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La Constitution Suédoise De 1720 Première Constitution Écrite De La Liberté En Europe Continentale

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La Constitution Suédoise De 1720 Première Constitution Écrite De La Liberté En Europe Continentale Jean-Paul Lepetit La constitution suédoise de 1720 Première constitution écrite de la liberté en Europe continentale À l’antipode du modèle britannique : * L’antitype du parlementarisme en Europe « …but what can Cato do/ Against a world, a degenerated world ? » Addison, Cato. A Tragedy, I, 1 n néglige habituellement la contribution de la Suède à l'histoire du constitutionnalisme libéral. Ce pays possède pourtant une longue O tradition de gouvernement constitutionnel. La première "constitution" suédoise (Regeringsform) fut promulguée en 1634. Elle avait principalement pour objet d'organiser la régence durant la minorité de la reine Christine. Révisé et augmenté, ce texte fut remis en vigueur sous la régence (1660-1672) instaurée pendant la minorité de Charles XI. Mais sous le régime effectif de ce dernier et davantage encore sous celui de son fils Charles XII, le régime constitutionnel fit place à la monarchie absolue. * Le présent texte est issu d'un Mémoire privé, plus ample, de l'auteur. Il a été réduit pour conserver une taille relativement raisonnable, comme il sied à une revue, fût-elle électronique. Les coupures et adaptations ont été faites par Armel Le Divellec. Il est loisible aux lecteurs désireux de se procurer la version longue de ce travail de s'adresser à l'auteur par l'entremise de la rédaction de Jus Politicum. 1 Jus politicum - n°9 - 2013 La mort de Charles XII, en 1718, marque pour la Suède le repli de la prépondérance politique dans le Nord et celui de l'absolutisme au-dedans. Saint- Simon résume la situation : "La Mort de Charles XII avait rendu l'autorité première aux états et au Sénat, et la couronne élective, et totalement énervé l'autorité des rois, dont les deux derniers avaient fait un si funeste usage." Ulrique- Éléonore, sœur de Charles XII, consent l'aveu que les états sont en puissance de déférer la couronne et, avant d'être désignée pour reine, au détriment de la descendance d'une sœur aînée, renonce préjudiciellement à l'exercice sans limites de la souveraineté (26 décembre 1718). Par là se trouve fondé en Suède le gouvernement représentatif, qui connaît, dans ce pays, des développements brillants de 1719 à 1772 : durant cette période, appelée Frihetstiden (Ère de la liberté), la Suède pratique une expérience très originale de parlementarisme. Autre élément remarquable pour l'histoire du constitutionnalisme libéral européen : une constitution écrite, longue de 51 articles, fut rédigée et s'appliqua durant tout le Frihetstiden. Cette Constitution avait été devancée l’année précédente par une autre (en 40 articles)1, dont elle n’est que le perfectionnement (elle constituait une prise de garanties à l’endroit du nouveau roi). Pour écarter une perplexité, nous avons écarté dans le titre la formule « Constitution de 1719- 1720 ». Le Regeringsform2, la « Forme de Gouvernement »3, de Suède de 1720 est à bien des égards un document remarquable et méritait une étude. Elle doit certainement être regardée comme la première constitution formelle de type libéral qui fut effective en Europe (du moins si l'on écarte des entités étatiques soit de petite dimension soit de faible densité, comme, par exemple, certains cantons helvétiques). Sans doute faut-il mentionner les deux Constitutions écrites du protectorat sous la République anglaise (l’Instrument of Government de 1653 et l’Humble Petition and Advice de 1657)4. Mais on ne saurait considérer que l’Angleterre ait été libre sous cette république de sectaires et d’enthousiastes, 1 Le texte du Regeringsform de 1719 - qui fut appliqué une année - ne figure in extenso sur le réseau du net qu'en version originale (en suédois). 2 Form étant, sauf erreur, du neutre en suédois et le français rendant le neutre par le masculin, nous mettons l’article au masculin. 3 Traduction littérale de Regeringsform. Henri Desfeuilles (Le pouvoir de contrôle des parlements nordiques, LGDJ, 1973) recourt à « instrument de gouvernement ». Cette traduction n’est pas sans inconvénient : s’agissant de la Constitution de l’Ère de la Liberté, elle offre celui éventuel d’inspirer l’idée d’une ressemblance avec l’Instrument de Gouvernement de la dictature cromwellienne. 4 À ce sujet, v. les textes de ces constitutions de l’Interrègne, en version anglaise et traduction française présentés par Renan Le Mestre, Jus Politicum, n°5, 2010 (http://www.juspoliticum.com/Les-constitutions-de-l-interregne.html). 2 J.-P. Lepetit: La constitution suédoise de 1720..... pandémonium soumis à la verge d’airain5 de « celui à qui il fut donné de tromper les peuples et de prévaloir contre les rois »6. 5 Hugo, Cromwell, II, 10. 6 Bossuet, Oraison funèbre de la reine Henriette. 