Search results
Learn about the life and reign of Christina, the only daughter of Gustavus Adolphus and the last Vasa monarch of Sweden. Find out how she became a Catholic, abdicated her throne, and moved to Rome.
People also ask
Who was Queen Christina of Sweden?
Who was the Queen of Sweden in 1650?
When did Christina die?
Who is Queen Christina?
Jun 28, 2024 · Learn about Christina, the queen of Sweden who abdicated in 1654 and became a prominent figure in European culture and politics. Discover her life, achievements, controversies, and legacy in this comprehensive article.
- Ruth Stephan
- Christina was the daughter and sole heir of Gustavus Adolphus and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg. Her father, who reigned as the king of Sweden from...
- Christina became queen-elect of Sweden at age six upon the death of her father, King Gustavus Adolphus, in 1632. She was instructed in politics by...
- Lutheranism was Sweden’s official state religion, and Christina’s secret conversion to Roman Catholicism may be one of the reasons that she abdicat...
- One of the wittiest, most-learned women of her age, Christina is remembered for her lavish sponsorship of the arts and influence on European cultur...
- Early Life
- Queen
- Reigning
- Relationships
- Abdication
- Rome
- Failed Schemes
- Legacy
- Sources
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Christina was born Dec. 18, 1626, to King Gustavus Adolphus Vasa of Sweden and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, now a state in Germany. She was her father's only surviving legitimate child, and thus his only heir. Her mother was a German princess, daughter of John Sigismund, elector of Brandenburg, and granddaughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Pruss...
When her father was killed in battlein 1632, the 6-year-old girl became Queen Christina. Her mother, who was described as being "hysterical" in her grief, was excluded from being part of the regency. Lord High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna ruled Sweden as regent until Queen Christina was of age. Oxenstierna had been an adviser to Christina's father a...
Even during the regency, Christina followed her own mind. Against Oxenstierna's advice, she initiated the end of the Thirty Years' War, culminating with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. She launched a "Court of Learning" by virtue of her patronage of art, theater, and music. Her efforts attracted French philosopher Rene Descartes, who came to Stock...
Queen Christina appointed her cousin Carl Gustav (Karl Charles Gustavus) as her successor. Some historians believe that she was romantically linked to him earlier, but they never married. Instead, her relationship with lady-in-waiting Countess Ebbe "Belle" Sparre launched rumors of lesbianism. Surviving letters from Christina to the countess are ea...
Difficulties with issues of taxation and governance and problematic relations with Poland plagued Christina's last years as queen, and in 1651 she first proposed that she abdicate. Her council convinced her to stay, but she had some sort of breakdown and spent much time confined to her rooms. She finally abdicated officially in 1654. Supposed reaso...
Christina, now calling herself Maria Christina Alexandra, left Sweden a few days after her official abdication, traveling disguised as a man. When her mother died in 1655, Christina was living in Brussels. She made her way to Rome, where she lived in a palazzo filled with art and books that became a lively center of culture as a salon. She had conv...
In 1656, Christina launched an attempt to become queen of Naples. A member of Christina's household, the marquis of Monaldesco, betrayed plans of Christina and the French to the Spanish viceroy of Naples. Christina retaliated by having Monaldesco executed in her presence. For this act, she was for some time marginalized in Roman society, though she...
Queen Christina's "abnormal" interest (for her era) in pursuits normally reserved for males, occasional dressing in male attire, and persistent stories about her relationships have led to disagreements among historians as to the nature of her sexuality. In 1965, her body was exhumed for testing to see if she had signs of hermaphroditism or intersex...
Buckley, Veronica."Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric." Harper Perennial, 2005.Mattern, Joanne. "Queen Christina of Sweden." Capstone Press, 2009.Landy, Marcia and Villarejo, Amy. "Queen Christina." British Film Institute,1995."Christina of Sweden."Learn about the life and reign of Christina, the only child of King Gustavus Adolphus and a well-educated patron of the arts. Find out why she abdicated in 1654 and converted to Catholicism, and how she lived in Rome as a cultural and political figure.
Learn about the life and reign of Christina of Sweden, the only daughter of King Gustavus II Adolphus and Queen Maria Eleonora. Find out how she became queen, abdicated, and moved to Rome, and what made her a learned and unconventional ruler.
Jun 7, 2024 · After his death during the Thirty Years War in 1632, little Christina became King of Sweden, under a regency—she was officially crowned King, her title, but was generally referred to as Queen. She became ruler in her own right when she came of age in 1644, and abdicated in 1654, not long after the end of the Thirty Years War.
Learn about Christina, the daughter of Gustav II Adolf, who ruled Sweden for 10 years and then abdicated to become a Roman Catholic. Find out how she influenced European culture and art as a patroness and a convert.
Learn about the life and reign of Christina, the only child of King Gustavus II Adolphus and a brilliant patron of the arts and sciences. Find out how she abdicated, converted to Catholicism, and spent the rest of her life in Rome.