1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:06,040 Speaker 1: Before we start, just a little quick note. I wrote 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: a book. It's called Anatomy, a Love Story, and it's 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: coming out next February. It's a story about love and 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: dead bodies in nineteenth century Edinburgh. And if you like 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: this podcast, I have a really good feeling that you're 6 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 1: also really going to like this book. So here's where 7 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: I have to get a little bit earnest and say 8 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: pre orders are incredibly important for authors. Basically, publishers look 9 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: at those numbers and decide how many eyeballs they're going 10 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: to put the book in front of when it's actually published. 11 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: So if you're interested at all, or even on the fence, 12 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: do me a favor at least and check it out 13 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: and see if you're intrigued enough for a preorder. It 14 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: would mean so much to me. Also, if you want 15 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: to support the show, you can always get access to 16 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: bibliography material and episode scripts on our Patreon at patreon 17 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: dot com, slash Noble Blood Tales, Welcome to Noble Blood, 18 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm and Mild 19 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: from Aaron Minky. Listener discretion is advised. Christina of Sweden 20 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: had an unusual birth. She was born on a frosty 21 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: December day to the King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus and 22 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: his wife Maria Eleonora. The couple had achieved four pregnancies 23 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:24,559 Speaker 1: before Christina, but they hadn't had a single child survived 24 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: past infancy. One son was stillborn, a daughter died before 25 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: her first birthday, and so this new pregnancy was a 26 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: source of joy but also of profound anxiety for the 27 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: royal family. A slew of doctors were sent to examine 28 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: the queen, and one by one they all turned to 29 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: the king with knowing smiles and said, it's a boy. 30 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: Christina came out screaming a hoarse, strong, low pitched voice, 31 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: and she came out covered in the downy fur that 32 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: sometimes covers newborns. It was probably a combination of those 33 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: factors and the fact that having a male heir at 34 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: this point was already a foregone conclusion that Christina was 35 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: initially declared to be a boy. When the mistake was identified, 36 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: the attendants were humiliated. The air in the royal chambers 37 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: was still and stifling with the awkwardness of the entire situation. 38 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: King Gustavus broke the tension. If he was disappointed at 39 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: not having a male heir. He didn't show it. She'll 40 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: be clever, he said, she has made fools of us. 41 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: All The King adored his daughter, and from that point 42 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: on he correctly assumed that he and his wife wouldn't 43 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: be having any more children, and that Christina was going 44 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: to be his heir. If she was a woman, well, 45 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 1: that was okay by him. Technically, Christina never became a 46 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: queen after her father's death. People called her Queen Christina 47 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: of Sweden, but her actual formal title was King. Swedish 48 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: law didn't include the terminology for a non queen consort 49 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: or a queen just married to the king without monarchical 50 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: power in her own right. Christina's accidental mis gendering at 51 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: birth turned out to be just the first in a 52 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: long line of unusual happenings, and possibly one of the 53 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: strangest lives of Renaissance royal history. Christina was a woman 54 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: who lived with a peculiar knack for doing things exactly 55 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: on her terms, fond of wearing men's clothing and not 56 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: combing her hair, with absolutely no interest in getting married 57 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: to a man, and a much bigger interest in pursuing 58 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: romantic relationships with women Christina was not the king but 59 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: Sweden really wanted, which especially became true when she decided 60 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: that she wanted to convert to Catholicism, even though her 61 00:03:54,880 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: kingdom was deeply Lutheran and so, citing burnout, Christina abdicated 62 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: and spent the next several decades of her life bouncing 63 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: between various European courts, throwing elaborate parties so expensive they 64 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: could bring her hosts financial ruin, and ultimately landing at 65 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: the Vatican, where she was a guest under five separate popes. 