Category Archives: Swedish Royals

Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Effigy of Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg, the first of the three wives of Gustav Vasa I, King of Sweden, was born on September 24, 1513, in Ratzeburg, Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the third of the six children and the second of the five daughters of Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (1470 – 1543) and Katharina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1488 – 1563), daughter of Heinrich IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Katharina’s parents, Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Katharina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Credit – Wikipedia

Katharina had five siblings:

Since 1397, Sweden was part of the Kalmar Union in which the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were ruled by one monarch. Denmark was dominant in the Kalmar Union,  and this occasionally led to uprisings in Sweden. In 1520, King Christian II of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden asserted his claim to Sweden by force when he ordered a massacre of Swedish nobles in Stockholm. The actions of King Christian II stirred the Swedish nobility to a new resistance. During the Swedish War of Liberation (1521 – 1523), Swedish nobleman Gustav Vasa successfully deposed King Christian II from the throne of Sweden, ending the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Gustav Vasa was then elected King of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag.

Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

The fledgling King of Sweden needed heirs for his new House of Vasa. After being rejected by several potential brides’ families, Gustav Vasa was advised to consider the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg. Although the duchy was small and poor, the ducal family was related to many of the most powerful dynasties of Europe and was Protestant, which was important for the ongoing Swedish Reformation. With all this in mind, Gustav Vasa chose Katharina as his wife.

In September 1531, Katharina was escorted to Stockholm, Sweden where she married Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden on September 24, 1531, her eighteenth birthday. On December 13, 1533, Katharina fulfilled her most important duty as queen consort when she gave birth to a son, the future Erik XIV, King of Sweden.

Katharina and Gustav Vasa’s son Erik XIV, King of Sweden had an unsuccessful reign. Erik was deposed via a rebellion by his half-brother from his father’s second marriage who reigned as King Johan III of Sweden. Erik was imprisoned in various castles for eight years. He was most likely murdered due to the three major conspiracies that attempted to depose his half-brother Johan III and place Erik back on the Swedish throne. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning.

In September 1535, during a ball given in honor of her brother-in-law, Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway, who was visiting Sweden, the pregnant Katharina fell while dancing with Christian III. The fall confined her to bed and led to complications, and she died on September 23, 1535, the day before her twenty-second birthday along with her unborn child. Katharina was initially buried in the Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden. Following her husband’s death in 1560, Katharina’s remains were reburied at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden, together with her husband King Gustav I and his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud.

Effigies of Gustav I Vasa and his first two wives; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Effigy of Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Katharina von Sachsen-Lauenburg (1513–1535) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_von_Sachsen-Lauenburg_(1513%E2%80%931535)> [Accessed 4 April 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Saxe-Lauenburg> [Accessed 4 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Gustav I, King of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/gustav-vasa-i-king-of-sweden-reigned-1523-1560/> [Accessed 4 April 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Katarina av Sachsen-Lauenburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katarina_av_Sachsen-Lauenburg> [Accessed 4 April 2021].

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

King Gustav I of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

The first king of the House of Vasa, and considered as the founding father of the modern Swedish state, Gustav I or Gustav Vasa was born as Gustav Eriksson Vasa on May 12, 1496, at Lindholmen’s Farm (link in Swedish), a manor house in Orkesta, Uppland, Sweden or Rydboholm Castle in Östra Ryds, Uppland, Sweden. He was the eldest of the eight children of Erik Johansson Vasa, a Swedish noble and the Lord of Rydboholm Castle, and Cecilia Månsdotter Eka, a Swedish noblewoman.

Gustav Vasa had seven younger siblings:

  • Margareta Eriksdotter Vasa (1497 – 1536), married (1) Joakim Brahe, had four children (2) Johan VII, Count of Hoya, had two children
  • Johan Eriksson Vasa (born 1499, died young)
  • Magnus Eriksson Vasa (1501 – 1529)
  • Anna Eriksdotter Vasa (1503 – 1545), nun at Vadstena Abbey
  • Birgitta Eriksdotter Vasa (born 1505, died young)
  • Marta Eriksdotter Vasa (1507 – 1523), died from the plague during captivity in Denmark
  • Emerentia Eriksdotter Vasa (1507 – 1523), died from plague during captivity in Denmark

Gustav Vasa spent most of his childhood with his sister Margareta at Rydboholm Castle. When he was 13-years-old, he went to Uppsala to attend school, and then studied at Uppsala University for four years. Gustav was then sent to the court of Sten Sture the Younger, a Swedish nobleman who served as the regent of Sweden. There Gustav was taught court etiquette, fencing, and he was trained as an army officer.

Since 1397, Sweden has been part of the Kalmar Union – the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were ruled by one monarch. Denmark was dominant in the Kalmar Union and  this occasionally led to uprisings in Sweden. In 1520, King Christian II of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, who asserted his claim to Sweden by force, ordered a massacre of Swedish nobles in Stockholm, including Gustav’s father Erik Johansson Vasa and Joakim Brahe, the first husband of his sister Margareta. This came to be known as the “Stockholm Bloodbath” Gustav’s mother and her two younger daughters Marta and Emerentia were taken to Denmark in 1521 and imprisoned in the infamous Blue Tower in Copenhagen Castle where they died of the plague in 1523.

The Entry of King Gustav Vasa of Sweden into Stockholm on June 21, 1523, by Carl Larsson, in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm; Credit – Wikipedia

The actions of King Christian II stirred the Swedish nobility to a new resistance. During the Swedish War of Liberation (1521 – 1523), Gustav Vasa successfully deposed King Christian II from the throne of Sweden, ending the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag (legislature), and soon all Danish troops were driven out of the country.  On January 12, 1528, in Uppsala Cathedral, King Gustav I was crowned King of Sweden. Within a few years, Gustav I rejected Roman Catholicism and led his kingdom into the Swedish Protestant Reformation.

