<p>The present dissertation examines various aspects of church organization in Sweden during the 17th and 18th centuries. In Sweden, as in many other European countries, the Christian religion and the organization of the Church comprised the dominant ideological power structure. Through the process of state-building and the Protestant Reformation, these structures were charged with new energy. In the present dissertation, the fact that nations were dependent on and exploited ideological power structures in order to control their respective populations and survive the international struggle of the state system has grown to become a central theme.</p><p>The fundamental questions of this dissertation concerning how and why social institutions were reproduced, and the theoretical context of these questions, has been based in the fact that both church and state are social institutions whose construction must include structures for a constant recreation of their forms and functions. The contribution of the present author has been to construct and apply a general model for understanding the organization and reproduction of institutional structures from a materialistic and structural basis. From a discussion of Louis Althusser's theory of the oppressive state apparatus and the ideological state apparatus, I have developed fundamental concepts with the purpose of constructing a theoretical model of the reproduction of an ideological state apparatus. I have dubbed this model the "competitive system", designating a system of material and symbolic structures and processes which, through competition between individuals, produces and maintains the functionaries of said state apparatus.</p><p>In one subsidiary study, the involvement of the repressive state apparatus in the creation of new church dioceses (so-called "superintendant dioceses") in Sweden during the first half of the 17th century is studied. This study showed that the creation of superintendant dioceses was a government-initiated project whose actual motive was the ambition of the repressive state to conquer and secure borders and central regions in the realm.</p><p>In another subsidiary study, some of the structures which reproduced the church and the educational system in Sweden during the 17th and 18th centuries are examined. This study indicated how the system of promotion constructed after the Reformation resulted in an overproduction of clerical labour during the 17th and 18th centuries. At the same time, through the agency of the crown the educational system expanded enormously during the 17th century and, by providing the opportunity for teachers to move into careers in the church, competition in the church apparatus became even keener.</p><p>In a final subsidiary study, the reproduction of diocesans (bishops and superintendents) in Sweden during the period 1580-1800 is analyzed. At the beginning of the period under investigation, careers in the normal competitive system of the church comprised the dominant form of qualification. The court and royal chaplain ministries available there were of great significance for recruitment. By the latter half of the 17th century, the role of the educational system in the reproduction of diocesans increased. In accordance with the Swedish central government´s increasing need to formalize its central competitive system, the educational system was expanded and reinforced, which had reprecussions on the competitive system of the ideological state apparatus of the church and its reproduction of diocesans.</p><p>Keywords: ideological state apparatus, repressive state apparatus, reproduction, church organization, educational system, competitive system, clergy, superintendent, bishop, superintendant dioceses, state building, 17th century, 18th century, Sweden.</p>

The present dissertation examines various aspects of church organization in Sweden during the 17th and 18th centuries. In Sweden, as in many other European countries, the Christian religion and the organization of the Church comprised the dominant ideological power structure. Through the process of state-building and the Protestant Reformation, these structures were charged with new energy. In the present dissertation, the fact that nations were dependent on and exploited ideological power structures in order to control their respective populations and survive the international struggle of the state system has grown to become a central theme. The fundamental questions of this dissertation concerning how and why social institutions were reproduced, and the theoretical context of these questions, has been based in the fact that both church and state are social institutions whose construction must include structures for a constant recreation of their forms and functions. The contribution of the present author has been to construct and apply a general model for understanding the organization and reproduction of institutional structures from a materialistic and structural basis. From a discussion of Louis Althusser's theory of the oppressive state apparatus and the ideological state apparatus, I have developed fundamental concepts with the purpose of constructing a theoretical model of the reproduction of an ideological state apparatus. I have dubbed this model the "competitive system", designating a system of material and symbolic structures and processes which, through competition between individuals, produces and maintains the functionaries of said state apparatus. In one subsidiary study, the involvement of the repressive state apparatus in the creation of new church dioceses (so-called "superintendant dioceses") in Sweden during the first half of the 17th century is studied. This study showed that the creation of superintendant dioceses was a government-initiated project whose actual motive was the ambition of the repressive state to conquer and secure borders and central regions in the realm. In another subsidiary study, some of the structures which reproduced the church and the educational system in Sweden during the 17th and 18th centuries are examined. This study indicated how the system of promotion constructed after the Reformation resulted in an overproduction of clerical labour during the 17th and 18th centuries. At the same time, through the agency of the crown the educational system expanded enormously during the 17th century and, by providing the opportunity for teachers to move into careers in the church, competition in the church apparatus became even keener. In a final subsidiary study, the reproduction of diocesans (bishops and superintendents) in Sweden during the period 1580-1800 is analyzed. At the beginning of the period under investigation, careers in the normal competitive system of the church comprised the dominant form of qualification. The court and royal chaplain ministries available there were of great significance for recruitment. By the latter half of the 17th century, the role of the educational system in the reproduction of diocesans increased. In accordance with the Swedish central government´s increasing need to formalize its central competitive system, the educational system was expanded and reinforced, which had reprecussions on the competitive system of the ideological state apparatus of the church and its reproduction of diocesans. Keywords: ideological state apparatus, repressive state apparatus, reproduction, church organization, educational system, competitive system, clergy, superintendent, bishop, superintendant dioceses, state building, 17th century, 18th century, Sweden.

