Fountains at the marketplace splashed out wine for three days, a whole roast ox was served, and illuminations sparkled, followed by a themed parade (The Illustrious Splendors of Felicity) on 24 October. In 1654, to the astonishment and dismay of her court, Christina Alexandra announced her abdication in favour of her cousin, Charles. $26.95. Based on this recommendation, he married Hedwig Eleonora. [47] In 1648, she commissioned 35 paintings from Jacob Jordaens for a ceiling in Uppsala Castle. The successor to her father, Gustav II Adolf, she was a prime mover in concluding the Peace of Westphalia and ending the Thirty Years' War. hand-coloured lithograph, 1830s (1657) NPG D34628. [i] In February 1652, the French doctor Pierre Bourdelot arrived in Stockholm. Kristina Wasa (16261689) The flamboyant life of Kristina, the Queen of Sweden, one of Europe's most mercurial monarchs, has long overshadowed her contribution to philosophy. Christina, Queen of Sweden" Grove Art Online. He was worried that her instability might pass on to their daughter. Christina, who was the guest of five consecutive popes[14] and a symbol of the Counter-Reformation, is one of the few women buried in the Vatican grotto. In Pesaro, Christina became acquainted with the handsome brothers Santinelli, who so impressed her with their poetry and adeptness of dancing that she took them into service, as well as a certain Gian Rinaldo Monaldeschi. They tried to persuade Maria not to visit the corpse so often. [141] In similar fashion to the popes, her body was placed in three coffins one of cypress, one of lead and finally one made of oak. Christina of Sweden had a blazing vitality, intelligence and wit that made her the wonder of Europe. The Diet also argued that Oxenstierna's policy of giving away crown lands, in the hope that they would yield more revenue when taxed than when farmed, benefited none but the aristocracy. Christina's financial extravagance brought the state to the verge of bankruptcy, and the financial difficulties caused public unrest. Christina sent home all her Spanish servants, including her confidant Pimentel and her confessor Gumes. Freed from her crown, Christina cut a breath-taking path across Europe: spending madly, searching for a more prestigious throne to scale, stirring trouble wherever she went. It was decided that Maria would travel to Germany the following spring. Christina, Swedish Kristina, (born Dec. 8, 1626, Stockholm, Swed.died April 19, 1689, Rome [Italy]), queen of Sweden (1644-54) who stunned all Europe by abdicating her throne. Queen Christina of Sweden (1626 - 1689) It's hard to separate fact from fiction with this 17th-century Swedish royal: Her predilection for wearing men's clothes and enjoying literature . "[16][c] She later wrote in her autobiography that "Deep embarrassment spread among the women when they discovered their mistake." The court poet Georg Stiernhielm wrote several plays in the Swedish language, such as Den fngne Cupido eller Laviancu de Diane, performed with Christina taking the main part of the goddess Diana. Christina revealed in her autobiography that she felt "an insurmountable distaste for marriage" and "for all the things that females talked about and did." I was shiny all over and I had a rough, strong voice". [72] Based on historical accounts of Christina's physicality, some scholars believe that she may have been an intersex individual. She suffered from diabetes mellitus. Christina, Queen of Sweden (1626-1689) - The Cambridge Descartes Lexicon In 1630 Protestant Sweden became involved in the Thirty Years' War. [36] In 1649, Louis de Geer founded the Swedish Africa Company and in 1650, Christina hired Hendrik Carloff to improve trade on Gold Coast. 'Christina, Queen of Sweden': A Royal Mess - The New York Times He died ten days later, early in the morning of 11 February 1650, and according to Chanut the cause of his death was pneumonia. Pope Alexander VII described Christina as "a queen without a realm, a Christian without faith, and a woman without shame. [72][170] Christina wrote near the end of her life that she was "neither Male nor Hermaphrodite, as some People in the World have pass'd me for". Richard Cavendish | Published in History Today Volume 54 Issue 6 June 2004 Portrait of Christina by Sbastien Bourdon, who exaggerated her eyes. Her first cousin Charles was infatuated with her, and they became secretly engaged before he left in 1642 to serve in the Swedish army in Germany for three years. Yas, Queens (and Kings)! History's Most Scandalous Queer Royals: Queen [32], Shortly before the conclusion of the peace settlement, she admitted Salvius into the council, against Oxenstierna's wishes. The killing of Monaldeschi in a French palace was legal, since Christina had judicial rights over the members of her court, as her vindicator Gottfried Leibniz claimed. The education arranged for the young princess included traditional male subjects such as politics, mathematics, and science to prepare her to rule. At the Battle of Ltzen on