Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie
Encyclopedia
Countess Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie or de La Gardie, also called Catharina Charlotta and Katarina Charlotta, née
Taube, (5 April 1723 – 24 March 1763), was a Swedish
noble
. She introduced smallpox
vaccination
in Sweden, and stopped the last witch trial
in her country.
Born to Count Edvard Didrik Taube of Odenkat and Kristina Maria Falkenberg, Catherine was the younger sister of the royal favourite Hedvig Taube
. She became lady-in-waiting
to Crown Princess Lovisa Ulrika
in 1744, and married Count Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie, brother of scientist Eva Ekeblad
, in 1748.
Smallpox vaccination was officially introduced to Sweden in 1756, initially meeting with a great deal of resistance. De la Gardie had her own children vaccinated, which caused some farmers to do likewise. This is sometimes counted as the breakthrough for smallpox vaccination among the public.
The second act for which she is remembered occurred in 1758. In 1757, a witch hysteria broke out in the parish of Ål in Dalarna
, where thirteen women and five men were accused of abducting children and bringing them to a witches' sabbath. The governor Pehr Ekman ordered their arrest, interrogation and torture
. De la Gardie became aware of the trial during a trip to Dalarna in 1758 and, together with others, helped stop this process by making it known in the capital. The matter had been treated by the local authorities and church, and when it became known in the country, it was treated as a scandal. The parliament issued an investigation, the accused were all freed, and Governor Ekman, who had accepted charges of witchcraft and had allowed torture, was sentenced to jail and stripped of his position. De la Gardie helped the victims with legal assistance and made sure they were granted compensation from the state, as the torture had made them incapable of work. For this act, she became a heroine and awarded a medal (1761), with the inscription: Catharina Charlotta Taube, comitissa De la Gardie, Fulcrum infelicibus, Ob XII ab injuria servatos cives Ordo R. Equ. 1761.
She was a friend of the poet Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht
. Nordenflycht's most famous poem, Öfver en Hyacint, is a love poem which describes Nordenflycht's love for the young Johan Fischerström; her last poem is about the love triangle between Nordenflycht, Fischerström and Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie, which took place during the winter of 1762/3. She died after having contracted a fatal disease while nursing the sick.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Taube, (5 April 1723 – 24 March 1763), was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
noble
Swedish nobility
The Swedish nobility were historically a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, part of the so-called frälse . Today, the nobility is still very much a part of Swedish society but they do not maintain many of their former privileges...
. She introduced smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
vaccination
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
in Sweden, and stopped the last witch trial
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
in her country.
Born to Count Edvard Didrik Taube of Odenkat and Kristina Maria Falkenberg, Catherine was the younger sister of the royal favourite Hedvig Taube
Hedvig Taube
Hedvig Ulrika Taube also Countess von Hessenstein was a Swedish noble and salonist, official royal mistress to King Frederick I of Sweden...
. She became lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to Crown Princess Lovisa Ulrika
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:...
in 1744, and married Count Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie, brother of scientist Eva Ekeblad
Eva Ekeblad
Eva Ekeblad , née Eva De la Gardie, was a Swedish agronomist, scientist, Salonist and noble . Her most known discovery was to make flour and alcohol out of potatoes...
, in 1748.
Smallpox vaccination was officially introduced to Sweden in 1756, initially meeting with a great deal of resistance. De la Gardie had her own children vaccinated, which caused some farmers to do likewise. This is sometimes counted as the breakthrough for smallpox vaccination among the public.
The second act for which she is remembered occurred in 1758. In 1757, a witch hysteria broke out in the parish of Ål in Dalarna
Dalarna
', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....
, where thirteen women and five men were accused of abducting children and bringing them to a witches' sabbath. The governor Pehr Ekman ordered their arrest, interrogation and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
. De la Gardie became aware of the trial during a trip to Dalarna in 1758 and, together with others, helped stop this process by making it known in the capital. The matter had been treated by the local authorities and church, and when it became known in the country, it was treated as a scandal. The parliament issued an investigation, the accused were all freed, and Governor Ekman, who had accepted charges of witchcraft and had allowed torture, was sentenced to jail and stripped of his position. De la Gardie helped the victims with legal assistance and made sure they were granted compensation from the state, as the torture had made them incapable of work. For this act, she became a heroine and awarded a medal (1761), with the inscription: Catharina Charlotta Taube, comitissa De la Gardie, Fulcrum infelicibus, Ob XII ab injuria servatos cives Ordo R. Equ. 1761.
She was a friend of the poet Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht
Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht
Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht was a Swedish poet, feminist and salon hostess...
. Nordenflycht's most famous poem, Öfver en Hyacint, is a love poem which describes Nordenflycht's love for the young Johan Fischerström; her last poem is about the love triangle between Nordenflycht, Fischerström and Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie, which took place during the winter of 1762/3. She died after having contracted a fatal disease while nursing the sick.