Category Archives: Swedish Royals

Karl XI, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Karl XI, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl XI, King of Sweden was the only child of Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. He was born on December 4, 1655, at Tre Kronor Castle which was on the site of the present Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. His paternal grandparents were Johann Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Princess Katarina of Sweden, daughter of Karl IX, King of Sweden. His maternal grandparents were Friedrich III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Marie Elisabeth of Saxony.

Even before the birth of his son, Karl X Gustav was away on military campaigns and did not meet his son until December 1659. He died at the age of 37 on February 13, 1660, from influenza and pneumonia and his four-year-old son Karl became King of Sweden. Karl XI’s mother Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp served as Regent of Sweden until her son reached his majority.

Five-year-old Karl XI, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

In his will, Karl XI’s father had appointed Emund Gripenhielm (link in Swedish), a professor of history at Uppsala University who also held government positions including personal secretary to Karl X Gustav. The young king’s curriculum consisted of Latin, French, and German and also history, state law, geography, astronomy, and architecture. However, Karl XI did poorly in his studies. He had difficulty reading and writing but was good at memorization. Karl probably had dyslexia, a reading disorder characterized by trouble with reading despite normal intelligence. In 1671, Karl began attending the meetings of the council of state, and the following year, when he reached his majority, Karl was King of Sweden in his own right.

Italian philosopher, author, diplomat, and poet Lorenzo Magalotti visited Stockholm in 1674, he described the teenage Karl XI as “virtually afraid of everything, uneasy to talk to foreigners, and not daring to look anyone in the face.” Karl was dependent on his mother and advisors to interact with foreign envoys since he was only fluent in German and was ignorant of the world outside Sweden. Karl’s coronation was held on September 28, 1675. After 1680, Karl’s government spent most of its reign preventing new wars by engaging in foreign affairs, advocating economic stability, and reorganizing the military. The last twenty years of Karl’s reign was the longest period of peace during Sweden’s time as a great power.

Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

In the peace negotiations between Sweden and Denmark in 1679, a marriage between Karl XI and Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, daughter of Frederik III, King of Denmark, was on the agenda. Karl had previously been engaged to his cousin Juliana of Hesse-Eschwege. However, on two occasions after the engagement, Juliana became pregnant by two different men, and the engagement was eventually called off. Karl and Ulrika Eleonora were married on May 6, 1680, in Skottorp Castle in Skummeslöv, Halland, Sweden.

Karl XI and Ulrika Eleonora had seven children but only three survived childhood:

Left to Right: Karls XI’s mother Hedwig Eleonora; Karl XI; his son the future Karl XII; his wife Ulrika Eleonora; his daughter Ulrika Eleonora; his son-in-law Friedrich IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp; the mother of Friedrich IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Fredrika Amalia of Denmark, Dowager Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp; and his daughter Hedwig Sofia; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Karl XI and Ulrika Eleonora was considered a success but the couple had very different personalities. Karl was fond of physical activities like hunting and riding while Ulrika enjoyed reading and the fine arts. As Queen of Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora had a limited influence on politics and was overshadowed by her mother-in-law. Even after her son married Ulrika Eleonora, Hedwig Eleonora remained the first lady of the court. Foreign ambassadors always paid their respects to Hedwig Eleonora first, and then to Ulrika Eleonora. In 1690, weakened by her seven childbirths, Ulrika Eleonora developed a fatal non-diagnosed illness. She died on July 26, 1693, aged 36, after having spent 1692 -1693 in bed, and was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden. On his deathbed, Karl told his mother that he had not been happy since Ulrika Eleonora’s death.

Karl XI lying in state; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl XI survived his wife by only four years. The year after Ulrika Eleonora’s death, Karl had abdominal pains. During the summer of 1696, the pain became severe and he was given medication that provided only temporary relief. Karl continued to perform his duties but in February 1697, the pain became too severe for him to continue his work. His doctors discovered that he had a large hardening in his abdomen. At that time, there was little the doctors could do other than relieve the pain with medication. Karl XI, King of Sweden died on April 5, 1697, at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, aged 41. An autopsy revealed that he had developed cancer that had spread throughout the abdominal cavity. Karl was buried with his wife at Riddarholmen Church.

Tomb of Karl XI at Riddarholmen Church; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles XI of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XI_of_Sweden> [Accessed 31 August 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrika_Eleonora_of_Denmark> [Accessed 31 August 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/hedwig-eleonora-of-holstein-gottorp-queen-of-sweden/> [Accessed 31 August 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl XI – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_XI> [Accessed 31 August 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ulrika Eleonora av Danmark – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrika_Eleonora_av_Danmark> [Accessed 31 August 2021].

Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp was the wife of Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden and served as regent during the minorities of her son Karl XI, King of Sweden and her grandson Karl XII, King of Sweden. She was born on October 23, 1636, at Gottorp Castle at Schleswig, in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Hedwig Eleonora was the sixth of the sixteen children and the fourth of the eight daughters of Friedrich III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Marie Elisabeth of Saxony. Hedwig Eleonora’s paternal grandparents were Johann Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Augusta of Denmark, a daughter of Frederik II, King of Denmark. Her maternal grandparents were Johann Georg I, Elector of Saxony and Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia.

Hedwig Eleonora had fifteen siblings but only six survived childhood:

Hedwig Eleonora’s husband Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Hedwig Eleonora’s future husband Karl Gustav became King of Sweden in 1654 upon the abdication of his cousin Christina, Queen of Sweden. The 32-year-old new King of Sweden was unmarried as he has expected that he would marry his cousin Queen Christina and he needed to find a bride as soon as possible to provide an heir. The former Queen Christina of Sweden had met Hedwig Eleonora on her way to Rome, where she would spend the rest of her life. Concerned that Karl Gustav was unmarried, Christina suggested the match. However, Hedwig Eleonora was already engaged to Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, and so Christina recommended Hedwig Eleonora’s elder sister Magdalene Sibylle instead. After seeing portraits of both sisters, Karl Gustav chose Hedwig Eleonora because of her beauty, and her current fiancé was instead married to her sister Magdalena Sibylle.

The marriage of Karl Gustav and Hedwig Eleonora; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 24, 1654, the day after her eighteenth birthday, Hedwig Eleonora was married to Karl Gustav at the Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden. Three days later, Hedwig Eleonora was crowned Queen of Sweden at the Storkrykan (Great Church) in Stockholm.

Karl Gustav and Hedwig Eleonora had only one child, a son who succeeded his father:

Sweden was involved in the Second Northern War against Denmark-Norway and Poland-Lithuania and so Karl Gustav was often away on military campaigns. However, after the birth of her son Hedwig Eleonora often accompanied Karl Gustav on his military campaigns. She was very interested in the arts, particularly painting and architecture. Under her leadership, Drottningholm Palace, the current residence of the Swedish monarch, was built. Sadly, Hedwig Eleonora’s marriage lasted less than six years. Her husband Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden died at the age of 37 on February 13, 1660, from influenza and pneumonia, leaving his four-year-old son to succeed him as Karl XI, King of Sweden.

Hedwig Eleonora’s son Karl XI, King of Sweden at five years old; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband, Hedwig Eleonora was the dowager queen for 55 years. She remained visible in Swedish politics and society until her death. Karl X Gustav left specific instructions in his will for the regency of his son. Hedwig Eleonora was to be Regent of Sweden and her son’s guardian until he reached his majority. She would be the chairperson of the regency council and be responsible for the government along with five senior government officials. However, Hedwig Eleonora would have the advantage of having two votes on the regency council. Throughout her son’s regency, Hedwig Eleonora was present at all council meetings except when she was away to administrate her dower lands. She did not take an active part in politics but used her position as regent to protect her son’s interests and rights. Aware that she lacked the knowledge and support to pursue politics, Hedwig Eleonora did not want to give the regency council any excuse to prevent her from attending the meetings. She learned about the issues that were discussed, made statements, and suggested solutions, but did not actively pursue any of her own opinions.

