Ulrika Eleanora, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden in her own right, succeeded her unmarried brother Karl XII, King of Sweden in 1718 and reigned for two years before abdicating in favor of her husband who reigned as Fredrik I, King of Sweden. Born on January 23, 1688, at Tre Kronor Castle, on the site of the current Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, she was the youngest of the seven children and the youngest of the two daughters of Karl XI, King of Sweden and Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark. Her paternal grandparents were Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg were her maternal grandparents.

Left to Right: Karl, Ulrika Eleonora and Hedwig Sophia; Credit – Wikipedia

Ulrika Eleonora had six siblings but only her eldest brother and her only sister survived childhood:

When Ulrika Eleonora was five years old, her mother died. Four years later, her father died and her fifteen-year-old brother succeeded to the throne as Karl XII, King of Sweden. Ulrika Eleonora and her two surviving siblings Hedwig Sophia and Karl were placed in the care of their paternal grandmother Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. She was quite formidable, was the Dowager Queen of Sweden for 55 years, and would remain visible in Swedish politics and society until she died in 1715.

Ulrika Eleonora’s brother Karl XII, King of Sweden in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

Being seven years younger than her sister and six years younger than her brother, Ulrika Eleonora was overshadowed by her elder siblings. As the years went by and her brother Karl XII remained unmarried, Ulrika Eleonora was regarded as a possible future heir to the Swedish throne, and her value in the royal marriage market increased. Suitors for her hand in marriage included Prince Carl of Denmark, son of King Christian V of Denmark, the future King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, and the future King George II of Great Britain but no marriage materialized.

In 1708, Ulrika Eleonora’s sister Hedwig Sophia died from smallpox, leaving her only child eight-year-old Karl Friedrich as a possible heir to the Swedish throne. At the age of two, Karl Friedrich had become Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp upon the death of his father in battle. Ulrika Eleonora’s brother Karl II, King of Sweden suffered a horrendous defeat in 1709 at the Battle of Poltava during the Great Northern War. The Swedish defeat at the Battle of Poltava marked the downfall of the Swedish Empire and the rise of the Russian Empire. After losing the battle, Karl XII fled south to the Ottoman Empire where he remained for five years.

Ulrika Eleonora with her husband; Credit – Wikipedia

As early as 1710, Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel, the eldest surviving son and heir of Karl I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, requested Ulrika Eleonora’s hand in marriage but their betrothal was not announced until January 23, 1714. The marriage was supported by her grandmother Hedwig Eleonora, who expected Ulrika Eleonora to move with her husband to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, thereby increasing the possibility that the young son of the deceased Hedwig Sophia, Karl Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, would become the heir to the Swedish throne. Ulrika Eleonora and Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel were married on March 24, 1715. Friedrich took the Swedish version of his name, Fredrik, and was granted the title Prince of Sweden and the style of His Royal Highness. Instead of moving to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, the couple remained in Sweden, Their marriage was childless.

In 1718, Karl XII, King of Sweden once again invaded Norway by laying siege to Fredriksten Fortress. On December 11, 1718, while in the trenches close to the perimeter of Fredriksten Fortress, 36-year-old Karl was hit in the head by a projectile that entered the left side of his skull and exited on the right side of his skull, instantly killing him. The invasion was abandoned and Karl’s body was returned to Sweden where he was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

Ulrika Eleonora’s coronation in Uppsala Cathedral by Johan Henrik Schildt; Credit – Wikipedia

After Karl XII’s death, his only surviving sibling Ulrika Eleonora claimed the Swedish throne even though her nephew Karl Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp had the better claim by primogeniture. Ulrika Eleonora asserted that she was the closest surviving relative of her brother and was elected Queen of Sweden by the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature. She was crowned at Uppsala Cathedral on March 17, 1719, and made her formal entrance into Stockholm on April 11, 1719.

Fredrik I, King of Sweden in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

Ulrika Eleonora wanted to reign jointly with her husband Prince Fredrik as William III and Mary II had done in England but the Swedish nobility rejected the notion. Frederik increased his influence on his wife and in state affairs and then reached out to the most powerful men in Sweden who soon considered a change. Ulrika Eleonora wrote a letter to the Riksdag on February 29, 1720, informing its members of her desire to abdicate in favor of her husband on the condition that she should succeed him if he should die before her. The Riksdag confirmed the succession of Ulrika Eleonora’s husband and the condition of her abdication which granted her place as the heir to the Swedish throne until her death. On March 24, 1720, Prince Fredrik acceded to the Swedish throne as Fredrik I, King of Sweden and Ulrika Eleonora became Queen Consort.

Although Ulrika Eleonora had an interest in affairs of state, she withdrew from all visible participation in them, occupying herself with reading, charity, and her many friends. In 1730, Frederik’s father died and he became Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel but immediately appointed his younger brother Wilhelm Regent of Hesse-Kassel. Ulrika Eleonora acted as Regent of Sweden on two occasions: during Fredrik’s trip to Hesse-Kassel from July – November 1731 and during his illness from July – September 1738. In 1734, Swedish noblewoman Hedwig Taube became Fredrik’s official mistress. She was given the title Countess of Hessenstein and bore Fredrik four children. Ulrika Eleonora expressed her disapproval to her close confidant Emerentia von Düben who convinced her never to display any public reaction to the affair because it would be beneath the queen’s dignity.

Sarcophagus of Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden and her husband Fredrik I, King of Sweden; Photo © Susan Flantzer

On November 24, 1741, at Wrangel Palace in Riddarholmen, Stockholm, Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora died from smallpox at the age of 53. She was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden. Her husband Fredrik I, King of Sweden survived her by ten years, dying on March 25, 1751, aged 74, at Wrangel Palace in Riddarholment, Stockholm, Sweden. He was buried with his wife at Riddarholmen Church.

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Works Cited

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  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederick I of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I_of_Sweden> [Accessed 12 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrika_Eleonora,_Queen_of_Sweden> [Accessed 12 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Karl XII, King of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-xii-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 12 September 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ulrika Eleonora – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrika_Eleonora> [Accessed 12 September 2021].