Christina of Holstein-Gottorp

Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (13 April 1573 in Kiel – 8 December 1625 at Gripsholm Castle) was a Queen Consort of Sweden as consort of king Charles IX of Sweden, mother of king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and a Regent of Sweden.

Biography

Christina was the daughter of Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and Christine of Hesse (daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse). In 1586, she was suggested as a bride for Sigismund of Poland, but nothing came of plans to marry him. On 8 July 1592, she became the second spouse of Charles, Duke of Södermanland, 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 and Finland 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.

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, in the Duchy of Södermanland from 1611 to 1622. She also managed the iron mines 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 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 Carlsdotter Gyllenhielm (1622–1682).

As a dowager queen, she is known for preventing her son from marrying Ebba Brahe. 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

1. Christina (1593–1594)
2. Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (Gustav II Adolf) (1594–1632)
3. Princess Maria Elizabeth of Sweden (1596–1618), married her first cousin John, Duke of Östergötland, youngest son of John III of Sweden
4. Charles Philip, Duke of Södermanland (1601–1622)

References

• Herman Lindqvist (2006). Historien om alla Sveriges drottningar (in Swedish). Norstedts Förlag. ISBN 9113015249.
• Herman Lindvist: Historien om alla Sveriges drottningar (History of all the queens of Sweden) (Swedish) (2006)
• Westerlund, Kerstin (2004), Kvinnliga brukspatroner, Tekniska museet.
• Nordisk Familjebok
• Carl Grimberg: Svenska Folkets underbara öden II. 1521–1611 (The wonderous destinys of the Swedish people)

Succession