Hedwig Eleonora was only 24-years-old when her husband died and in 1661, she was considered a possible wife for King Charles II of England. She refused the proposal with the official excuse that she wished to remain faithful to her deceased husband. In 1667, 18-year-old Count Carl Gyllenstierna (link in Swedish) became Hedwig Eleonora’s chamberlain. He became her favorite and his career quickly advanced. It is possible that he also became her lover.

Left to Right: Hedwig Eleonora; her son Karl XI; her grandson the future Karl XII; her daughter-in-law Ulrika Eleonora; her granddaughter Ulrika Eleonora; husband of her granddaughter Hedwig Sofia Fredrik IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp; her sister-in-law and the mother of Fredrik IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Fredrika Amalia of Denmark, Dowager Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp; and her granddaughter Hedwig Sofia; Credit – Wikipedia

Even after her son married Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Hedwig Eleonora remained the first lady of the court. Foreign ambassadors always paid their respects to Hedwig Eleonora first, and then to Ulrika Eleonora. The hostility between Hedwig Eleonora’s homeland Holstein-Gottorp and Ulrika Eleonora’s homeland Denmark made the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law even more tense.

Hedwig Eleonor’s tomb at Riddarholmen Church; Credit – Wikipedia

Hedwig Eleonora survived her husband by fifty-five years and her son by eighteen years, dying on November 24, 1715, in Stockholm, Sweden at the age of 79. She was buried with her husband at Riddarholmen Church.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III,_Duke_of_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedwig_Eleonora_of_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-x-gustav-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hedvig Eleonora av Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedvig_Eleonora_av_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 29 August 2021].

Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl X Gustav became King of Sweden upon the abdication of his cousin Christina, Queen of Sweden. Born Karl Gustav of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg on November 8, 1622, at Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Sweden, he was the third of the eight children and the eldest of the three sons of Johann Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Princess Katarina of Sweden. His paternal grandparents were Johann I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken and Magdalene of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. His maternal grandparents were Karl IX, King of Sweden and his first wife Maria of the Palatinate-Simmern. Karl Gustav’s mother Katarina of Sweden was the only surviving child of her parents and the half-sister of Gustavus II Adolphus the Great, King of Sweden.

Karl Gustav had seven siblings:


Karl Gustav’s parents: Princess Katarina of Sweden and Johann Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg: Credit – Wikipedia

In 1622, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden asked his half-sister Katarina to move back to Sweden with her husband Johann Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg, and their children. Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, brother of Gustavus Adolphus and half-brother of Katarina, had died in early 1622, leaving no heirs to the Swedish throne except Katarina and her children. At the time, the Thirty Years’ War (1618 – 1648) was raging through the territories of the German monarchies and Gustavus Adolphus wanted to move Katarina and her family to safety in Sweden. They arrived in Sweden in June 1622 and remained permanently in Sweden. Later that year, the birth of Katarina’s son Karl Gustav, a male heir to the throne of Sweden, immediately strengthened her position. Katarina and her husband were granted Stegeborg Castle and Östergötland as their fief and Katarina was styled Countess of Stegeborg.

Gustavus Adolphus’ wife Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg had given birth to a stillborn daughter in 1621, a daughter named Christina in 1623 who lived for only eleven months, and a stillborn son in 1625. Finally, in 1626, she gave birth to a child who survived, a girl named Christina. Gustavus Adolphus gave orders for the birth to be announced with all the ceremonies usually given to the birth of a male heir. This seems to indicate that Gustavus Adolphus had little hope of having other children. Maria Eleonora’s state of health seems to be the most likely explanation for this. Gustavus Adolphus recognized Christina’s eligibility as a female heir and she became the undisputed heir presumptive. Maria Eleonora showed little affection for her daughter and was not allowed any influence in Christina’s upbringing. Christina was placed in the care of Gustavus Adolphus’ half-sister Katarina under the supervision of Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. Six years later, at the Battle of Lützen during the Thirty Years’ War, Gustavus Adolphus was killed and six-year-old Christina became Queen of Sweden.

Christina, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Christina, who was very well educated and was considered one of the most learned women of the 17th century, was raised with Karl Gustav and his siblings. After being educated by tutors, Karl Gustav studied for a short period at Uppsala University. From 1638 – 1640, Karl Gustav was on a foreign educational trip, mainly at the court of Louis XIII, King of France. After returning to Sweden, Karl Gustav embedded with the Swedish army fighting in the Thirty Years’ War, studying the art of war under Lennart Torstenson, a Swedish Field Marshal and military engineer. He took part in the Second Battle of Breitenfeld (1642) and the Battle of Jankowitz (1645). Karl Gustav then frequented the Swedish court, as a prospective husband of his cousin Queen Christina. In 1647, Queen Christina appointed Karl Gustav commander of the Swedish troops fighting in the German monarchies and at the same time signaled her intention to marry him.

However, in 1649, 23-year-old Christiana informed the council of state of her decision not to marry anyone and that she wanted her cousin Karl Gustav to be her heir. As a child, Christina had been impressed by the Catholic religion and the celibacy of its priests. She also read a biography on the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England with great interest. Furthermore, Christina was investigating the possibility of converting to Roman Catholicism, and in 1652, she decided to do so, although the conversion would not occur until 1654 after her abdication. After reigning for twenty years and working at least ten hours a day, Christina had what may be interpreted as a nervous breakdown, or perhaps in more modern terms, she was burned out. She was also receiving increasing public criticism for her policies that caused a drain on the Swedish treasury.

In February 1654, Christina informed the council of state that she intended to abdicate. An abdication ceremony was held on June 6, 1654, at Uppsala Castle. Later that day, Christina’s cousin Karl Gustav of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg was crowned Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden. Within a few days, 28-year-old Christina left Sweden. She eventually made her way to Rome where she lived for the rest of her life.

Karl Gustav’s wife Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp; Credit – Wikipedia

The 32-year-old new King of Sweden was unmarried as he had expected that he would marry Christina and he needed to find a bride as soon as possible to provide an heir. The former Queen Christina of Sweden had met Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, daughter of Friedrich III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Marie Elisabeth of Saxony, on her way to Rome after her abdication. Concerned that Karl Gustav was unmarried, Christina suggested the match. However, Hedwig Eleonora was already engaged to Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, and so Christina recommended Hedwig Eleonora’s elder sister Magdalene Sibylle instead. After seeing portraits of both sisters, Karl Gustav chose Hedwig Eleonora because of her beauty, and her current fiancé was instead married to her sister Magdalena Sibylle.

The wedding of Karl Gustav and Hedwig Eleonora; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 24, 1654, the day after her eighteenth birthday, Hedwig Eleonora was married to Karl Gustav at the Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden. Three days later, Hedwig Eleonora was crowned Queen of Sweden at the Storkrykan (Great Church) in Stockholm.

Karl Gustav and Hedwig Eleonora had only one child, a son who succeeded his father:

Triumph of Karl X Gustav over the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, circa 1655; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl Gustav’s short reign concentrated on the healing of domestic discords from the reign of Queen Christina and the rallying of Sweden around his new policy of conquest. He achieved great military successes in the Second Northern War against Denmark-Norway and Poland-Lithuania.

On January 4, 1660, the Riksdag of the Estates opened in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Riksdag of the Estates was the assembly of the Four Estates of Sweden which historically were the lines of division in Swedish society. Karl Gustav was in attendance and was accompanied by his wife Hedwig Eleonora, their four-year-old son Karl, and Karl Gustav’s sister Marie Euphrosine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg who had married Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, then the Lord High Treasurer of Sweden. Within a few weeks, Karl Gustav became ill with influenza which developed into pneumonia.

