Rigsraadet (Eng. The Council of the Realm or The Council of the State - here often named "Privy Council"), a common name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that ruled the countries together with the kings from late Middle Age to the 17th century. Norway had a Council of the Realm (Riksrådet) that was abolished by the Danish king in 1536. In Sweden the parallel Council gradually came under the influence of the king during the 1600s. Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... The Swedish Senate: Riksrådet, from 1809 Statsrådet, from 1975 Regeringen was and is the principal government institution of Sweden The Swedish Senate, Senatus Regni Sueciae, originated as a council of Regional Magnates acting as advisers to the Monarch of the combined Realms of the Swedes (from 996, approximately). ...

As for the Council of Denmark its members seem have developing from being the councillors of the king to being representatives of the magnates and noblemen. From the 1320s it clearly appears as a force and from the 1440s it is the permanent opponent of the royal power.

The Council only consisted by noblemen who were appointed by the king or sometimes by their class companions. Until the Reformation 1536 the bishops were automatically members. So were the supreme officials (today the “cabinet ministers”) while the lower ranking “ministers” did not have any formal right to membership. The “backbenchers” of the council took part in the daily negotiations of the problems and the administration, voted and took on diplomatic tasks. Most of them were squires who also had to look after their lands. The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...

As a whole it was the role of the Council to rule together with the king, to control him and to manage the affairs of State well. The councillors were seen as a guarantee towards the nobility (and in theory also towards “the people”) that everything was done right. The Council took over the rule in the space that appeared by a succession or at interregna. It led the negotiations over the creation of a new haandfæstning and in theory it also had to call for a rebellion against kings who did not keep their promises, a right that was used 1523. However in the 16th century it was not quite unusual that the councillors to some degree identified with the State rejecting too extravagant demands from the Danish gentry. The background of this normally was that they themselves represented the Danish answer to the peerage. Haandfæstning or hÃ¥ndfæstning (Danish plural: hÃ¥ndfæstninger - Eng. ... Events April - Battle of Villalar - Forces loyal to Emperor Charles V defeat the Comuneros, a league of urban bourgeois rebelling against Charles in Spain. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The number of councillors was not laid down. Normally it was about 20 but from time to time deaths might reduce their number wherefore it was supplied by mass creations. Not until 1648 it was finally fixed to 23.

The authority of the council was indisputable and within some limits the kings also tried to co-operate. However most of the kings neglected some of the rules and for instance foreign questions presented many loopholes. The many military defeats of the 17th century and especially the growing economic problems and conservatism of the nobility also weakened the prestige of the Council and the king gradually tried to strengthen his own influence. At the introduction of absolute monarchy 1660 the Council was abolished. This does not cite its references or sources. ... // Events January 1 - Colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration. ...

The word ”Rigsråd” was revived in Denmark in the 19th century. 1854-1866 it was used about a special federal council dealing with all common legislative questions of Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, from 1863 of Denmark and Schleswig alone. It had hardly other things in common with its old namesake than the title. The loss of Schleswig 1864 made it redundant and it was abolished by the new constitution two years later. 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Swiss Federal Council (in German: Bundesrat, in French: Conseil fédéral, in Italian: Consiglio federale, in Romansh: Cussegl Federal) is the seven-member executive council which collectively assumes the office of head of state equivalent to that of a president or of a monarch in the government of... Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 Bundesländer in Germany. ...