The willful daughter of the "Lion of the North"
Sebastian Bourdon. Portrait of Queen Christina on horseback
As we remember from previous articles ("Northern Lion" Gustav II Adolf и Triumph and death of the "Lion of the North"), On November 25, 1620, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden married the Brandenburg princess Maria Eleanor. The future "Northern Lion" then was about to turn 26 years old, his bride, two weeks before the wedding, celebrated her 21st birthday.
Portraits of spouses on gold rings
The reason for such a late marriage was ... the horoscope drawn up at the birth of the prince. It said that Gustav Adolf should marry at the age of 25 and with a woman whom he himself chooses to be his wife. Well, you understand: since the astrologer said so, then there is nothing to do - Gustav Adolf had to live as a bachelor until the age indicated by this specialist. But there is freedom of choice. In general, Pugacheva lied in her song, claiming that “marry for love, no king can". And there are many examples of the destructive power of royal love. One portman Marta Skavronskaya, who quickly and decisively drank herself to death "in the position of empress", which is worth it. Or Alexandra Feodorovna, who became the femme fatale of both her husband Nicholas II and the entire Romanov dynasty. British Prince Harry, of course, is not a king, but his story can serve as an excellent illustration of the well-known intolerant saying. Granny Elizabeth is probably comforted by only one circumstance: "evil love" made her grandson fall in love at least a stupid and bad one, but a "goat", and not another "goat" - by nowadays this is already a good thing. However, continuing to quote the songs of Pugacheva, “it's only the beginning"In Europe sliding into senile marasmus ("Oh oh oh").
But let's return from the caricatured decorations of modern royal houses to the cruel and unromantic XNUMXth century.
"Incognito from Stockholm"
The year 1620, appointed by the astrologer for the marriage of Gustav II Adolf, has come. Time was already running out, and therefore in April the Swedish king, under the name of Nils Eriksson, a peasant from Dalhamn, set off on a "pre-wedding trip" through the German principalities. "Peasant" was accompanied by a modest retinue, accommodated on two ships - "Jupiter" and "Zepter". But the king still did not want to become the prototype of the fairy tale by H. H. Andersen, The Swineherd, published in 1841. Already in Pomerania, Gustav Adolf ordered to call himself Colonel Carleson from the retinue of the Elector of the Palatinate Casimir.
According to the recollections of the persons accompanying the king, Gustav Adolf took his incognito seriously. But, as in the case of the European voyage of Peter the Great, this dressing up was the "secret of Punchinelle". Everyone just politely pretended not to guess anything.
It is interesting that the German cities then seemed extremely dirty to Gustav Adolf (in comparison with the Swedish ones). The German electors and princes-bishops had not yet had time to accustom their subjects to the "ordnung". And it was still far from the notorious burgher prosperity. The sight of the squalid and poor dwellings of ordinary Germans contrasted sharply with the majestic cathedrals, palaces and castles of the aristocrats. And in German villages then people and animals often huddled in houses at the same time.
In Berlin, "Colonel Carleson" first met Princess Maria Eleanor.
Ulrika Fredrika Pasch. Portrait of Gustav II Adolf
Michiel van Mierevelt. Maria Eleanor, portrait of 1619
The sympathy of the young people was mutual. Captain Johan Hand, who accompanied the king, left the following entry in his diary:
"As far as I knew, His Majesty was absorbed in conversation with the girl, so he was awarded the kiss of Her princely Grace in her chambers."
It is curious that another contender for the hand of this girl was the failed Russian tsar Vladislav, the son of the Polish king Sigismund III, also from the Vasa house. During the Time of Troubles, the younger brother of Gustav II Adolf, Karl Philip, was also considered a real contender for the Moscow throne. This is how closely everything was intertwined in small medieval Europe.
From Berlin, the Swedish king went to Frankfurt am Main and further to Heidelberg - now as Captain Garza. It seems that Gustav was very much amused by this pleasant trip and enjoyed changing names and costumes. In Heidelberg, he met another contender for his hand and heart - Katharina Palatinate.
At the same time, he managed to combine business with pleasure. With the Margrave of Baden, for example, Gustav Adolf talked with pleasure about the latest tactics of warfare and fortification, examined the personal weapons the master's arsenal.
The choice of the king, as we know, fell on Maria Eleanor of Brandenburg, who became his wife.
