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Hesse-Cassel (1720-1751)

Ulrica Eleonora resigned the crown in March, 1720, in favour of her husband Frederic von Hesse-Cassel (1720-1751); Frederic received allegiance as king. However, a new form of government limited the power of the king still more. The king became quite dependent upon the Council of State and the Eiksdag. The supreme power was in the hands of the Eiksdag, which assembled every three years and had the right of supervising and altering all the decrees of the king and of the Council of State. National affairs were first discussed in the standing committees, among which the "secret committee" ("sekreta utskottet ") soon obtained the greatest influence. The nobles had the predominance in the Eiksdag ; they alone had a seat and a vote in the Council of State and filled all the important offices. The period between 1720 and 1772 is generally called " the time of liberty." For a long while after the long aud devastating war the country was in a most wretched condition.

There was a certain section of the people who could not reconcile themselves to the loss of the Baltic provinces, and goaded on by France they had become dissatisfied with Horn's foreign policy ; they wanted war with Eussia in order to regain what they had lost. They derisively termed Horn and his followers "Nattmijssor" (Night-caps), while they called themselves "Hattar" ("Wide-awakes"). In this way Sweden soon became the scene of fierce party quarrels. The contending parties had recourse to any expedient which mig'it injure their opponents, and by which they could attract followers to their own side ; as both factions were equally venal, corruption became more common. The neighboring nations watched the internal strife with joy, for it promised advantage to them at the expense of Sweden, and foreign ambassadors spared no money to prolong the strife in the interests of their own states. The " Wide-awakes " received bribes from France, the "Night-caps " from Russia.

The "Wide-awakes" maintained their power for several years. Like the "Night-caps," they aimed at promoting national industries ; their methods, however, were extremely ill-advised and extravagant. It is true, manufactures flourished, but in a way which was unnatural and injurious to other branches of industry, especially to agriculture. Commerce and navigation were handicapped by various prohibitions and by heavy customs duties ; the finances were in disorder, and the national debt steadily increased. It must be admitted that the "Wide-awakes" rendered great service to the arts and sciences; they founded an academy of painting and sculpture and another for science, and lived to see the fruits of their labors.