1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: back to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. That's the man, the myth, 4 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 1: the legend. Mr Max Williams are ones and twos. Give 5 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: him a hand, give him several Keep yourself. Max thought 6 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: it was I thought it was a I thought it 7 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: was a good thing to do. I mean, you know, 8 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: if you can't whoop yourself, then then who can you whoop? 9 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: Right exactly, you gotta be the whoop you want to 10 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: hear in the world. As this our much maligned Condie 11 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: quote goes. Uh, he called me Ben Noel. Welcome back, man. 12 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: We just had, Yeah, we just had. Last week, we 13 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: had our great crossover with their pals at Ridiculous News. 14 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 1: That was a ton of fun. Uh. It set us 15 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: up for a history of yodeling podcast through the future. 16 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 1: But but but today, Uh, Wild Max is no doubt 17 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: secretly gathering a treasure trove of Wilhelm screams and odd 18 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,680 Speaker 1: yodel clips. Uh. You and I wanted to talk about 19 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: kind of a tragic story, like a real weird one. Yeah, 20 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: so you can always call it ridiculously tragic. Um there's 21 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: some humor in here every now and again, but buckle 22 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: up ridiculous stories. Today's story is not the most upbeat 23 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: one of all time, and it is the story of 24 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, who was born on the eleventh 25 00:01:54,640 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: of November in Kunnigsberg. Her parents were John sigis Mund, 26 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: who was the Elector of brandon Burg, and his wife 27 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: was Anna, the Duchess of Prussia. Their mom had a 28 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: reputation as being a little bit domineering, let's just say, uh, 29 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: and she was raised with a strict Lutheran upbringing. Yeah, 30 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: and this is uh. This is I think one of 31 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: the first tragedies because often here in two we have 32 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: these assumptions about members of the aristocracy, and the assumption 33 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: is that these folks would have much higher than average 34 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: access to education and that their lives would often be 35 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: much easier than the lives of the common person. Unfortunately, 36 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: because of of course, the rank misogyny of the time, 37 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: this isn't always the case. And so Maria Eleonora, who 38 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: was a smart person, she didn't have the opportunity to 39 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:03,399 Speaker 1: get a lot of formal education because of her mother's 40 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: kind of dominaring beliefs. Instead, her talents exhibited themselves in 41 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: things like embroidery or drawing and music. And it's funny 42 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,640 Speaker 1: because you'll see a lot of historians describing her as 43 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: quote the most beautiful queen in all of Europe. Uh. 44 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 1: You can see more about this on History of Royal 45 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 1: Women dot com. But it's weird because there aren't actually 46 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: a ton of biographies written about her. And you know, 47 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: when you when you think about it in the larger context, 48 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: it's possible that she may have been overshadowed by other 49 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: people in the ruling line, particularly King Gustavus Adolphus and 50 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: Queen Christina. And we I should mention here that being 51 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: described as beautiful and these scant biographies is not the 52 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: same thing as being described as good. People are dunking 53 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: on her left and right. In the historical record. They 54 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: called Maria Eleonora what unstable, lavish. Some people have been 55 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: called her stupid, which I think is unfair. Yeah, it 56 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: definitely is unfair. Um, you know, and in the trajectory 57 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: of her life was obviously in most every single way, 58 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: completely out of her control. So in sixteen sixteen, Gustavus Adolphus, 59 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: soon to be crowned the King of Sweden. He's twenty 60 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 1: two years old at this point. He's looking for um 61 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:34,159 Speaker 1: a bride, specifically one of Protestant Um upbringing, and Maria 62 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 1: Eleanora kind of fit the bill. He heard wind of 63 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 1: all this talk of this beautiful uh seventeen year old princess, 64 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: and he decided he wanted to, you know, put her 65 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: on the short list of of potential suitors for him. 66 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: So this came together pretty quickly. Um he got the 67 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:57,119 Speaker 1: blessing of her parents, John Sigismund Uh and Anna, and 68 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: they got hitched. Maria Eleanora and King Gustavus Adolphus. Marriage 69 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: was arranged by the court in Sweden and Maria's family 70 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: over there in Brandenburg. Although it was a little bit 71 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: controversial on the onset, it wasn't like immediately just like 72 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 1: a thumbs up all around. Maria's brother George William, who 73 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: was the Duke of Prussia, was worried that it was 74 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: going to cause political tensions between their country and their 75 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 1: neighbors in Poland, who controlled a very important strategic piece 76 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: of land, a coastal strip there in Prussia. So he 77 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: would have likely preferred, you know, from this geopolitical kind 78 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: of strategic point of view, that she get hitched with, 79 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: you know, a royal from Poland, so they would have 80 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: more easy access to this, uh, this piece of land. 81 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: But that is not the way it went. No, no, 82 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,040 Speaker 1: And this might sound a bit strange for people who 83 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:58,920 Speaker 1: have not had had a marriage occurring in the sixteenth 84 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: century um the aristocracy, but the idea of marrying for 85 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: romantic love took a heck of a back seat to 86 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: the idea of playing the games of politics. So this actually, 87 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: these kind of conversations weren't unusual for this time. At 88 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,559 Speaker 1: one point in fact, Duchess on A wrote a letter 89 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: to the Queen's mother, the Queen Dowager Christina, and said, look, 90 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: don't you understand our point of view. We're not so 91 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: different you and I. We both want to make sure 92 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: our children have suitable candidates. That you know, who doesn't 93 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: want their kid to have a good partner in marriage. 