from well-travelled – marianne vasara-aaltonen 339 they may reflect what was considered as important for an aspiring official of the court. While the applicants regularly mention that they have studied, it is usually only a brief statement without any details. There are a couple of exceptions. Johan Swebilius Adlerberg, as discussed earlier, gave a more detailed description on his courses abroad in a letter from 1704. In a letter from 1716, Johan Flach senior, born and educated in Strassburg, also mentions having disputed publicly and having obtained the licentiate of both laws. And of course there was the aforementioned Nils Zellén, who felt his academic qualifications were not appreciated enough in 1770. All in all, one gets the impression that neither the content nor length of courses were deciding factors for appointment. Samuel Roselius, for instance, in 1725 only mentions having studied both in Sweden and abroad without any details about where abroad he was. What is common for all applications throughout the period is that previous service for the Crown or the court is brought up; often listing the previous tasks and years in service. Hard work and loyalty are used as reasons why these men were deserving of a promotion. Many refer to the “hard times” and the work as a secretary, for instance, becoming too arduous. An assessorship is seen as a less strenuous position, which was deserved after years of hard work. This is in line with the fact that an assessorship at a court of appeal was often the final position in one’s career.1014 The applications also use phrases similar to the statutes regulating appointment: skills (skicklighet), worthiness (värdighet), merit (förtjänst) and diligence (flitighet). The only one specifically using his previous work experience to merit his competence was the Strassburg-born and educated Johan Flach. In his letter in 1716, he states that like the assessor Falkencloo, whose assessorate was now vacant, he too had already been an advocate for thirty years and had learned the procedure and Swedish law through that practice.Whereas in the first half of the century it was normal to apply for a particular position, such as a vacant assessorate, the applications in the 1760s by Wilhelm Noordenhielm (1727 – 1777) and Carl Ziervogel (1740 – 1825) seem to reflect the idea of a more predetermined path through the system. Instead of applying for a specific position they rather Adlerberg, vol. 7, Carl Dubbe, vol. 11, J. F. Flach, vol. 12, Pehr Franc, vol. 24, W. Noordenhielm, vol. 28, Samuel Roselius, Johan Rozir, vol. 29, M. Salan, vol. 30, Carl Petter Sebenius, vol 37, N. Zellén, C. Ziervogel. 1014 See Nilsén, Per 2003 pp. 313-316.
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