Abstract
The political culture of Scandinavia in the later middle ages formed a common heritage of Christian limited kingship based on the law. During the century following the Reformnation the ways part. In the Danish-Norwegian union political stability in the wake of a succesful Reformation settlement ushers in a conservative political culture that hampers the development of political philosophy and limits the reception of natural law, with the partial exception of the Sorø Academy in its heyday. Sweden, on the other hand, experiences political instabilty as well as a strong development of political philosophy and a sustained reception of natural law. These difference partly explain why Danish absolutism (introduced 1660) proved so very stable while Swedish absolutism (1680-1719) after a generation led to the reestablishment of (very) limited monarchy, the so called "age of freedom".
| Translated title of the contribution | Skandinavien |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Title of host publication | European political thought 1450-1700 : Religion, law and philosophy |
| Editors | Howell A. Lloyd, Glenn Burgess, Simon Hodson |
| Number of pages | 32 |
| Place of Publication | New Haven and London |
| Publisher | Yale University Press |
| Publication date | 2008 |
| Edition | 1 |
| Pages | 300-331 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-0-300-11266-5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities
- Scandinavia
- political culture
- political thought
- absolutism
- constitutionalism
- kingship
- 1450-1700
- limited monarchy
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Norway
- religion
- law
- philosophy
- natural law
- Sorø Academy
- Uppsala