94 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: But Christina, even though she's like I feel you, I 95 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: feel you, I have a different perspective. She says, I 96 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: think a union between Brandenburg and Sweden overall can only 97 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: be a win win, It can only be beneficial. A 98 00:06:55,200 --> 00:07:00,359 Speaker 1: couple of things happen by six nineteen John Sigismund Eyes. 99 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:06,360 Speaker 1: George William is raised a power and his mother, the Duchess, 100 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: is not vibing with the way this guy resolves political issues. 101 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: And after four years of negotiation, Gustavus Adolphus is invited 102 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: to Berlin and in secret he meets with both the 103 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: Duchess and her daughter. George William is in Prussia at 104 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: the time and unawares of this. So there's a there's 105 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: a dinner, and it's classy, it's all above board. There 106 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: are chaperones and whatnot. And during this time, you know, 107 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: the King in person proposes to Maria Eleonora and she 108 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: says yes, so que the romcom sounds, you know, the 109 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: wedding bells and so on and so on. And the 110 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: Duchess's son, who had no idea his mom was capable 111 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: of this level of scheming, is protesting. He's like, hey, no, 112 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: this is and what we talked about. And so the 113 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: Duchess responds by smuggling her daughter out of Brandenburg two Mecklenburg, 114 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: and then a couple of Swedish ships take her away. 115 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: They take her to Kalmar. They travel for a month 116 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: at sea, and then Maria Eleanora arrives at Kalmar in 117 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: October six. The wedding takes place very shortly thereafter in Stockholm. 118 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: Uh and one of the details we know about it 119 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: is apparently she was wearing an awesome dress that's like 120 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 1: one of the big Definitely it made the it made 121 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 1: the front page of all the tabloids of note at 122 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,559 Speaker 1: the time. Well there the equivalent of that was there 123 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: had to have been like kind of gossipy publications, you know, 124 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 1: kind of like rumor mill type rags, you know what. 125 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: I like to think I was thinking of this tunnel. 126 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 1: I like to think that instead of different newspapers with 127 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: very levels of credibility, there were different town criers, and 128 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 1: like what the tabloid town crier is either just a 129 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: ruthless liar and malcote or maybe dead drunk all the time. 130 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: And sometimes the guy's right, and then sometimes it's just 131 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 1: stuff he came up with on wet brain. Although I 132 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 1: have to say, where royalty was concerned, I would imagine 133 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: they would take that stuff pretty seriously. They had someone 134 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: screaming out slanderous you know, lies in the town square, 135 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,600 Speaker 1: they might come for that dude's head. But you know, 136 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 1: like we we often see in these historical matchmaking kind 137 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: of scenarios, there's a bit of like a kind of 138 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: learning curve when you adapt to a new culture, especially 139 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: once you've been like, you know, secretly smuggled at sea. 140 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:51,559 Speaker 1: And that was no exception for for Maria. She had 141 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: a bit of a hard time adapting to her new life. Uh. 142 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: During the seventeenth century, Stockholm was kind of like in 143 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: a state of flux. It was always being developed. They 144 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: were always new buildings being built and you know, things 145 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: being kind of like worked on at all times. And uh, 146 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: the court really really wanted to have a capital that 147 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: was worthy of, you know, the great cities of the world. Uh. 148 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,959 Speaker 1: And so Maria Eleonora wanted to be a force, you know, 149 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: to help push that transformation through. And um, she thought 150 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: that Stockholm was kind of a little bit basic. She 151 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: thought of it as cold and austere, and you know, 152 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,679 Speaker 1: felt kind of isolated from all of the other kind 153 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: of great you know seats of government and power in Europe. 154 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 1: Where she came from, in Berlin, which is obviously a 155 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:50,560 Speaker 1: really you know, massively cosmopolitan city. This was a real 156 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,679 Speaker 1: kind of bummer. Um, it was very depressing to her, 157 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,439 Speaker 1: but she saw the potential, you know, and she had 158 00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: an eye for this kind of stuff apparently, And so 159 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: she started ordering all of these incredible artisanal craftspeople like 160 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:08,440 Speaker 1: goldsmiths and pearl knitters uh and and and you know, 161 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: fine artists like ballet dancers and musicians to come in 162 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: from France and Germany uh to help kind of create 163 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: a cultural uh seat there in Stockholm. And that made 164 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: her you know, and gave her a reputation as being 165 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 1: sort of this patron for the arts within the Swedish 166 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: court and and also established her as a person of 167 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: some notable taste m M. And again remember that when 168 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: her access to formal education was limited, she spent a 169 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 1: lot of time learning what we would call the arts. 170 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: Want to give a shout out real quick to Monique 171 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 1: Blocks over their history of royal women as well as 172 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: Barbara's stepco over at the awesome vintage news. Now we're 173 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: getting to the uh. Now we're getting to the rough 174 00:11:55,679 --> 00:12:00,680 Speaker 1: part of the very strange Pixar film. So, like you said, 175 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 1: don't she did possess this genuine interest in all things art, right. 