Karin Gyllenstierna

Karin Göransdotter Gyllenstierna (floruit 1602), was a Swedish courtier. She served as court mistress (senior lady in waiting, or mistress of the Robes) to queen Catherine Jagellon and, after her death, to Princess Anna Vasa of Sweden.

Biography

Private life

Karin was the daughter of riksråd Göran Eriksson Gyllenstierna of Fogelvik (- 1575) and Kerstin Nilsdotter Grip (- 1538). She was thereby a relative of the famous Christina Gyllenstierna. She married Nils Månsson Natt och Dag in 1553. She became a widow in 1554, and gave birth to her son Nils Nilsson Natt och Dag posthumously. As the guardian of her son, she managed his estate until he was declared of legal majority in 1573.

In 1566, she became engaged to riskråd Ivar Ivarsson Liljeörn. She never married him, but the couple consummated the engagement and had a son, Ivar Ivarsson. In 1567, her fiancee was murdered during the Sture Murders. Despite never being married to Liljeörn, she took control over his property and engaged in a law suit over the inheritance with his relatives, which lasted the rest of her life.

Court life

Karin Gyllenstierna was given the position of senior lady in waiting and Mistress of the Robes, or hovmastarinna (Court Mistress), to queen Catherine Jagellon. After the death of the queen in 1583, she was given the equivalent position at the court of Princess Anna Vasa of Sweden, in which she is mentioned in 1587, when the next Mistress of the Robes to the queen of Sweden is also recorded. In 1591, Anna is recorded having a new court mistress. Her son Nils had the position as ceremony master at the court of queen Gunilla Bielke and Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, and her grand daughter, Christina Nilsdotter Natt och Dag, was in 1639, appointed foster mother to queen Christina of Sweden alongside Ebba Mauritzdotter Leijonhufvud.

Death

The year of her death is not known. She was still alive in 1602, when her son Nils acted as her representative in her endless inheritance dispute, but she was dead by 1605, when her son acted in his own name in the same dispute, as she was the stated to be dead.

References

• Svenska adelns ättar-taflor / Afdelning 3. von Nackreij - Skytte /
• 53 4 NILS MÅNSSON OCH KARIN GYLLENSTIERNA Om den m
• Historiskt bibliotek / Tredje delen /