The Danish Democracy Canon

17	Advisory Assemblies of the Estates of the Realm

Identification

The advisory assemblies of the Estates of the Realm were active during the last decades of absolutism from 1835 to 1848. They were the first fora for comprehensive political debate in Denmark and, therefore, contributed to forming public opinion, which was one of the preconditions for the introduction of democracy in 1848-1849.

Based on the Prussian model, the Danish advisory assemblies of the Estates of the Realm were established by laws of 28May 1831 and 15May 1834. They convened the first time in 1835 and subsequently met every second year up to 1848. The immediate background to the decision to set up these assemblies was the widespread unrest throughout Europe in connection with the July Revolution in France in 1830, which also gave rise to political problems in the duchies.

The establishment of the advisory assemblies of the Estates of the Realm signified at the same time the fulfilment of the promise made by Frederik VI (ruled 1808-1839) at the Congress of Vienna 1815 to introduce a constitution for Holstein, which was part of the German Confederation. In order to avoid reopening the sensitive issue of the relationship between Schleswig and Holstein, the king decided that not only should a Holstein assembly be set up in Itzehoe, but also one for Schleswig with its venue in the town of Schleswig, one in Viborg for Northern Jutland, and lastly one in Roskilde for the islands.

The assembly of the Estates of the Realm in Roskilde 1835/1836. The members sat in two horseshoeshaped rows. Attention should be drawn to the fact that they are seated without any regard for rank or class.

The assemblies included representatives of landowners, peasants and urban property owners. People with property of a certain size enjoyed the right to vote and the electoral age was 25. This limited electorate constituted close to three per cent of the population. Eligibility was limited by an age requirement of a minimum of 30. The assemblies of the Estates of the Realm could not make binding decisions, but exclusively advise the monarch. Debates were not public, but were subsequently printed in Stændertidende (gazette of the assemblies).

In spite of many limitations, the assemblies became of real importance to the development towards democracy because they debated the great political issues of the day, such as freedom of the press and social inequality and, with increasing force, demanded a free constitution. Communi - cated through Stændertidende and the awakening political press, the demands of the assemblies gradually grew into a popular wish to abolish absolutism and introduce a free constitution.

“On the provincial advisory assemblies’ right to petition.
(…) Were therefore as a result of events our Estates to be given increased significance and a greater sphere of activity, the right in which the people already rejoices, the freedom to which it will have gained title (…) will change into the right and the freedom which first will lead to the situation that the people by (virtue of ) its elected representatives becomes master of its own house.”

LEADING ARTICLE IN C.N. DAVID’S MAGAZINE FÆDRELANDET (THE FATHERLAND), NO. 7, 1834.

Reason

One of the preconditions of democracy is the presence of a middle-class general public where opinions and political views can be introduced and discussed. The advisory assemblies of the Estates of the Realm were the first official expression of an articulate middle-class public in Denmark and, consequently, of awakening political life in a broader popular sense. These assemblies became a preparatory school for later parliamentary life after the introduction of democracy

At the Congress in Vienna in 1815, after Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, the victors endeavoured to create peace based on a European balance of power.

groslash;n streg This page is part of the electronic publication "The Danish Democracy Canon"
© The Ministry of Education 2008

Top of the page