King Gustav I ranks among Sweden’s greatest monarchs and some argue that he was the most significant ruler in Swedish history. He ended foreign domination in Sweden, centralized and reorganized the government, cut religious ties to Rome, established the Church of Sweden, and founded Sweden’s hereditary monarchy. Gustav is often described as the founding father of the modern Swedish state. However, as with his contemporary King Henry VIII of England, historians have noted the brutal methods with which he often ruled and that his legacy should not be viewed in exclusively positive terms.

Gustav I, King of Sweden married three times:

Effigy of Katharina of Saxe–Lauenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustav I married his first wife Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535), daughter of Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Katharina of Brunswick-Lüneburg, in Stockholm, Sweden on September 24, 1531. Katharina fell while pregnant with her second child. The fall led to complications and 22-year-old Katharina died on September 23, 1535, along with her unborn child. She is buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden.

Gustav and Katharina had one son who succeeded his father and reigned for nine years until he was deposed:

Margareta Leijonhufvud; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 1, 1536, in Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden, Gustav I married his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud (1516–1551). Margareta was a member of the Leijonhufvud family, one of Sweden’s most powerful noble families. Her constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia at the age of 35 on August 26, 1551, and is buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden.

Gustav and Margareta had ten children including Johan III, King of Sweden who succeeded his deposed half-brother Eric XIV.

Katarina Stenbock; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 22, 1552, at Vadstena Abbey in Vadstena, Sweden, Gustav I married his third wife 17-year-old Katarina Stenbock (1535 – 1621), who was the daughter of Gustaf Olofsson Stenbock and Brita Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud, who was the sister of King Gustav I’s second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud. They had no children. Katarina survived her husband by sixty-one years, dying on December 13, 1621, aged 86, and was buried in Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden.

King Gustav I, 1557-1558; Credit – Wikipedia

In the late 1550s, Gustav I’s health declined. He died on September 29, 1560, aged 64, at Tre Kronor Castle (Three Crowns Castle) which stood on the site of the present Stockholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. The official cause of death was cholera but it may have been dysentery or typhoid. Gustav I, King of Sweden was buried in the Vasa Chapel at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden with his first two wives. Gustav’s effigy is in the middle of the tomb with the effigies of his wives Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg and Margareta Leijonhufvud on either side.

Tomb of Gustav I and his first two wives; Credit – Von Skippy13 – Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=726933

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gustav I. Wasa. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_I._Wasa> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Erik Johansson Vasa. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Johansson_Vasa> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gustav I of Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_I_of_Sweden> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gustav Vasa. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Vasa> [Accessed 18 March 2021].

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Isabella, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile and Aragon, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Isabella of Austria, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella of Austria was the wife of Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. She was born an Archduchess of Austria and an Infanta of Castile and Aragon, on July 18, 1501, in Brussels, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Isabella was the second of the four daughters and the third of the six children of Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and Aragon. Isabella’s maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Isabella’s brother was the powerful Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain. Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England, was her maternal aunt, and Catherine and Henry VIII’s only surviving child, Queen Mary I of England was her first cousin.

Isabella on the right with her sister Eleanor and her brother Charles; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella had five siblings:

Isabella’s father died in 1506 when she was five years old. In 1507, her paternal aunt Margaret of Austria became the guardian of Isabella and her siblings Eleanor, Charles, and Mary. Isabella’s mother Queen Juana I of Castile and Aragon was nicknamed “La Loca” due to a mental disability alleged by her father King Ferdinand II of Aragon and then her son Charles. In 1509, her father confined her in the Royal Palace in Tordesillas, Castile, now in Spain, until she died in 1555. Whether Juana suffered from a mental disability or whether she was the victim of a conspiracy plotted by her father and then by her son is still debated by historians.

Isabella, circa 1515; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 11, 1514, one week short of her 13th birthday, Isabella was married by proxy to 23-year-old Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Isabella’s grandfather, standing in for Christian. Isabella remained in the Spanish Netherlands until the summer of 1515 when Erik Axelsson Valkendorf, Archbishop of Nidaros (in Norway) was sent to escort her to Copenhagen where Christian and Isabella were married in person on August 12, 1515. Around 1508, while on a visit to Norway, Christian II fell in love with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter and she became his mistress. Christian’s brother-in-law, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, demanded that Dyveke Sigbritsdatter be sent away, but only to get a refusal from Christian. This created tension between Christian and Charles. Dyveke Sigbritsdatter remained Christian’s mistress until she died in 1517.

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit- Wikipedia

Christian II and Isabella had five children but only three survived infancy and only their two daughters reached adulthood:

Three children of Christian II and Isabella: Dorothea, Hans, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

When Christian II’s mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter died in 1517, Christian believed she had been poisoned by Torben Oxe, a Danish nobleman. Torben Oxe was tried and acquitted by the Danish State Council. However, Christian did not accept the verdict and had Oxe indicted by a lower justice-of-the-peace court. The verdict, as directed by King Christian II, was guilty and Torben Oxe was executed. Members of the Danish State Council strongly disapproved of what Christian had done. This act precipitated the division between the king and aristocracy that ultimately led to Christian being deposed.

In Sweden, with Christian’s permission, 82 people were either hanged or beheaded for heresy from November 9 – 10, 1520, in an incident called the Stockholm Bloodbath. Instead of cementing Christian’s control of the Swedish throne, the Stockholm Bloodbath led to him losing the Swedish throne. The remaining Swedish nobility, disgusted by the bloodbath, rose against Christian. On August 23, 1521, Christian was deposed as King of Sweden with the election of Gustav Vasa as Regent of Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa.

By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein became King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway. Christian would have to go into exile but King Frederik I offered Isabella a dowager queen’s pension and an offer to stay in Denmark under his protection. Isabella wrote back to Frederik in Latin, saying “ubi rex meus, ibi regnum meum” – “where my king is, there is my kingdom”. On April 13, 1523, Christian, his wife Isabella, and their children left Denmark for the Spanish Netherlands, the territory of Isabella’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Christian, Isabella, and their children leaving Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

In the following years, Isabella and Christian tried, without success, to gain the support of their royal relatives to help recover their lost kingdom. Isabella and Christian stayed for a long time in Wittenberg with Christian’s maternal uncle Friedrich III, Elector of Saxony. Friedrich was an early defender of Martin Luther. He successfully protected Luther from the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope, and other hostile figures. Friedrich did this not because of religious conviction but because he believed in a fair trial for any of his subjects and the rule of law. Both Christian and Isabella were interested in the teachings of Martin Luther. Isabella never converted but it appears Christian did convert for a while before reverting to Catholicism.