3 Jus politicum - n°9 - 2013 Avertissement La conception originelle de ce travail revenait à faire un commentaire perpétuel de la Constitution de 17207. Nous avons été obligé d’y renoncer parce que la lecture aurait été par trop fastidieuse. Outre que le prescrit en lui-même relève déjà du genre, ou du moins en partie, des constitutions motivées, d’autres écueils au texte auront découragé ce projet : La surabondance traînante, les diffusions raboteuses, les ornementations, bref tout l’attirail de l’ancienne rhétorique dont la facture est bien éloignée du caractère lapidaire des constitutions classiques. Nous demandons au lecteur l’indulgence dans le désert des sources et la relative pauvreté de la documentation. Celle sur les institutions de l’Ère de la Liberté parue depuis un quart de siècle dans les grandes langues de culture du vieux continent offre peu d’étendue, alors que bien des études ont fleuri dans tout ce qui a trait aux belles lettres ou aux fins arts8. 7 Le texte, traduit en français par Paul-Henry Mallet en 1756 (v. l'Annexe à la présente étude), est depuis peu facilement disponible sur le net grâce à la très précieuse Digithèque de matériaux juridiques et politiques, site tenu par M. Jean-Pierre Maury, sous le lien : http://mjp.univ-perp.fr/constit/se1720.htm. Il est en outre reproduit dans la rubrique "Archives" de cette revue. 8 D’autre part, bien des titres n’ont pas échappé à notre recherche mais il fut parfois difficile de les atteindre. En langue suédoise seuls quelques rares travaux, déjà anciens, sont accessibles sur la toile. Encore la reproduction en est-elle souvent parcellaire ou tronquée. Or le suédois pour être la plus mélodieuse des langues scandinaves à une oreille latine ou romane n’en est pas moins hérissé de difficultés, même pour un germaniste – entendons un assez médiocre germaniste. Nous ne possédons que des bribes de cette langue et n’avons pas eu de dictionnaire sous la main, sauf à avoir recouru pour quelque mot isolé à ceux du net, qui s’avèrent très sommaires et, de plus, sont bien fastidieux dès lors qu’il s’agit d’une recherche portant sur des phrases entières. 4 J.-P. Lepetit: La constitution suédoise de 1720..... PROLÉGOMÈNES : Le Regeringsform de 1720 : Constitution ou Loi fondamentale ? Faut-il sur le plan de la théorie juridique opposer constitution écrite et loi fondamentale ? La question demeure perplexe9. Le théorème qui autorise à les distinguer tient un peu de l’arcane et s’appuie sur une démonstration délicate. Mieux vaudrait sans doute pouvoir lever le voile d’un coup et en donner l’intuition comme l’a fait l’auteur d’une thèse brillante10, qui, sans négliger pour autant les inévitables développements théoriques, file la métaphore au départ d’éléments d’architecture du frontispice d’un ouvrage de Théodore de Bèze11. On peut se demander s’il n’est peut-être pas plus pertinent, plutôt que cristalliser l’opposition entre constitution et loi fondamentale, de s’en remettre à la distinction mise en avant du temps du Frühkonstitutionalismus par Lorenz von Stein entre, d’un côté, charte « paternaliste » ou bien constitution autoritaire (dont celles napoléoniennes dans leur facticité offrent le plus bel exemple), lesquelles sont édictées « depuis le haut », par ordonnancement, et, d’autre part, constitution libérale et représentative, qui obéit à un processus d’édification ascendant. On remarquera en passant que l’ordre est ici inverse de celui qu’induisent les métaphores sur le frontispice de la Renaissance. Encore même la distinction de Stein apparaît-elle, en certaines circonstances, assez vide12. Au demeurant, il n’échappe pas qu’elle n’est au fond qu’un habillage moderne de la vieille distinction (médiévale) regimen regale/regimen politicum sive commixtum qui est en débat dans l’histoire politique de la Suède moderne, et que Hjärne a revisitée en lui imprimant un souffle nouveau par la notion de dynamique (regale) et de statique (politicum), appliquée à la manière de concevoir la Constitution de ce 9 N’étant pas contesté l’usage de pratique juridique qui consiste à désigner dans leur intitulé même certaines constitutions provisoires du nom de loi fondamentale. Or cependant la Grundgesetz de l’Allemagne depuis qu’elle n’est plus une Constitution provisoire n’en a pas moins conservé ce nom. Indice sur le plan pragmatique du peu de consistance de la distinction. 10 Carlos Pimentel, La main invisible du juge : l’origine des trois pouvoirs et la théorie des pouvoirs politiques, thèse dactylographiée, Paris II, 2000, p. 372 et la note (58). 11 Les lois fondamentales sont figurées par les colonnes du temple, dont les fondations sont la constitution traditionnelle, coutumière ; l’entablement et le fronton jusqu’aux acrotères symbolisent la constitution au sens « moderne », écrite. 12 La Charte de 1814, qui a été l’objet d’une concession et octroi, et est hors d’œuvre de la Constitution traditionnelle de la France, se désigne elle-même pour « une Constitution libre et monarchique » (préambule). 5 Jus politicum - n°9 - 2013 royaume13.
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