Christina of Holstein-Gottorp

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Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (13 April 1573 – 8 December 1625) was a Queen-Consort of Sweden.

She was a daughter of Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Christine of Hesse (daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse).

On 8 July 1592 she became the second wife of Charles, Duke of Sudermannia, who in 1599 became Sweden's regent and in 1604 its king. They had the following children:

1. Christina (1593–1594)
2. Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (Gustav II Adolf) (1594–1632)
3. Maria Elisabeth (1596–1618), married her first cousin John, Duke of Ostrogothia, youngest son of John III of Sweden
4. Carl Philip, Duke of Sudermannia (1601–1622)

Queen Christina was a dominating and strongwilled woman. Although she did not dominate her husband, who was just as dominating as herself, and did not have any political influence on him, she was highly regarded, respected and feared. As a dowager queen, she is known for preventing her son from marrying his mistress, Ebba Brahe. She also acted as regent for her younger son, Carl Philip, over Södermanland until he died in 1622.

[edit] Genetics

As a matrilineal descendant of Elisabeth of Luxembourg and thus a matrilineal relative of Nicholas II of Russia, she, her children and all her female-line descendants are members of mitochondrial haplogroup T.