NOBILITY IN SWEDEN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 3076, 7 November 1929, Page 2

NOBILITY IN SWEDEN.

FAMILIES’ ASPIRATIONS. Although nobility has to a great extent ceased to play any part in Swedish political life*—the last person to be enobled was Dr. Sven Hedin, in 1904—the lure of a coat of arms is still strong. No fewer than 50 families aspire to obtain a seat in the House of Nobles, basing their claims on ancient privileges conferred on their ancestors by Swedish kings centuries ago.. Up to 1866 Sweden’s political representation was based on four estates, nobility, clergymen, burghers and farmers, and at that time a noble title was an important asset in politics. In the eighteenth century when two parties—the Hats and the Bonnets — were rivals, many families could not afford to pay the introduction fee at the House of Nobles. One reason why some of these families are seeking recognition by the House of Cobles—which survive mostly as a registration office and a meeting place of titled families—may be that this House has large funds of money, out of which allowances are made to individuals in need. Since 1860, when the two-chamber system—Senate and House of Commons—was introduced into Sweden—privilege of birth has ceased to have any political value.