the svea court of appeal in the early modern period 338 had already been appointed assessors in the 1750s and 60s. At the Göta Court of Appeal, however, four judges were dismissed after an inspection in 1773.1007 The discussions on advancement within the administration were closely linked to questions of the nobility’s right to higher office and to the disputes between the nobility and the commoners, especially in the 1750s and 1760s.1008 While the Instruments of Government of the Age of Liberty stressed that birth should not be a deciding factor in employment, in practice the nobility was favoured, in part because noblemen often started their careers earlier and could thus hope for advancement sooner.1009 The age profile of the judges throughout the research period shows that there is a slight change in the first half of the eighteenth century, with the median age of the judges rising somewhat.1010 We also start to see more judges who are well over 60 years old. The principle of seniority and long careers within the court are probably factors influencing this change. Similarly, the average age at which the judges first became assessors rises to over 40 in the early eighteenth century, but comes down again at the end of the century.1011 What class the judges belonged to and what their social background was does not seem to have affected the age at which they began working at the court.1012 How then are these eighteenth-century developments reflected in the application letters of the future judges?1013 The letters are interesting as 1007 Nilsén, Per 2003 p. 315. 1008 See, e.g., Elmroth, Ingvar 1962; Edler, P.J. 1915; Carlsson, Sten 1973. 1009 Elmroth, Ingvar 1962, pp. 218-219. The debate on the nobility’s privileges and questions regarding the order of rank cannot be discussed in depth here. For more information on the topic, see e.g., Cavallin, Maria 2003; Arteus, Gunnar 1982. 1010 The median age of the corps of judges: 1614: 45 years, 1634: 43 years, 1654: 38 years, 1674: 43.5 years, 1694: 45 years, 1714: 50 years, 1734: 53 years, 1754: 56 years, 1774: 51 years, 1794: 46 years, and 1809: 50 years. 1011 The average age at which the judges had begun as assessors: 1614: 44.9 years, 1634: 39.7 years, 1654: 33.9 years, 1674: 37.1 years, 1694: 37.4 years, 1714: 42.9 years, 1734: 44.4 years, 1754: 45.4 years, 1774: 43.7 years, 1794: 36.4 years, and 1809: 35.3 years. 1012 Cf. the situation at the Wismar Tribunal, Jörn, Nils 2003 pp. 267-268. 1013 Various applications for office at the court (tjänsteansökningar) from the eighteenth century have survived, although mainly from the later decades. I have gone through the applications of eleven judges: Salanus (1714), Swebilius Adlerberg (1714, 1734), Flach senior (1734), Roselius (1734, 1754), Dubbe (1754), Franc (1754), Noordenhielm (1774), Rozir (1774), Zellén (1774, 1794), Sebenius (1794, 1809) and Ziervogel (1794, 1809). While it is a relatively small sample, the letters still reflect some of the changes in the appointment practices, RA, SHA, Tjänsteansökningar E IVa, vol. 1, Jean
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