First edition.<\/p>\n
Gustave III (1746-1792) acceded to the throne in 1771 at a time when the king's government had been weakened by the constitutions of 1719 and 1720 in favour of the Chamber of Deputies, the Riksdag.<\/p>\n
"Pendant les premiers temps de son règne, Gustave III sert vainement de médiateur entre les factions du Riksdag, surnommées les Bonnets et les Chapeaux. En août 1772, il prend le pouvoir par un coup d'État et proclame une nouvelle Constitution qui remplace celle de 1720 et augmente les pouvoirs royaux au détriment du Riksdag. Au cours des années qui suivent, Gustave III agit en despote éclairé, introduisant plusieurs réformes inspirées par les Lumières : abolition de la torture, instauration de la liberté de la presse, révision de la loi sur les pauvres, proclamation de la tolérance religieuse, encouragement du libre-échange, développement de la marine de guerre. En 1777, il lance une vaste réforme monétaire" (universalis.fr).<\/p>\n
In the form of an essay on clothing, his Réflexions <\/em>criticise the lifestyle of the French court, denouncing luxury as one of the country's enemies. This luxury, which is especially visible in the most elaborate clothes, creates a rift between the kingdom's classes. "Le luxe, en s’introduisant dans un pays pauvre, devient un vrai fléau". The smuggling of fabrics, or unauthorised copying, is detrimental to the prosperity of nations. He therefore appealed to the good sense of his subjects to dress modestly and to follow the example set by the Empress of Russia, "ne voulant plus imiter les autres, [et qui] a rendu déjà aux femmes de sa cour l'habit national… Hâtons nous de donner l'exemple".<\/p>\n A very fine copy, very carefully bound by Purgold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Smalm 8vo (165 x 100 mm) 42 pp. Blue half morocco with corners, flat spine, long title gilt on spine (Rel. P. Purgold).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":75947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[552],"product_tag":[1450,1394],"class_list":{"0":"post-75952","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-travel","7":"product_tag-first-edition","8":"product_tag-northern-europe","9":"pa_auteur-roi-de-suede-gustave-iii-2","10":"pa_type-de-livre-printed-book","12":"first","13":"instock","14":"shipping-taxable","15":"purchasable","16":"product-type-simple"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n