On February 12, 1660, Karl Gustav became increasingly ill with a high fever and had difficulty breathing. He signed his will appointing a regency consisting of six relatives and close friends for his four-year-old son who would soon be Karl XI, King of Sweden. Karl Gustav said goodbye to his wife, his son, and his closest friends. In the early evening, his condition worsened again and he could not lie down due to his breathing difficulties. He was held up in the arms of Marshal Gabriel Oxenstierna and Count Nils Brahe. At midnight, the doctors announced that death was approaching, and Karl Gustav said goodbye to those present again. Karl IX Gustav, King of Sweden died at the age of 37 in the early morning hours of February 13, 1660. He was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden. His wife Hedwig Eleonora survived her husband by fifty-five years and her son by eighteen years, dying on November 24, 1715, in Stockholm, Sweden at the age of 79. She was buried with her husband at Riddarholmen Church.

Sarcophagus of Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles X Gustav of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_X_Gustav_of_Sweden> [Accessed 28 August 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedwig_Eleonora_of_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 28 August 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Catherine of Sweden, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Sweden,_Countess_Palatine_of_Kleeburg> [Accessed 28 August 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Christina, Queen of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christina-queen-of-sweden/> [Accessed 28 August 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl X Gustav – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_X_Gustav> [Accessed 28 August 2021].

Christina, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Christina, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Considered one of the most learned women of the 17th century, Queen Christina of Sweden is remembered for refusing to marry, abdicating her throne, converting to Roman Catholicism, living the rest of her life in Rome, and being one of only three women to be interred in the crypt at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Christina is one of three women who have been reigning queens of Sweden. The other two are Margarethe (reigned 1389 – 1412) and Ulrika Eleonora (reigned 1718 – 1720). In 1979, the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature, introduced an Act of Succession that changed the succession to absolute primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is first in the line of succession. Currently, Crown Princess Victoria, the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, is the heir apparent and will likely be the fourth Queen Regnant of Sweden. Her eldest child Princess Estelle will likely be the fifth Queen Regnant.

Christina was born on December 18, 1626, at Tre Kronor Castle, on the site of the current Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. She was the fourth and the only surviving child of Gustavus II Adolphus the Great, King of Sweden and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg. Prior to her birth, Christina’s mother had given birth to a stillborn daughter in 1621, a daughter named Christina in 1623 who lived for only eleven months, and a stillborn son in 1625.

Christina’s parents Gustavus II Adolphus the Great, King of Sweden and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

When Maria Eleonora became pregnant again in 1626, there was an excited expectation that at last a male heir would be born. When the baby was born, it was first thought to be a boy because it was”hairy” and screamed “with a strong, hoarse voice” and Gustavus Adolphus had originally been told that the child was a boy. His half-sister Katarina of Sweden, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg then informed him that the child was not a boy but a girl, and then carried the baby to him, afraid of his reaction. Gustav Adolphus said, “She’ll be clever, she has made fools of us all!” and decided that she would be called Christina after his mother Christina of Holstein-Gottorp. However, Maria Eleonora was in no condition to be told the truth about the baby’s gender, and Gustavus Adolphus waited several days before breaking the news to her. Maria Eleonora had a vicious reaction upon hearing the child was a girl and ordered the baby to be taken away from her. Gustavus Adolphus gave orders for the birth to be announced with all the ceremonies usually given to the birth of a male heir. This seems to indicate that Gustavus Adolphus had little hope of having other children. Maria Eleonora’s state of health seems to be the most likely explanation for this. Gustavus Adolphus recognized Christina’s eligibility as a female heir and she became the undisputed heir presumptive.

Maria Eleonora showed little affection for her daughter and was not allowed any influence in Christina’s upbringing. Christina was placed in the care of Gustavus Adolphus’ half-sister Katarina of Sweden, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg and Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. Before Gustavus Adolphus left to lead the Swedish army in the Thirty Years’ War (1618 to 1648), he legally secured his daughter Christina’s right to inherit the throne, in case he never returned and gave orders that Christina should receive an education normally given only to princes. At the Battle of Lützen on November 16, 1632, Gustavus Adolphus was killed and six-year-old Christina became Queen of Sweden.

Christina’s aunt Katarina who played a major role in her life; Credit – Wikipedia

Already suffering from mental issues, Maria Eleonora’s grief was quite painful and her mental issues worsened considerably. She was not included in the regency government during the minority of Christina because the council of the state did not consider her suitable as regent. In 1636, the regency government feared that Maria Eleonora’s mental instability would adversely influence the young Queen Christina. They decided to separate mother and daughter and Maria Eleonora was sent to Gripsholm Castle in Sweden. Christina’s mother later lived in Denmark and her homeland Brandenburg before being allowed to return to Sweden. Christina’s aunt Katarina of Sweden, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg acted more or less as her governess. After Katarina died in 1638, Christina has a series of women who served the dual role of foster mothers and governesses. The council of state gave Christina several foster mothers/governesses at one time to avoid her becoming attached to one person.

Fourteen-year-old Queen Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

As per her father’s wishes, Christina was educated as a prince would have been. Her father had been appointed Lutheran theologian and court pastor, later Bishop of Strängnäs and an Uppsala University professor, Johannes Matthiae Gothus to be her tutor. He taught Christina languages, theology, and philosophy. Christina’s relationship with Gothus was so close that he became like a father to her and she referred to him as father.

Christina was particularly gifted in languages. She was taught Latin, French, German, and Dutch, and on her own, she learned Greek, Italian, and Spanish. When Christina was twelve years old, Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna began teaching her about state affairs and politics. As a child, Christina received foreign envoys, and when she was fourteen-year-old she began receiving briefings on government affairs. In 1643, when Christina was sixteen years old, she began to regularly attend the council of state meetings. Upon her eighteenth birthday, the regency was over and Christina became Queen of Sweden in her own right. The council of state officially proclaimed, “Her Majesty is a king, she must be respected as a male”.

Christina (at the table on the right) in discussion with French philosopher René Descartes; Credit – Wikipedia

During her reign, large parts of the Thirty Years’ War were fought. Christina was a skilled politician who accelerated the Peace of Westphalia, ending the Thirty Years’ War. During her reign, Sweden had great achievements and its prestige was increased. With her interest in religion, philosophy, mathematics, and science, Christina attracted many scholars to Stockholm including French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist René Descartes and French classical scholar Claudius Salmasius.

Christina used the support of the husband of her late aunt Katarina, Johann Kasimir of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg, and his two sons, Christina’s cousins Karl Gustav and Adolf Johann, with whom she was raised, to free herself from the influence of Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. In 1647 she appointed Karl Gustav commander of the Swedish troops in Germany and at the same time signaled her intention to marry him. As a child, Christina was impressed by the Catholic religion and the celibacy of its priests. She also read a biography on the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England with great interest. In 1649, 23-year-old Christiana informed the council of state of her decision not to marry anyone and that she wanted her cousin Karl Gustav to be her heir.

From her autobiography, historians have a view of the development of Christina’s religious philosophy. Even as a child, Christina had taken a stand against strict Lutheran religious teachings. She wrote that she had never really been Lutheran. During the study of religion with her tutor Johannes Matthiae Gothus, Christina had formed a religion of her own. After her association with Catholics, such as Pierre Chanut, the French ambassador to Sweden, and René Descartes, she was more and more drawn to Roman Catholicism. Starting in 1651, she had long conversations with Antonio Macedo, Jesuit priest, secretary, and interpreter for Portugal’s ambassador to Sweden. In August 1651, Macedo brought a letter from Christina to the Superior General of the Jesuit order in Rome. In reply to the letter, two Jesuit scholars using false names and in disguise, Paolo Casati and Francesco Malines, came to Sweden in the spring of 1652. Christina had more conversations with them on sin, the immortality of the soul, and free will, and then decided to convert to Roman Catholicism. Jesuit Superior General Goshwin Nickel and Cardinal Fabio Chigi, who later became Pope Alexander VII, were informed that Queen Christina of Sweden, born a Lutheran, wanted to convert to Roman Catholicism.

