Editing History of the Riksdag (section)

=== Age of freedom ===
After the death of [[Charles XII of Sweden|Karl XII]] in 1718, the Riksdag regained its influence, this was also aided by the fact that the council of the realm (composed of the nobility and kings) was viewed as responsible for the poor economic situation and "devastation" in Sweden.<ref name=":1" /> From 1718 onwards, important decisions were taken by the Riksdag and the body began to convene for lengthy periods of time to discuss matters at hand.<ref name=":1" /> When the Riksdag was not in session, the council of the realm, which functioned as the "government" at the time, controlled Sweden.<ref name=":1" /> When the Riksdag convened it could issue punishments against members of the council if they deviated from the Riksdag's wishes.<ref name=":1" /> The Riksdag's functioning began to resemble that of a parliamentary system. Two political camps began to emerge at this time: the caps and the hats.<ref name=":1" /> in 1766, the Riksdag passed a law to guarantee [[freedom of press]], this abolished censureship and allowed the general public to access information.<ref name=":1" /> During the period known as the "age of freedom", from 1719 to 1772, when a decision was taken, each of the four estate was given one vote, necessitating three estates to support the implementation of a decision.<ref name=":1" /> There were four estates at the time:

* The Burghers, who represented 2% of the population and consisted of merchants and craftsmen who mostly resided in cities.<ref name=":1" />
* The Nobility, consisting of 1200 families in Sweden and 0.5% of the population.<ref name=":1" />
* The Clergy, which was about 1% of the population.<ref name=":1" />
* The Peasantry which was about 95% of the population.<ref name=":1" />
The Burghers had 100 representatives in the Riksdag. The peasantry had 150 representatives through county district courts. 500 nobles sat in Riksdag meetings while the clergy had 50 representatives.<ref name=":1" />

King Gustav III performed a coup d'état in 1772, ending the "age of freedom" and severely weakening the Riksdag while increasing his own power.<ref name=":1" />