Christina of Holstein-Gottorp
Encyclopedia
.svg.png)
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
– 8 December 1625 at Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, in Sweden and is regarded as one of Sweden's finest historical monuments. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm....
) was a Queen Consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Sweden
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....
as consort of king Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
, mother of king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
, and a Regent of Sweden.
Biography
Christina was the daughter of Adolf, Duke of Holstein-GottorpAdolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp was the first Duke of Holstein-Gottorp from the line of Holstein-Gottorp of the House of Oldenburg....
, and Christine of Hesse
Christine of Hesse
Christine of Hesse-Kassel was Duchess consort of Holstein-Gottorp as the spouse of Duke Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp. She exerted some political influence as a widow in 1586.- Biography :...
(daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Philip I of Hesse, , nicknamed der Großmütige was a leading champion of the Protestant Reformation and one of the most important of the early Protestant rulers in Germany....
). In 1586, she was suggested as a bride for Sigismund of Poland
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
, but nothing came of plans to marry him. On 8 July 1592, she became the second spouse of Charles, Duke of Södermanland
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
, who in 1599 became Sweden's regent and in 1604 its king. She was crowned together with her spouse in Uppsala cathedral in 1607.
Queen Christina was a domineering and strong-willed person with a strong sense of economy. She was both respected and feared. She has been described as hard, stubborn and stingy, and it is claimed that while the former wife of her spouse always tried to persuade him to show leniency in his acts, Christina did the opposite. She executed a very strict control over the court, which is illustrated by the anecdote that she measured up the sewing-thread for her servants in person. Her marriage was considered happy, though her husband was not faithful to her, as they were very similar in personality. She often accompanied him on his journeys, among them to Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in 1600–1601.
Christina is not considered to have dominated her likewise dominant and temperamental spouse, nor is she considered to have wielded any considerable political influence by herself during the reign of her spouse. Nevertheless, she did not lack some political significance. Although her spouse did not let her dictate policy, he did ask her for advice in political matters. During the war with Denmark, he disregarded her advice and came to be in conflict with her because he suspected her to be pro-Danish. She acted as regent during her husband's absence in 1605. She is also known to have prevented the election of her younger son to the throne of the Russian Czar in 1610–1612 by keeping him at home from the Russian election when he was to be sent to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
She became Queen Dowager of Sweden in 1611 upon the death of her husband and served as Regent of Sweden for her two sons until her eldest son was recognized as king and a guardian council was established. As a widow, she served as regent for her younger son, Charles Philip, Duke of Södermanland
Charles Philip, Duke of Södermanland
Prince Charles Philip of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland, was a Swedish prince, Duke of Södermanland, Närke and Värmland...
, in the Duchy of Södermanland from 1611 to 1622. She also managed the iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s of her spouse and took an active interest in business. During her son's first years as king in the 1610s, she was considered by some the real, or one of the real, rulers behind the throne during his minority, even though she was not formally regent. She certainly acted as advisor for her son: for example, he asked for her advice regarding the marriage of her daughter, which proved to cause a conflict with the Lutheran church. In 1622, she retired to Nyköping
Nyköping
Nyköping is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,427 inhabitants in 2005. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.- History :...
Castle. In 1622 her youngest son Charles Philip died: after his death, his secret marriage was discovered, and she became the guardian of his daughter by Elisabet Ribbing
Elisabet Ribbing
Elisabet Ribbing , was a Swedish noble and lady-in-waiting. She was the secret morganatic spouse of Prince Charles Philip, Duke of Södermanland.- Biography :...
, Elisabet Carlsdotter Gyllenhielm (1622–1682).
As a dowager queen, she is known for preventing her son from marrying Ebba Brahe
Ebba Brahe
Ebba Magnusdotter Brahe was a lady-in-waiting in the Swedish court, countess, and the mistress of king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden...
. During this affair, she wrote a famous poem on the window of Ebba Brahe, which goes : "This you want, that you shall - that is the way in cases as this."
Children
- Christina (1593–1594)
- Gustavus Adolphus of SwedenGustavus Adolphus of SwedenGustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
(Gustav II Adolf) (1594–1632) - Princess Maria Elizabeth of SwedenPrincess Maria Elizabeth of SwedenPrincess Maria Elizabeth of Sweden, , was a Swedish princess, daughter of king Charles IX of Sweden and Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, and by marriage duchess of Ostrogothia....
(1596–1618), married her first cousin John, Duke of Östergötland, youngest son of John III of SwedenJohn III of Sweden-Family:John married his first wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland , house of Jagiello, in Vilnius on 4 October 1562. In Sweden, she is known as Katarina Jagellonica. She was the sister of king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland... - Charles Philip, Duke of SödermanlandCharles Philip, Duke of SödermanlandPrince Charles Philip of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland, was a Swedish prince, Duke of Södermanland, Närke and Värmland...
(1601–1622)