Swedish Queen Christina: biography, interesting facts from life

The biography of the Swedish Queen Cristina (1626-1689), which ruled the country from 1644 to 1654, was and remains one of the most discussed in our day. Many contemporaries and historians have set it up as an example of a ruler beloved by the people, while not laying life on the altar of state affairs.

The Swedish Queen Christina is one of those women whose part of life is known to a wide range of people, but about the other there is no exact data. As a result, many of the facts of her biography grow in conjectures and rumors.

The birth of the future queen

The future Swedish Queen Christina appeared on December 18, 1626 (according to a new style). Her parents were the Emperor Gustav II Adolf and the Brandenburg Princess Maria-Eleonora, during whose pregnancy all the signs known to the then doctors pointed to the birth of her son - the future heir to the throne. The same thing, in one voice, was said by numerous fortune tellers and fortunetellers admitted to the court.

Even right after delivery, the courtiers, seeing the newborn child, took him for a boy. Here the first divergence in Christina's biography begins. According to some sources, this conclusion was made because the child was very large. Others point to an unusually loud voice that was perceived as a sign of unusually strong boyish health. Third sources indicate that the baby was born with a lot of hair, which was also interpreted in favor of the male. Whatever it was, but King Gustav was reported on the birth of the heir to the boy, whom he dreamed of along with the queen.

When the real sex of the child was revealed, the king was cautiously told that the girl was born after all. But contrary to all fears, the monarch accepted this message favorably, and when he first saw his daughter, said that if she had already deceived the whole royal court at birth, then in the future she would be expected by great achievements.

The first years of life

The Swedish Queen Christina, whose biography began so extravagantly, was the daughter of one of the most educated monarchs of her time. He raised the child according to his views on what a real ruler should be like. It was her Gustav who saw the successor of the throne, which he announced to his nobles and subjects - if he does not have male heirs, then Christina becomes the queen. The Swedes swore allegiance to her when Christine was only one year old.

Gustav personally engaged in the initial education, for which the Queen Maria-Eleonora, who was very much waiting for her son, was only glad. Then the following ambiguity of the biography appears. As a child Swedish Queen Cristina received several injuries, because of which one shoulder was higher than the other, and when walking, there was noticeable lameness.

According to one source, this was the fault of the queen, who did not follow the child well enough, while the king did not take up the education of the girl ... Another version says that this was facilitated by the father himself, who kept Christine with him, but never turned Attention, as well as where the child could fall from, as a result of which the injuries were left untreated and left a mark on the whole life.

Childhood and studies of the Queen

History often consists of accidents - the descendants might not have recognized such a name as Queen Christina of Sweden. Biography of the girl first sharp turn made after the death of her father - in 1832 Gustav dies in one of the battles of the thirty-year war, and without giving the state a heir to the male. Queen Maria-Eleonora was never interested in public affairs, so the Swedish senate unanimously wished to fulfill the will of Christina's father and approved the girl head of state, ruling that before her coming into age the regent would become Count Axel Oksinshtern. As a mentor, he was an example for Christina in everything, having done a lot for the young queen to get a good education.

Being a worthy daughter of his father, the little heiress of the throne from the very childhood amazed contemporaries with the ease with which she learned new knowledge. Foreign languages, arts, exact sciences and history - everything was given to the girl with ease. Already at the age of 12 she could pronounce a fiery speech in Latin, and Rene Descartes himself dealt with natural sciences with her, who said that Queen Christina of Sweden was his best student and stayed with her until his death.

The death of a great scientist has become overgrown with rumors. The official version says that he died of pneumonia due to the severe northern climate, but there is speculation that he was poisoned, as some courtiers feared his influence on the new queen.

Character of the ruler

In order to receive the profound knowledge of foreign languages, history, politics, from the student during his studies, the contemporaries need a certain concentration, purposefulness and true love for the process of cognition of the new. All these qualities were in Christina's abundance, but apart from brilliant mind, the girl was brought up also the hardness of character, established by many generations of royal blood, a critical perception of reality and the right to act only as she sees fit. The father called her not otherwise than "king" (and not "queen"). When the girl grew up, then to change her once taken decision she could only get very serious arguments.

A great impression on the formation of Christine's worldview was the acquaintance with the biography of Elizabeth I - Queen of England and Ireland in 1558-1603, who was a patron of arts and sciences and remembered her decision not to burden herself with marriage ties and any kind of connections with men. As it was in fact, nobody knows, but officially both queens were never married and left no children behind.

The regent of Sweden, Earl Oxishtern, began to prepare Christina from the early years for accession to the throne, communicating with her on state issues. The future Queen herself showed a lively interest in these topics, and by her correspondence, we can conclude that she was quite well versed in the matter at the age of twelve.

The beginning of government

Long before the coronation, Queen Christine of Sweden actively participated in the life of the state. Thanks to her outstanding abilities, she has been admitted to meetings of the Senate since she was 16 years old, where she often made a furor with her statements, judgments and opinions about foreign and domestic politics.

When in 1844 she turned 18, despite the fact that before the official coronation will have to wait a few more years, the senate announces to the people about the age of Christina, and she de facto becomes the sole ruler of the kingdom.

The coming to power practically did not change the daily routine, which the Swedish Queen Christina adhered to - interesting facts from life, scrupulously listed in the memoirs of contemporaries, note, for example, that she woke up at 5 am and often demanded the same from her teacher - Rene Descartes. Personal time was divided between state affairs and further self-development, and the young queen often did not pay attention to conventions. In addition, she often wore men's clothes, considering it more comfortable. Artists could draw any clothes, but if the paparazzi existed at the time when the Swedish Queen Christina lived, the photo might well have stained ink spots on her dresses, which was usual for the ruler.

