the svea court of appeal in the early modern period 332 sionalised approaching the eighteenth century.979 The judges’ education and careers reflect these tendencies as foreign education and participation in diplomacy lessened. When new members of the court were appointed, the court itself had the right of presentation. It put forward six candidates among whom the King was to choose. Petrén states that the court set out to suggest the most competent men. Although the right of presentation was in principle in force until the absolutist reign of Karl XI, in practice, QueenChristina’s (r. 1644– 1654) actions in appointment matters, for instance, restricted it.980 It is thus important to remember that contacts and power politics also played a part in the court’s composition. Finding learned men was sometimes a difficult task in itself, but one cannot forget that the court was also deliberately divided into classes, and the first and second class judges were formally speaking not even expected to be “learned and experienced in the law.” Therefore, becoming an appeals court judge in the seventeenth century was not only a question of having a suitable education and career merits. It was also a question of being part of the right networks and being in the favour of the right people. Patron-client relationships, other friendships and marriages were an integral part of climbing up the ladder towards a more prestigious career and better social standing – or holding on to them. This was also true for men aiming at an assessorship at a court of appeal.981 The first class assessors were all Councillors of the Realm, which in itself already points to the fact that they were men who were undeniably part of the realm’s small elite. In the first half of the seventeenth century, the Council of the Realm was composed of men most of whom were linked to each other through kinship or marriage. Between 1602 and 1632, 34 of the 47 councillors were related to each other, and between 1602 and 1680 51% of the councillors were sons of Councillors of the Realm. There were even more connections between councillors through marriage. The council was thus dominated by a few families of the higher nobility.982 979 Anderson, M.S. 1993 pp. 41, 51, 69, 82. 980 Petrén, Sture 1964 pp. 93-96. 981 See e.g., Hakanen, Marko 2011; Vasara-Aaltonen, Marianne 2013 p. 616. 982 Englund, Peter 2002 p. 13; Sjödell, Ulf 1975 p. 70. Contacts and Power Struggles
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