At the end of 1524, Isabella, Christian, and their children settled in Lier, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Isabella’s aunt Margaret of Austria provided them with a home and financial support. Even with the support, they had a difficult time, with many worries, and a lack of money. In the spring of 1525, Isabella became seriously ill. Isabella traveled with her husband to Zwijnaarde Castle outside Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium, in late 1525. Isabella died there on January 19, 1526, at the age of 24.

Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans, who died when he was fourteen-years-old, were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral in Odense, Denmark where they were reburied next to the remains of King Christian II.

Grave of Isabella of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Af Habsburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_af_Habsburg> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabella Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Austria> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Joanna Of Castile. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_of_Castile> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-ii-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 24 December 2020].

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Nicknamed Christian the Tyrant, Christian II was King of Denmark and Norway from 1513 until 1523 and also King of Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was the joint ruler of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein with his paternal uncle Frederik, the future King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway. In 1523, Christian II was forced to abdicate and was exiled. After trying to reclaim the throne in 1531, Christian was imprisoned for the last twenty-seven years of his life.

Born in Nyborg Castle in Denmark on July 1, 1481, Christian was the third but the eldest surviving of the five sons and the third of the six children of Hans, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and Christina of Saxony.

Christian had four brothers and one sister:

As a sixteen-year-old, Christian took part in his father’s conquest of Sweden in 1497 and four years later, he took part in attempting to quell an uprising in Sweden that caused his father to lose the Swedish throne. After his father lost the Swedish throne in 1501, a succession of regents ruled in Sweden. In 1508, a rebellion in Norway was crushed by Christian who ruled Norway as viceroy. At this time, the monarchies of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden elected their kings. Upon his father’s death in 1513, Denmark and Norway quickly confirmed Christian as their king and Sweden remained under the rule of regents.

Christian and his mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1508, while visiting Norway, Christian fell in love with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter. She remained his mistress until she died in 1517. Christian needed to marry to provide for the succession and the choice of a wife fell upon Isabella of Austria, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile and Aragon from the House of Habsburg. Isabella was the daughter of Queen Juana I of Castile and Aragon and Philip, Duke of Burgundy. Isabella’s maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Isabella’s brother was the powerful Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain.

Isabella of Austria, circa 1515; Credit- Wikipedia

On July 11, 1514, one week short of her 13th birthday, Isabella was married by proxy to 23-year-old Christian II with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Isabella’s grandfather, standing in for Christian. Isabella remained in the Spanish Netherlands until the summer of 1515 when Erik Axelsson Valkendorf, Archbishop of Nidaros (in Norway) was sent to escort her to Copenhagen where Christian and Isabella were married in person on August 12, 1515. Christian refused to end his relationship with his mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter. This created tension between Christian and his brother-in-law, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who demanded that Dyveke Sigbritsdatter be sent away, only to get a refusal from Christian.

Three children of Christian II, Dorothea, Hans, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian II and Isabella had five children but only three survived infancy and then only two daughters reached adulthood:

Christian II signing the death warrant of Torben Oxe; Credit – Wikipedia

When Christian II’s mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter died in 1517, Christian believed she had been poisoned by Torben Oxe, a Danish nobleman. Torben Oxe was tried and acquitted by the Danish State Council. However, Christian did not accept the verdict and had Oxe indicted by a lower justice-of-the-peace court. The verdict, as directed by King Christian II, was guilty and Torben Oxe was executed. Members of the Danish State Council strongly disapproved of what Christian had done. This act precipitated the division between the king and aristocracy that ultimately led to Christian being deposed.

King Christian II reviewing accounts with Sigbrit Willoms; Credit – Wikipedia

To make matters worse for Christian II and his relationship with the aristocracy, his chief advisor was Dyveke Sigbritsdatter’s mother Sigbrit Willoms who was his de facto minister of finance. Sigbrit was from the middle class and wanted to extend the influence of the working classes. She formed her own council that competed with the Danish State Council for power. Her influence was resented by the aristocracy who blamed her for Christian favoring the working classes.

Christian II still wanted to regain the Swedish crown. In Sweden, the anti-Danish faction was headed by the Regent of Sweden Sten Sture the Younger, and the pro-Danish party was led by Archbishop Gustav Trolle. After two unsuccessful attempts in 1517 and 1518 resulting in military victories for Sweden, Christian’s army with forces of French, German, and Scottish mercenaries was successful in 1520. On November 4, 1520, Christian was crowned King of Sweden in Storkyrkan Cathedral in Stockholm.

The Stockholm Bloodbath; Credit – Wikipedia

Three days after the coronation, Archbishop Trolle accused the followers of Sten Sture of heresy for their part in the rising against him and his support of Christian. What followed is known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. It is estimated that from November 9 – 10, 1520, 82 people were either hanged or beheaded in the square outside Stockholm Palace. Instead of cementing Christian’s control of the Swedish throne, the Stockholm Bloodbath led to him losing the Swedish throne. The remaining Swedish nobility, disgusted by the bloodbath, rose against Christian. On August 23, 1521, Christian was deposed with the election Gustav Vasa as Regent of Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa.

Christian leaving Copenhagen, Denmark in 1523 with his wife Isabella and their children Hans, Dorothea, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein was offered the crown on January 20, 1523. Frederik’s army gained control over most of Denmark during the spring. On  April 13, 1523, Christian, his wife Isabella, and their children left Denmark to live in the Spanish Netherlands, a territory of Isabella’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Both Christian and Isabella were interested in the teachings of Martin Luther. Isabella never converted but it appears that Christian did convert for a while. On January 19, 1526, Isabella died after a long illness at the age of 24.