66 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: Back when she was reigning in Sweden, one of her 67 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: political enemies said of her quote Christina was bringing everything 68 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: to ruin and that she cared for nothing but sport 69 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: and pleasure. So often Disney movies and history stories this 70 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 1: podcast often included fall into the trap of telling the 71 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: tales of beautiful, gentle princesses. Christina was neither. She was 72 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: strange looking and strange in her habits. Probably the best 73 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 1: educated woman in Europe of her day. She loved music 74 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: and theater and other women, and still she's one of 75 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: only three women to be buried in the papal Vatican grottos. 76 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: Of course, there was murder along the way. What good 77 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: story doesn't have murder. Christina may have abdicated her throne, 78 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:14,279 Speaker 1: but she never gave up having the power of life 79 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: and death over her courtly subjects. I'm Dana Schwartz and 80 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: this is noble blood. Christina's mother, Maria Eleanora, didn't share 81 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: her husband's calm, demeanor or collectiveness when it came to 82 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 1: the fact that they didn't actually have a son. Murray 83 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: Eleanora was incredibly volatile, often erratic in her behavior in 84 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: ways that some historians sometimes posthumously characterized as postnatal depression 85 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: or at least some unspecified mental illness. The court collectively 86 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:59,279 Speaker 1: actually decided to withhold the information from the Queen that 87 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: her newborn son wasn't actually a son for a few days. 88 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: When the queen was finally told that she had given 89 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: birth to a daughter, she threw a tantrum quote, instead 90 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 1: of a son, I'm given a daughter, dark and ugly, 91 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: with a great nose and black eyes. Take her from me. 92 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: I will not have such a monster. That quote just 93 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,840 Speaker 1: about to find the relationship between mother and daughter that, 94 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: for the rest of their lives could charitably be described 95 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: as chili. I wouldn't go so far as some other 96 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:37,159 Speaker 1: historians do to imply that, in the queen's agitated state 97 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: of mind, that she attempted to hurt her own child. 98 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: But I do think it's consistent with a bitter, disinterested 99 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: parent that Christina had a number of dangerous accidents when 100 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,279 Speaker 1: she was still young. A beam fell onto her cradle. 101 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: When she was an infant, a nursemaid was accused of 102 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: dropping the baby onto a stone floor injuring Christina's should 103 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: older as a young child, Christina accidentally fell down a 104 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:08,039 Speaker 1: flight of stairs, breaking her collar bone. Her collar bone 105 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: never healed correctly, and for the rest of her life, 106 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: Christina would be in a perpetual shrug, with one shoulder 107 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: sitting higher than the other. In stark contrast to her 108 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: mother's disinterest, Christina's father, the King, adored her. When the 109 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: King noticed that the toddler clapped and giggled upon hearing 110 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: the cannons booming the royal salute at Colmar Castle, he 111 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: made sure to take his young daughter with him often 112 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: when he went on military reviews. Christina was technically going 113 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: to be the King of Sweden, and so Gustavus made 114 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: sure that she was raised like one. But as in 115 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: all unhappy stories of princesses, Christina's devoted parent didn't stay 116 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: in her life for long. The Thirty Years War was 117 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: being fought across Germany and Central Europe, and when Christina 118 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: was six years old, King Gustavus left to fight on 119 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: behalf of Protestantism. If the king didn't know then that 120 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: he was never going to return, he at least prepared 121 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: for the possibility, formerly securing Christina in the line of 122 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: succession and making plans for her regency and her custody 123 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: until she came of age. Her erratic mother, Maria Eleonora, 124 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: was not to be included in either plan. To Axel Oxensterna, 125 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:39,559 Speaker 1: one of the kingdom's most prominent statesman, the king said quote, 126 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,079 