Ulrika Eleonora - Swedish Queen

Ulrika Eleonora is a Swedish queen who ruled in 1718-1720. He is the younger sister of Charles XII. And her parents are Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark and Karl XI. In this article, we will describe a brief biography of the Swedish ruler.

Potential Regent

Ulrika Eleonora was born in Stockholm Castle in 1688. As a child, the girl was not very spoiled with attention. Her elder sister, Hedvig Sophia, was considered the beloved daughter of her parents.

In 1690, Ulrika Eleonora Danish was named by Charles as a possible regent in the event of his death, provided that their son does not reach adulthood. But because of the frequent delivery, the health of the king's wife has deteriorated greatly. After the winter of 1693, she was no more.

The Legend of the Queen's Death

There is a legend on this subject. It says that when the wife of Charles died in the palace, Maria Stenbock (her favorite maid of honor) was lying sick in Stockholm. On the night when Ulrika Eleonora went to another world, Countess Stenbock came to the palace and was admitted to the deceased's room. One of the officers peered into the keyhole. In the room the guard saw the countess and the queen chatting at the window. The shock of the soldier was so great that he began to cough up blood. At about the same time, Maria, along with her crew, seemed to have evaporated. An investigation began, during which it became clear that the Countess was seriously ill that night and did not leave her house. The officer died of shock, and Stenbock died a little later. Karl personally gave the order never and nowhere to talk about what happened.

Marriage and authority

In 1714, the daughter of King Ulric Eleanor was engaged to Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel. A year later their wedding took place. The authority of the princess grew significantly, and the approximate Charles XII had to reckon with her opinion. Sister girl - Hedvig Sophia - died in 1708. Therefore, in fact, Ulrika and Karl's mother were the only representatives of the Swedish royal family.

In early 1713 the monarch already wanted to make his daughter a temporary regent of the country. But I did not bring this plan into effect. On the other hand, the royal council had a desire to enlist the support of the princess, so he persuaded her to attend all his meetings. At the first meeting, where Ulrika was present, they decided to convene a Riksdag (parliament).

Some participants favored the appointment of Eleanor as regent. But the royal council and Arvid Horn were against it. They feared that with the change of government, new difficulties would arise. Later, Charles XII allowed the princess to sign all documents coming from the council, except those that were sent to him personally.

The struggle for the throne

In December 1718, Ulrika Eleonora learned of the death of her brother. She took this news in cold blood and made everyone call herself queen. The Council did not oppose this. Soon the girl gave the order for the arrest of the supporters of George Gyorts and canceled all the decrees that came out from under his pen. At the end of 1718, at the convocation of the Riksdag, Ulrika expressed her desire to abolish the autocracy and return the country to its former form of government.

The Swedish High Military Command voted for the abolition of absolutism, the non-recognition of the Crown's right and the awarding of the title of Queen to Eleanor. Members of the Riksdag had a similar position. But to gain the support of the royal council, the girl announced that she had no rights to the throne.

The Swedish Queen Ulrika Eleonora

In early 1719, the princess refused the hereditary rights to the throne. After that, she was proclaimed queen, but with one nuance. Ulrika approved the form of government composed by estates. According to this document, most of her power passed into the hands of the Riksdag. In March 1719, the coronation of Eleanor took place in Uppsala.

The new ruler could not cope with the difficulties that arose in her when she took up her new position. The influence of Ulrika fell significantly after disagreements with the head of the Chancery A. Gorn. She also did not have a relationship with his successors - Krunelm and Sparre.

Upon accession to the throne, the Swedish Queen Ulrika Eleonora wanted to share power with her husband. But in the end she was forced to abandon this venture because of the persistent resistance of the nobility. Inability to adapt to the new constitution, the sovereignty of the ruler, as well as the influence of the spouse on her decisions, gradually prompted state officials to change the monarch.

The new king

Ulrike's husband Friedrich Hessensky began to work actively in this direction. To begin with, he became friends with A. Gorn. Due to this in 1720 he was elected to the Riksdag by the Land Marshal. Soon, Queen Ulrika Eleonora gave the estate a petition for joint management with her husband. This time her proposal was greeted with disapproval. February 29, 1720, the heroine of this article abdicated in favor of her husband - Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel. There was a single caveat - in case of his death the crown again returned to Ulrike. On March 24, 1720, the husband of Eleanor became the monarch of Sweden under the name of Frederick I.

Far from the power

Until recently Ulrika was interested in public affairs. But after 1720 she withdrew from them, preferring to engage in charity and reading. Although periodically the former ruler replaced her husband on the throne. For example, in 1731 during his trip abroad or in 1738, when Frederick became seriously ill. It is worth noting that, substituting her husband on the throne, she showed only the best of her qualities. November 24, 1741 - this is the date when Ulrika Eleonora died in Stockholm. The Swedish queen did not leave descendants after herself.