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Between deplorable anachronism and valuable heritage. The persistence of the Swedish fideikommiss institution, 1810-1964

Bergman, Magnus LU and Dackling, Martin LU orcid (2023) In Scandinavian Journal of History
Abstract
In this article, we seek to explain why the Swedish fideikommiss persisted for so long after their equivalents had been abolished elsewhere in Europe. We do this by analysing sources pertaining to abolishment produced by the Riksdag over approximately 150  years. After the ban on creating fideikommiss in 1810, the remaining fideikommiss were defended by emphasizing that they had been created through wills, rather than as fiefs. The question was thus framed as one of individual property rights, rather than one of expropriation as had been the case in other countries. A decision to abolish the fideikommiss was reached in 1914, with the intent of executing a land reform. The continuing agricultural trends of the 20th century made such a... (More)
In this article, we seek to explain why the Swedish fideikommiss persisted for so long after their equivalents had been abolished elsewhere in Europe. We do this by analysing sources pertaining to abolishment produced by the Riksdag over approximately 150  years. After the ban on creating fideikommiss in 1810, the remaining fideikommiss were defended by emphasizing that they had been created through wills, rather than as fiefs. The question was thus framed as one of individual property rights, rather than one of expropriation as had been the case in other countries. A decision to abolish the fideikommiss was reached in 1914, with the intent of executing a land reform. The continuing agricultural trends of the 20th century made such a prospect unappealing. Having survived into the 1950s, the fideikommiss came to be valued as model farms and cultural heritage sites, a framework reflected in the abolishment law of 1964. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
Fideikommiss, entails, cultural heritage, land reform, nobility, wills
in
Scandinavian Journal of History
pages
22 pages
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:85158909105
ISSN
1502-7716
DOI
10.1080/03468755.2023.2206409
project
Att konservera godsen vid släkten: Fideikommiss i Sverige under 400 år
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
039a1c5b-c753-46d5-954c-7cc59e42a0aa
date added to LUP
2023-05-25 10:44:19
date last changed
2023-05-26 04:04:10
@article{039a1c5b-c753-46d5-954c-7cc59e42a0aa,
  abstract     = {{In this article, we seek to explain why the Swedish fideikommiss persisted for so long after their equivalents had been abolished elsewhere in Europe. We do this by analysing sources pertaining to abolishment produced by the Riksdag over approximately 150  years. After the ban on creating fideikommiss in 1810, the remaining fideikommiss were defended by emphasizing that they had been created through wills, rather than as fiefs. The question was thus framed as one of individual property rights, rather than one of expropriation as had been the case in other countries. A decision to abolish the fideikommiss was reached in 1914, with the intent of executing a land reform. The continuing agricultural trends of the 20th century made such a prospect unappealing. Having survived into the 1950s, the fideikommiss came to be valued as model farms and cultural heritage sites, a framework reflected in the abolishment law of 1964.}},
  author       = {{Bergman, Magnus and Dackling, Martin}},
  issn         = {{1502-7716}},
  keywords     = {{Fideikommiss; entails; cultural heritage; land reform; nobility; wills}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Journal of History}},
  title        = {{Between deplorable anachronism and valuable heritage. The persistence of the Swedish fideikommiss institution, 1810-1964}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03468755.2023.2206409}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/03468755.2023.2206409}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}