stündet

ståndet is a Swedish term used to describe a historical social order and, in a political sense, the legislative assembly formed by the estates. In Swedish history, the Riksdag of the Estates (Ståndsriksdagen) convened representatives from four estates and long shaped governance and policy.

The four estates were Adeln (the nobility), Prästerskapet (the clergy), Borgare (the burghers), and Bönder (the peasants). Each estate had its own privileges and obligations and elected delegates to the Riksdag. The assembly operated by consensus, with taxes and laws requiring approval from the estates; the nobility and clergy typically held considerable influence, while the burghers represented urban interests and the peasants rural interests.

The estate system defined political power and social status in early modern Sweden, linking legal rights to estate membership. The Riksdag met in sessions that, in practice, required agreement among the estates, and the estates could exert veto or approval power on legislation and taxation.

The estate arrangement waned in the 19th century, culminating in 1866 with constitutional reforms that replaced the four-estate Riksdag with a bicameral parliament and enlarged eligibility criteria for suffrage, signaling the transition to modern representative government. The term "ståndet" remains a historical reference used to discuss Sweden’s pre-1866 political system and social order, and similar estate-based frameworks appear in other parts of Europe in earlier periods.