Eventually, Christian reverted to Catholicism and reconciled with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. In November 1531, Christian took a fleet of ships to try to reclaim Norway but was unsuccessful. He accepted a promise of safe conduct from his uncle Fredrick I, King of Denmark and Norway. However, Frederik did not keep his promise. Instead, Christian was imprisoned for the last twenty-seven years of his life, first in Sønderborg Castle and then at Kalundborg Castle (link Danish). While in captivity, Christian was treated like a nobleman. He was allowed to host parties, go hunting, and wander freely as long as he did not go beyond the town boundaries.

The former Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden died at Kalundborg Castle on January 25, 1559, aged 77. Christian’s first cousin, King Christian III who had succeeded his father King Frederik I, had died earlier in January. The new king, Frederik II, Christian III’s son, ordered the former king to be buried with royal honors. Christian was buried with his parents in the Gråbrødre Church of the Franciscan monastery in Odense, Denmark. In 1807, the former Franciscan church was demolished, and the remains of King Christian II and his parents were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral, also in Odense, Denmark.  Christian’s wife Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral.

Grave of Christian II; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian 2.. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_2.> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Af Habsburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_af_Habsburg> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian II Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_II_of_Denmark> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabella Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Austria> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Stockholm Bloodbath. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Bloodbath> [Accessed 21 December 2020].

Christina of Saxony, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Hans, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Christina of Saxony was born in Torgau, Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony on December 25, 1461. She was the eldest of the seven children and the eldest of the two daughters of Ernst, Elector of Saxony and Elisabeth of Bavaria.

Christina had six younger siblings:

King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

When she was sixteen-years-old, Christina was betrothed to Hans, the future King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. In 1478, Christina left her home in Torgau and traveled to the port of Rostock on the Baltic Sea. There she was met by a large Danish entourage and traveled by ship to Copenhagen, Denmark. On September 6, 1478, at Copenhagen Castle, Christina and Hans were married. The wedding was a sumptuous occasion with Christina wearing a gold dress with red embroidery and traveling in a golden carriage.

Christina and Hans had six children:

Wall sculpture at St. Canute’s Cathedral depicting King Hans, Queen Christina, and their son Prince Frans who died from the plague; Credit – Wikipedia

Hans’ father King Christian I died in 1481. At that time, the monarchies of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden elected their kings. Only Hans’ succession to the Danish throne went smoothly. In Norway, after some negotiations, Hans was recognized as King of Norway in 1483. In Sweden, a power-play game occurred with Hans for six years. Eventually, Hans saw an opportunity to strike, and after his forces defeated Swedish forces in 1497, he was finally crowned King of Sweden. However, in 1501, an uprising in Sweden caused Hans to lose the Swedish crown.

Hans and Christina were visiting Sweden in 1501 before the uprising. During that visit, Hans began a long-term affair with Edel Jernskjæg, one of Christina’s ladies-in-waiting. The affair caused a scandal and a de facto termination of their marriage. From that time on, the marriage of Hans and Christina was one in name only.

During the Swedish uprising, Hans fled Stockholm, Sweden, and left Christina at Stockholm Palace. She bravely defended the palace for eight months but was forced to surrender in May 1502 after her 1,000-man army defending the palace was reduced by deaths to only 70. Christina spent more than a year under guard as a prisoner in the Vadstena Monastery, finally being released in 1503.

After her return to Denmark, Christina lived with her youngest son Frans, separately from King Hans, on her dower lands at Næsbyhoved Castle (link in Danish) and in Odense. Christina was a devout Catholic (the Reformation had not yet occurred in Denmark) and shortly after her return to Denmark, she founded convents for the nuns of the Poor Clares in Copenhagen and Odense. Christina made various pilgrimages in Denmark and made visits to her daughter Elisabeth and her sister Margarete. Sadly, her youngest son thirteen-year-old Frans died of the plague in 1511.

In January 1513, King Hans was on his way to Aalborghus Castle (link in Danish) when he was thrown by his horse. He became increasingly weaker and on February 20, 1513, at his birthplace Aalborghus Castle, King Hans died from his injuries at the age of 58. He was buried in the Gråbrødre Church of the Franciscan monastery in Odense, Denmark which Queen Christina had chosen as the burial site for her husband and herself. Queen Christina commissioned the famous German sculptor Claus Berg to create a burial chapel in the church of the Franciscan monastery for her and her husband. Berg’s intricately carved and gilded altarpiece is a Danish national treasure. The altarpiece depicts the passion and the crucifixion of Jesus, and the crowning of the Virgin Mary. The base shows members of the royal family including  King Hans, Queen Christina, and their son King Christian II.

Claus Berg’s altarpiece; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Christina survived her husband by eight years, dying on December 8, 1521, aged 59, in Odense, Denmark. She was buried wearing the habit of a Poor Clares nun with her husband. Their son King Christian II was also interred in the burial chapel in the church of the Franciscan monastery. In 1807, the former Franciscan church was demolished, and Berg’s magnificent altarpiece and the remains of King Hans, his wife Christina, and their son King Christian II were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral, also in Odense, Denmark. Christian’s wife Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral.

Queen Christina’s grave in St. Canute’s Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christine Af Sachsen. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_af_Sachsen> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christina Von Sachsen (1461–1521). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_von_Sachsen_(1461%E2%80%931521)> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christina Of Saxony. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_of_Saxony> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Hans, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/hans-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 21 December 2020].

Ancestors of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

compiled by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Both of King Carl Gustaf’s parents are great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. His father Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten was the son of Princess Margaret of Connaught, the daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. His mother Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the son of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Leopold of the United Kingdom, Duke of Albany.

All King Carl Gustaf’s ancestors from the last five generations are royal except for one great-great-great-grandmother Countess Louise Sophie of Danneskiold-Samsøe who was a member of a Danish noble family descended illegitimately from King Christian V of Denmark and his mistress Sophie Amalie Moth. Among his ancestors from the last five generations are monarchs of the current monarchies of Sweden and the United Kingdom and the monarchs of the former German monarchies of Anhalt, Baden, German Empire, Nassau, Prussia, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Schaumburg-Lippe, and Waldeck-Pyrmont.