November 16, 1632, Gustavus Adolphus was killed and six-year-old Christina became Queen of Sweden. She wrote to Louis XIV who two weeks later paid her a friendly visit without mentioning it. Christina's aunt Katarina who played a major role in her life; Credit - Wikipedia Already suffering from mental issues, Maria Eleonora's grief was quite painful and her mental issues worsened considerably. [92], In September, she left for Italy with her entourage of 255 persons and 247 horses. It was Cardinal Azzolino, her "bookkeeper" who signed the contract, as well as provided her with new servants to replace Francesco Santinelli, who had been Monaldeschi's executioner. She has a big nose, large blue eyes, blonde eyebrows, and a double chin from which sprout several tufts of beard. [15], Christina was born in the royal castle Tre Kronor on 18 December[O.S. [72] She was educated as a prince and taught (and enjoyed) fencing, horse riding and bear hunting. (2013). [126], The new pope, Clement X, worried about the influence of theatre on public morals. Lanoye, D. (2001) Christina van Zweden: Koningin op het schaakbord Europa 16261689, p. 114. [1] Christina seemed to recover, but in the middle of April she developed an acute streptococcus bacterial infection known as erysipelas, then contracted pneumonia and a high fever. Grate, Pontus, "Vasa Family. [113] No Roman collection of art could match hers. Chancellor Oxenstierna soon discovered that her political views differed from his own. [98] Buckley, on the other hand, believed there was "in Christina a curious squeamishness with regard to sex" and that "a sexual relationship between herself and Azzolino, or any other man, seems unlikely". Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a Euro From Antiquity to the end of the Great power era 1720"), Marker, Frederick J. [25] In Rome, she made Pope Clement X prohibit the custom of chasing Jews through the streets during the carnival. Queen Christina of Sweden, Lesbian Troublemaker - HeadStuff It is an unromantic likeness, for she is given a double chin and a prominent nose with flaring nostrils. Shutterstock Chancellor Oxenstierna taught her politics and discussed Tacitus with her. As an older woman, Christina's style changed a little. Christina summary | Britannica When visiting the ballet with la Grande Mademoiselle, she, as the latter recalls, "surprised me very much applauding the parts which pleased her, taking God to witness, throwing herself back in her chair, crossing her legs, resting them on the arms of her chair, and assuming other postures, such as I had never seen taken but by Travelin and Jodelet, two famous buffoons She was in all respects a most extraordinary creature". [88] On 10 July Christina arrived in Hamburg and stayed with Jacob Curiel at Krameramtsstuben. [104][105] For two months she had suspected Monaldeschi of disloyalty; she secretly seized his correspondence, which revealed that he had betrayed her interests. [125] When the pope suffered a stroke, she was among the few he wanted to see at his deathbed. (2018) Dark horses of business: overseas entrepreneurship in seventeenth-century Nordic trade in the Indian and Atlantic oceans, p. 134-135", "The Correspondence of Isaac Vossius (currently 1,702 letters) EMLO", "Il y a des preuves que Ren Descartes a t assassin", "Disobedient Facts About Christina of Sweden, the Troublemaker Queen", "Expressions of power: Queen Christina of Sweden and patronage in Baroque Europe by Nathan A. Popp, University of Iowa", "The Formula of Concord in the History of Swedish Lutheranism, p. 6 By Docent Seth Erlandsson, Uppsala", "The physician Romolo Spezioli (1642 -1723) and his private library in the Public Library of Fermo", "Romolo Spezioli, medico di Cristina di Svezia", "FAMOUS AFFINITIES OF HISTORY THE ROMANCE OF DEVOTION by Lyndon Orr", "Converts, Conversion, and the Confessionalization Thesis, Once Again", Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia: The age of Gustavus Adolphus and Queen Christina of Sweden (16621656), "Memoirs of Christina, Queen of Sweden: In 2 volumes. Granvelle had been the "greatest private collector of his time, the friend and patron of Titian and Leoni and many other artists",[143], Christina was entranced by her new possessions, and remained a keen collector for the rest of her life, and as a female art collector is only exceeded by Catherine the Great of Russia in the Early Modern period. December 18, 1626 - Christina, Queen Of Sweden. It is highly unlikely Descartes wrote a "Ballet de la Naissance de la Paix", performed on her birthday. In: The Music Room in Early Modern France and Italy. [140], Christina had asked for a simple burial in the Pantheon, Rome, but the pope insisted on her being displayed on a lit de parade for four days in the Riario Palace. There are seven gold coins known to exist bearing the effigy of Queen Christina: a unique 1649 five ducat. Christina of Sweden 1626-1689 Queen of Sweden | Encyclopedia.com She begged him to try to persuade the king to come