Maria Eleonora, Queen of Swedes, Goths and Vandals (!) - they remembered their relatives back then in Sweden
The birth of the heroine and the first years of her life
Maria Eleanor's two pregnancies ended in miscarriages. The first child of the royal couple was born only in 1623. It was a girl who lived for only a year. Finally, on December 8, 1626, a second daughter was born to the Swedish royal family - the heroine of our article, the future Queen Christina. But Gustav II Adolf and his wife really wanted the birth of a son. The disappointment was so great that the father ordered to raise the girl as a boy. This had a great impact on the psyche of the child, significantly deforming it, and led to the consequences, which we will talk about later in our article.
Later, Christina recalled that her father loved her very much, and her mother hated her. Perhaps the girl with a complex character still has idealized memories of King Gustav: if he had lived longer, her relationship with him would have deteriorated.
Back in 1627, the Riksdag and the people swore allegiance to Christina, swearing an oath to obey her in the event of her father's death. Thus, after the death of Gustav II Adolf in the battle of Lützen, it was not his widow who became queen, but a girl who had not yet turned six years old.
Rickskanzler Axel Oxensherna is now seriously involved in her upbringing. He clearly decided to make an ideal ruler and politician out of his ward, especially since the girl's horoscope was simply magnificent and promised her great success in all areas.
Jacob Heinrich Elbfas, portrait of 10-year-old Queen Christina
And in this portrait, also by Elbfas, Christina is 14 years old:
Jacob Heinrich Elbfas. Queen Christine, 1640
We see a fragile graceful girl: there is not even a hint of masculinity attributed to her, is there?
Little Queen
Training sessions for Christina began in the early morning, while Oksishern himself, when he was in Stockholm, gave her three-hour lectures every day.
Sometimes we hear that one of Christine's teachers was Rene Descartes. In fact, the young queen only actively corresponded with him. The philosopher came to Stockholm at her invitation already in 1649.
Nils Forsberg. Dispute between Queen Christine and René Descartes, 1884
A fragment of this picture:
In Sweden, by the way, Descartes caught a cold and died.
The ambition of the little queen was such that neither encouragement nor punishment was required - Christina just wanted to be the best and constantly strived for it. By the way, she perfectly knew not only 7 foreign languages, but also all the “strong” expressions that were available in her native Swedish. In fact, Protestants did not approve of abuse in those days, and Christina's father punished his soldiers for her in the most cruel way. But the young queen was a girl of free views (which she will later prove). And, most importantly, there was no person who would have dared to send her to a "qualified execution" with gauntlets.
In her free time, the girl had fun with shooting, fencing and hunting. Traditional women's activities, such as knitting and embroidery, she categorically ignored. Moreover, she was irritated by female society, and therefore all of the queen's servants were exclusively male. But she loved to dance.
Everyone was struck by the young queen's exceptional composure. According to eyewitnesses, her expression did not change even during the assassination attempt in the church, when a madman attacked her with a knife in his hands.
Greta Garbo as Queen Christina, 1933 film
From the age of 15, she began to receive foreign ambassadors, from the age of 16 - to attend meetings of the royal council. At the age of 18, Christina was declared an adult. So, it was she who put the signature during the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia, from which, perhaps, it was her country that benefited most of all.
Minerva Severa
Alas, this child prodigy, shining with her abilities, was destined to become not a great ruler of Sweden, but just the heroine of numerous scandals.
After the end of the Thirty Years War, Christina began to believe that the luxury of her court and capital should correspond to the high position of Sweden in the international arena. Stockholm was decorated with pompous buildings and arches; the queen did not pay attention to the cost of the statues, paintings and books she liked. Court flatterers now called her "the tenth muse" and "the new Minerva."
Queen Christina, portrayed as Minerva. Mid-XNUMXth century engraving
But there were also positive aspects. It was then that the first Swedish newspaper began to be published, and a national education system was created.
The state treasury became scarce due to the extravagance of the queen, but even worse was the fact that she categorically did not want to get married. At the same time, Christina was by no means a masculine ugly: in all the portraits we see a pretty girl and woman. Here is one of them:
Sebastien Bourdon. Portrait of Queen Christina
This queen was also not caught in unconventional sexual addictions. Modern feminists are trying to attribute to her a lesbian relationship with Ebba Sparre: in the winter, Christina often went to bed with her at night. However, in Scandinavia at that time it was in the order of things: the girls went to bed together so that it would not be cold to sleep. It was very difficult to heat the royal castle with medieval fireplaces, and even Christine's dear guest, Rene Descartes, was not saved and chilled (in letters, the philosopher complained about the chilly cold in the royal palace at night). Therefore, our heroine was not a lesbian and she used this girl only as a “living warmer” (no wonder that after so many nights spent together, Ebba Sparre became her only friend).
