from well-travelled – marianne vasara-aaltonen 325 part in the commissions dealing with the iron trade and establishing the new East India Company. In 1746 and 1747, he took part in negotiations with Spain, France and Prussia. He was also appointed president of the law commission and chancellor of Uppsala University.953 Of course, not all the appeal court councillors had careers as significant as Ehrenpreus’s, but the combination of civil, military and judicial accomplishments can still be observed in most cases. While the appeal court councillors had more diverse careers, the assessors in 1734 had careers which were more bound to the judiciary. Bengt Kilstedt (nob. Silfverstedt) (d. 1738), for instance, had begun as an advocate at the Svea Court of Appeal, then worked in different positions in the Royal Office related to judicial decision-making (registrar withhögsta ombudsmanand in thejustitieexpedition), before becoming an assessor and later appeal court councillor at the Svea court. Some had also advanced within the court.954 In 1754, we see an interesting change as the turn towards a more professional corps of judges finally reached the highest level of the court as well. The 1719 and 1720 Instruments of Government (regeringsform) had already stated that the president no longer had to be a Councillor of the Realm, but needed to have knowledge and practice in the law.955 Johan Gerdes (nob. Gerdesschöld) (1698 –1768) had a long career at the Svea Court behind him when he was appointed president in 1753. He had started as a trainee at the court in 1719 at the age of 21. After that he held the positions of extraordinary clerk, extraordinary notary, extraordinary Crown prosecutor, vice Crown prosecutor, protonotary, Crown prosecutor, assessor and appeal court councillor. Naturally, other accomplishments were still needed to become president: after reaching the position of appeal court councillor in 1747, Gerdesschöld was also revision secretary and Chancellor of Justice as well as knight of all his majesty’s orders. Still, his career was firmly founded on the steps he took within the Svea Court of Appeal. Since this is the generation of judges who started as assessors in the 1730s and 1740s that have now reached the position of appeal court councillor, 953 Hildebrand, Bengt 1949. 954 Anjou, A. 1899 p. 90 and passim. 955 Nilsén, Per 2003 p. 313. Careers within the Court: 1754 –1809
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