On This Day: Swedish Royal Family

[JR76]

Originally Posted by Countessmeout

He was killed in Norway. He was laying siege to the fortress of Fredriksten as part of the Great North war. He was killed while he was inspecting his trenches, hit in the head by a projectile. The siege, and basically the Great North war, ended with his death. His armies retreated following his death.

He was unmarried, and the throne passed to his sister Ulrika Eleonora.


And on the 150th anniversary of his demise, November 30 1868, his statue was innaugerated in the Kungsan in Stockholm.

It wasn't as easy as the throne passing to his sister Ulrika Eleonora. While there was no clear succession everyone expected his nephew The Duke Karl Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp. Thanks to the quick action taken by Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel his wife Ulrika Eleonora was surprisingly elected queen by the Parliament.
Karl Frederick and his supporters were outraged but in practice he remained heir to the throne until he married in Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia in 1724. Their son eventually became Tsar Peter III.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by CyrilVladisla

On this day, November 11, 1599 ~ Birth of Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, the spouse of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden

Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was the mother of Queen Christina,though I'm not sure they were very close.

[JR76]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was the mother of Queen Christina,though I'm not sure they were very close.

They weren't. Maria Eleonora was unstable even before the death of her husband and once he was killed she went mad from grief. The Queen Dowager was denied a place in the Regency council of her daughter and Queen Christina was raised by her paternal aunt Princess Catherine of Pfalz-Zweibrücken according to the will of her father, King Gustav II Adolf. Because of her being so unstable the Regency council forbade her any access to her daughter and had her banished to Gripsholm Castle. As Christina grew older she acted as an intermediary between her mother and the Regency council a few times. Although the relationship became at best cordial Christina kept her mother at an arms length and treated her with the same overbearingness as any man of the time would have treated a troublesome female relative.

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, December 1, 1374 ~ Demise of King Magnus IV of Sweden

[Countessmeout]

December 4 1676 Charles XI led the Swedish army in the Battle of Lund against the larger forces of Danish King Christian V. (13,000 Danes/Dutch to 8,000 Swedes). It is known as the bloodiest battle in Scandinavian history. The Swedish army was nearly defeated, when at sundown Charles returned with his calvary and turned the tide. The Danish general tried to cover the retreating Danish infantry (the horseman had fled already), but many of the Dane and Dutch infantry were slaughtered before the Swedish general called a ceasefire.


By all accounts, 9300 died, though some of those were Danes who drowned, and others died of injuries later. About 6000 Danes were killed (another 2000 captured). The Dutch soldiers were the worst hit. Of the 1300 who joined the battle, only a few dozen survived.

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, December 8, 1625 ~ Demise of Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen Consort of King Karl IX

On this day, December 8, 1907 ~ King Gustaf V of Sweden acceded to the Swedish throne.

On this day, December 9, 1594 ~ Birth of King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden

[Countessmeout]

Dec 10

1317- The Infamous Nykoping Banquet was held. King Birger of Sweden had invited his brothers Erik and Valdemar for the Christmas banquet. Seven years previously the brothers had led an unsuccessful coup against Birger, and were spared by the aid of the Kings of Norway and Denmark. Birger loured his brothers to the castle, but it was a trap. With their men at arms not housed in the castle, the brothers were arrested after they went to bed, by crossbowman who took them away in manacles. The brothers would die from starvation.

Unfortunately for Birger his brothers were popular and well married. They had married the 'two duchesss Ingeborgs'. Valdemar's wife was the daughter of Eric II of Norway, and Eric's was the daughter of Haakon V. Haakon was Eric's younger brother and successor. Valdemar was childless but Eric had a son Magnus. Magnus' grandfather Haakon had no male heir, and so when he died, the throne of Norway devolved on Magnus.

A year after the banquet Birger was driven into exile. He fled to Denmark where his brother in law Eric VI was king (he married Eric's sister Martha). In 1319, Magnus was named king of both Sweden and Norway, with his mother and paternal grandmother serving on a regency counsel for both.