Christina’s wish to convert to Roman Catholicism was not the only reason for her abdication. After reigning for twenty years and working at least ten hours a day, Christina had what may be interpreted as a nervous breakdown, or perhaps in more modern terms, she was burned out. She was also receiving increasing public criticism for her policies that caused a drain on the Swedish treasury. In the previous ten years, Christina had created seventeen new counts, 46 barons and 428 members of the lower nobility. To provide them with sufficient allowances, she had sold or mortgaged crown property.

Christina’s abdication in 1654, contemporary drawing by Erik Dahlberg; Credit – Wikipedia

In February 1654, Christina informed the council of state that she intended to abdicate. An abdication ceremony was held on June 6, 1654, at Uppsala Castle. Christina wore her regalia, which were ceremonially removed from her, one by one. The person who was to remove the crown did not move and so Christina had to take off the crown herself. Dressed in a simple white dress, she gave her farewell speech and left the throne to her cousin Karl Gustav of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg who was crowned later that day as Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden. Within a few days, 28-year-old Christina left Sweden.

Christina’s cousin and successor Karl X, Gustav, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Christina made her way to the Spanish Netherlands ruled by the Catholic Habsburgs, now in Belgium and the Netherlands. On December 24, 1654, Christina converted to Roman Catholicism in the chapel of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, brother of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor. This was a private ceremony and Christina’s conversion was not publicized. She converted to Catholicism publicly on November 3, 1655, at the Innsbruck Court Church in Austria. Christina arrived in Rome on December 20, 1655. On Christmas Day in 1655, Christina received the sacrament of confirmation from Pope Alexander VII, the former Cardinal Fabio Chigi, at St. Peter’s Basilica. The pope gave her the confirmation name Alexandra, the feminine version of his papal name. Christina was given use of the Palazzo Farnese and then in 1659, she moved to the Palazzo Corsini which would be her permanent home.  Christina played a prominent role in Rome’s cultural life.

In April 1660, Christina was informed that her cousin Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden had died in February. His son and successor Karl XI was only five years old. Christina went to Sweden that summer and announced that she had left the throne to her cousin and his heir, but if Karl XI died, she would take over the throne again. However, as she was a Catholic that was impossible, and the Swedish clergy refused to let her priests celebrate Mass. Her stay in Stockholm was short.

Christina in her later years; Credit – Wikipedia

Christina remained very tolerant towards the beliefs of others. When King Louis XIV of France revoked the Edict of Nantes, abolishing the rights of French Protestant Huguenots, Christina wrote an indignant letter to Cardinal Cesar d’Estrees, the French ambassador to Rome. King Louis XIV did not appreciate her view but Christina was not to be silenced. She made Pope Clement X prohibit the custom of chasing Jews through the streets during the carnival before Lent and she issued a declaration that Roman Jews were under her protection, signed la Regina – the queen.

Christina’s sarcophagus; Credit – Wikipedia

Christina died, aged 62, on April 19, 1689, at the Palazzo Corsini in Rome after suffering from erysipelas, an acute bacterial infection, and pneumonia. She had asked for a simple burial in the Pantheon in Rome. However, Pope Innocent XI insisted that her body be displayed in the fashion of a pope and then interred in the Papal Crypt at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. While her sarcophagus is in the Papal Crypt, a huge monument is in the basilica.

Monument to Christina in St. Peter’s Basilica; Credit – By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28930634

Christina is one of three women to be interred in the crypt at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. The other two are Matilda of Tuscany, Margravine of Tuscany, Vicereine of Italy, Imperial Vicar (circa 1046 – 1115), one of the most powerful nobles in Italy in the second half of the 11th century, and Maria Clementina Sobieska (1702 – 1735), the wife of James Francis Edward Stuart, son of the deposed James II, King of England and a Jacobite claimant to the British throne, known as the Old Pretender.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kristina af Sverige – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristina_af_Sverige> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christina (Schweden) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_(Schweden)> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christina, Queen of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina,_Queen_of_Sweden> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Gustavus II Adolphus the Great, King of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-gustavus-ii-adolphus-the-great-of-sweden/> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-eleonora-of-brandenburg-queen-of-sweden/> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Drottning Kristina – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottning_Kristina> [Accessed 26 August 2021].

Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was the wife of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great of Sweden. Born on November 11, 1599, in Königsberg, Duchy of Prussia, now Kaliningrad, Russia, she was the third of the eight children and the second of the four daughters of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg and Anna of Prussia. Maria Eleonora’s paternal grandparents were Joachim III Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg and Katarina of Brandenburg-Küstrin. Her maternal grandparents were Albrecht Friedrich, Duke of Prussia, and Marie Eleonore of Cleves, who was a niece of Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII of England.

Maria Eleonora had seven siblings but three died in infancy:

Maria Eleonora’s mother Anna of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

The childhood of Maria Eleonora and her siblings was dominated by their temperamental and strong-willed mother Anna of Prussia. Anna was intellectually superior to her husband and reportedly threw plates and glasses at him during arguments. Anna, a fervent Lutheran, strongly disapproved of her husband’s conversion to Calvinism and made it clear that she did not oppose public protests against it. After her husband’s death, Anna continued to play an important role during the reign of her son. Against the will of her son Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg, Anna arranged the marriage Maria Eleonora’s marriage to King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden.

Maria Eleonora’s husband Gustavus II Adolphus, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 7, 1620, Maria Eleonora left Brandenburg for Sweden with her mother Anna and her sister Katarina. Gustavus Adolphus and Maria Eleonora were married in Stockholm on November 25, 1620. Three days later, Maria Eleonora was crowned Queen of Sweden at the Storkykan (Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden. During the first years of the marriage, Maria Eleonora’s mother Anna and sister Katarina remained in Sweden. They did not return to Brandenburg until August 1624.

Gustavus Adolphus saying goodbye to his wife Maria Eleonora as he rides off to war; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustavus Adolphus is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history and made Sweden a great power, one of Europe’s largest and leading nations during the early modern period. For much of their marriage, Maria Eleonora and her husband lived apart because Gustavus Adolphus was often away at war.

Gustavus Adolphus’ only surviving brother Karl Philip had accompanied him on a military campaign and died from dysentery (also called the bloody flux), the scourge of armies for centuries. The House of Vasa found itself without a male heir and therefore, in danger. This situation created hopes for Gustavus Adolphus’ first cousin Sigismund III Vasa who was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 until his death in 1632 and King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from his father’s death in 1592 until he was deposed by his uncle, Gustavus Adolphus’ father Karl IX, King of Sweden in 1599.

Although Maria Eleonora’s husband Gustavus Adolphus was successful in many endeavors, he was not successful in providing a male heir:

  • Stillborn daughter, born July 24, 1621
  • Christina (1623 – 1624), died in infancy
  • Stillborn son, born May 1625
  • Christina, Queen of Sweden (1626 – 1689), unmarried, succeeded her father, abdicated, subsequently converted to Roman Catholicism, and moved to Rome

When Maria Eleonora gave birth to her fourth child, Gustavus Adolphus had originally been told that the child was a boy. His half-sister Katarina of Sweden, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg informed him that the child was not a boy but a girl, and then carried the baby to him, afraid of his reaction. Gustav Adolphus said, “She’ll be clever, she has made fools of us all!” and decided that she would be called Christina after his mother. However, Maria Eleonora was in no condition to be told the truth about the baby’s gender, and Gustavus Adolphus waited several days before breaking the news to her. Maria Eleonora had a vicious reaction upon hearing the child was a girl and ordered the baby to be taken away from her. Gustavus Adolphus gave orders for the birth to be announced with all the ceremonies usually given to the birth of a male heir. This seemed to indicate that Gustavus Adolphus had little hope of having other children. Maria Eleonora’s state of health seems to be the most likely explanation for this. Gustavus Adolphus recognized Christina’s eligibility as a female heir and she became the undisputed heir presumptive. Maria Eleonora showed little affection for her daughter and was not allowed any influence in Christina’s upbringing. Christina was placed in the care of Gustavus Adolphus’ half-sister Katarina of Sweden, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg and Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna.