176 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: She also loved architecture. She would draw sketches of churches, palaces. 177 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,560 Speaker 1: She loved music, She was super into fashion, and she 178 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: found that the king shared these interests at least to 179 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: some extent. And low and behold they won the romantic lottery. 180 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 1: They actually fell in love with each other. And I know, right, 181 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: and this didn't always happen with Royal were still in 182 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 1: the happy part of the Pixar movie at this point, 183 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 1: because that is kind of the twist, right where you 184 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 1: have That's so something you'll see in like disneys where 185 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: you'll see these like kind of couples that are kind 186 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 1: of trothed against their will and then ultimately, through through 187 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: all of the trials and tribulations that they faced, you know, 188 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,560 Speaker 1: find actual love at the heart of it. So that's 189 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: kind of where we're at. So things are looking good right, well, see, 190 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:56,880 Speaker 1: I think I think what I'm doing is laying the 191 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 1: seed for the twist. Because she was so in love 192 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 1: with the king that every time he had to be 193 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,560 Speaker 1: away for a while, which he did because you know, 194 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 1: he has to do king king business, she would fall 195 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:12,680 Speaker 1: into the depths of dire depression. And this guy was 196 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: fighting out in the field often, and so she couldn't eat, 197 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 1: she couldn't sleep, she was just she's worth aside herself. Yeah, 198 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: she's worried about him because she loves the guy. And 199 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: then she has her own job. And this is not 200 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:32,560 Speaker 1: something that we look kindly upon in the modern day, 201 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:37,880 Speaker 1: but back then, as her position required, she had one big, 202 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: big job, bigger than all the decoration, bigger than all 203 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: the patronage of the arts. She had to give the 204 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 1: king a son. And this is where we start to 205 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 1: get weird. And as we know, uh, you know, like 206 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: with was it King Henry the eighth who kept having 207 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: his wife that wouldn't give him the son killed for 208 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: various trumped up charges. But now we know that of 209 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 1: course it is the man side of that love connection, 210 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:08,320 Speaker 1: that that that produces the the material needed to generate 211 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:12,880 Speaker 1: a male right, yeah exactly. But God forbid you say 212 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: the king was a fault for anything in general. So yeah, no, 213 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 1: you would never. Um. So this is something that's that's 214 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: that's a lot of pressure. There's a lot of pressure 215 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 1: to you know, to produce a male heir. And she 216 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: clearly got pregnant very quickly after the wedding, because it 217 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,560 Speaker 1: was eight months after the ceremony that she gave birth 218 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 1: to a daughter. Not only was that a bummer for 219 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: all concerned, um, but but stevens more sadly, the baby 220 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: was in fact still born. So a couple of years 221 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 1: later she got pregnant again, had another daughter, Uh, not 222 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 1: looking good. They named her Christina, and she was given 223 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:58,360 Speaker 1: the title of the Heiress presumptive, how presumptuous of Sweden, 224 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: of the Swedish throne. And then she died at eleven months. 225 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: And then in six Maria gave birth for the third time, 226 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: and this was boy. It's a boy. Everyone's thrilled, except 227 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 1: now the baby was also still born. Yeah, exactly. And 228 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: this this is a struggle, you know, infant mortality is 229 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: higher in this time in history, and she's not going 230 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: to give up. There's a rare pause and battle. In sixteen, 231 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:37,160 Speaker 1: Gustavus returns to Stockholm, and then not too long after 232 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: December seven, Maria Eleanora gives birth for the fourth time. 233 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: And this, okay, so this made me look kindly on Gustavus. 234 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: So the baby is born, the baby is healthy, and 235 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 1: the baby is thought to be well. The baby's overall healthy. 236 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: There's nothing, you know, like functionally wrong with the child. 