Speaker 1: if anything happens to me, my family will merit your pity. 127 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,960 Speaker 1: The mother lacking in common sense, the daughter a minor, 128 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: hopeless if they rule, and dangerous if others come to 129 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 1: rule over them. The plan was that if Gustavus died, 130 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,079 Speaker 1: Christina's guardian would be the king's half sister Catherine, and 131 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: the king's half brother Carl would be the head of 132 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: a regent council. Lo and behold, the king was killed 133 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 1: in battle. Maria Eleanora was so distraught at her husband's 134 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: death that she refused to allow them to bury his body. 135 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:21,720 Speaker 1: For eighteen months, she kept his casket open in a 136 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 1: room draped with black velvet, and the dowager Queen, who 137 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: had once been so cold and removed from any aspect 138 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: of her child rearing, now became deeply invested in being 139 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:38,560 Speaker 1: a part of little Christina's life. Maria Eleonora, in a 140 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: bid to re establish her power, actually tried to ban 141 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 1: the king's half sister Catherine from the castle. In the end, 142 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:50,240 Speaker 1: it was Maria Eleanora who would be banished by Axel 143 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:55,680 Speaker 1: Oxensterna to grip Shawn Castle, forty miles west of Stockholm. 144 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 1: Though Uncle Carl was head of the regency Council in name, 145 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:03,320 Speaker 1: it was Axel Oxensterna who actually ran the nation while 146 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 1: Christina was a child, and who helped shepherd her princely 147 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: education the way her father had instructed. When Christina was twelve, 148 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: her guardian, her aunt Catherine, died. From that point on, 149 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: oxen Sterna appointed a group to be Christina's collective guardians, 150 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: rather than giving her individual foster parents. The idea was 151 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: that because Christina would go on to have so much power, 152 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,679 Speaker 1: she shouldn't be biased in favor of any nobleman and 153 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,520 Speaker 1: grow to pick favorites as an adult, technically the king 154 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: of Sweden already at six years old, Christina received an 155 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: absolutely phenomenal education. She was tutored as if she were 156 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 1: a boy in politics, philosophy, and theology, and to the 157 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:04,559 Speaker 1: point of fluency in seven languages, not counting Swedish. Christina 158 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: was very possibly the best educated woman of the entire 159 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: seventeenth century. Axel oxens Jarna even hired a French ballet 160 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 1: troop to teach Christina how to move gracefully. That lesson 161 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: was the one that never quite took. Christina was never 162 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: accused of being graceful. By the time she was an adult, 163 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 1: she swore like a sailor, refused to brush her hair, 164 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 1: neglected all sense of fashion or polite decorum. She was 165 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:39,199 Speaker 1: uncomfortably blunt and outright refused things that she saw as feminine. 166 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: From a young age, she was drawn to the Catholic doctrine, 167 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: particularly the idea of celibacy. As a teenager, she was 168 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 1: briefly secretly engaged to her cousin Charles, but pretty quickly 169 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,440 Speaker 1: Christina made it very clear to everyone around her that 170 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 1: she had no intention of ever getting married. Christina's most 171 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: important romantic relationship was with a girl named Ebba Sparr, 172 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: the daughter of a political family. Ebba arrived to Court 173 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: as a teenager to serve as one of Christina's ladies 174 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: in waiting. The two were inseparable, they shared a bed 175 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: and wrote a fusive letters to each other. It's almost 176 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: besides the point to ask if the relationship was explicitly 177 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: sexual when it was so obviously romantic. Christina referred to 178 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: Ebba as Belle, and when Ebba finally got married, it 179 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:37,200 Speaker 1: was to a man Christina selected who would keep Ebba 180 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: close at Court. I am not a queer scholar who 181 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 1: can determine whether or not it's academically useful to call 182 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 1: Christina a lesbian when she wouldn't have thought of herself 183 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:52,640 Speaker 1: in those terms. But it seems unnecessarily reductive and a 184 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: little silly to discount what was obviously a queer relationship. 185 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: In terms of her leadership, Christina was more focused on 186 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: the big picture than the details of policy. In running Sweden. 