Gustavus Adolphus and Maria Eleonora, circa 1632; Credit – Wikipedia

In the year after Christina’s birth, Maria Eleonora was described as being in a state of hysteria owing to her husband’s absences. At a later date, Gustavus Adolphus described her as being “a very sick woman”. However, it seems Maria Eleonora had several causes for her mental issues: she had lost three babies, she was an isolated foreigner in a hostile country, her brother joined Sweden’s enemies, and her husband’s life was constantly in danger when he was on military campaign.

Before Gustavus Adolphus left to lead the Swedish army in the Thirty Years’ War (1618 to 1648), he legally secured his daughter Christina’s right to inherit the throne, in case he never returned and gave orders that Christina should receive an education normally given only to boys. At the Battle of Lützen on November 16, 1632, Gustavus Adolphus was killed. The long delay in providing Gustavus Adolphus with a timely burial was due to his wife. Already suffering from mental issues, Maria Eleonora’s grief was quite painful and her mental issues worsened considerably. She ordered her husband’s heart to be brought to her to keep him always near. She also refused to have her husband buried, spending whole days next to the body. Finally, eighteen months after the death of Gustavus Adolphus, the funeral and burial were held on June 22, 1634, at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden.

Christian, Queen of Sweden as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Eleonora and Gustavus Adolphus’ only surviving child Christina became Queen of Sweden at the age of six. However, Maria Eleonora was not included in the regency government during the minority of Christina because the council of the state did not consider her suitable as regent. In 1636, the regency government feared that Maria Eleonora’s mental instability would adversely influence the young Queen Christina. They decided to separate mother and daughter and Maria Eleonora was sent to Gripsholm Castle.

Maria Eleonora wanted to end her exile at Gripsholm Castle and go to Brandenburg, her birthplace but she was denied permission because her brother Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg was an enemy of Sweden. Instead, Maria Eleonora began secret negotiations with King Chrisitan IV of Denmark, Sweden’s enemy, to allow her to live in Denmark. Maria Eleonora and her lady-in-waiting escaped from Gripsholm Castle on the night of July 22, 1640, by letting themselves down from a window. They were then rowed across a nearby lake where a carriage was waiting for them. The carriage took them to Nyköping, where they boarded a Danish ship and were taken to Denmark.

Maria Eleonora, circa 1650; Credit – Wikipedia

Sweden and Brandenburg signed a peace treaty in 1641. Among the terms of the treaty was an agreement that Maria Eleonora’s nephew Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg would host his aunt in Brandenburg, and Sweden would give her a pension. In 1643, Maria Eleonora left Denmark for Brandenburg where she would live for five years. She was able to return to Sweden in 1648, enabling her to witness Christina’s coronation. Nyköping Castle was granted to her as a residence by order of her daughter.

Maria Eleonora’s daughter Christina, before 1656; Credit – Wikipedia

Christina caused a scandal when she decided not to marry and then when she abdicated her throne in 1654 in favor of her cousin Karl Gustav of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg who reigned as Carl V Gustav, King of Sweden. Maria Eleonora had concerns about Christina’s abdication and how it would affect her financial situation. Christina and her cousin Carl V Gustav visited Maria Eleonora and promised that she would have no financial worries. After her abdication, Christina left Sweden and lived for a year in Brussels, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. She then went to Austria where she converted to Roman Catholicism. Christina spent the rest of her life in Rome where she played a prominent role in the city’s cultural life. She is one of three women to be interred in the crypt at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

Tomb of Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Howard Flantzer

Maria Eleanora survived her husband by twenty-three years, dying at the age of 55, on March 28, 1655, in Stockholm, Sweden, shortly after the abdication of her daughter Queen Christina. Maria Eleanora was interred next to her husband at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna von Preußen (1576–1625) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_von_Preu%C3%9Fen_(1576%E2%80%931625)> [Accessed 21 August 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Eleonora von Brandenburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Eleonora_von_Brandenburg> [Accessed 21 August 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Eleonora_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 21 August 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-gustavus-ii-adolphus-the-great-of-sweden/> [Accessed 21 August 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna av Preussen (1576–1625) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_av_Preussen_(1576%E2%80%931625)> [Accessed 21 August 2021].

Gustavus II Adolphus the Great, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Gustavus Adolphus the Great, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Also known as Gustav II Adolf, King of Sweden, he was officially given the name Gustavus Adolphus the Great by the Riksdag of the Estates, the legislature, in 1634, two years after his death in battle. Gustavus Adolphus is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history and made Sweden a great power that would result in it becoming one of Europe’s largest and leading nations during the early modern period. Born on December 9, 1594, at Tre Kronor Castle which stood on the site of the present Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, he was the eldest of the four children and the elder of the two sons of the future Karl IX, King of Sweden and his second wife Christina of Holstein-Gottorp.

Gustavus Adolphus had three younger siblings:

Gustavus Adolphus had six half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Maria of Palatinate-Simmern but only one survived childhood:

  • Margareta Elisabeth of Sweden (1580 – 1585), died in childhood
  • Elisabeth Sabina of Sweden (1582 – 1585), died in childhood
  • Ludwig of Sweden (born and died 1583), died in infancy
  • Katharina of Sweden (1584 – 1638), married Count Palatine Johann Kasimir of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Kleeburg, had eight children including Carl X Gustav, King of Sweden
  • Gustav of Sweden (born and 1587), died in infancy
  • Maria Sweden (1588 – 1589), died in infancy

Karl IX, King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus’ father; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustavus Adolphus’ father Karl was Regent of Sweden from 1599–1604 and King of Sweden from 1604 – 1611. He had the good sense to prepare his son for his future role. Gustavus Adolphus received a thorough humanistic and political education from Johannes Bureus, the Swedish royal librarian, and Johan Skytte, who later became the became Chancellor of Uppsala University. From the age of eight, Gustavus Adolphus was allowed to attend the meetings of the council of state and from the age of twelve, he performed public duties such as receiving foreign envoys. When Gustavus Adolphus was fifteen years old, he gave his first speech from the throne. He had military training with an experienced professional soldier Jakob De la Gardie. Gustavus Adolphus spoke only German with his mother and Swedish with his father and so he was fluent in both languages. He was taught all subjects in Latin and he also learned French and Dutch and ancient Greek.

Gustavus Adolphus’ early education and training proved useful as he became King of Sweden at the age of sixteen, when his father Karl IX, King of Sweden died on October 30, 1611. At that time. Sweden was a poor country with a weak army at war with Denmark, Poland, and Russia. With the help of the stateman Axel Oxenstierna, considered one of the most influential people in Swedish history, Gustavus Adolphus reshaped Sweden’s government and transformed the Swedish army into Europe’s most modern, well-trained, and feared army. Under Gustavus Adolphus’ leadership, peace was made with Denmark and Poland, and Russia was defeated on the battlefield.

Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Gustavus Adolphus’ wife; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1616, the 22-year-old Gustavus Adolphus started looking for a Protestant bride. He had received positive reports about the beauty and intelligence of 17-year-old Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, the daughter of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, and Anna of Prussia. After prolonged back-and-forth negotiations with Maria Eleonora’s family, complete with many changes of opinions, it was agreed that Maria Eleonora and Gustavus Adolphus would marry. On October 7, 1620, Maria Eleonora left Brandenburg for Sweden with her mother Anna and her sister Katrina. Gustavus Adolphus and Maria Eleonora were married in Stockholm on November 25, 1620. During the first years of the marriage, Maria Eleonora’s mother Anna and sister Katarina remained in Sweden. They did not return to Brandenburg until August 1624.

Although Gustavus Adolphus was successful in many endeavors, he was not successful in providing a male heir:

  • Stillborn daughter, born July 24, 1621
  • Christina (1623 – 1624), died in infancy
  • Stillborn son, born May 1625
  • Christina, Queen of Sweden (1626 – 1689), unmarried, succeeded her father, abdicated, subsequently converted to Roman Catholicism, and moved to Rome

Gustavus Adolphus’ daughter Queen Christina as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

When Gustav Adolphus’s fourth child was born, he had originally been told that the child was a boy. His half-sister Katarina informed him that the child was not a boy but a girl, and then carried the baby to him, afraid of his reaction. Gustav Adolphus said, “She’ll be clever, she has made fools of us all!” and decided that she would be called Christina after his mother. He gave orders for the birth to be announced with all the ceremonies usually given to the birth of a male heir. This seems to indicate that Gustavus Adolphus had little hope of having other children. Maria Eleonora’s state of health seems to be the most likely explanation for this. Gustavus Adolphus’ legitimate younger brothers had all died. The one legitimate female left, his half-sister Katarina was excluded from the succession when she married a non-Lutheran. Gustavus Adolphus recognized Christina’s eligibility as a female heir and she became the undisputed heir presumptive.

The Thirty Years’ War was a conflict fought mostly within the Holy Roman Empire, mainly in present-day Germany, from 1618 to 1648. Although it started as a religious war (Protestant nations against Catholic nations), it developed into a territorial war. Before Gustavus Adolphus left to lead the Swedish army in the Thirty Years’ War, he secured his daughter Christina’s right to inherit the throne, in case he never returned and gave orders that Christina should receive an education normally given to only boys.

Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld by Johann Walter; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustavus Adolphus won a decisive victory at the First Battle of Breitenfeld in September 1631. He then marched across Germany, establishing his winter quarters near the Rhine, making plans for the invasion of the rest of the Holy Roman Empire. He had hopes of conquering the Holy Roman Empire and ascending its throne. However, it was not to be. The Battle of Lützen took place on November 16, 1632, between a Holy Roman Empire force under Albrecht von Wallenstein and a combined Swedish-German army led by Gustavus Adolphus. Generally viewed as a narrow Swedish victory, both sides suffered heavy casualties and it is now chiefly remembered for the death of Gustavus Adolphus.

Death of King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden at the Battle of Lützen by Carl Wahlbom; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustavus Adolphus was separated from the cavalry charge he was leading in a mix of gun smoke and fog. A bullet hit his left arm below the elbow. At the same time, his horse was hit by a bullet to the neck and became difficult to control. In the fog and smoke, Gustavus Adolphus mistakenly rode behind enemy lines. There he was shot in the back, was stabbed, and fell from his horse. Lying on the ground, 37-year-old Gustavus Adolphus received a final, fatal shot to his temple. When the shooting stopped and the smoke cleared, Gustavus Adolphus’ horse was spotted between the two lines but he was not on it and was nowhere to be seen. After a search, his body was found, and was secretly evacuated from the battlefield in a Swedish artillery wagon.

Embarkation of the body of Gustavus Adolphus at the port of Wolgast in 1633 by Carl Gustaf Hellqvist; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustavus Adolphus’ body was taken to Weissenfels, in the Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, where it was embalmed and dressed in a beautiful gold and silver woven uniform, then brought to Wolgast, in the Duchy of Pomerania, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. His body remained in Wolgast until the summer of 1633 when it was taken by ship to Sweden. Once in Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus’ body was taken to Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Sweden, and remained there until it was time to take it to Stockholm for the funeral.

The delays in providing Gustavus Adolphus with a timely burial were due to his wife. Already suffering from mental issues, Maria Eleonora’s grief was quite painful and her mental issues worsened considerably. She ordered that her husband’s heart be brought to her to keep him always near. She also refused to have her husband buried, spending whole days next to the body. Finally, eighteen months after the death of Gustavus Adolphus, the funeral and burial were held on June 22, 1634, at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden.

Gustavus Adolphus’ sarcophagus at Riddarholmen Church; Credit – By Frankie Fouganthin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16785914

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gustav II. Adolf – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_II._Adolf> [Accessed 19 August 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gustavus Adolphus – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavus_Adolphus> [Accessed 19 August 2021].
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Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Christina of Hesse, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Christina of Holstein-Gottorp was the second wife of Karl IX, King of Sweden. Born on April 13, 1573, in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, she was the fourth of the ten children and the second of the five daughters of Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and Christine of Hesse. Her father was the third son of King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway and his second wife Sophie of Pomerania. In 1544, Adolf, his brother Johann, and their half-brother King Christian III of Denmark divided the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein which belonged to Denmark. Adolf, as the youngest, got the first choice. Since he selected the part with the Gottorp Castle, the line of the House of Oldenburg founded by him was called the House of Holstein-Gottorp.

Christina had nine siblings:

Christina’s husband the future Karl IX, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria of Palatinate-Simmern, the first wife of the future Karl IX, King of Sweden died in 1589 at the age of 28. Three years later, forty-two-year-old Karl married nineteen-year-old Christina who was the first cousin of his first wife. The couple was married on August 27, 1592, at Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Södermanland, Sweden. At the time of the marriage, Karl was a Prince of Sweden and the Duke of Södermanland and so Christina became a Princess of Sweden and the Duchess of Södermanland. Karl was a staunch Lutheran and Sweden was then ruled by Karl’s brother Johan III, King of Sweden who, although Protestant, was married to a Catholic Polish princess and had Catholic sympathies. Karl’s marriage with Christina created a stronger alliance with the German Protestants.

Karl had six children with his first wife Maria but five of them died in infancy or childhood before his second marriage. Christina became the stepmother of Karl’s only surviving child:

Christina and Karl had four children of their own:

In 1592, Karl’s brother Johan III, King of Sweden died and he was succeeded by his Roman Catholic son Sigismund III Vasa, who was already King of Poland. Eventually, because of religious issues, the Riksdag (legislature) gained control of the Swedish government and appointed the Lutheran Karl Regent of Sweden. Finally, on February 24, 1604, the Swedish Riksdag declared that Karl’s nephew Sigismund abdicated the Swedish throne and he was recognized as the sovereign – Karl IX, King of Sweden. After a delay of three years, Karl and his wife Christina were crowned King and Queen of Sweden on March 15, 1607, at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden.

In 1604, Christina was appointed to be regent in the event that Karl should die before their sons reached the age of majority. As the potential guardian, Christina held an important leadership position. Although Karl did not allow Christina to dictate policy, he did ask for her advice. She did prevent the potential election of her son Karl Filip as Tsar of Russia. Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie, a Swedish statesman had proposed ten-year-old Karl Philip as a candidate for Tsar of Russia. When her husband Karl died in 1611, Christina refused to allow Karl Philip to leave for Russia. However, in 1613, Karl Filip went to Denmark to discuss the terms of a potential tsardom. When he got to Denmark, Karl Philip found out that Russian nobles had rejected several candidates, including him, and that Michael Romanov became the consensus candidate and had been elected the first Romanov ruler of Russia. Christina was relieved that the Russian affair was finally over.