Parents, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Great-Great-Grandparents, and Great-Great-Great-Grandparents of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (born April 30, 1946)

The links below are from Unofficial Royalty or Wikipedia.

Parents

Embed from Getty Images 
King Carl Gustaf’s parents

Grandparents

King Gustav Adolf VI of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught, paternal grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Grandparents

Prince Leopold of the United Kingdom, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Great-Grandparents

King Oscar II of Sweden and Princess Sophia of Nassau, great-great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Great-Great-Grandparents

Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, great-great-great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Sources:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Hans, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

King Hans held four royal titles: King of Denmark (1481 – 1513), King of Norway (1483 – 1513), King of Sweden (1497 – 1501), and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig (1482–1513 jointly with his younger brother, the future King Frederik I). Born February 2, 1455, at Aalborghus Castle (link in Danish) in Aalborg, Denmark, he was the third but the eldest surviving of the four sons and the third of the five children of Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and Dorothea of Brandenburg.

Hans had four siblings:

Christina of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1477, Hans was betrothed to Christina of Saxony, daughter of Ernst, Elector of Saxony and Elisabeth of Bavaria. The couple was married on September 6, 1478, at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Hans and Christina had six children:

Wall sculpture at St. Canute’s Cathedral depicting King Hans, Queen Christina, and their son Prince Frans who died from the plague; Credit – Wikipedia

At this time, the monarchies of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden elected their kings. King Christian I, Hans’ father, had ensured that his son was appointed as his successor in each of the three kingdoms. However, upon King Christian I’s death in 1481, only Hans’ succession to the Danish throne went smoothly. In Norway, after some negotiations, Hans was recognized as King of Norway in 1483. In Sweden, a power-play game with Hans lasted for six years. Eventually, Hans saw an opportunity to strike, and after his forces defeated Swedish forces in 1497, he was finally crowned King of Sweden. However, in 1501, an uprising in Sweden caused Hans to lose the Swedish crown.

Hans and Christina were visiting Sweden in 1501 before the uprising. During that visit, Hans began a long-term affair with Edel Jernskjæg, one of Christina’s ladies-in-waiting. The affair caused a scandal and a de facto termination of their marriage. From that time on, the marriage of Hans and Christina was one in name only.

During the Swedish uprising, Hans fled Stockholm and left Christina at Stockholm Palace. She bravely defended the palace for eight months but was forced to surrender in May 1502 after her 1,000-man army defending the palace was reduced by deaths to only 70. Christina spent a year under guard as a prisoner in the Vadstena Monastery, finally being released in 1503. After her return to Denmark, Christina lived with her youngest son Frans, separately from King Hans, on her dower lands at Næsbyhoved Castle and in Odense.

Hans tried to enter into negotiations with Sweden but was unsuccessful and so in 1507, he started a war once again, devastating the Swedish coast. Despite this, Hans did not succeed in regaining control of Sweden for the rest of his reign. In 1508, a rebellion in Norway was crushed by Hans’ son, the future King Christian II, who ruled Norway as viceroy. The Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in northwestern and central Europe, saw their trade with Sweden severely affected by Denmark’s war, and so they went to war against Denmark in 1510. The Hanseatic League army initially took a heavy toll on Denmark but later Hans won victories that resulted in a peace treaty in April 1512.

In January 1513, King Hans was on his way to Aalborghus Castle when he was thrown by his horse. He became increasingly weaker and on February 20, 1513, at his birthplace Aalborghus Castle, King Hans died from his injuries at the age of 58. He was buried in the Gråbrødre Church of the Franciscan monastery in Odense, Denmark which Queen Christina had chosen as the burial site for her husband and herself. Queen Christina commissioned the famous German sculptor Claus Berg to create a burial chapel in the church of the Franciscan monastery for her and her husband. Berg’s intricately carved and gilded altarpiece is a Danish national treasure. The altarpiece depicts the passion and the crucifixion of Jesus, and the crowning of the Virgin Mary. The base shows members of the royal family including King Hans, Queen Christina, and their son King Christian II.

Claus Berg’s altarpiece; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Christina survived her husband by eight years, dying on December 8, 1521, aged 59, and was buried with her husband. Their son King Christian II was also interred in the burial chapel in the church of the Franciscan monastery. In 1807, the former Franciscan church was demolished, and Berg’s magnificent altarpiece and the remains of King Hans, his wife Christina, and their son King Christian II were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral, also in Odense, Denmark. Christian’s wife Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral.

Grave of King Hans at St. Canute’s Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Hans Af Danmark. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_af_Danmark> [Accessed 20 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Claus Berg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claus_Berg> [Accessed 20 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. John, King Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_King_of_Denmark> [Accessed 20 December 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Johann I. (Dänemark, Norwegen Und Schweden). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_I._(D%C3%A4nemark,_Norwegen_und_Schweden)> [Accessed 20 December 2020].

Dorothea of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Dorothea of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Dorothea of Brandenburg has the distinction of being married to two kings: Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and his successor Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the first monarch of the House of Oldenburg that reigned in Denmark until 1863. Dorothea was born in 1430 or 1431 in the Margraviate of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was the youngest of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Johann IV, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmburg (1406 – 1464) and Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg (1405–1465).

Dorothea had three elder siblings:

Dorothea’s first husband Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 12, 1445, 15-year-old Dorothea married 29-year-old Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Two days later, Dorothea was crowned Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The marriage lasted less than three years. In January 1448, 31-year-old King Christopher suddenly died without an heir. Dorothea was proclaimed the regent of Denmark until a new monarch could be elected.

Dorothea’s second husband Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

In June 1448, Karl Knutsson, Lord High Constable of Sweden, was elected King of Sweden and reigned as Karl VIII. He was elected King of Norway the following year. In September 1448, Christian of Oldenburg was elected King of Denmark and reigned as King Christian I. The Danish Council of State made it a condition that Christian should marry Dorothea of Brandenburg, his predecessor’s widow. Christian and Dorothea were married on October 26, 1449, and two days later, their coronation was held. Eventually, Christian I also became King of Norway and King of Sweden. In 1460, upon the death of his maternal uncle, Christian I inherited the Duchy of Holstein and Duchy of Schleswig.

