from well-travelled – marianne vasara-aaltonen 337 for advancement as early as possible. Thetjänstebetänkande sparked heated debates and one anonymous writer claimed in 1769 that it was the public’s right to have the smartest, most experienced and conscientious judges and officials, and this was not necessarily reflected in the years the person had served in the administration.1003 For someone with above-average qualifications, the seniority principle could be a problem. The resentment of Nils Zellén, doctor of laws and extraordinary assessor in 1774, is visible in a letter he wrote to the court in May 1770. During his education, he writes, it was still foreseeable that “true merits and skills” would be taken into consideration, which would encourage spending time and being diligent at the academy. After the tjänstebetänkande of 1756, however, everyone with a longer career had advanced before him despite their qualities.1004 Zellén did finally advance from his position as Crown prosecutor, which had become arduous for him. He became extraordinary assessor and appeal court councillor at the Svea Court of Appeal, member of the high court for marine insurance, member of the Supreme Court and finally vice president of the Svea Court in 1800.1005 Despite a new statute in 1766, the principle of seniority lasted until the coup of GustavIII and the new Instrument of Government of 1772, which gave the king significant influence over appointments. It was therefore important to be in the king’s favour to be promoted. According to Vepsä, this could also be seen in the appointments to the Vaasa Court of Appeal, founded in 1776. Gustav III, for instance, appointed Count Axel Fredrik Oxenstierna (1753 – 1841) to the Vaasa court despite his apparent lack of education and experience.1006 The events of 1772 do not seem to have affected the composition of the Svea court directly. A new president was appointed in 1772, but this was due to his predecessor’s death the same year. The number of appointments to assessorships is not greater than in other years and, looking at the judges of 1774, we see that most of them 1003 Om ämbetsmäns tilsättjande, enligt Kongl. Maj:ts nådiga förordning af den 12 november 1766, och de deruti åberopade Kongl. bref och förordningar (1769), cited in Cavallin, Maria 2003 p. 175. 1004 RA, SHA, Tjänsteansökningar E IVa, vol 37, Nils Zellén, RA. Zellén also refers to the practice of accords, which became common after the 1756 TB, see Cavallin, Maria 2003 p. 81. 1005 Anjou, A. 1899 p. 52. 1006 Cavallin, Maria 2003 pp. 82, 185-186; Vepsä, Iisa 2009 pp. 236-239.
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