237 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,720 Speaker 1: But they have something called fleece lanugo, which is a 238 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: it's a condition where there's this unpigmented, kind of soft, 239 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: downy hair that covers newborn body. In this instance, the 240 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: kid was entirely covered from head to knees with just 241 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: face and I think arms and lower legs visible without 242 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 1: the hair. Everybody assumed this was a boy, and then 243 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: when they looked through the downy hair, they said, oh no, 244 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 1: this is a girl. And people are scared that the 245 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: king is gonna be mad, and they try to hide 246 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: this truth from him. But unlike Henry, Henry the eighth, 247 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: Gustavus is kind of cool about it. He even has 248 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:44,880 Speaker 1: this line where he says, well, you know, I think 249 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: she's gonna be quite clever. She took us all in, 250 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: meaning she told us I thought that was cool dad energy, 251 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: super cool dad energy c d e H cool dad energy. Yeah, 252 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: baby coming out looking like a little vomerinable snowman, you know. 253 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: But it turns out it was an avulnerable snow snow girl. 254 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:06,199 Speaker 1: And he decided to name her Christina. This is the 255 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,399 Speaker 1: second Christina, after the previous one that had passed away, 256 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 1: and that's after his mother um and he ordered that 257 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:17,399 Speaker 1: her arrival be announced to the court with the same 258 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,199 Speaker 1: level of fanfare that would have been associated with a 259 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: male heir. So again, Ben, to your point, pretty progressive, 260 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:28,399 Speaker 1: cool guy, but his wife did not seem to share 261 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 1: that enthusiasm. Yeah right, that's that's the thing. So okay, 262 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 1: here we go. If you were looking back on the 263 00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: actions were about to describe with the benefit of retrospect, 264 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:50,919 Speaker 1: you would probably say the queen was suffering from postpartum depression. 265 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 1: So the court is already entering the realm of public 266 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,639 Speaker 1: relations and politics at this point. They hold off on 267 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,880 Speaker 1: an out seeing that this child is a girl, and 268 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:10,720 Speaker 1: when Maria Eleanora learns this, she says, quote instead of 269 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 1: a saw, no, I'm giving a daughter dark and ugly 270 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: with a great nose and black eyes. Take off from me. 271 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: We'll not have such a monster, which is a terrible 272 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:24,160 Speaker 1: thing to say about your child. And then accidents start happening. 273 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you know, accidents happened. But also where there's smoke, 274 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: there's fire. If we're gonna link to um, you know 275 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: cliches together, Um yeah, like a beam fell and almost 276 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: came close to like pancaking this baby in its crib 277 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:41,879 Speaker 1: where it lay the little girl, Christina actually took a 278 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:46,360 Speaker 1: really bad tumble down a flight of stairs. A nursemaid 279 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: who was it was taking care of her, was blamed 280 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: for dropping Christina onto a stone floor, and this really happened. 281 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: It actually resulted in an injury um that caused her 282 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: to have a malformed shoulder for for the rest of 283 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:03,440 Speaker 1: her life, kind of like a crooked like shoulder. Because 284 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: of course they would not have been able to treat 285 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 1: something like that as effectively today. I'm sure they could 286 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 1: have you restored it and made it look normal again, 287 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: but it's something that she carried around for the rest 288 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: of her life. Uh. Gustavus Adolphus at this point knows 289 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:20,920 Speaker 1: something is wrong and not necessarily saying that he knew 290 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: that she had it in for this baby, but he 291 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: knew that she was not well and described her as 292 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: being a very sick woman. This is his wife, Maria, 293 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:35,359 Speaker 1: of course, yeah, exactly. And so there are obviously a 294 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: lot of contextual factors here. We have to remember she 295 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:42,399 Speaker 1: had already lost three children. She had for some time 296 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: felt isolated, you know, she felt like a foreigner in 297 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:51,160 Speaker 1: this new land. And this feeling of isolation was only 298 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:58,000 Speaker 1: exacerbated in six when her brother joined Sweden's enemies. Her 299 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:03,879 Speaker 1: husband was constantly, constantly about to get killed because he 300 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:09,119 Speaker 1: was on these military campaigns. That same year six he had, 301 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 1: in the space of one year both fallen sick and 302 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 1: been pretty grievously wounded. Two years after that, he barely 303 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 1: made it out of a place called Stoom without being killed, 304 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:26,159 Speaker 1: causing Maria Eleanor to write, when I know that my 305 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 1: most beloved Lord is coming, then all my sickness and 306 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: panic fall away. There's a word that the medical experts 307 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: of this time used to describe it was cleany. It 308 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: is hysteria. Unfortunately, and because she was so hysterical, the king, 309 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: who you know, you're starting We're starting to get the 310 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 1: sense maybe he didn't have the same depth of affection. Uh. 311 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 1: The King did not allow his spouse to have almost 312 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:02,840 Speaker 1: any influence in the upbringing of her own daughter. And 313 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,680 Speaker 1: he said, we're gonna raise her like a boy, and 314 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: she she's gonna be in the care of her aunt, 315 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,160 Speaker 1: and uh, she's gonna go to military reviews. We're gonna 316 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: teach her how to ride, to shoot, we'll teach her 317 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: how to hunt. Uh and and so eventually Christina's what 318 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: you might call it tomboy. She knows a few pretty 319 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:27,679 Speaker 1: choice dirty jokes. She curses like a sailor. Um. It's weird. 