Renunciation of marriage

After coming of age, bearing in mind the untimely death of Gustav, the Senate offers to its ruler to marry in order to give the state the heir to the throne. It was assumed that this is one of the direct duties of the last representative of the ruling dynasty Vasa, who was Christina, the Swedish queen. The 17th century was conservative in this matter, but in spite of everything, following the example of her idol, Elizabeth I, Christina announced that she was not going to ever get married and have children. This decision shocked the whole of Sweden - from commoners to aristocracy, who did not want the transfer of power to "someone else's" hands. Attempts were made to change the opinion of the queen - the Riksdag was looking for her fiancées, whom she with enviable persistence rejected. One of the parties in general seemed ideal to all - the cousin of Queen Karl-Gustav, especially since the prince himself was educated (of course, not seven, like Christina herself, but three foreign languages he knew), not bad himself and fell in love with Christina after their acquaintance . The result, however, was the same - the queen refused to marry, but offered her brother to become after him the heir to the throne.

The enamored Karl-Gustav, who at that time was 27 years old, refused, saying that he needed not the crown of Sweden, but the hand of her queen.

Years of government

In order to distract the prince from thoughts of marriage, on which the Riksdag also insisted, Christina sends Karl-Gustav to Germany, where he spent 3 years as commander-in-chief of the Swedish troops. As it turned out, the long separation did not affect his feelings - the prince did not back down and continued to insist on the wedding. The Queen, for her part, also did not change her convictions - this also concerned succession to the throne - she soon compiled documents in the Senate in which Karl-Gustav was appointed successor to the throne.

Insulted in his feelings, the prince left the royal court, going to the island of Eland, where he promised to wait until the cousin changed his attitude towards her. We had to wait long enough, as the Swedish Queen Christina did not even think about him - at first she was absorbed in the preparation for the coronation (which took place in 1650), and then the young queen took on official duties.

The foreign policy of Christina was first marked by the end of the thirty-year war in which her father died. In this matter, she took a position diametrically opposite to her mentor, Count Oxishtern, who believed that the continuation of hostilities was beneficial to Sweden. Against him, the queen sends her representative to the German peace congress, and the peace treaty was signed. At the same time, historians and contemporaries acknowledge that its conditions were unusually profitable for Sweden - in addition to the fact that it was occupied by the occupied territories (Pomerania, Bremen, Ferden, the city of Wismar), the peace treaty prescribed the receipt of an indemnity amounting to 5 million thalers.

In addition to controlling the hostilities, Christina contributed to the development of culture - with it came the golden age for artists.

Refusal of the throne

In 1654, an unprecedented event occurred on June 6, at a meeting of the Riksdag, the Swedish Queen Christina gives a memorable speech of abdication. She says she does not want to lead the state all her life and goes on a journey, to see distant countries, and instead of herself, as expected, leaves the king of his cousin Karl-Gustav.

As far as everything that was said was true, now one can only guess, but on some indirect grounds suggest that not everything was as smooth as described in the official version. The successor to the throne was "appointed" long before the abdication, in addition, the coronation of the new ruler (Karl-Gustav was renamed King Charles X) was suspiciously carried out - the same day as the resignation of Christine.

All this makes it possible to think that the Riksdag pressed on the queen, trying to force her to marry and give birth to an heir, although according to numerous evidences, the roles of the wife and mother, Christina almost shied away from panic all her life. It is likely that one day the issue was raised abruptly - marry or release the throne, so Christina found the third option, because after the wedding, Karl would still become a king, and she turned into his wife and mother with him. By the way, something similar happened - the new king, despite his "love" for Christine, provided the country with an heir almost immediately, and most importantly - on time, Because after 5 years he caught a cold and died. Again the king becomes a child (now four years old), and until his majority, the country is ruled by the Riksdag.

New life abroad

Italy was the first country where the former Swedish Queen Cristina lived after her abdication. Interesting facts of her biography did not result in a rejection of power, and a new life the eccentric person began with the transition to the Catholic faith (given the mores of that time, this was a much greater event than the journey to Italy herself on horseback and in men's clothing). Thanks to the new faith, Christina (by the way, after the new baptism she received the name of Augustus) in Italy the Pope himself accepted well, but he after a while "asked" her from the country, as the former queen became famous as an old nihilist - she lived without reckoning With no rules, than set the Romans against themselves.

The next country where Christina went was France, which is always distinguished by free morals. Here, the former queen is also credited with more than frivolous manners - frequent change of lovers, close connections with other women, and murder (but not by oneself, but through close associates). However, with the latter, as always, not everything is clear - in those days, even the former queen had the right to the court, execution and pardon of her subjects, so everything was arranged as a carrying out of the sentence (even there were evidence that some investigation was being conducted). But the fact remains - the Marquis of Monaldesca, according to rumors, the former lover of Christina, stabbed with swords, and she returned to Italy.

Attempt to return the throne and the last years of life

In 1660, the successor to the former queen died - Karl X, leaving behind a young son. And again you can think about the reasons for Christina's refusal from the throne, because after learning the news from her country, she urgently goes to her homeland, where she demands to return her throne. But the Riksdag refuses, since Christina Augusta now has another religion, and Sweden has a heir now (and with the old queen this question would hardly have been decided).

After the senate's sermon, the last years of the life of the former Swedish Queen Cristina (1626-1689) were held in Italy, and quite calmly. She till the end of her days patronized musicians, poets and artists. Cristina Augusta died on April 19, 1689 and became one of three women buried in the Roman Cathedral of St. Peter.