home. [151], On her death she left her collection to Cardinal Decio Azzolino, who himself died within a year, leaving the collection to his nephew, who sold it to Don Livio Odescalchi, commander of the Papal army,[152] at which point it contained 275 paintings, 140 of them Italian. Christina sent him food and hundreds of letters when he was locked up in Castel Sant'Angelo. Since the quoted source is from 1954, I don't see much hope for finding the book (I checked WorldCat and found no listing) so I think this entry should be lowered from "B . Every Wednesday she held the palace open to visitors from the higher classes who kept themselves busy with poetry and intellectual discussions. Christina was portrayed on a gilt and bronze medallion, supported by a crowned skull. [11], In 1644, she began issuing copper in lumps as large as fifteen kilograms to serve as currency. Christina succeeded in arranging a major loan, leaving books and statues to settle her debts. Charles Gustav was crowned later on that day. [136], In 1656, Christina had appointed Carissimi as her maestro di cappella del concerto di camera. Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso. Until 1649, when Christina was twenty-three, the Swedish royal art collection was unimpressive, with good tapestries but for paintings, little more than "about a hundred works by minor German, Flemish, and Swedish painters". Christina visited Johann Friedrich Gronovius, and Anna Maria van Schurman in the Dutch Republic. Queen Christina of Sweden as a Patron of Music in Rome in the Mid-Seventeenth Century by TESSA MURDOCH. The opera premiered on 22 May 1849 at the Mindre Theatre in Stockholm. She was concerned that the royal collections would be claimed by her successor, and prudently sent them ahead to Antwerp in a ship in August 1653, almost a year before she abdicated, an early sign of her intentions. Christina was the daughter of King Gustav II Adolf and Maria Eleonora of Brandonburg. [14] Some historians assert she maintained heterosexual,[12] non-sexual,[167] lesbian,[168] or bisexual relationships during the course of her life depending on which source is consulted. Belonging to the Arcadia-circle was also Francesco Negri, a Franciscan from Ravenna who is regarded as the first tourist to visit North Cape, Norway. pp. The Riario Palace finally provided a suitable setting for her collection, and the Sala dei Quadri ("Paintings Room") had her finest works, with thirteen Titians and eleven Veroneses, five Raphaels and several Correggios. [96][97], Christina had settled down in the Palazzo Farnese, which belonged to the Duke of Parma. She had more conversations with them, being interested in Catholic views on sin, the immortality of the soul, rationality, and free will. Fact# 1: Queen Christina abdicated the crown after 10 years of ruling Queen Christina became heir-elect and queen with the death of her father, King Gustav II Adolf. [a] She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death at the Battle of Ltzen in 1632, but began ruling the Swedish Empire when she reached the age of eighteen in 1644. Its members ruled the Kingdom of Sweden from 1523 to 1654 and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1668. The "Semiramis from the North" corresponded with Pierre Gassendi, her favorite author. Queen Christina of Sweden, Lesbian Troublemaker By Ciaran Conliffe Last updated Oct 9, 2018 Christina of Sweden was trouble, right from the moment she was born. Clarke, Martin Lowther (1978) "The Making of a Queen: The Education of Christina of Sweden." On her father's death six years later, she inherited the Swedish throne. [22] She arrived on 10 July 1631, to Wolgast in Pomerania. Christina argued for peace to end the Thirty Years' War and received indemnity. Sculptors did rather better, and Bernini was a friend, while others were commissioned to restore the large collection of classical sculpture which she had begun to assemble while still in Sweden. She's remembered for her abdication and her conversion from Lutheranism to Roman Catholicism. [22] However, this image of the hysterical, depressive and profligate queen dowager, which has become part of historiography, has been put into perspective in more recent research, first in the 1980s by the archivist ke Kromnov,[22] among others, and more recently in the monograph "Drottningen som sa nej" by Moa Matthis, published in 2010. The sculpture collection was sold to the King of Spain and mostly remains in Spanish museums and palaces. [127] Itinerant doctor Nicolaas Heinsius the Younger, the legitimized son of a former literatus at Christina's court in Stockholm, arrived in Rome in 1679, converted and was appointed the Queen's personal physician until about 1687, providing autobiographical material for his picaresque novel,The Delightful Adventures and Wonderful Life of Mirandor (1695). But Christina understood that it was expected of her to provide an heir to the Swedish throne. Christina abdicated at age 27 Sbastien Bourdon/Wikipedia In 1651, Queen Christina