320 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,360 Speaker 1: I have a hard time with this one, Max Noel, 321 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 1: because for the time a man of his position, this 322 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:40,640 Speaker 1: guy seems kind of almost in just even this small instance, 323 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: he seems almost progressive because he's saying, like, let's not 324 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 1: force her to be locked away in some rapunzalesque Ivory 325 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 1: Tower teacher life skills. I agree with you on that. 326 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: I also think that maybe he's experiencing his own kind 327 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,840 Speaker 1: of hysteria too, or it's like get my male air 328 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: and my wife is kind of lost it. So I'm 329 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: just gonna, like, you know, move forward in this in 330 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:09,120 Speaker 1: this way and and raise this young woman as a man, 331 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: which yes, it's progressive, but it's like, is there some 332 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 1: something going on there too that's causing him to like 333 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: almost like have this delusion kind of I wonder. I'm 334 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: just not sure. It's a good question. And that's a 335 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:25,680 Speaker 1: good point about her condition because it appears to deteriorate 336 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 1: for a it appears to be cyclical, or it waxes 337 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:32,880 Speaker 1: and waynes that's the best way to say it. When 338 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: the king leaves to fight in the Thirty Years War. 339 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: Of course, the queen is not feeling very good about it. 340 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,639 Speaker 1: She's going through it, as they would say in the 341 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,120 Speaker 1: parlance of our time. She writes a bunch of letters 342 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: to the Chancellor begging him to let her accompany her 343 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 1: husband to Germany. So she moves her entire court to 344 00:22:55,880 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 1: Woolgast Castle and spends most of her days writing correspondence 345 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:04,879 Speaker 1: to members of the family. Sometimes in these letters it 346 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: seems like there's a light at the end of the 347 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,359 Speaker 1: tunnel because she was allowed to relocate with this guy 348 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: who's her one true love. And she starts even saying 349 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:18,640 Speaker 1: nicer things about her daughters, mainly the people who want 350 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: to date her daughter or in this case, you know, 351 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: marry her daughter. And she seems excited about being able 352 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: to be closer to her husband, maybe spend a little 353 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: more time with him. And then two years after that 354 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:38,240 Speaker 1: November two, in the Battle of lutz In Adolphus is 355 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:42,200 Speaker 1: shot in the back dragged by his horse. He manages 356 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:44,359 Speaker 1: to get free of the horse for a second, but 357 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,960 Speaker 1: then he is killed by a gunshot to the head. 358 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and so his body is Embalmed's taken the 359 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: wool guy. Maria sees his cadaver and she physically clings 360 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:12,879 Speaker 1: to her husband's remains. They can't get him back to 361 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: Sweden because the Baltic Sea is frozen at this time 362 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:20,879 Speaker 1: in November and towards the end of the year, and she, 363 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:25,159 Speaker 1: like her staff, is starting to worry about her because 364 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 1: she's keeping the guy's body around and going and hugging it. 365 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: This is the This is her worst nightmare. You know, 366 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:37,680 Speaker 1: all of these kind of psychological episodes have been brought 367 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:41,160 Speaker 1: on by his absence, and she feared for his life, 368 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:42,840 Speaker 1: you know, when he was in battle, and this is 369 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: the thing that she feared worst of all all this time, 370 00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:49,399 Speaker 1: So it's absolutely triggering. She writes some very heavy, kind 371 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: of mournful reflections about what's going on here, and it 372 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,440 Speaker 1: kind of gives you a glimpse into her state of mind. 373 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:58,000 Speaker 1: Since we, she says, God pity us, we are so 374 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: rarely granted the pleasure of enjoying the living presence of 375 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:05,399 Speaker 1: His Majesty. Are adored, dearest Master and spouse of blessed memory. 376 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 1: It should at least be granted to us to stay 377 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,920 Speaker 1: near his royal corpse and so draw comfort in our 378 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 1: miserable existence. Wow, it's like she's seen the crow. You know. 379 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 1: It's super goth, is super super dark. Yeah. So his 380 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: heart had already been removed to be separately preserved. That 381 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 1: was a religious thing, right, It is a common practice. Yeah. 382 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: And Maria Eleanor keeps that organ with her, not she 383 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:41,360 Speaker 1: doesn't just keep it with her all the time. She 384 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: carries it around with her and when she goes to sleep, 385 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,160 Speaker 1: she hangs it in a classy container above her bed 386 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:54,360 Speaker 1: and she weeps inconsolably for months and months and months 387 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:59,640 Speaker 1: u and in. It's not until August of sixty three 388 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,360 Speaker 1: the King's body is finally able to be transported back 389 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:08,160 Speaker 1: to Sweden. And this is where Christina, who is now 390 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:12,639 Speaker 1: seven years old, shows up in the procession to the 391 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: ship to meet her mom. And then later she writes 392 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 1: about it, and she says, I embraced the queen my mother. 393 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: She drowned me with her tears and smothered me in 394 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 1: her arms. Dude, Maria, she's doing a bit of a 395 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:34,400 Speaker 1: WTF herself, isn't she? It's un Yeah. And Maria Eleanor, 396 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: as she relocates, she you know, gets her royal suite, 397 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: gets her bedroom and everything, and she puts her husband's 398 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 1: coffin unsealed in her bedroom and it sounds like Maria 399 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:53,400 Speaker 1: Eleanor was regularly opening it, gazing upon the corpse and 400 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,880 Speaker 1: taking her daughter who was her daughter has to deal 401 00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: with the fall out of this. Remember this kid is 402 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 1: like seven and years old. Again, Uh, they have to 403 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 1: but very sharp, right, very sharp. But she has to. 404 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: Christina has to be in mourning with her. Her mom 405 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,440 Speaker 1: basically forces her to do this. So they spend all 406 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: their time in these rooms that are draped when black 407 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:20,760 Speaker 1: and blackout curtains, lit by candles, no ray of light, 408 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 1: natural light, sunlight is allowed in. She makes her daughter 409 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: sleep with her in a bed with the heart of 410 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,480 Speaker 1: the Father hanging over over them in a golden casket. 