History is full of men. Especially kings.
And who – at least in Scandinavia – hasn’t heard of the Vasa Kings, with their bad temper, family-feuds and madness?
But what about the women? The queens and princesses, that always stand in the shadow of their more famous male relatives? In this blog, I will share their stories – from Katarina of Saxe-Lauenburg, the almost forgotten first wife of Gustav Vasa, to Katarina Vasa, the last of the Vasa princesses and mother to a new dynasty.
These women were not just wives, sisters and mothers. They were power players in their own right who made lasting impressions not just in their own time, but in Swedish and Nordic history.
But first some background:
In the beginning of the 16th century Sweden was a part of the Kalmar Union, the union between Sweden, Norway and Danmark made by queen Margrete at the end of the 14th century.
The king at this time was Christian II from Denmark. Many of the Swedish noblemen was dissatisfied with Christian and with the union, and rebellion broke out.
Unfortunately for them, Christian won the war and took his revenge on the rebel leaders among the nobles by executing them in what is remembered as the Stockholm bloodbath.
From the ashes of this catastrophe a certain Gustav Eriksson Vasa arose. Long story short: After continuing the war of independence, Gustav was victorious and could proclaim himself king of Sweden in 1523.
Gustav Vasa had no legitimate claim to the throne. He was admittedly from one of the most powerful noble families in Sweden, but he had no royal blood.
Therefore he was seen by many as an upstart and an usurper who had taken the throne from the rightful king, Christian II. He had to spend many years defending his position.
And one of the things a true king needs is a queen. Gustav preferably wanted to marry a princess, who could help him strengthen his claim. And this is where our story really begins.