187 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: She wanted Stockholm to be a cultural center, and to 188 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,040 Speaker 1: that end she created a theater in the palace and 189 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: appointed the scholar gay Or extreme Home to be court poet. 190 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: He would go on to write a number of plays 191 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: that Christina would actually perform it in front of very 192 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 1: small and very private audiences. Christina also corresponded with the 193 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:43,079 Speaker 1: famous philosopher Renee Decart of I think therefore I am fame. 194 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:48,160 Speaker 1: Decartes actually came to Swedish court, but it wasn't really 195 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: a successful visit for a few reasons. First, Decarte and 196 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,160 Speaker 1: Christina did not get along in person, which might have 197 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 1: had something to do with Christina's slightly uncouth manner. But second, 198 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: and maybe more important, Christina invited Decarte to give her lectures. 199 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: Early in the Chili Swedish mornings, decart caught a chill, 200 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: which turned into pneumonia, and then he died. Christina's other 201 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: big picture goal for Sweden was establishing peace and ending 202 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,840 Speaker 1: the Thirty Years War that had killed her father. On 203 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: any terms, Axel Oxensterne had slightly different feelings when it 204 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:33,240 Speaker 1: came to war. He and the Queen began to butt 205 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: heads as soon as she became of the age of majority. 206 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 1: Axel wanted to end the war too, but on their terms. 207 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: At a larger peace conference in Austin Brook, the Chancellor 208 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: auction Sterne sent his son Johann to negotiate. Christina, not 209 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: satisfied that Johann would push for peace hard enough, sent 210 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: her own delegate. Peace was reached, but Oxensterna was a 211 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 1: little bitter about how meager the territorial gains were for Sweden. 212 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 1: But even political disagreements weren't the biggest problem that Queen 213 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: Christina was having with her politicians. Her distaste for marriage, 214 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: which had seemed like a youthful fixation, was now that 215 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: she was the age of majority, a legitimate problem. Christina 216 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,320 Speaker 1: had reached the age of majority in sixteen forty four, 217 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 1: but her official coronation was delayed because of war with Denmark. 218 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: She was crowned officially in sixteen fifty and the clashes 219 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: with her politicians reached new heights. Christina told her counsel quote, 220 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: I do not intend to give you reasons. I am 221 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 1: simply not suited to marriage. In her mind, she was 222 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 1: a successor in the spirit of Queen Elizabeth, the first 223 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 1: of England. Christina wouldn't want to marry a man, which 224 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 1: would simply mean sifening her own power away and turning 225 00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:01,360 Speaker 1: her husband into the kingdom's de facto ruler. Her counsel 226 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: secretly thought, that's sort of the point. Christina did have 227 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: one relationship with a man, a relationship that would come 228 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: to define the rest of her life. It was a 229 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 1: friendship with the Jesuit secretary and interpreter for the Portuguese 230 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: ambassador to Sweden. She and the ambassador spoke of religion 231 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: and philosophy of Copernicus, Tikobray, Bacon, and Coupler. When Christina 232 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 1: expressed her fascination with Catholicism, the secretary smuggled one of 233 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: her letters to Italy and invited two more Jesuit scholars 234 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:49,120 Speaker 1: to sneak into Stockholm in disguise to chat with Christina. 235 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: Not only did Christina not want to get married, she 236 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 1: wanted to convert to Catholicism. Now, that's all well and 237 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: good for a person, but not a person who is 238 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,359 Speaker 1: the monarch of a country, especially not since one of 239 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,640 Speaker 1: the terms of the peace treaty at Austinbrook was that 240 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: the religion of the ruler determined the religion of a kingdom. Christina, 241 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: almost twenty seven years old, had reigned for nearly two decades. 