411 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 1: They're like constantly sermons and and religious statements, and of 412 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,320 Speaker 1: course the entire time Maria Eleanor is still beset with grief, 413 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:46,199 Speaker 1: and she's still weeping u constantly. And the daughter that 414 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:51,200 Speaker 1: she once treated so poorly, she now clings to write 415 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,479 Speaker 1: because in a way it's a living memory of this 416 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: man she loved. It's a messed up situation. Yeah, it 417 00:27:57,359 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: gets kind of more messed up from here if that's 418 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:02,600 Speaker 1: at all possible. Uh, let's not forget that. Um. You 419 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: know this this young woman when she was born, her 420 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,879 Speaker 1: mother essentially completely rejected her and it was only because 421 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,359 Speaker 1: of her father, who was now dead, that she was 422 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 1: even allowed to thrive at all, you know, and be 423 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:18,920 Speaker 1: treated like a human. And now she's having to kind 424 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: of couch out to her mother's overly dramatic morning And 425 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 1: I'm not look, I know when people die that we love. Uh, 426 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,159 Speaker 1: it's it's it's very hard, um. And a lot of 427 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:30,399 Speaker 1: this is also wrapped up in clear mental illness. So 428 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:33,200 Speaker 1: not trying to make light or say that like Maria 429 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:36,159 Speaker 1: Eleonora's being like extra here or something, but it's a 430 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:40,160 Speaker 1: lot when you have someone that is just inconsolable and 431 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: you are the only one that is able to even 432 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,720 Speaker 1: attempt to console them, and that can be very taxing, 433 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 1: and it can get to a place a level of 434 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:50,960 Speaker 1: almost abuse. And I would say that's where we're at here, um, 435 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:53,600 Speaker 1: with the seven year old eurol being forced to sleep 436 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:55,920 Speaker 1: in the bed with her constantly weeping mother, with the 437 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:58,120 Speaker 1: heart of her father hanging over and all of this 438 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:02,080 Speaker 1: kind of maccab stuff, And it takes a toll on Christina. 439 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: OT have to mention that Christina, you know who, who 440 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: was clearly some insecurity about this malform shoulder condition that 441 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 1: she had, again as a result of her mother's um 442 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 1: you know, kind of despising her. I guess she wasn't 443 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 1: treated with very much care um when she was a kid, 444 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:22,000 Speaker 1: and I would argue that probably led to what happened 445 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 1: with that. Though we don't necessarily have any evidence that 446 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:27,120 Speaker 1: her mother like colluded to have her killed, it certainly 447 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: seems like there was a lot of a lot of 448 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: accidents that were happening in and around the court where 449 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 1: her mother was in charge. Her mother also keeps this 450 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 1: kind of cadre of dwarves and um kind of like 451 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,960 Speaker 1: you know Jester types, you know who may have had 452 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: some conditions of their own and what would have been 453 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: referred to as hunchbacks, the condition where you know, people 454 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: have like a very big growths kind of on their 455 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,480 Speaker 1: back and uh walk um in a bent over fashion. 456 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 1: She did not like being around these people because it 457 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: made her kind of even more into care about her 458 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: own malformation. So she really despised this whole kind of situation. 459 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 1: Everything about it was just beyond depressing a maccab and 460 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,080 Speaker 1: it took a toll on her. She started to get ill. 461 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,640 Speaker 1: She had a serious ulcer that appeared on her chest 462 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,920 Speaker 1: and caused her a lot of pain. Uh. It was 463 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: basically like almost like a boil uh, and it gave 464 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 1: her a really bad fever and then all of a 465 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: sudden it burst um, which is just you know, pretty 466 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 1: pretty gross to say the least. And that was probably 467 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,240 Speaker 1: pretty shocking and did cause her fever to break though, 468 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: So that was good and she did, she did survive this. 469 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:41,320 Speaker 1: The court and the council and you know, the governing 470 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:45,760 Speaker 1: structures move on. They're trying to make progress. And so 471 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: it comes to pass in the summer of sixteen thirty four, 472 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:54,360 Speaker 1: the king's bodies finally finally interred, put to rest in 473 00:30:54,480 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 1: the ritter Home Church in Stockholm against the r and 474 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 1: opposition of Maria Eleanor, the widow. And so this interment 475 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 1: doesn't last long because like the next day, basically Maria 476 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: Eleanora says, you've got to open the coffin again. She 477 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 1: is in a prolonged mental crisis. You can rightly call 478 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:21,680 Speaker 1: this a mental crisis. And she starts talking about how 479 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:25,440 Speaker 1: much she hates the entire like the idea of Sweden, 480 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: the rocks, the mountains, the freezing air, she says, all 481 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:32,440 Speaker 1: the rest of it. She preserves the memory of her 482 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 1: heroic husband and it was heroic, and she kept like 483 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 1: she could not move past this. And eventually the Regency 484 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: Council the people would handle the affairs of state while 485 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 1: the Queen Christina is you know, growing into her majority. 