Following the death of King Charles XII in 1718, the Swedish throne was passed to a series of weak kings. During Adolf Frederick's weakened rule in the age of liberty of the Swedish 18th century with its absence of a single governor, greater decision-making space for the parliament, and decline of the monarchy led to an increase in the importance of the Riksdag. Though the Riksdag retained its four chambers—for nobility, clergy, townsmen, and farmers—it developed two strong parties known as the “Hats” and the “Caps.”