242 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,960 Speaker 1: Her days were filled with ten hours of lessons and 243 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:30,240 Speaker 1: policy meetings on financial minutia. It was, in short, hell 244 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:32,800 Speaker 1: of a lot of work for someone who didn't want 245 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 1: the job. On June six, six fifty four, Christina abdicated 246 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: the Swedish throne on behalf of her cousin Charles. For 247 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: the ceremony, she wore all of her royal regalia a 248 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 1: top of a simple white taffeta gown. Her counsel one 249 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:55,520 Speaker 1: by one came up and removed the royal items, but 250 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 1: the final counselor, who was supposed to remove Christina's crown, 251 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: wasn't able to do it, and so Christina stood in 252 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:06,479 Speaker 1: silence for a moment and then just took off her 253 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: crown herself. She gestured for the new king, Charles to 254 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: come up and sit in the throne she vacated, but 255 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: he politely refused, and the two of them left the 256 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: ceremony together. Three days later, Christina left Sweden. Christina's journey 257 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,880 Speaker 1: from Sweden was forcing her to travel through Denmark, still 258 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,680 Speaker 1: one of the country's enemies, and so she cut her 259 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,880 Speaker 1: hair short more men's clothing and posed under the fake 260 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: name Count Donna to sneak across the border. While traveling 261 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 1: through sympathetic Catholic kingdoms, Christina privately converted to Catholicism, although 262 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,679 Speaker 1: she kept it a secret temporarily because she still needed 263 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 1: alimony from the Swedish government and she didn't want to 264 00:18:56,040 --> 00:19:01,360 Speaker 1: compromise that. When she did eventually announced our conversion, it 265 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:06,040 Speaker 1: was at the palace of Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand Charles in Austria. 266 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 1: He threw her a multiday party so extravagant it nearly 267 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,640 Speaker 1: led to his financial ruin. That event is a good 268 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: keystone for what Christina's life would look like as she 269 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:23,919 Speaker 1: continued around Europe, attending parties, plays, and concerts at the 270 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:28,719 Speaker 1: behest of various Catholic noblemen. Finally, her travels took her 271 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,920 Speaker 1: to Rome, where Pope Alexander the seventh, an early adopter 272 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:37,040 Speaker 1: of having a mustache and a square little goatee unconnected 273 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: to the mustache, welcomed her as a triumph. He threw 274 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,879 Speaker 1: her an opulent reception that began with a procession with 275 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaker 1: six thousand onlookers crowding the streets to catch a glimpse 276 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: of her. The rest of the parade included camels and elephants. 277 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: It was the Roman equivalent of the Prince Ali song 278 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: from Aladdin. The pope was thrilled to have a monarch, 279 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:08,680 Speaker 1: even a former monarch, who publicly converted to Catholicism. Maybe 280 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,399 Speaker 1: it was the first step in Sweden coming back to 281 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:15,520 Speaker 1: the Church, or maybe Christina could influence other royals to 282 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 1: follow her lead. Christina entered the Vatican through gates specially 283 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:25,679 Speaker 1: designed by the sculptor Bernini. Bernini also designed the coach 284 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: that she wrote in. Christina would remain in Rome for 285 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:33,880 Speaker 1: a good portion of her adult life, only occasionally popping 286 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 1: into other countries when there seemed like there might be 287 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: an open position for a monarch, and the hopes that 288 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 1: maybe she wouldn't have to financially rely on the pope 289 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: any longer. For a period, the most promising vacant position 290 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: for Christina was the throne of Naples. It wasn't actually vacant, 291 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:56,359 Speaker 1: it was currently occupied by Spain, but it had gone 292 00:20:56,359 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: back and forth between Spain and France, and Christina that 293 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,360 Speaker 1: she might be able to persuade France to sponsor her 294 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: becoming queen and Naples if only to weaken their enemy. 295 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,680 Speaker 1: So Christina traveled to France to meet with the teenage 296 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: King Louis the fourteenth and his mother, the regent, Queen Anne, 297 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:19,160 Speaker 1: but their reaction was a little lukewarm. But Christina's time 298 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 1: in France would lead to what became one of the 299 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:26,280 Speaker 1: defining incidents of her adult life. She caught a trader 300 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: in her midst and the woman who had been raised 301 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: to be king knew exactly what to do with him. 302 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:39,800 Speaker 1: Christina's court was staying in the Grand Apartments at the 303 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:44,120 Speaker 1: Palace Fontainebleue outside of Paris. She had already met with 304 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: Queen Anne about the whole Naples thing, and she was 305 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 1: set to return