486 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,480 Speaker 1: Eventually the council is like, we have to separate Christina 487 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 1: from her mom. Her mom is acting so weird. But 488 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:03,720 Speaker 1: Maria protests and and weeps so bitterly that eventually nothing 489 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:09,040 Speaker 1: is going to be done. And later Christina says, the 490 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: dreary ceremonies and all the sad people were way worse 491 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: for me than my dad's actual death. And uh, everybody said, 492 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: everybody in the council has said, look, Maria Eleanora cannot 493 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 1: have any influence on the decisions of the court while 494 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: her daughter is still a minor. Part of that is 495 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: the the idea of her presumably fragile mental state. But 496 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:42,240 Speaker 1: the other part was that the Swedish rulers and the 497 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:46,400 Speaker 1: Swedish kingmakers, i should say, thought that Maria Eleanora was 498 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: way too friendly with the Danish, like she might be 499 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:54,120 Speaker 1: a threat to the security of Sweden. That's really what 500 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: they thought, and they might not have been too far off. No, Um, 501 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 1: the counselor claim that Maria Eleanor had written a letter 502 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:04,800 Speaker 1: to him talking about how there was a Danish envoy 503 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 1: that she had a relationship with um who she might 504 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:12,680 Speaker 1: be able to kind of help arrange a discussion of 505 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:17,800 Speaker 1: marriage between Christina and the Danish Prince Ulric. And because 506 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:20,959 Speaker 1: of that, she was regarded as a threat and the 507 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:24,040 Speaker 1: court really started like keeping tabs on her. So probably 508 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: not the smartest thing to have brought up in an 509 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:31,000 Speaker 1: official correspondence, you know, since the Danish people were not 510 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,280 Speaker 1: particularly well liked in this part of the country. Yeah, exactly. 511 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:39,040 Speaker 1: And so this, this is not an unreasonable fear on 512 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 1: their side, you know what I mean. In sixteen thirty six, 513 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:46,040 Speaker 1: as a result of these conversations and concerns, the queen 514 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:51,240 Speaker 1: essentially loses parental rights, She loses custody, you could say, 515 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: she loses access to her daughter, Christina. She's transferred to 516 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 1: gripps Holme Castle and at this point in her life 517 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:02,240 Speaker 1: she wants she just wants to go back to Brandenburg, 518 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 1: but the government won't let her visit. So she says, look, 519 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:09,160 Speaker 1: i am going to take agency over my own life 520 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:11,279 Speaker 1: and I'm going to get out of here by hook 521 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:16,080 Speaker 1: or by crook. So she contacts the guy who's like 522 00:34:16,120 --> 00:34:19,799 Speaker 1: Sweden's public enemy number one right now, the Danish King 523 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:24,400 Speaker 1: Christian the Fourth, and they start negotiating in secret, and 524 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,440 Speaker 1: so she puts on a disguise in July of sixty 525 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:31,880 Speaker 1: and escapes the castle. First she goes to this island 526 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 1: called Gotland. Get it because you've got land anyway. And 527 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 1: there are two Danish warships. No apologies, Max, there are 528 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:46,440 Speaker 1: two Janish warships waiting to abscond with her. Uh. They 529 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:49,160 Speaker 1: were supposed to take her to Brandenburg, but said she's 530 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:52,280 Speaker 1: talking to the captain. She says, take me to Denmark instead. 531 00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:58,360 Speaker 1: King Christian, who's not expecting this. He's got a surprise guest, 532 00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:03,720 Speaker 1: but he gets stuck with her and George Williams, Maria's brother, 533 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:07,320 Speaker 1: refuses to receive her, so she has to wait until 534 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:10,520 Speaker 1: George William dies in December of that same year to 535 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:16,120 Speaker 1: enter Germany. And now the new German elector, the new 536 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 1: head decision maker, says Okay, you can stay here, but 537 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: Sweden has to pay your bills. And Christina by now 538 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:27,799 Speaker 1: is a teenager. How stressful is this. You're you're a 539 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 1: teenager and you have to negotiate a pension for your mom. Uh. 540 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:36,080 Speaker 1: And that's that's what this kid has to do. She's 541 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:39,560 Speaker 1: had a hard life by all accounts, honestly. So let's 542 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,760 Speaker 1: fast forward a little, because I think there's some there's 543 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,360 Speaker 1: some not terrible things that happened. Sweden is no longer 544 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:53,240 Speaker 1: participating in the war. By Christina is now two, and 545 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 1: as a result of these things, Mariel Leonora is able 546 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,400 Speaker 1: to finally go back to Stockholm. She missed her daughter, 547 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,319 Speaker 1: and Christina at the very least thought, you know, it 548 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:07,360 Speaker 1: makes us look bad to have my mom exiled, basically, 549 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 1: And so she comes. Maria comes back, and she spends 550 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:16,040 Speaker 1: most of her time watching escapades or performances by nights, 551 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:20,720 Speaker 1: and then watching balls or attending ballets that are arranged 552 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:26,359 Speaker 1: by the court. In sixteen, she goes to her daughter's coronation. 