Statsmakt och bondemotstånd : Allmoge och överhet under stora nordiska kriget : the Swedish peasants and the absolute state during the Great Northern War

Sammanfattning: The subject of this study is the reactions of the peasantry to the demands of the Swedish absolute state in the 1710s. The loss of the army at Poltava in 1709 marked the beginning of the terminal phase of the Swedish imperial power. The defeat did not shake king Charles XII in his resolution to pursue the war. Thus the Crown levied a new army, raised taxes and increased its requests for services. The war affected all social strata but inevitably put the heavy burdens on the peasantry.The study is focused on a small agrarian community in central Sweden. Topics dealt with are:The attempts of the central power to legitimize the regime and the warfare and prevent social unrest.The channels open to the peasants to make themselves heard during Swedish absolutism.The existance of an economic peasant elite in early modern Sweden.The extent and forms of peasant resistance to the demands of the absolute state.