On the contrary, like the English "virgin queen" Elizabeth (this pseudo-virgin lady was the idol of the Swede), Christina, not particularly hiding, made favorites. These were the names of her compatriots Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie and Claes Tott, the French doctor Pierre Bourdeleau, and the Spanish diplomat Antonio Pimentel.
Hendrik Munnichhoven. "Portrait of Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie", one of the favorites of Queen Christina
Knowing the character of their queen, ministers and members of parliament waited a long time for her to choose her fiancé. But as time went on, they began to openly talk to her about the need for marriage and the birth of a successor to her glorious dynasty. However, the dignitaries and the people also agreed on the girl-heiress. Christine was offered suitors - the queen rejected them, citing the example of the same Englishwoman Elizabeth. Even the thought of the possibility of the slightest restriction of freedom was unbearable for her.
Finally, in 1649, her cousin and failed fiancé Karl Gustav Palatinate-Zweibrückensky was declared Christine's heir.
Unexpected renunciation
The denouement came in 1654 when Queen Christina (she was only 28 at the time) suddenly announced her abdication. The new king under the name of Charles X was the aforementioned Karl Gustav, a representative of the Palatinate-Zweibrucken dynasty.
Justus van Egmont. Charles X Gustav of Sweden
For many Swedes, Christina's decision was unexpected and caused a shock reaction. Researchers are still wondering about her motives, and there is no generally accepted point of view on this issue. Perhaps, too quickly and early, the girl who grew up was simply tired of royal duties and wanted to “retire” - to live for her own pleasure and compensate for the actual absence of childhood. Therefore, even if you have extraordinary and outstanding abilities, you probably shouldn't rush a child into growing up.
As compensation for the former queen, a number of lands were allocated, the income from which (about 200 thousand thalers per year) went to her personal disposal.
Former Queen's New Life
In order not to attract too much attention to her departure, Christina reached Antwerp in a man's dress. From this city, under her own name, she went to Brussels. And here the daughter of the famous defender of the Protestant faith suddenly announced her desire to convert to Catholicism, which became a real pan-European sensation. The official renunciation of the "heresy of Lutheranism" took place in June 1664 in Innsbruck. From Pope Alexander VII, the former queen received a new name - Maria Alexandra. The Holy See triumphed, and in Rome, the former Queen of Sweden settled in the luxurious Palazzo Fornesi. In the meantime, I also visited Paris. Returning to Rome, she became the owner of a secular salon, modestly called the "Arcadian Academy", and, according to rumors, the mistress of Cardinal Decio Azzolino.
Jacob-Ferdinand Foote "Portrait of Decio Azzolino"
The Roman pontiff had to politely ask the guest of honor to choose another place of residence for himself. The former queen went to France, where in November 1657 she became the heroine of an even louder scandal. She ordered the murder of her chief equestrian, the Marquis of Monaldeschi, who inadvertently decided to blackmail her. Moreover, there was information that the high-ranking guest took personal part in this murder. They did not dare to arrest and put the former queen on trial, but hinted at the need to leave France as soon as possible. I had to return to Rome again.
This lady was not used to counting money and therefore often got into debt. In the end, she began to regret her abdication and, after the death of Charles X in 1660, arrived in Stockholm, hoping that there would be those willing to offer her the vacant throne. However, in Sweden, the former queen, who betrayed the faith of her father and ancestors, was greeted extremely coldly. The choice was made in favor of the 5-year-old son of the late king (it was he who later became the father of Charles XII).
Another trip home (in 1662) turned out to be even shorter: Christina (however, now Maria Alexandra) refused to part with the Catholic priest who had arrived with her and left Sweden forever.
Then the most real adventures began - what is most sad, they had practically no chance of success. In 1668, for example, she suddenly wanted to take the vacant throne of the Commonwealth. But, as you know, in this country her desire was not appreciated.
The former queen devoted the last years of her life to art and even had a hand in founding the first public opera in Rome. She collected a large collection of paintings (preferring the artists of the Venetian school) and a rich library. She bequeathed both meetings to the already familiar Cardinal Azzolino. Under his patronage, after her death (April 19, 1689), the daughter of the famous Protestant king and commander was buried in the tomb of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. In addition to her, only Matilda of Canosskaya and Maria Clementine Sobesskaya were awarded such an honor.
Tombstone of the former Queen Christina
But what if Gustav Adolf had not listened to the charlatan-astrologer? Would he not have married at almost 26 years old, but at 20, and the wife would have had time to give birth to children before his death in 1632? Perhaps the kings from the Vasa dynasty would still sit on the throne of Sweden.
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