553 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:29,560 Speaker 1: Her daughter buys a castle for her close to the 554 00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:35,960 Speaker 1: royal residence in Stockholm. And I don't think Christina liked 555 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:38,560 Speaker 1: being queen. No, I don't think so at all, and 556 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:40,600 Speaker 1: and that I was pretty clear from her actions. Four 557 00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:44,160 Speaker 1: years later, she actually abdicated her throne gave it away 558 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,919 Speaker 1: to her cousin Charles Gustav. She didn't go into super 559 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,480 Speaker 1: duper detail about what was behind this decision, but she 560 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:55,839 Speaker 1: did offer a few potential explanations. Um She said, whether 561 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:57,799 Speaker 1: she believed it to be true or not, that a 562 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:01,120 Speaker 1: man was better suited to rule the Swedish army, and 563 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:03,160 Speaker 1: that she just needed a break, that she was exhausted. 564 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:04,839 Speaker 1: I mean, of course it would be exhausting to fill 565 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:07,640 Speaker 1: this kind of role. But she definitely buried the lead 566 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:13,280 Speaker 1: in that she had recently converted to Roman Catholicism, which 567 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:18,040 Speaker 1: as we know, was absolutely uh for Bowden in absurdly 568 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:22,120 Speaker 1: Lutheran Sweden. But she she did have some concerns about 569 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:25,400 Speaker 1: how this decision to give up the throne might affect 570 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:30,080 Speaker 1: her her money situation, you know, her pocketbook. So Christina 571 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:36,360 Speaker 1: and Charles did assure her that um the Queen Dowager 572 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,440 Speaker 1: would be provided that would be her her name at 573 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:43,080 Speaker 1: this point, would be provided for until her death, and 574 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:45,800 Speaker 1: that was the case. She died on March eighteenth of 575 00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:49,440 Speaker 1: sixteen fifty five and was laid to rest in Ritter 576 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:55,239 Speaker 1: Home Church, next to her husband Um and two of 577 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 1: her children that she had before Christina. Yep, and at 578 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 1: the top, where was the former Queen Christina? Well, she 579 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:09,840 Speaker 1: was touring across Europe, making waves of her own because 580 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:14,160 Speaker 1: she was wearing a man suit, as the quote goes, 581 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:20,879 Speaker 1: and here we end on a tragic story, a rain 582 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:26,120 Speaker 1: that is much maligned. And you know, I believe, fellow 583 00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:29,279 Speaker 1: ridiculous historians, that when you look at when you look 584 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:33,640 Speaker 1: at the context of Maria Eleanora of brandon Burgh's life, 585 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,440 Speaker 1: what you see is that in many ways the odds 586 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:42,000 Speaker 1: were stacked against her. She dealt with tremendous tragedy, she 587 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:47,000 Speaker 1: had often very little agency in her life, and like 588 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:50,480 Speaker 1: most people, she just wanted to be happy. So maybe 589 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:55,160 Speaker 1: when we talk about the lives of royals from times past, 590 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,319 Speaker 1: we should all take a little moment to realize that 591 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:03,279 Speaker 1: they too are just human beings like everyone else. I 592 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,799 Speaker 1: think that's an okay takeaway, and I hope you can 593 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:09,320 Speaker 1: agree as well. Yeah, so's a bit of a bummer 594 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:13,240 Speaker 1: of a story. But I do like the progressive angle. 595 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:16,240 Speaker 1: You know, the king ended up kind of being the 596 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,200 Speaker 1: less of a villain in this story than a king 597 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:21,200 Speaker 1: would often be in these situations. So that was kind 598 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:23,839 Speaker 1: of neat. It was definitely a twist, but yeah, very 599 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:27,000 Speaker 1: unhappy life of this woman. But it would seem that 600 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:30,160 Speaker 1: Christina really owned that upbringing that her father gave her, 601 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:33,399 Speaker 1: that military kind of upbringing, And you would wonder if 602 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:36,160 Speaker 1: this is a character that is uh, someone to look 603 00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:39,759 Speaker 1: towards in terms of gender fluidity and things like that. 604 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:42,520 Speaker 1: It's it's a very interesting time for this to be 605 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:45,960 Speaker 1: something so out front, right, to wear the suit and 606 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:47,680 Speaker 1: all of that, and to really lean into that role. 607 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 1: So I don't know, I want to I want to 608 00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:54,120 Speaker 1: learn more about Christina honestly, man, amazing. She is remembered 609 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:58,279 Speaker 1: as one of the most well educated women of the 610 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:05,680 Speaker 1: entirety of the seventeenth Tree. She knew about religion, philosophy, math, alchemy, 611 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:10,080 Speaker 1: she loved reading. I mean, yeah, she hung out with 612 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:13,439 Speaker 1: five popes. It's just another fact we can throw out there. 613 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:16,359 Speaker 1: If you would like to like to learn more, let 614 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:20,600 Speaker 1: us know, and maybe we can dive into the ups 615 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 1: and downs of her life because she has adventures all 616 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:26,840 Speaker 1: her own, way past her mother. Uh that's it for 617 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:30,160 Speaker 1: us today. Thank you so much as always to the 618 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:33,680 Speaker 1: one and only Mr Max Williams first of his name. Also, 619 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:37,560 Speaker 1: we want to shout out Mr Alex Williams who composed 620 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:42,760 Speaker 1: this slamming track and uh our old nemesses Jonathan Strickland 621 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:49,000 Speaker 1: ak the Quister. He loves a Royalty episode Upstairs Downstairs story, 622 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,439 Speaker 1: no question about it. Uh and Ben, thanks to you 623 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 1: um for the for the emotional support and comfort as 624 00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:59,200 Speaker 1: we trudged our way through this somewhat bummer of a story. 625 00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,360 Speaker 1: That catch you man. We'll see you next time, folks. 626 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:11,400 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I 627 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:14,400 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to 628 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:15,320 Speaker 1: your favorite shows