back to Rome, but there were rumors 306 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 1: of plague in Italy, and Christina figured that if she 307 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: stuck around France a little bit longer, she might persuade 308 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: the French to hurry up with that military support. While 309 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: she was there, Christina discovered that her master of the house, 310 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: a man named Rinaldo Monaldeshi, had been copying her letters 311 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: and sending them to the Pope. In short, it was 312 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,600 Speaker 1: a full betrayal behind her back. Around one p m. 313 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: One afternoon, she summoned Monaldeshi to her chambers and publicly 314 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: accused him with evidence of the letters. He denied wrongdoing, 315 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: but Christina just rolled her eyes. She allowed him to 316 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 1: receive confession, and though he and the priest both begged 317 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:43,359 Speaker 1: Christina for mercy, Christina didn't grant it. Monaldeshi was disloyal, 318 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 1: and so that very afternoon she sentenced him to death. 319 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,159 Speaker 1: While Monaldashi stood before Christina in her chambers, he was 320 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 1: stabbed in the stomach and the neck by Christina's servants. 321 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: The problem was Monaldeshi was wearing chain mail and the 322 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 1: weapons didn't kill him, and so he was chased around 323 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: the adjoining room for several minutes until one of Christina's 324 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:14,920 Speaker 1: servants finally managed to stab him in the throat. Christina 325 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:18,440 Speaker 1: didn't regret it at all. The only thing she said 326 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: she was sorry for was that she had been forced 327 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: to undertake the execution at all. She didn't ask God's forgiveness. 328 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:31,920 Speaker 1: She asked God to forgive Monaldeshi. Though her let's say, 329 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 1: informal trial and execution was fully legal because he was 330 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: a member of her court. The action made Christina massively 331 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 1: unpopular both in France and back in Rome, where Monaldeschi's 332 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: family was politically important. The pope, who had once thrown 333 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 1: her a massive parade, now described Christina as quote a 334 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,639 Speaker 1: woman born of a barbarian, barbarously brought up and living 335 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:14,160 Speaker 1: with barbarous thoughts, with a ferocious and almost intolerable pride. 336 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 1: In July nine, Christina moved to the Palazzo Riario in 337 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 1: trust of her where she would live for the remainder 338 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: of her life. She would return briefly to Sweden after 339 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:30,480 Speaker 1: cousin Charles died, thinking maybe there was a chance she 340 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 1: might retake the throne again, but her Catholic conversion being 341 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:38,120 Speaker 1: non negotiable, that was no go. While she was there, 342 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: Christina tried to see her former love of a Spar, 343 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: but the Spar family prevented it. It was on her 344 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: way back from another ill fated trip to Sweden when 345 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: Christina heard the news that Pope Alexander the seventh died 346 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 1: and that his replacement would be Pope Clement the ninth. 347 00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:02,800 Speaker 1: Christina was delayed. Did she knew Clement the ninth. He 348 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,199 Speaker 1: had been her guest a number of times. She was 349 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,480 Speaker 1: so thrilled for her friend that she threw a massive 350 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:13,840 Speaker 1: party in her rented house forgetting. It seems that she 351 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:18,639 Speaker 1: was staying on the road temporarily in very Lutheran Hamburg, 352 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:21,640 Speaker 1: where they were not at all. A fan of all 353 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:25,159 Speaker 1: the banners, Christina hung in the street to celebrate a 354 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: new pope. Christina's party had wine of flowing from fountains. 355 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: The night ended with a riot and eight deaths, and 356 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 1: Christina needing to flee out the back in disguise. She 357 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:46,800 Speaker 1: remained a troublemaker for the rest of her life, Though 358 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,440 Speaker 1: the next two popes would be against theater, with Pope 359 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: Innocent the Eleventh forbidding women from acting, singing, or wearing 360 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:59,159 Speaker 1: low cut gowns. Christina just flat out ignored him and 361 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:03,399 Speaker 1: continued to higher female actors for her private theater. She 362 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:07,679 Speaker 1: also declared herself protectress of the Jews in Rome, and 363 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 1: she was the one who pressured the pope into banning 364 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:16,160 Speaker 1: the chasing of Jews through the streets during carnivals. Yep, 365 