istry , ▁or ▁even ▁his ▁own ▁ab dic ation . ▁If ▁Oscar ▁did ▁not ▁act ively ▁assist ▁the ▁O pp osition ▁on ▁this ▁occasion , ▁his ▁disapp rob ation ▁of ▁his ▁father ' s ▁desp otic ▁behaviour ▁was ▁not orious , ▁though ▁he ▁avoided ▁an ▁actual ▁ru pt ure . ▁Yet ▁his ▁liberal ism ▁was ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁c aut ious ▁and ▁moder ate ▁character , ▁as ▁the ▁O pp osition — short ly ▁after ▁his ▁acc ession ▁to ▁the ▁thr ones ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 4 — dis cover ed ▁to ▁their ▁great ▁ch agr in . ▁The ▁new ▁king ▁would ▁not ▁hear ▁of ▁any ▁radical ▁reform ▁of ▁the ▁cum bers ome ▁and ▁ob sole te ▁ 1 8 0 9 ▁Inst rument ▁of ▁Government , ▁which ▁made ▁the ▁king ▁a ▁near - aut ocrat . ▁However , ▁one ▁of ▁his ▁earliest ▁measures ▁was ▁to ▁establish ▁freedom ▁of ▁the ▁press . ▁He ▁also ▁passed ▁the ▁first ▁law ▁supporting ▁gender ▁equality ▁in ▁Sweden ▁when ▁he ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 5 ▁declared ▁that ▁brothers ▁and ▁sister s ▁should ▁have ▁equal ▁inheritance , ▁unless ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁will . ▁Oscar ▁I ▁also ▁formally ▁established ▁equality ▁between ▁his ▁two ▁kingdom s ▁by ▁introdu cing ▁new ▁flags ▁with ▁the ▁common ▁Union ▁bad ge ▁of ▁Norway ▁and ▁Sweden , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁a ▁new ▁coat ▁of ▁arms ▁for ▁the ▁union . ▁ ▁In ▁foreign ▁affairs , ▁Oscar ▁I ▁was ▁a ▁friend ▁of ▁the ▁principle ▁of ▁national ity ; ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 8 ▁he ▁supported