This theme is about forgotten royal women, and the first is Ingegerd Olofsdotter, princess and later – saint. But to understand her story, it needs to be put it in a bigger perspective. Therefore, let’s…
History is full of men. Especially kings and warriors. In history books we can read about wars and battles, the forging and disintegration of empires. Women occasionally glimpse past in these great stories, in the…
In the last post about Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, we learned that her daughter, Kristina, was taken from her by her enemies in the Privy Council, who ruled Sweden while Kristina was a minor. For…
This is the second post about Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg; read the first part here. The Thirty Years War, which had broken out in Europe in 1618, was a religious war that arose from the…
Just like her mother-in-law, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg have been vilified throughout history. But the criticism of Maria Eleonora has been the opposite of that of Kristina – she was too extravagant, too emotional and…
Read part 1 here. Kristina of Holstein-Gottorp’s husband, king Karl IX died on October the 30th, 1611. Kristina then became the first Vasa queen to see her child inherit the throne, and the only one…
In the post about Anna of Austria, Kristina’s predecessor, we saw how Sigismund, king of Sweden and Poland, was challenged by his uncle, duke Karl, over the rule of Sweden. The conflict between uncle and…
When Swedish king Johan III died, on November 17, 1592, his and Katarina Jagellonica’s son Sigismund became king of Sweden. He was already king of Poland, as nephew to the former queen Anna. He was…
After queen Katarina Jagellonica’s death in 1583, king Johan III was 45 years old and wanted to remarry. He found his new bride among the Swedish nobility – 16-year-old Gunilla Bielke. Gunilla’s father was councillor…
In the previous two posts about Katarina Jagellonica, we followed her journey from Polish princess, to Swedish duchess, from luxury to imprisonment. Let’s continue our story in the fall of 1567, after Katarina, her husband…