Christina’s elder son Gustav II Adolf, King of Sweden in his youth

On October 30, 1611, at Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Södermanland, Sweden, 61-year-old Karl IX, King of Sweden died. He was buried at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Södermanland, Sweden. After the death of Karl IX, Christina and Johan, Duke of Östergötland, the son of Karl’s brother Johan III, King of Sweden, shared the short regency of Gustav II Adolf, King of Sweden. The regency lasted from October 1611 to December 1611, when Christina’s elder son was declared of age. However, Christina remained the guardian of her younger son Karl Philip and was regent for his Duchies of Södermanland, Närke, and Värmland. Despite the short regency for her elder son, Christina was considered the real power behind the throne during the early years of Gustav II Adolf’s reign. She prevented the marriage of his marriage to Ebba Magnusdotter Brahe because she feared the complications of marriage with a noble and because she realized a dynastic marriage could have substantial political benefits.

Christina’s younger son Karl Filip; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1621, Christina’s younger son Karl Philip accompanied his brother Gustav II Adolf on his military campaign in the Baltic States. During the campaign, Karl Philip became seriously ill and traveled to Narva, then a Swedish possession, now in Estonia for treatment and rest. However, Karl Philip did not recover, dying on January 25, 1622, at the age of only 20. Christina was heartbroken after the death of her younger son, and she retired from public life and lived in seclusion. After Karl Philip’s death, his morganatic, secret marriage to Elisabet Ribbing was discovered, and Christina became the guardian of his posthumous daughter Elisabet Gyllenhielm.

Christina survived her husband by fourteen years, dying at the age of 52, on December 8, 1625, at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden. She was buried in the family crypt at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Sweden, below her husband’s most unusual grave monument – a rider on a horse wearing gold armor placed over the family crypt. The gold armor had been made by twelve of Stockholm’s most prominent goldsmiths.

Karl IX’s grave monument; Credit – Av Kigsz – Eget arbete, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71076804

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christine von Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_von_Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf,_Duke_of_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christina of Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_of_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. Karl IX, King of Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-ix-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kristina av Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristina_av_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 14 July 2021].

Maria of Palatinate-Simmern, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Södermanland

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Karl IX, King of Sweden with his first wife Maria and second wife Christina, 1598 by Hieronymus Nützel; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria of the Palatinate-Simmern was the first wife of the future Karl IX, King of Sweden but she died before he became king. She was born in Heidelberg, Electorate of the Palatinate, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, on July 24, 1561. Maria was the eldest of the twelve children and the eldest of the seven daughters of Ludwig VI, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Hesse.

Maria had eleven younger siblings but only two siblings survived childhood:

  • Elisabeth (born and died 1562), died in infancy
  • Dorothea Elisabeth (born and died 1565), died in infancy
  • Dorothea (1566 – 1568), died in early childhood
  • Friedrich Philip (1567- 1568), died in infancy
  • Johann Friedrich (born and died 1569), died in infancy
  • Ludwig (1570 – 1571), died in infancy
  • Katharina (1572 – 1586), died in childhood
  • Christine (1573 – 1619), unmarried
  • Friedrich IV, Elector Palatine (1574 – 1610), married Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau, had eight children
  • Philip (born and died 1575), died in infancy
  • Elisabeth (1576 – 1577), died in infancy

Maria was raised as a fervent Lutheran. Her father gave preference to Lutheranism over Calvinism, removing Calvinists from positions at Heidelberg University. In 1578, Prince Karl of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland traveled throughout the German monarchies looking for a suitable Protestant bride. Eighteen-year-old Karl visited Heidelberg in the Electorate of Palatinate and proposed to fifteen-year-old Maria. Her father accepted the marriage proposal on the condition that she be allowed to practice Lutheranism in Sweden which was then ruled by Karl’s brother Johan III, King of Sweden who, although Protestant, was married to a Catholic Polish princess and had Catholic sympathies. Maria and Karl were married on May 11, 1579, in Heidelberg. The newlyweds remained in Heidelberg until September 1579. In Sweden, they had the use of several castles in Karl’s Duchy of Södermanland.

Maria’s husband Karl; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria and Karl had six children but only one daughter survived childhood:

  • Margareta Elisabeth of Sweden (1580 – 1585), died in childhood
  • Elisabeth Sabina of Sweden (1582 – 1585), died in childhood
  • Ludwig of Sweden (born and died 1583), died in infancy
  • Katharina of Sweden (1584 – 1638), married Count Palatine Johann Kasimir von Pfalz-Zweibrücken-Kleeburg, had eight children including Carl X Gustav, King of Sweden
  • Gustav of Sweden (born and 1587), died in infancy
  • Maria Sweden (1588 – 1589), died in infancy

Marieholm, the former royal estate named after Maria; Credit – By (WT-shared) Riggwelter at wts.wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22603872

Maria and Karl had a happy marriage. She accompanied Karl on his travels when she was not prevented by her pregnancies. Maria had a mild and conciliatory nature and was able to control her husband’s hot temper. No portrait of Maria survives but she was described as beautiful. The town Mariestad, founded in 1583, and the royal estate Marieholm (link in Swedish) in Mariestad are named for her.

On July 29, 1589, Maria died after a long illness, aged 28, at Eskilstuna Castle in Eskilstuna, Södermanland, Sweden, and was greatly mourned by Karl. She was buried at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Södermanland, Sweden. Her husband Karl married again in 1592 to Maria’s first cousin Christina of Holstein-Gottorp and had four children. Karl became King of Sweden in 1604. He died in 1611 at the age of 61 and was also buried at Strängnäs Cathedral.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Maria von der Pfalz – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Maria_von_der_Pfalz> [Accessed 13 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Louis VI, Elector Palatine – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_VI,_Elector_Palatine> [Accessed 13 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria of the Palatinate, Swedish princess – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_of_the_Palatinate,_Swedish_princess> [Accessed 13 July 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. Karl IX, King of Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-ix-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 13 July 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria av Pfalz – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_av_Pfalz> [Accessed 13 July 2021].

Karl IX, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Karl IX, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl IX, King of Sweden was the youngest of the ten children and the fifth of the five sons of Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden and his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud. Two of Karl’s elder brothers died in infancy, one was mentally disabled, and the eldest brother Johan III, King of Sweden succeeded his deposed half-brother Eric XIV. Karl was born on October 4, 1550, at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site of the Royal Palace of Stockholm. His mother’s constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia before Karl’s first birthday.

Karl had nine older siblings:

Karl had one elder half-sibling from his father’s first marriage to Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg:

  • Eric XIV, King of Sweden (1533 – 1577), married Karin Månsdotter, his mistress, had two children before marriage and two children after marriage, Erik reigned for nine years until he was deposed by Karl’s eldest brother Johan III, King of Sweden.

Karl with his first wife Maria and second wife Christina, 1598 by Hieronymus Nützel; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl was not expected to become King of Sweden and was created Duke of Södermanland. In 1578, eighteen-year-old Karl visited Heidelberg in the Electorate of Palatinate, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and proposed to fifteen-year-old Maria of Palatinate-Simmern, daughter of Ludwig VI, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Hesse. Maria was a devout Lutheran and that was why Karl, an equally devout Lutheran, decided to marry her. Karl and Maria married on May 11, 1579, in Heidelberg. On July 29, 1589, Maria died after a long illness, aged 28, at Eskilstuna Castle in Eskilstuna, Södermanland, Sweden. She was buried at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Södermanland, Sweden.

Karl and Maria had six children but only one survived childhood:

Karl’s second wife Christina of Holstein-Gottorp; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 27, 1592, at Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Södermanland, Sweden, Karl married Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, the daughter of Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Christine of Hesse. Christina and Karl’s first wife Maria were first cousins through their mothers.