shocked her advisors by announcing her desire to give up the throne in favor of her cousin, Charles Gustavus. "It is a far greater happiness to obey no one than to rule the whole world .". She was embalmed, covered with white brocade, a silver mask, a gilt crown, and a scepter. Christina wrote him many letters during her travels. With Malin Buska, Sarah Gadon, Michael Nyqvist, Lucas Bryant. The couple were spotted for the last time on 28 October 1632 at Erfurt. In February 1654, she plainly told the Council of her plans to abdicate. By Veronica Buckley. Provenance. [l] She did not declare her conversion in public, in case the Swedish council might refuse to pay her alimony. Queen Charlotte of Sweden was born about 100 years after Queen Christina and it doesn't seem likely that Christina's birth time would be mentioned in Charlotte's biography. CHRISTINA, QUEEN OF SWEDEN The Restless Life of a European Eccentric. The sale was finally concluded and the 123 paintings included in the sale were delivered in 1721, forming the core of the Orleans Collection, the paintings from which were mostly sold in London after the French Revolution, with many of them being on display in the National Gallery. Also today one can read the inscription. Jonsson, L. Ann-Marie Nilsson & Greger Andersson (1994), This page was last edited on 3 July 2023, at 04:21. She would gladly have visited England, but she received no encouragement from Cromwell and stayed in Fontainebleau as nobody else offered her a place. #BornThisDay: Queen Christina Of Sweden - The WOW Report [72], The Queen had long conversations about Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Francis Bacon, and Kepler with Antonio Macedo, secretary and interpreter for Portugal's ambassador. [162][138] She was said to have preferred these masculine hobbies to more feminine ones. [98][159] As a result of conflicting and unreliable accounts (some no better than gossip), the way in which Christina is described, even today, is a matter of debate. Watson, 160161; not all these attributions would hold today. Christina and Azzolino were so close that the pope asked him to shorten his visits to her palace, but they remained lifelong friends. [30], Christina was educated as a royal male would have been. 1967. She "was sorry that she had been forced to undertake this execution, but claimed that justice had been carried out for his crime and betrayal.[107]. Christina's goal was to become a mediator between France and Spain in their contest to control Naples. Some historians have speculated that references to her physical attributes may be over-represented in related historiography, thus giving the impression that this was of greater interest to her contemporaries than was actually the case. Mazarin gave her no official sponsorship but gave instructions that she be celebrated and entertained in every town on her way north. "[95] She was granted her own wing inside the Vatican, decorated by Bernini. She returned to Rome and dismissed Santinelli in 1659, claiming to be her ambassador in Vienna without her approval. House of Vasa - Wikipedia Christina of Sweden | Encyclopedia.com Christina went to the castle of Jacobsdal where she boarded a coronation carriage draped in black velvet embroidered in gold and pulled by three white horses. Mar 16, 2023 By Marianne Plasse, BA in History, Undergraduate Certificate in Art History Right Portrait of Christina, Queen of Sweden by Sbastien Bordon, 1653, via Nationalmuseum, Stockholm She received the same education a male heir would have, and became interested in politics, religion and languages. Over time there have been speculations regarding the death of the philosopher. He described her as 'a woman born of a barbarian, barbarously brought up and living with barbarous thoughts with a ferocious and almost intolerable pride'. Georgina Masson (1968) Queen Christina (Secker & Warburg). She sent Matthias Palbitzki to Madrid and King Philip IV of Spain sent the diplomat Antonio Pimentel de Prado to Stockholm in August. She never implemented such a policy. Inspirational Quotes by Christina, Queen of Sweden (Swedish Monarch She visited the Teixeira family at Jungfernstieg and entertained them in her own lodgings. When histories of philosophy mention her at all, they usually present her as the pupil of Descartes and as the patron of philosophical salons. Christina of Denmark ( Danish: Kirstine Bjrnsdatter, Swedish: Kristina Bjrnsdotter; c. 1120/25 - c. 1160/70), was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Eric "IX" (r. 1156-1160), and the mother of King Canute I of Sweden . With the execution of Monaldeschi, her popularity was lost. "[17] Gustav Adolf was closely attached to his daughter, whereas her mother remained aloof in her disappointment at the child being a girl. Goldsmith, Margaret (1935) Christina of Sweden: a psychological biography.Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. Leif Jonsson, Ann-Marie Nilsson & Greger Andersson: Musiken i Sverige. 