Avhandlingen tar sin utgångspunkt i den så kallade övergångsproblematiken då nya provinser införlivades i det svenska riket efter 1658. I avhandlingen analyseras tidens politiska och ekonomiska konflikter samt interaktionen mellan undersåte och överhet. Materialet diskuteras i förhållande till ett modernt natonalismkritiskt forskningsälge. Källmaterialet utgörs av invånrnas egna skrivelser till de nya makthavarna i samband med att Skånska kommissionen besökte Blekinge 1669-70 / Avhandlingen speglar en reltivt fredlig period före Skånska kriget där interaktionen mellan undersåte och överhet föregick enligt de mönster som fanns etablerat i de nordiska konglomeratstaterna redan under medeltiden. Borgare, bönder och präster eftersträvade att hos den svenska överheten vinna stöd för sina egna privilegier, vilket ofta innebar konflikter med andra grupper i landskapet. De konflikter som återfanns under dansk tid återkom också umgänget med den svenska överheten och lokala maktordningar konfronterades mot tidens centralistiska, absoluta maktordningar. I denna proces formades nya vinnare och nya förlorare i det blekingska lokalsamhället.

Peace as a concept usually ends up taking the back seat in the numerous studies of war and conflict. The definition of peace is often dependant on the definition of war, violence and/or conflict. The purpose of this thesis is to study the concept of peace during the Northern Wars and its Early modern attributes. The chosen time periods, the Second Northern War (1655-1660) and the Great Northern War (1700-1721), offer the possibility to study the change in the conception of peace over time and how the international political situation affects the description of peace. Every year, starting with Gustav I of Sweden, the Swedish monarchy wrote letters that were read by the priests to the general public, explaining the international situation and any predicaments in which the state found itself. The letters are called Böndagsplakat in Swedish, which roughly translate to “prayerday placard”, drawing its name from the prayer days proclaimed at the end of each letter. Previous research has shown that the purpose of these placards was to legitimise the actions of the monarchy and to have a long term effect on the general values of the public. The Swedish army relied heavily on the peasantry both financially and for recruitment which makes the official letters an important tool for the monarchy. Therefore this material is suitable for a hermeneutic inspired text analysis and a comparative study between the different wars. The results in the thesis are based on the descriptions of peace in the placards from the final stages of both wars (1658-1663 and 1717-1723) when the issue of peace is visible both before and after the peace treaties. This study shows that peace isn’t a static concept and that the description of peace is affected by the political situation. It is given different attributes which don’t necessarily rely on the definition of its counterpart war. The descriptions of peace also have different nuances depending on the political need to continue the war or end it, and it can be placed on a scale from a cease-fire to a complete perpetual peace. Peace, just like war, is a complex and historically changeable concept that needs a front row seat together with the studies of war.

This essay is a study of a suite of six small-scale equestrian portraits in the Skokloster Castle Collection. The suite represents aristocratic women at the court of Louis XIV. In the portraits, the equestriennes and their horses perform advanced dressage movements. In the 17th Century the advanced dressage riding, performed in l'art du manège, was a masculine sphere. The equestrian portraits in the Skokloster suite therefore evoke questions regarding early modern female horse- and riding culture. How do we read these equestrian portraits today? In the analysis I focus on what the horses and riders do. I discuss the portraits in the light of la Querelle des femmes and how early modern French elite women would search for a new female role. Horseriding would open up for a possibility for women to expand their physical movements outdoors. In the 1630s a new category of female equestrian portraits surface where the equestriennes and their horses perform movements like carrière, terre-à-terre, courbette etc - movements which had earlier been performed in male equestrian portraits. The equestrian portraits in the Skokloster suite may be categorized to this new type of female equestrian portraits. The equestrian portraits in the Skokloster suite "descript" the "social manuscript" of the genre. Earlier, female riders had beed depicted on walking or trotting horses, or rarely, on horses performing passage. For a multifaceted reading I present a historic background and context to early modern riding culture as well as equestrian portraits as an art historical genre. In the essay I discuss attribution, possible commissioner and possible intended viewers.

This study is about a King of Sweden and his relationship to Martin Luther’s theology. Gustavus III was king in Sweden during the 18th century and he is mostly famous for being a friend of the theater and arts. This study investigates the religious relationship between the king and the image of Martin Luther’s theology. My main question in this study asks how Gustavus III described himself as a Lutheran Monarch. The method consists of a content analysis of primary sources from the late 18th century, mainly Helgdagsreduktionen from 1772 and the Eccelesatique-samlingar from 1789. The result shows that the King had churchly ambitions and was interested in liturgical questions. The result also shows Gustavus III worshipped former kings of Sweden which influenced how the king wanted to describe himself as a good Lutheran in the shadow of Gustavus I and Gustavus Adolphus. The household theology of Martin Luther shows the position of the king and how he absorbs this position in his writing to the subjects and the priests. The king’s function is viewed as a father that maintained the subject’s true path to Christianity. The image of Gustavus III is also central in this study because the idea of the early modern monarch was forged in the very foundation of the protestant reformation which Martin Luther started.