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:20,280 Speaker 1: that wasn't just a thing in boor at movies. That 366 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:24,680 Speaker 1: was Christina through her middle age, enjoying art and culture, 367 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: creating a hub for herself as the Catholic queen of 368 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 1: the counterculture. One French writer visiting Rome wrote a fairly 369 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,440 Speaker 1: harsh description of Christina, but one that I will read 370 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,119 Speaker 1: because I think it paints such a compelling picture of 371 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 1: the figure. She cut as an adult quote. She is 372 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 1: over sixty years of age, very small of stature, exceedingly 373 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: fat and corpulent. Her complexion and voice and face are 374 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: those of a man. She has a big nose, large 375 00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 1: blue eyes, blonde eyebrows, and a double chin, from which 376 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:06,000 Speaker 1: brought several tufts of beard. Her upper lip protrudes a little. 377 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,399 Speaker 1: Her hair is a light chestnut color and only a 378 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:13,120 Speaker 1: palm's breadth in length. She wears it powdered and standing 379 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 1: on end uncombed. She is very smiling and obliging. You 380 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: will hardly believe her clothes. A man's jacket in black satin, 381 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:25,160 Speaker 1: reaching to her knees and buttoned all the way down, 382 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: a very short black skirt and men's shoes, a very 383 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 1: large bow of black ribbons instead of a cravat, and 384 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 1: a belt tightly drawn under her stomach, revealing its rotundity 385 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 1: all too well. Christina died at age sixty two, and 386 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 1: though she requested a simple burial at the Pantheon, for 387 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: all the trouble she caused, the Pope still wanted to 388 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:52,520 Speaker 1: use her as a pr opportunity from beyond the grave. 389 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: Christina was one of three women buried in the Vatican Grotto, 390 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: and she was buried with the honors of a hope 391 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: in three coffins of cyprus, lead and oak, with her 392 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: intestines in a high urn. Her body, wearing a silver mask, 393 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:14,280 Speaker 1: draped with fur and jewels, was on display for four days. 394 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,879 Speaker 1: It was a strange burial for a strange women, a 395 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 1: woman who replaced social cues and restrictions with her own 396 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:27,959 Speaker 1: impulses and turned whatever palace she was at into a party. 397 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,680 Speaker 1: That's the story of Queen or should I say King 398 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 1: Christina of Sweden. But keep listening after a brief sponsor 399 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,000 Speaker 1: break to hear a little bit more about how her 400 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: story has been told in popular culture. Several movies and 401 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:59,320 Speaker 1: operas and books have been written about Christina of Sweden, 402 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 1: but one of the most interesting is the critically acclaimed 403 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 1: N three MGM film Queen Christina, featuring the Swedish actress 404 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: Greta Garbo. That movie made the incredibly Hollywood choice to 405 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 1: turn Christina into a classic romantic heroine by inventing a 406 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:23,520 Speaker 1: male love interest, a Spanish ambassador whom she's unable to 407 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 1: marry because he's Catholic. Of course, that has the added 408 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 1: benefit of turning Christina's conversion to Catholicism into a move 409 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:36,600 Speaker 1: of love and not philosophy. I doubt the real Christina 410 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: would have loved that twisting of her narrative, but I 411 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:43,240 Speaker 1: do think she would have liked Greta Garbo. You see, 412 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:47,440 Speaker 1: just like Christina herself. There are rumors that Garbo was 413 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 1: also queer, that she might have been bisexual or even gay. 414 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: There's a scene in the film where Christina kisses her 415 00:29:55,640 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: lady in waiting Ebba, and although it's played completely platon nickally, 416 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:04,960 Speaker 1: maybe secretly Garbo knew how the scene was supposed to 417 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 1: be played. Noble Blood is a production of I Heart 418 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,480 Speaker 1: Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Monkey. The show 419 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: was written and hosted by Dana Schwartz and produced by 420 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey, Matt Frederick, Alex Williams, and Trevor Young. Noble 421 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:27,240 Speaker 1: Blood is on social media at Noble Blood Tales, and 422 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:29,360 Speaker 1: you can learn more about the show over at Noble 423 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 1: Blood Tales dot com. For more podcasts from i heart Radio, 424 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever 425 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.