Christian I and Dorothea had five children. Their two surviving sons and both became kings and their only daughter became a queen consort.

Dorothea had a great influence on her husband and was the regent of his kingdoms when he was away. Her careful frugality helped to pay the debts that Christian had accrued. In gratitude, Christian handed over the Duchy of Holstein and Duchy of Schleswig to her fiefdom.

At this time, before the Reformation, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were still Roman Catholic and Dorothea was a great patron of the church. She supported the Franciscan Observants and built a monastery for them in Køge, Denmark. Dorothea oversaw the construction of the Chapel of the Magi, also known as Christian I’s Chapel, at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark where Christian I and Dorothea were interred. In 1474 – 1475, Christian I and Dorothea made a pilgrimage to Rome where they were received by Pope Sixtus IV. As a widow, Dorothea made another pilgrimage to Rome in 1488.

King Christian I of Denmark died, aged 55, at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark on May 21, 1481. He was buried in the Chapel of the Magi at Roskilde Cathedral. After Christian’s death, Dorothea preferred to live at Kalundborg Castle (link in Danish) which is now in ruins.

Christian I was succeeded by his elder son Hans. Until her death, Dorothea remained politically active during Hans’ reign. She granted the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein to her younger son Frederik but it caused a conflict with her elder son, culminating in the two sons jointly reigning the duchies.

Roskilde Cathedral; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

On November 10, 1495, Queen Dorothea died at Kalundborg Castle in Kalundborg, Denmark, aged 65. She was buried with her husband King Christian I in the Chapel of the Magi at Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial site of the Danish royal family, in Roskilde, Denmark. While the tombs of King Christian III, King Frederik II, and their queen consorts are in the Chapel of the Magi, the graves of King Christian I and Queen Dorothea are marked with simple stones because the chapel itself was to be considered their memorial monument.

Grave of King Christian I and Queen Dorothea – Photo Credit  – Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Dorothea Af Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_af_Brandenburg> [Accessed 20 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Dorothea Of Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 20 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.  [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-i-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 20 December 2020]
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Доротея Бранденбургская. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%8F_%D0%91%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F> [Accessed 20 December 2020].

Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

The first king of the House of Oldenburg, Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was born in February 1426 in Oldenburg, County of Oldenburg, now in the German state of Lower Saxony. He was the eldest of the three sons and the second of the four children of Count Dietrich of Oldenburg (circa 1398 – 1440) and his second wife Helvig of Holstein (1398 – 1436).

Christian had three siblings:

  • Adelheid of Oldenburg (1425 – 1475), married (1) Ernst III, Count of Hohenstein, had one son (2) Gerhard VI, Count of Mansfeld, had one son and two daughters
  • Moritz III, Count of Oldenburg (1428 – 1464), married Katharina of Hoya, had one son and two daughters, when his elder brother Christian became King of Denmark, he was given the County of Oldenburg
  • Gerhard VI, Count of Delmenhorst and Count of Oldenburg (1430 – 1500), married Adelheid of Tecklenburg, had four sons and three daughters, when his elder brother Christian became King of Denmark, he was given the County of Delmenhorst and he later inherited the County of Oldenburg

At the death of their father in 1440, Christian and his brothers jointly succeeded as Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. Christian was raised by his maternal uncle Adolphus VIII, Duke of Schleswig, Count of Holstein. Under his uncle’s tutelage, Christian gained experience in political matters, which would benefit him as King of Denmark.

In January 1448, 31-year-old Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden suddenly died. His two-year marriage to 19-year-old Dorothea of Brandenburg was childless. This resulted in a succession crisis that broke up the Kalmar Union which had united the Kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Dorothea was named the interim regent of Denmark until a new monarch could be elected. The Danish throne was first offered to Christian’s uncle Duke Adolphus of Schleswig, the most prominent feudal lord of the lands subject to Danish sovereignty. Adolphus declined and recommended his nephew Christian, Count of Oldenburg.

Dorothea of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

In June 1448, Karl Knutsson, Lord High Constable of Sweden, was elected King of Sweden and reigned as King Karl VIII. In September 1448, Christian of Oldenburg was elected King of Denmark and reigned as King Christian I. The Danish Council of State made it a condition that Christian should marry Dorothea of Brandenburg, his predecessor’s widow. Christian and Dorothea were married on October 26, 1449, and two days later, their coronation was held.

Christian I and Dorothea had five children. Their two surviving sons were both Kings of Denmark and their daughter was the Queen Consort of Scotland.

Christian’s rival King Karl VIII; Credit – Wikipedia

Norway was now faced with a union with Denmark or Sweden or electing a separate king, an option quickly discarded. The Norwegian Council of the Realm was divided between Christian and Karl but eventually ruled in favor of Karl. After an armed conflict between Denmark and Norway, a joint Danish-Swedish meeting decided that Karl should renounce Norway in favor of Christian, and that the survivor of the two kings would be recognized as king in all three kingdoms. Karl reluctantly agreed with the decision. Christian was crowned King of Norway on August 2, 1450. Less than four weeks later, Christian’s wife Dorothea gave birth to their first child, named Oluf after Norway’s patron saint. However, little Oluf died less than a year later.

Being the king in both Denmark and Norway gave Christian a distinct advantage, however, the wars fought between Christian and Karl from 1452 were not decisive. In 1457, a rebellion against King Karl VIII took place, led by Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson and Erik Axelsson Tott, a Swedish nobleman. Karl went into exile and the two leaders of the rebellion organized the election of King Christian I of Denmark as King of Sweden. Karl was able to regain the Swedish throne two more times, from 1464–65 and 1467–1470). Sweden would not be reunited with Denmark and Norway until Christian’s son and successor King Hans conquered Sweden in 1497. After the death of his maternal uncle Adolphus VIII, Duke of Schleswig, Count of Holstein in 1459, the representatives of Schleswig confirmed Christian’s succession to the titles Duke of Schleswig and Count of Holstein.

