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- Bellamy, Charlotte, et al.
(author)
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From valet to smuggler : A micro-historical study of a French intermediary in Stockholm, 1775-1832
- 2018
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In: Revue d'histoire Nordique. - Toulouse : Universite de Toulouse Le Mirail. - 1778-9605. ; 27:2, s. 115-140
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article is a microhistorical study of the life of Marcellin Robert, a craftsman's son who came to Sweden from rural France and became one of the greatest smugglers in late eighteenth-century Sweden. Through his transgressions of the law and his connections at court, he was able to navigate the ever-harshening import legislation to become an important conveyor of French fashion in Sweden. As revolution swept France, Robert maintained close links to his native country and was able to provide uninterrupted access to French goods when most other channels closed. Robert's case illustrates the possibilities available to a maverick intermediary in the changing European landscape of the late eighteenth century. It also shows the crucial role such individuals could play in side-stepping official legislation and in realising the cosmopolitan aristocratic lifestyle in a protectionist nation like Sweden.
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| 3. |
- Linnarsson, Magnus, 1977-
(author)
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Unfaithful and expensive – but absolutely necessary : Perceptions of mercenaries in Swedish war policy, 1621–1636
- 2015
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In: Revue d'histoire Nordique. - 1778-9605. ; :18, s. 51-73
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article examines the Swedish State Council’s descriptions and perceptions of mercenaries between 1621 and 1636. The survey shows that the Council described the mercenaries as unfaithful, unreliable and expensive. In its discussions, conscripted Swedish troops are said to be better than hired mercenaries. The State Council’s perception of mercenaries confirms a paradox in military history. During the period examined, mercenaries constituted a considerable part of fighting forces, not least in the Swedish army. This study, therefore, shows how an ideal of soldier recruitment collided with political reality. In so doing, this article also reviews British political scientist Sarah Percy’s thesis of a norm against the use of mercenaries. Percy has argued that such a norm has put restrictions on the use of mercenaries since the Middle Ages. A review of the Swedish source material found that this norm existed on a discursive level, but that it did not have any real impact on troop recruitment during the period studied.
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| 5. |
- Scherp, Joakim, 1968-
(author)
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Alternatives to the Military State? : The Swedish Estates' reactions to Absolutist policies during the Great Northern War
- 2015
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In: Revue d'histoire Nordique. - 1778-9605. ; :18, s. 147-169
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article, the meeting of the Estates in 1710, and the policies suggested during this meeting is described. It is argued that the Estates had a different view of state and society than the absolutist regime. As an alternative to the heavily militarized state, which endeavoured to control all parts of society, the Estates suggested policies that they thought would lead to greater prosperity. This would be achieved by freeing the economy from state control, and above all by concluding peace. To solve the immediate financial problems of the Crown, a system of borrowing against guarantees from the Estates was proposed, which would have meant a financial revolution of the same kind that England had recently introduced. Steven Pincus theory of revolutions is furthermore applied to the Swedish developments, and it is argued that the state-modernization forced on Sweden by the disastrous Great Northern war lead to proposals for change both from the Estates and the Crown.
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