Courtyard Speech

The speech was a part in the organized expressions of Swedish conservatives who criticized the liberal Prime Minister Karl Staaff's decision to cut down on military spending. Particularly the decision not to proceed with the construction of a coastal battleship for the Swedish Navy (then known as the "F-ship", which later became the Sverige-class coastal defence ship) that had been decided upon by the previous right wing government headed by Arvid Lindman. In the years leading up to World War I, modernization of navies and introduction of Dreadnought-style heavy warships stood at the forefront of naval technology at the time, and this issue generally received a lot of public attention.

The speech was written by Sven Hedin and lieutenant Carl Bennedich, well before the date of the planned oppositional Peasant armament support march. The speech was reviewed by several members of the political elite before delivered. Hedin showed the speech to the leader of the conservatives in the first chamber, and later conservative Prime Minister, Ernst Trygger, who considered the speech to be brilliant, even though he was not sure what the political consequences would be if the speech was delivered by the King. Both Conservative politician and previous Prime Minister Arvid Lindman and later Independent Liberal Prime Minister Louis De Geer thought that the speech could lead to a constitutional crisis between the King and the members of the Council of State.[1] Prime Minister Karl Staaff was not allowed to see the speech on before it was delivered by the King.

The speech was read by King Gustav V on the inner courtyard of the Royal Palace as the protestors of the support march had reached the palace. For those of the 30,000 march participants who could not fit the inner courtyard, the speech was immediately re-read by Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Prince Carl.

The initial line of the speech, I redlige män af Sveriges bondestam!, "Ye honest men of Sweden's yeomanry tribe" is, with its archaic grammar, choice of words, and because of the political implications and importance of the speech, still a known quote in Swedish politics.[2]