Uppsatsen behandlar Kungl. Svenska Vetenskapsakademins prisfrågor mellan 1761–1772, då specifikt de ställda med de Sparrerska medlen. Syftet med uppsatsen är belysa akademins syn på vetenskapens ekonomiska mål genom deras arbete med prisfrågorna. Uppsatsen utgår ifrån tankar om kunskapscirkulation för at tolka Vetenskapsakademin arbete. För att uppfylla syftet analyseras Vetenskapsakademins handskrivna mötesprotokoll, ett urval av svar på prisfrågorna samt prisfrågorna utifrån ämneskategorier samt svarens författare. Vetenskapsakademins koppling till Hattpartiet samt dess rötter i utilismen och merkantilismen redogörs för, då med huvudsakligt fokus på att belysa nyckelbegreppet nytta. Den första delen av undersökningen diskuterar mönstren inom de fyra kategorierna av prisfrågor, jord-och naturbruk, teknisk utveckling, medicin och Statsmaktens hushållning samt kontextualiserar dessa utifrån tidigare etablerad bakgrund. Vidare diskuteras vilka andra samhällsgrupper som nåddes av akademins arbete. Till exempel den stora delen kyrkliga ämbetsmän som utan personlig koppling till akademin ofta hade belönade svar. Undersökningens andra del behandlar genom svaren till två prisfrågor vilken form av kunskap och presentation akademin sökte samt fördjupar diskussion om dess arbetsprocess. Uppsatsen visar att akademins frågor ställdes för att på olika nivåer tillåta en maximering de tillgängliga resursernas nytta, samt hur deras mål med verksamheten ofta var i konflikt med deras arbetsprocess där diskussioner kunde dra ut på tid samt återupprättas när nya ledamöter kom med sina positioner. Slutligen visar uppsatsen hur akademin med prisfrågorna sökte cirkulation av kunskap snarare än innovation.

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This essay examines cases of faux executions administered by the high court of Göta hovrätt in Sweden during the years of 1648-1653. The faux executions are examined as a form of mental torture, utilized to extract confessions from suspected criminals. The essay builds on previous research on subjects of the early modern Swedish justice system, the interaction between the Swedish justice system and its constituents, as well as research on the subject of torture in the context of the Swedish justice system. Furthermore, research on the subject of torture and justice systems in early modern Germany and England are used as points of comparison. The goal is to understand the place of faux executions in both judicial practice and the mental frameworks of early modern Swedes, the condemning as well as the condemned. To achieve this end, the essay employs the theories of history of mentalities as well as ideas from micro history.      The primary material used in this essay are the judgements of the high court of Göta hovrätt, from which all orders of faux executions were issued. Importance is given not only to the sentencing as such, but the meaning loaded into choices of individual words. Additionally, the original sentence from the relevant lower court is consulted when available. The aim is to amass as much text as possible with regards to each individual case in order to acquire as many details as possible about each case.      The essay concludes that the use of faux executions arose as a consequence of the Roman-canon legal theory of proof, as well as the prevalence of ideas about the connection between truthful confessions and pain or death. In addition, the essay concludes that the present mentalities offered a wide range of reactions to the faux executions to those subjected to it. Furthermore, with regards to faux executions used in cases of infanticide, a parallel is found between the lack of condemning evidence and the court's ambiguous use of language with regards to the constructed ideal of "the guilty mother." Also, the essay concludes that faux executions had an ambiguous relationship with the concept of poena extraordinaria present in judicial discourse and practice throughout continental Europe. With regards to conditions in early modern England, it is established that there was no place for the faux execution, as the use of torture in England was not a consequence of the legal theory of proof. Lastly, the essay concludes that while the preconditions for faux executions existed in Germany, a possible reason for it not being used was the decentralized nature of its justice system.

The aim of this study is to examine the historical information about women’s libraries and book ownership during the early modern period in the work of Carl Magnus Carlander, Svenska bibliotek och ex-libris [Swedish libraries and ex-libris] (1904) and to inquire the scientific value of the information. A gender perspective is applied to the study. Gender is understood as a social and cultural constructed concept, dealing with female and male identities as interdependent categories.The study of Svenska bibliotek och ex-libris is made using source criticism and it has two parts. The first part deals with external conditions of the creation of the work; the life of C. M. Carlander and his motives for writing the work. The cultural and scientific context of the late 20th century, especially ideas and practices of book collecting, is discussed in relation to the work of Carlander. In the second part of the study book ownership and libraries of ten women described in the text are analysed, evaluating the evidence of the information on the basis of criteria used in source criticism; time, independence and tendency.The biggest contribution to library history made by Carlander in this work is the attributing of book ownerships marks, as relics, to historical persons on a broad scale, giving subsequent researchers the possibility to continue his work on a more text sociological basis than thought of during the late 19th century. / Program: Bibliotekarie