Roskilde Cathedral; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

King Christian I of Denmark died, aged fifty-five, at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark on May 21, 1481. He was buried in the Chapel of the Magi, which he had built as a family burial chapel for the House of Oldenburg, at Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial site for the Danish royal family in Roskilde, Denmark. His wife Dorothea survived him by fourteen years, dying on November 25, 1495, and was buried with her husband. While the tombs of King Christian III, King Frederik II, and their queen consorts are in the Chapel of the Magi, the graves of King Christian I and Queen Dorothea are marked with simple stones because the chapel itself was to be considered their memorial monument.

Grave of King Christian I and Queen Dorothea – Photo Credit  – Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian 1.. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_1.> [Accessed 19 December 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian I. (Dänemark, Norwegen Und Schweden). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_I._(D%C3%A4nemark,_Norwegen_und_Schweden)> [Accessed 19 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Adolphus VIII, Count Of Holstein. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphus_VIII,_Count_of_Holstein> [Accessed 19 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian I Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_I_of_Denmark> [Accessed 19 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Dietrich, Count Of Oldenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_of_Oldenburg> [Accessed 19 December 2020].
  • Genealogics.org. 2020. Leo’s Genealogics. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/index.php> [Accessed 19 December 2020].

Assassination of Gustav III, King of Sweden (1792)

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

On March 16, 1792, 46-year-old King Gustav III of Sweden was shot at a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, Sweden. He died thirteen days later. Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball) is based on King Gustav III’s assassination and death.

King Gustav III by Lorens Pasch the Younger, 1791; Credit – Wikipedia

King Gustav III of Sweden

Born in 1746, King Gustav III was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, daughter of King George I of Great Britain. He was the first cousin of Empress Catherine II (the Great) of Russia and the nephew of King Friedrich II of Prussia (the Great). In 1766, Gustav married Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, the eldest daughter of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first wife Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Gustav and Sophia Magdalena had two sons but only the future King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden survived infancy.

In 1771, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died and Gustav succeeded his father as King Gustav III of Sweden. In 1772, Gustav arranged for a coup d’état known as the Revolution of 1772 or Coup of Gustav III. The coup d’état reinstated an absolute monarchy and ended parliamentary rule. Gustav imprisoned opposition leaders and established a new regime with extensive power for the king.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: King Gustav III of Sweden.

The Assassination

Royal Opera House in Stockholm in 1880, demolished in 1892 and a new opera house was built. Credit – Wikipedia

The Russo-Sweden War and the implementation of the Union and Security Act in 1789, which gave the king more power and abolished many of the privileges of the nobility, contributed to the increasing hatred of King Gustav III, which had existed among the nobility since the 1772 coup. In the winter of 1791-1792, a conspiracy was formed within the nobility to kill the king and reform the government. The conspirators were:

  • Jacob Johan Anckarström, a Swedish military officer, from a noble family
  • Johan Ture Bielke, member of the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament)
  • Jacob von Engeström, former cabinet secretary and governor of Uppsala County
  • Johan von Engeström, member of the Riksdag
  • Count Claes Fredrik Horn, major in the Swedish Army, former court chamberlain
  • Carl Pontus Lilliehorn, colonel of the Svea Life Guards
  • Baron Carl Fredrik Pechlin, a former major general in the Swedish army and a member of the Riksdag
  • Count Adolph Ribbing, member of the Riksdag

The assassination was scheduled to take place on March 16, 1792, during a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. On that day, members of the conspiracy gathered at the home of Baron Carl Fredrik Pechlin to plan what would happen with the government once the king was dead. Jacob Johan Anckarström, Count Claes Fredrik Horn, and Count Adolph Ribbing met that afternoon and agreed that all three would go to the masked ball dressed in black robes and white masks. Anckarström then went to his home, where he loaded two pistols with bullets, furniture tacks, and bits of lead clippings and sharpened a butcher’s knife. Anckarström and Horn went to the opera house together and Ribbing met them there.

The mask Anckarström wore, his knife, pistols, and the bullets, furniture tacks and lead clippings he loaded in the pistols; Credit – Av LSH – http://emuseumplus.lsh.se/, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27229892

King Gustav III and his friends ate a light supper at the opera house before the masked ball. Towards the end of the supper, a letter arrived for Gustav. At the last moment, one of the conspirators, Carl Pontus Lilliehorn, regretted his part in the conspiracy and sent an anonymous letter to Gustav warning him of the murder plans. Gustav’s friend Count Hans Henric von Essen begged him not to go to the masked ball. However, Gustav had received many threatening letters and ignored the warning.

King Gustav III’s masquerade dress; Credit – Wikipedia

King Gustav III, wearing a mask, a triangular hat, a Venetian cape, and the star of the Royal Order of the Seraphim, walked arm in arm with Count Hans Henric von Essen around the theatre once and then into the foyer where they met Captain Carl Fredrik Pollet. King Gustav, von Essen, and Pollet continued through the foyer towards the masked ball. Due to the crowd, Pollet receded behind the king, who then turned backward to talk to Pollet. Gustav was easily recognized because of the Royal Order of the Seraphim and was soon surrounded by conspirators Jacob Johan Anckarström, Count Claes Fredrik Horn, and Count Adolph Ribbing. One of the conspirators said to him in French: “Bonjour, beau masque” (“Good day, fine masked man.”). Anckarström edged himself behind Gustav, took out a pistol from his left inner pocket, and pulled the trigger. Because the king turned back to talk to Pollet, the shot went in at an angle left of the third lumbar vertebrae towards the left hip region.

King Gustav twitched but did not fall. Anckarström then lost courage because he thought that the king would immediately fall. He dropped the pistol and knife on the floor, took a few steps, and shouted fire. Then he quickly moved towards the door but von Essen had ordered the doors to be closed. Anckarström’s intention had been to shoot himself with the second pistol but instead, he hid the second pistol and mixed with the crowd. The police had everyone unmasked and recorded their names.

What happened to King Gustav III?

