 Between the middle of the 1500s and the middle of the 1700s, the punishment had grown harsher both in the rest of Europe and in Sweden, but after the middle of the 1700s, the trend aimed towards milder forms of punishment.It would appear that the breaking points towards harsher punishment was the Protestant Reformation, while the Age of Enlightenment involved tendencies towards milder forms of punishment.During the entirety of the 1600s and the rule of Swedish Empire, the number of deadly crimes committed decreased.