Karl and Christina had four children:

Karl’s brother Johan III, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl’s brother Johan III, King of Sweden had married the Roman Catholic Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, daughter of Sigismund I, King of Poland. As Queen Consort of Sweden, Katarina had much political influence and influenced her husband in many areas. However, her greatest influence was in religious policy. The Protestant Johan had clear Catholic sympathies, inspired by his Catholic wife Katarina, and this created issues with the Protestant Swedish clergy and nobility. Their son Sigismund Vasa was raised as a Catholic in the hopes that he would acquire the Polish crown in the future.

After the death of Stephen Báthory, King of Poland, who had no legitimate children, 21-year-old Sigismund Vasa was elected King of Poland in 1587. On November 17, 1592, Sigismund’s father Johan III, King of Sweden, died and Sigismund was granted permission by the Polish legislature to claim his inheritance as the rightful Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden. The Catholic Sigismund promised to recognize Lutheranism as Sweden’s state religion and was crowned at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden on February 19, 1594. However, many were suspicious of Sigismund’s promise to uphold Lutheranism when a papal nuncio was in the coronation procession.

Karl’s nephew Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

When Sigismund returned to Poland in July 1594, Karl, who was Sigismund’s uncle, and the council were to govern in his absence. Because of the religious differences, Sigismund did not want to give us uncle and the council full government power. He appointed some council members who favored the Roman Catholic Church and would receive orders directly from him. In 1595, the Riksdag (legislature) gained control of the Swedish government and appointed the Lutheran Karl Regent of Sweden. Finally, on February  24, 1604, the Swedish Riksdag declared that Sigismund abdicated the Swedish throne, and his uncle Karl was recognized as the sovereign – Karl IX, King of Sweden. Sigismund had lost the Swedish throne but he reigned as King of Poland until his death in 1632.

Although Karl became King of Sweden in 1604, Karl and his wife Christina were not crowned King and Queen of Sweden until March 15, 1607, at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. Karl’s seven-year reign was marked by almost constant warfare: the Polish-Swedish War (1600 – 1611), the Ingrian War with Russia (1610 – 1617), and the Kalmar War (1611–1613) with Denmark-Norway.

On October 30, 1611, at Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Södermanland, Sweden, 61-year-old Karl IX, King of Sweden died. He was buried at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Södermanland, Sweden. Karl IX has a most unusual grave monument – a rider on a horse wearing gold armor placed over Karl IX’s family crypt. The gold armor was made by twelve of Stockholm’s most prominent goldsmiths. Christina survived her husband by fourteen years, dying at the age of 52, on December 8, 1625, at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden, and was buried in the family crypt below her husband’s equestrian grave monument at Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Sweden.

Karl IX’s grave monument; Credit – Av Kigsz – Eget arbete, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71076804

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl IX. (Schweden) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_IX._(Schweden)> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles IX of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IX_of_Sweden> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Johan III, King of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johan-iii-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden, King of Poland. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sigismund-iii-vasa-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl IX – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_IX> [Accessed 11 July 2021].

Anna of Austria, Queen of Sweden, Queen of Poland

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Anna of Austria was the first wife of Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden and King of Poland. Born on August 16, 1573, in Graz, Austria, Anna was the eldest of the eight daughters and the second of the fifteen children of Karl II, Archduke of Austria of the House of Habsburg, and his niece Maria Anna of Bavaria.

Anna had fourteen siblings:

Anna’s mother was a strong supporter of the Counter-Reformation, the reaction of the Roman Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation. Anna and her siblings attended Mass from the age of one and their first words were to be Jesus and Mary. They were tutored by Catholic priests, and Latin was to be a priority before their native German language.

Although a Protestant, Johan III, King of Sweden had clear Catholic sympathies, inspired by his Catholic Polish wife Katarina Jagellonica, the daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland. Although their only son Sigismund was the heir to the Swedish throne and Sweden was a Protestant nation, he was raised as a Catholic to help him acquire the Polish crown. After the death of Stephen Báthory, King of Poland who had no legitimate children, Sigismund was elected King of Poland in 1587.

Anna’s husband Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden, King of Poland; Credit – Wikipedia

Antonius Possevinus, the papal envoy to Sweden suggested that Sigismund’s wife should come from the Habsburg dynasty. Pope Gregory XIII gave his approval to the idea of a marriage alliance between the Habsburgs and Sweden, and Anna of Austria was chosen as the prospective bride. Possevino visited the court of Karl II, Archduke of Austria in Graz, and obtained a portrait of Anna to bring to Sweden. After another marriage possibility for Anna came to naught, and Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II decided that marriage to Sigismund would be the match for Anna that would best benefit the Habsburg dynasty, the marriage was settled. In April 1592, the betrothal of Anna of Austria and Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland, was formally celebrated in the Imperial Court in Vienna. A proxy wedding was held in Vienna on May 4, 1592, after which Anna and her mother traveled to Krakow, Poland. On May 31, 1592, at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland, Anna married Sigismund and was crowned Queen of Poland.

Anna and Sigismund’s only surviving child Prince Ladislaus Vasa, aged about ten years old; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna and Sigmund had five children but only one, Ladislaus Vasa, who succeeded his father as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, survived childhood. Similarly, Ladislaus Vasa had five children from his two marriages but none of them survived childhood.

On November 17, 1592, Sigismund’s father Johan III, King of Sweden, Grand Duke of Lithuania died and Sigismund was granted permission by the Polish legislature to claim his inheritance as the rightful King of Sweden. In 1594, Anna accompanied her husband to Sweden, where she and her husband were crowned King and Queen of Sweden at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden on February 19, 1594. The Catholic Sigismund promised to recognize Lutheranism as Sweden’s state religion. However, many were suspicious of Sigismund’s promise to uphold Lutheranism when a papal nuncio was in the coronation procession. Anna and Sigismund had to leave their nine-month-old daughter Anna Marie in Poland as collateral for their return. Anna was pregnant and she feared that she would be forced to do the same in Sweden if she gave birth during her time in Sweden. Anna gave birth to a daughter Katarina on April 19, 1594. Katarina’s christening was celebrated with great festivity, however, she died on May 15, 1594.

When Anna and Sigismund returned to Poland in July 1594, Sigismund’s uncle Karl, Duke of Södermanland and the council were to govern in his absence. Because of the religious differences, Sigismund did not want to give his uncle and the council full government power. He appointed some council members who favored the Roman Catholic Church and who would receive orders directly from him. In 1595, the Riksdag (legislature) gained control of the Swedish government and appointed Karl, Duke of Södermanland Regent of Sweden. As Queen of Poland, Anna acted as a confidant to her husband Sigismund. She advised him on dealing with the Polish noble factions and on foreign policy. Anna had no interest in maintaining Sigismumd’s personal union between Catholic Poland and Protestant Sweden. However, long before the situation was resolved, Anna died, aged 24, on February 10, 1598, due to birth complications during the birth of her sixth child, who also died. She was buried in South Ambulatory Crypt at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland.

The coffin of Anna, Queen of Sweden is in the back on the left; Credit – Wikipedia

Ultimately, on February  24, 1604, the Swedish Riksdag declared that Sigismund abdicated the Swedish throne and that his uncle Karl, Duke of Södermanland was recognized as the sovereign – Karl IX, King of Sweden. Although he lost the Swedish throne, Sigismund reigned as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1632. In 1605, he married Anna’s sister Constance of Austria and they had seven children.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Austria,_Queen_of_Poland> [Accessed 7 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles II, Archduke of Austria – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II,_Archduke_of_Austria> [Accessed 7 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden, King of Poland. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sigismund-iii-vasa-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 7 June 2021].
  • Pl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Habsburżanka (1573–1598) – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia. [online] Available at: <https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Habsbur%C5%BCanka_(1573%E2%80%931598)> [Accessed 7 June 2021].
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