5 Facts about Queen Christina of Sweden - Lesbian News [22] She also demanded that the coffin be kept open, and went to see it regularly, patting it and taking no notice of the putrefaction. Christina, Queen of Sweden" Grove Art Online. She showed little affection for her daughter and was not allowed any influence in Christina's upbringing. Christina sent a ship to pick up the philosopher and 2,000 books. 's presence, I am worth nothing, not even my life".[22]. Christina's visit to Rome was the triumph of Pope Alexander VII and the occasion for splendid Baroque festivities. 13 LGBTQ royals you didn't learn about in history class - NBC News [72], Bargrave recounted that Christina's relationship with Azzolino was both "familiar" (intimate) and "amorous" and that Azzolino had been sent (by the Pope) to Romania as punishment for maintaining it. Within ten years, she and Oxenstierna had created 17 counts, 46 barons, and 428 lesser nobles. Browse 236 christina queen of sweden photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. She had asked for 200,000 rikstalers a year, but received dominions instead. Christina left the country within a few days. [PDF] [EPUB] Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a History's Most Scandalous Queer Royals" is a weeklong series in celebration of LGBTQ History Month chronicling both queer erasure and monarchal shenanigans of the past. Alexandra was a confirmation name in 1654, chosen in honor of the reigning pope, Bernini had decorated the gate with Christina's coat of arms (an ear of corn) beneath that of Pope Alexander (six mountains with a star above). Already in 1654, she had left her income to the banker Diego Teixeira in return for him sending her a monthly allowance and covering her debts in Antwerp. [45], In 1646, Christina's good friend, the French ambassador Pierre Chanut, met and corresponded with the philosopher Ren Descartes, asking him for a copy of his Meditations. [119], On 16 September 1668, John II Casimir abdicated the PolishLithuanian throne and left to France. Matthiae was strongly opposed to this and was again backed by Christina. The case of Arnold Johan Messenius, In: Oskar Garstein. [98] He was also the leader of the Squadrone Volante, the free-thinking "Flying Squad" movement within the Catholic Church. The Girl King (2015) - IMDb The Debates on Wends and Vandals in Swedish Humanism as an Indicator for Early Modern Patterns of Ethnic Perception. [138][139], Christina remained very tolerant towards the beliefs of others all her life. She claimed the nation and the army needed a man to lead them, according to History Today. Quilliet, B. [n] Another Franciscan was the Swede Lars Skytte, who, under the name pater Laurentius, served as Christina's confessor for eight years.[o]. [72] Christina's contemporary John Bargrave described her comportment in a similar fashion but said witnesses ascribed her style more to childishness or madness than masculinity. [149] Titian's Venus Anadyomene was among them. Rudolf had collected old and contemporary works from both Italy and northern Europe, but it was the Italian paintings that excited Christina, and by her death, her collection contained relatively few northern works other than portraits. Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a Euro Christina, Queen of Sweden - Astrodienst After her death, Azzolino burnt most of their correspondence; about 80 have survived. Such ambiguity did not end with her birth; Christina made cryptic statements about her "constitution" and body throughout her life. [76][77] According to them "Christina was bringing everything to ruin, and that she cared for nothing but sport and pleasure. Salvius was no aristocrat, but Christina wanted the opposition to the aristocracy present. Christina Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric In 1675, she invited Antnio Vieira to become her confessor. Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric Veronica Buckley 3.44 459 ratings80 reviews She was born on a bitterly cold December night in 1626 and, in the candlelight, mistakenly declared a boy. The Girl King: Directed by Mika Kaurismki. [172] Hjortsj's osteological analysis of Christina's skeleton led him to state that they were of a "typically female" structure. In her basement there was a laboratory, where she, From 2005 to 2011, her marble sarcophagus was positioned next to that of. Gustav Adolf had decided that in the event of his death, his daughter should be cared for by his half-sister, Catherine of Sweden[d] and half-brother Carl Gyllenhielm as regent. [61], Her tutor, Johannes Matthiae, influenced by John Dury and Comenius, who since 1638 had been working on a new Swedish school system, represented a gentler attitude than most Lutherans. Konsthistorisk tidskrift, Vol. 370 pp. In 1651, Christina lost much of her popularity after the beheading of Arnold Johan Messenius, together with his 17-year-old son, who had accused her of serious misbehavior and of being a "Jezebel". She herself wrote her version of the story for circulation in Europe.