The chair where King Gustav rested after being shot. Blood can still be seen on the chair; Credit – Av Mats Landin, Nordiska museet – www.digitaltmuseum.se, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24839722

Immediately after being shot, King Gustav III looked pale as his friend Count Hans Henric von Essen and several army officers escorted him away. As they passed a chair, Gustav said, “I’m hurt – stop here.” von Essen extinguished the king’s clothes which had begun to burn because of the gunshot. After a while, Gustav, who did not lose consciousness, said, “I feel weak, bring me to my room.” He was then taken up to the room where he had supper to rest. Eventually, Gustav was brought back to the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

King Gustav III had not been shot dead as the conspirators had hoped and continued functioning as the head of state while he recovered. However, suddenly he weakened and, as often happened in the days before antibiotics, his wound became infected, and sepsis, a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs, developed. On March 29, 1792, King Gustav III of Sweden died at the age of 46. He was succeeded by his 13-year-old son King Gustav IV Adolf.

The castrum doloris and King Gustav III’s casket in the Riddarholmen Church by Olof Fridsberg; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 14, 1792, King Gustav III was given a magnificent funeral at Riddarholmen Church, a former 13th-century abbey in Stockholm, Sweden, the burial site for Swedish monarchs until 1950. A castrum doloris, a structure with decorations that enclosed the catafalque (raised box or a similar platform to support the casket) was built. The castrum doloris was built in the shape of an Old Norse burial mound that was used from the Neolithic Age to the Viking Age. On the top was a bust of King Gustav III by Swedish sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel. Over the king’s bust hung a shining North Star (Polaris). Beneath the king’s bust was a grieving Mother Svea, a female national personification for Sweden, usually portrayed as a shield-maiden (in Scandinavian folklore and mythology, a female warrior) with one or two lions. The arched opening of the castrum doloris led to the stairs to the royal crypt where Gustav was buried.

King Gustav’s coffin, draped in purple velvet with ermine edges, was placed beneath the castrum doloris. Adjacent to the coffin were the royal regalia on the right and the orders which had been bestowed upon the king on the left. On the right of the coffin was the Riksbaneret, the Swedish national banner used at various royal ceremonies, such as christenings, weddings, and funerals. Two runestones, which described what the king had accomplished during his reign, were on either side of the castrum doloris. All of what is described can be seen in the painting above.

Joseph Martin Kraus, the royal chapel music master, considered the “Swedish Mozart,” composed and conducted a dramatic funeral cantata that was performed by a large orchestra, choir, and four vocal soloists. After the funeral, Gustav was buried in the crypt of Riddarholmen Church.

Tomb of King Gustav III; Credit – www.findagrave.com

What happened to the conspirators?

Jacob Johan Anckarström; Credit – Wikipedia

Jacob Johan Anckarström had left his two guns and his knife at the opera house and the next morning the guns were brought to several gunsmiths. A gunsmith who had repaired the guns for Anckarström recognized them and identified him as their owner. Anckarström was arrested the same morning and immediately confessed to the murder but initially denied that there was a conspiracy. Eventually, he implicated Count Claes Fredrik Horn and Count Adolph Ribbing.

A baker’s boy who had delivered Carl Pontus Lilliehorn’s letter to Gustav III at the opera house led the investigators to Lilliehorn. The deeply repentant Lilliehorn spilled the beans about the conspiracy and his fellow conspirators. It was decided that a limited number of the conspirators would be charged and that Anckarström would be the scapegoat. Anckarström’s principal accomplices Horn and Ribbing were sentenced to death and deprived of their nobility but were then pardoned and exiled from Sweden. Horn settled in Denmark, changed his name to Fredrik Claesson, and wrote for a newspaper. Ribbing changed his name to Adolphe de Leuven and lived in France. He was a writer, married, and had a son. Carl Pontus Lilliehorn was also sent into exile. He settled in Germany where he changed his name to Berg von Bergheim, became a teacher, and later married a wealthy woman.

The fate of the other conspirators:

  • Johan Ture Bielke – died by suicide with poison six days after the assassination
  • Jacob von Engeström – sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of his nobility but the sentence was reduced to three years in prison
  • Johan von Engeström – a year’s suspension from his service
  • Baron Carl Fredrik Pechlin – died after four years in prison

A contemporary drawing of Anckarström being flogged; Credit – Wikipedia

Anckarström was sentenced on April 16, 1972. He was deprived of his estates and nobility privileges, sentenced to be chained in irons for three days, and publicly flogged and then executed. On his execution day, April 27, 1792, Anckarström’s right hand was cut off, he was beheaded, and then his corpse was quartered.

Anckarström had been married and his wife, born Gustaviana von Löwen, and four of their children were living at the time of his execution. After Anckarström’s execution, his family adopted the name Löwenström with royal permission. The new surname was a combination of Löwen, the birth surname of Anckarström’s wife, and – ström, the end of Anckarström’s name.

Un Ballo in Maschera – The Masked Ball, opera by Guiseppe Verdi

Frontispiece to the 1860 vocal score of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera published by Ricordi, showing the final scene; Credit – Wikipedia

The plot of Italian composer Guiseppe Verdi‘s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera is based on the assassination and death of King Gustav III of Sweden. Although the subject of the assassination had been used by other composers, Verdi ran into frustrating censorship issues. Originally, the opera was entitled Gustavo III but Verdi’s librettist Antonio Somma was told that the censors in Naples refused to allow the depiction of an actual monarch on the stage, and certainly not the monarch’s murder. Changes were then made to the setting (Stockholm to Stettin, then in the Kingdom of Prussia) and the main character (King Gustav III to the fictional Duke of Pomerania). However, an assassination attempt in 1858 of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, led to further censorship issues. Censors demanded the setting not be in Europe. With the basic plot still remaining the assassination of King Gustav III, the setting was moved to Boston during the British colonial period, and the leading character became Riccardo, Earl of Warwick and governor of Boston.

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Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Gustav III of Sweden. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_III_of_Sweden [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Jacob Johan Anckarström. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Johan_Anckarstr%C3%B6m [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Un ballo in maschera. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un_ballo_in_maschera [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2019). Gustav III. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_III [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
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  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2019). Mordet på Gustav III. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordet_p%C3%A5_Gustav_III [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].