Editing Monarchy of Sweden (section)

==Cultural role==
The monarch and members of the [[Swedish Royal Family|Royal Family]] undertake a variety of official, unofficial and other representative duties within Sweden and abroad. The monarch and his or her family play a central role in [[state visit]]s to Sweden and conduct state visits to other nations on behalf of Sweden. Other members of the Royal Family may also represent the country abroad at lesser functions.
[[File:Royal standard of Sweden.svg|thumb|The royal standard used by the monarch]]

Many of the Swedish [[flag flying days in Sweden|general flag flying days]] have direct royal connections; among them are the [[Name days in Sweden|name days]] of the King (28 January), the Queen (8 August), and the Crown Princess (12 March); the birthdays of the King (30 April), the Queen (23 December), and the Crown Princess (14 July); and [[Gustavus Adolphus Day]] ({{langx|sv|Gustav Adolfsdagen}}), on 6 November, in memory of King [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustavus Adolphus]], who was killed on that date ([[Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Sweden|old style]]) in 1632 in the [[Battle of Lützen (1632)|Battle of Lützen]].{{#tag:ref|According to the [[Gregorian calendar]], the king died on 16 November, but the [[Julian calendar]] ("old style") was still used in Protestant Sweden at the time and the same date is still used now.|group=n|name=n4}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/17thcentury/articles/geniusofsweden.aspx|publisher=Military History Online|title=The genius of Sweden's 'Lion of the North'|author=Steve Wilson|access-date=20 February 2014|archive-date=9 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209050158/http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/17thcentury/articles/geniusofsweden.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19011104&id=66VXAAAAIBAJ&pg=3598,459401|title=In Memory of a Great Man|date=4 November 1901|publisher=Spokane Daily Chronicle (scanned by Google)|access-date=20 February 2014|archive-date=14 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414155910/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19011104&id=66VXAAAAIBAJ&pg=3598,459401|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swedishlanguagetraining.co.uk/calendar.html|title=Swedish Festival Calendar|publisher=Swedish Language Training London|access-date=20 February 2014|archive-date=25 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225041850/http://www.swedishlanguagetraining.co.uk/calendar.html|url-status=live}}</ref> None of these flag days are [[Public holidays in Sweden|public holidays]], however.{{#tag:ref|Flag days are regulated by an ordinance issued by the [[Government of Sweden]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://62.95.69.15/cgi-bin/thw?%24{HTML}=sfst_lst&%24{OOHTML}=sfst_dok&%24{SNHTML}=sfst_err&%24{BASE}=SFST&%24{TRIPSHOW}=format%3DTHW&BET=1982%3A270%24x| title=Förordning (1982:270) om allmänna flaggdagar| publisher=[[Swedish Code of Statutes]]| access-date=2014-10-21}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This means that the [[Flag of Sweden|national flag]] is flown on all public flag poles and buildings on those dates.|group=n|name=n21}}

Perhaps the most globally known ceremony in which the Royal Family annually participate is the Nobel Prize award ceremony held at the [[Stockholm Concert Hall]] (and the subsequent [[Nobel Banquet|banquet]] in the [[Stockholm City Hall]]), where the monarch hands out the Nobel Prizes on behalf of the [[Nobel Foundation]] for outstanding contributions to mankind in [[Nobel Prize in Physics|physics]], [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|chemistry]], [[Nobel Prize in Literature|literature]], [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|physiology or medicine]], and the [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences|economic sciences]].<ref name=Levinovitz21-23>[[#Levinovitz|Levinovitz]], pp. 21–23</ref>

''[[Eriksgata]]'' was the name of the traditional journey of newly elected medieval [[List of Swedish monarchs|Swedish king]]s through important [[Provinces of Sweden|provinces]] to have their election confirmed by local ''[[thing (assembly)|Things]]''. The actual election took place at the [[Stone of Mora]] in [[Uppland]] and participation was originally restricted to the people of that area; hence, the need of having the election confirmed by the other parts of the realm. The Eriksgata gradually lost its importance when, as of the 14th century, representatives of other parts of Sweden began to participate in the election. After 1544, when [[hereditary monarchy]] was instituted, that meant that the Eriksgata had little practical importance. The last king to travel the Eriksgata according to the old tradition was [[Charles IX of Sweden|Charles IX]], whose reign began in 1604. Later, kings, up until present times, have made visits to all the Swedish provinces and called them an ''Eriksgata'', while those visits bear little resemblance to the medieval tradition.