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Events on Wednesday 19 August 1772 1
1772Gustav III's coup d'étatSwedish king seizes absolute power from parliamentOn 19 August 1772, King Gustav III of Sweden staged a bloodless coup, arresting the Council of State and forcing through a new constitution that restored royal absolutism. The move ended the parliamentary "Age of Liberty" that had limited the Swedish crown since 1719. It was broadly welcomed by a public weary of factional rule by the nobility.