Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
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....
from 5 December 1718 to 29 February 1720, and then 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...
until her death.
She was the youngest child of King Charles XI
Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire ....
and Queen Ulrika Eleonora the Elder and named after her mother. After the death of her brother King Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
in 1718, she claimed the throne. Her late older sister, Princess Hedvig Sophia
Hedvig Sophia of Sweden
Princess Hedvig Sophia Augusta of Sweden was a Swedish princess and a Duchess Consort of Holstein-Gottorp, the eldest child of King Charles XI of Sweden, and his spouse Queen Ulrica Eleanor. She was heir presumptive to the Swedish throne until her death and the Regent of the duchy of...
, had left a son, Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp
Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Duke Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp was the son of Frederick IV of Holstein-Gottorp and his wife, Hedvig Sophia, daughter of King Charles XI of Sweden...
, who had the better claim by primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
. But Ulrika Eleonora asserted that she was the closest surviving relative of the late king (the idea of proximity of blood
Proximity of blood
Proximity of blood, or closeness in degree of kinship, is one of the ways to determine hereditary succession based on genealogy. It was at loggerheads with primogeniture in numerous medieval succession disputes....
) and cited the precedent of Queen Christina
Christina of Sweden
Christina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
. She was recognized as successor by the Riksdag
Riksdag of the Estates
The Riksdag of the Estates , was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King...
after she had agreed to renounce the powers of absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
established by her father Charles XI. She abdicated in 1720 in favor of her consort, Landgrave
Landgrave
Landgrave was a title used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor...
Frederick I
Frederick I of Sweden
Frederick I, , was a prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and a King of Sweden from 1720 until his death and also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730...
of Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
.
Princess and regent
Ulrika Eleonora lived most of her life under the shadow of others, outshone by her brother the king, and by her beautiful sister, who was her brother's informal heir. In 1700, there were negotiations about a marriage to Frederick William I of PrussiaFrederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
, but nothing came of them. She was later made the god-mother of Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
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:...
, who was given the name Ulrika after her. A princess and spinster, she took care of her dominating grandmother, Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp
Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp
Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp was the queen consort of King Charles X of Sweden and queen mother of King Charles XI...
, during her brother's absence in the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
. Her older sister, Hedvig Sophia, was then the heir to the throne.
Ulrika Eleonora's situation began to change after the death of her older sister in 1708. As her brother refused to marry, and as she was the only royal representative in Sweden, she was in 1713 named as regent during the king's absence by the government and by her grandmother, and thus became a pawn of the many powers struggling for influence in a country without a real heir. The choice now stood between Ulrika Eleonora and her nephew. Her accession as regent and president of the parliament was treated with great enthusiasm. The Riksdag had opposed her brother as they wanted to abolish the absolute monarchy and reinstate their own power.
After her grandmother's death in 1715 she became the center of the court, and this was most likely one of the most happy periods of her life. In 1715 she married Landgrave Frederick I
Frederick I of Sweden
Frederick I, , was a prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and a King of Sweden from 1720 until his death and also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730...
of Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
. The marriage, which on her side was a love-match, become another attempt to use her as a political puppet. Frederick had married her with the intent to reach the throne, and immediately began plotting to have her named heir in place of her nephew. The "Hesse-party" and the "Gottorp-party" stood against each other in the struggle to the throne.
Queen regnant
When Charles XII was killed in 1718, the "Hesse-party" secured Ulrika Eleonora's succession to the throne. They gained the support of the Riksdag opposition, who wanted to end the absolute monarchyAbsolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
established in 1680 and reinstate parliamentary rule.
To accomplish this, Ulrika Eleonora had to consent to a new constitution, which greatly limited the power of the monarch. She was formally elected monarch and crowned in Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
in March 1719. During her short period as monarch,
to secure support for her rule, she ennobled many families. In fifteen months, she created one hundred and eighty one noble titles, more than any other monarch in Swedish history: one count, two barons, and eight lesser noblemen every month. She had seven field marshals where her brother only had between three and five. Her favorite courtier was Emerentia von Düben
Emerentia von Düben
Emerentia von Düben , known as Menza, was a Swedish lady-in-waiting, favourite of queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden.Emerentia was the daughter of organist Gustaf Düben. She was initially employed as a chamber maid at the court of the queen, Ulrika Eleonora and was in 1690 made responsible for...
(1669–1743), her old nurse, who had been ennobled and made lady-in-waiting in 1707 and with whom she had a close relationship all her life; Düben acted as her advisor, her comfort and support, and was not said to have abused her influence - they were described as sisters.
Ulrika Eleonora was in fact in favor of an absolute monarchy. She had agreed to the new constitution only to secure the throne from her nephew. She supported her husband's political ambitions and wanted him to become co-ruler, following the example of William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and Mary II of England
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
, but this was not permitted by the Riksdag, as co-reigning had been forbidden in Sweden since the 15th century. She therefore abdicated in his favor after reigning only one year. This succession was confirmed by the Riksdag. She often spoke of the abdication as the great sacrifice of her life. Frederick succeeded her as Frederick I in 1720.
Her reign occurred just before the end of the Great Northern War.
Queen consort
Ulrika Eleonora had married for love and was known to be fiercely loyal to Frederick. At least until 1724, the Queen expressed the hope that she would give birth to an heir, but the marriage was childless. Frederick did not reciprocate his wife's loyalty. He took mistresses, and his extramarital affairs increased after he lost much of his royal authority in 1723. In 1730, Frederick became the first king in Swedish history to have an official mistress, the young noblewoman Hedvig TaubeHedvig Taube
Hedvig Ulrika Taube also Countess von Hessenstein was a Swedish noble and salonist, official royal mistress to King Frederick I of Sweden...
, who was given the title Countess of Hessenstein. The Queen's reaction to this has never been known and she never commented on it, but she withdrew from court and devoted herself to religion and charity. In spite of this withdrawal, she was made regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
during Frederick's absence in 1731 and in 1738. During her 1738 regency, she banned the newly-founded Swedish theatre by refusing to extend their access to Bollhuset
Bollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...
. Her reason for this was opposition toward the theatre among the clergy. The theatre, however, was restored the year after that.
Queen Ulrika Eleonora died of 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"...
in 1741. The reigns of Ulrika Eleonora and her husband were the start the period traditionally known as the Age of Liberty, when the monarchy lost most of its power to the nobility.
Personal life
Ulrika Eleonora was interested in jewelry, music, and collected coins. She liked to dance at court balls, and she also hired German and French theatre companies to perform in Bollhuset. She could interrupt a parliamentary session to pray. At court receptions she interrogated young ladies about the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, rewarding them for correct answers. She was a stern believer in her royal pride, and pretended to be sick and locked herself in her rooms when she was offended.