cases in which the appellate court was first instance – such as those concerningcrimen læsæ maiestatis. Were the contacts between the monarch and the appellate court closer in Stockholm than in Jönköping? What “slander” went to the courts? Were there regional differences? A larger investigation of the practice of both courts of appeal and the adjudicative role of the King would probably offer an interesting perspective of not only the character of popular discontent but also how courts and authorities dealt with such sensitive issues. 595 See Inger, Göran 1976 pp. 230-234, esp. p. 233. Cf. Sweriges Rikes Lands-Lag, ed. Abrahamsson, p. 164 note d; Swerikes Stadz-Lagh, ed. Arnell, p. 30, note b. Conclusion
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