Birger would die in 1321. He was pre-deceased by both his sons. His younger son Eric died in 1319 in exile. His elder son Magnus had tried to reclaim his father's lands in Sweden and was executed in 1320.

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, December 13, 1533 ~ Birth of King Eric XIV at Stockholm Castle

On this day, December 17, 1860 ~ Demise of Queen Desideria, the wife of King Carl XIV Johan

On this day, December 18, 1290 ~ Demise of King Magnus III of Sweden

On this day, December 18, 1626 ~ Birth of Queen Christina of Sweden

On this day, December 20, 1537 ~ Birth of King Johan III of Sweden

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by CyrilVladisla

On this day, December 20, 1537 ~ Birth of King Johan III of Sweden

King Johan III married the Catholic Polish Princess,Catherine Jagiellon in October,1562.The queen was the daughter of Sigismund I of Poland
and the powerful,Bona Sforza.

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, December 24, 1588 ~ Birth of Constance of Austria, the Queen Consort of King Sigismund III

On this day, December 30, 1913 ~ Demise of Sofia of Nassau, Queen Consort of King Oscar II

On this day, January 1, 1516 ~ Demise of Margaret Leijonhufvud, Queen of King Gustav I

[An Ard Ri]

Margaret Leijonhufvud was born on January 1st 1516,she died in August 1551.

[LadyFinn]

On this day 40 years ago, 1st January 1980, Crown Princess Victoria became the heir to the Swedish throne.

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, January 15, 1882 ~ Birth of Princess Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden

On this day, January 21, 1829 ~ Birth of King Oscar II

On this day, January 23, 1688 ~ Birth of Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RConzLmNxOs

On this day, January 24, 1904 ~ Birth of King Gustav III

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVA-eTgzSM8

On this day, January 26, 1763 ~ Birth of King Carl XIV Johan in Pau, France

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6wPmPQDIcM

On this day, January 26, 1947 ~ Demise of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Vasterbotten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7PybJmPuZU

On this day, February 5, 1818 ~ Demise of King Carl XIII at the Royal Palace of Stockholm

On this day, February 7, 1837 ~ Demise of King Gustav IV Adolf

[JR76]

What a tragic life. Born to rule in the Royal Palace of Stockholm and died alone in a hotel in St. Galen in Switzerland.

Originally Posted by CyrilVladisla

On this day, February 7, 1837 ~ Demise of King Gustav IV Adolf

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, February 10, 1598 ~ Demise of Anna of Austria, Queen of Austria, Queen Consort of King Sigismund III Vasa

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, February 13, 1660 ~ Demise of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, February 21, 1584 ~ The wedding of King Johan III and Gunilla Bielke

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by CyrilVladisla

On this day, February 21, 1584 ~ The wedding of King Johan III and Gunilla Bielke

The Protestant Gunilla Bielke was his second wife,Johan III 1st wife,the Catholic Catherine Jagiellon had died in September 1583.Gunilla was raised at the Swedish Court as she was related to Johan III and she later served as a maid of honour to the queen, Catherine Jagellon.

[JR76]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

The Protestant Gunilla Bielke was his second wife,Johan III 1st wife,the Catholic Catherine Jagiellon had died in September 1583.Gunilla was raised at the Swedish Court as she was related to Johan III and she later served as a maid of honour to the queen, Catherine Jagellon.

Strangely enough Johan's siblings were against the match because of Gunilla not being of royal ancestry and conveniently forgetting their own noble ancestry. They were all one mere generation away from being country squires themselves.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by JR76

Strangely enough Johan's siblings were against the match because of Gunilla not being of royal ancestry and conveniently forgetting their own noble ancestry. They were all one mere generation away from being country squires themselves.

Yes it seems the kings sisters were enraged at having the non royal Gunilla as queen despite the fact that their own mother,Margaret Leijonhufvud was also from a prominent noble clan!