www.newadvent.org Open in urlscan Pro
2400:52e0:1e00::1081:1  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

../utility/search.htm

<form id="searchbox_000299817191393086628:ifmbhlr-8x0" action="../utility/search.htm">
  <!-- Hidden Inputs -->
  <input type="hidden" name="safe" value="active">
  <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="000299817191393086628:ifmbhlr-8x0">
  <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:9">
  <!-- Search Box -->
  <label for="searchQuery" id="searchQueryLabel">Search:</label>
  <input id="searchQuery" name="q" type="text" size="25" aria-labelledby="searchQueryLabel">
  <!-- Submit Button -->
  <label for="submitButton" id="submitButtonLabel" class="visually-hidden">Submit Search</label>
  <input id="submitButton" type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" aria-labelledby="submitButtonLabel">
</form>

Text Content

 

Search: Submit Search



 Home   Encyclopedia   Summa   Fathers   Bible   Library 

 A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z 


Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > C > Christina Alexandra


CHRISTINA ALEXANDRA

Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this
website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church
Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — all for only $19.99...

Queen of Sweden, child of Gustavus Adolphhus II of Sweden, born at Stockholm, 8
December, 1626; d. at Rome, 19 April, 1689. Her father (d. 1632) was the famous
soldier whose interposition in the Thirty Years' Was wrought so much harm to
Catholicism. Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, her mother, had hoped for a son, and
was so disappointed at the birth of a daughter that she had little love for the
child, who was left to the care of nurses. Gustavus Adolphus, however, was
tenderly attached to his daughter; in 1630, when he sailed for Germany, he
recommended Christina to the loyalty of his people and put his sister Catherine,
who held her court at Stegeborg, in charge of the child's education. Three years
later, Maria Eleonora brought back the body of her husband, Gustavus Adolphus,
to Sweden. For a while after this her love seemed to be transferred to the
child, but this affectionate relation did not last long. In obedience to the
command of her father, Christina was brought up like a boy, and received
instruction in the various branches of learning from distinguished men, among
whom was the learned Dr. Matthiæ, Bishop of Strengès. The princess was an
indefatigable student, and a great reader of good books. Feminine occupations
and amusements had no attraction for her, and she was indifferent to dress and
finery of all kinds. The mother wished rather to see he daughter lead a life of
pleasure, and encouraged her in the enjoyment of wine and other stimulating
drinks, so that the country was alarmed for the morals of the heir to the
throne, and Christina was sent again to her aunt. When the aunt died she was put
under the care of the sister of the celebrated chancellor Axel Oxenstiern. In
her new surroundings the great talents of Christina rapidly developed. She soon
mastered several languages, gained a comprehensive knowledge of history and
politics, and showed in particular a strong liking for theologico-political
speculations. At the same time the masculine qualities of her character grew
steadily more evident. Her favorite amusement was bear-hunting, and she could
outride most men. At 18 (8 December, 1644) she was of age and entered on the
duties of government with a strong hand. It was not, however, until two years
later she was crowned, the ceremony taking place with great pomp at Stockholm.



At first Christina devoted herself to the affairs of state with most laudable
zeal. It was owing to her interventions that the peace negotiations at Münster
and Osnabrück were more quickly concluded than expected. Christina strove to
raise her people to a higher plane of civilization, to promote their welfare in
every way, and to insure their prosperity. Without lowering the dignity suitable
to her station she treated all her subjects with dignity and condescension. She
drew to Sweden artists and scholars, among whom were the philosopher Descartes
and Hugo Grotius, the expounder of international law; by the payment of large
pensions she kept these men attached to her court. The praise with which these
scholars repaid their royal patron was often immoderate. As time went on
Christina gradually lost interest in the task of government and developed an
intense desire for new and exciting pleasures, often for those of a most costly
character. The health of the queen suffered from the changed method of her life,
and it was with great difficulty that her French physician, Dr. Bourdelot,
effected a cure. On the mean time the debts thus incurred rose to a large
amount. The Swedish people wished the queen to marry and to give them an heir to
the throne, but Christina was not willing to hear of this as she desired to
preserve her personal independence. She was much more inclined to abdicate her
position and to become a ruler in the realm of genius and learning. At the same
time she showed a continually growing inclination to the Catholic Church, for
she took no pleasure in the simple forms of Lutheran belief which was
all-powerful in Sweden. It is not possible to prove positive whether Dr.
Bourdelot or the Spanish ambassador, Pimentelli, influence Christina's change of
religious views. It is certain however, that several members of the Society of
Jesus, Fathers Macedo, Francken, Malines, and Casati, succeeded in removing her
last doubts as to the truth of Catholicism. Christina perceived that she could
not continue to reign in Sweden as a convert to Catholicism, and resigned her
throne in favour of her cousin, Charles Gustavus of Pfalz-Zweibrücken, a member
of the Wittelsbach family. On 6 June, 1654, at Upsala, she transferred her
authority to him with much ceremony, and in the following day started on her
travels. She bade farewell to her mother at Nyköping, then hastened to Halmstad,
where she dismissed her retinue, and went to Brussels by way of Hamburg and
Antwerp. At Brussels she made private confession of her belief in Catholicism;
her public entrance into the Church took place in the beginning of November
1655, in the parish church of Innsbruck.

It was from Innsbruck that the European Courts were officially informed of her
change of faith. On 23 December, she reached the capital of Christendom, which
was decorated in her honour. The pope came personally to meet her, administered
the sacrament of Confirmation, and added Alexandra to her name. At Rome,
Christina's home was in the Palazzo Farnese; during her residence here she
sought to satisfy her intellectual ambitions as well as the longings of her
devout and loving heart. She visited the sacred places to pray, went as a
ministering angel into the hovels of the poor, and devoted herself to the study
of the collections of art and the libraries. She drew into the circle of her
fascinations the leading families of the Eternal City, arranged concerts and
plays, and knew how to delight everyone by her acuteness and learning. She was
not willing, however, to drop rough Swedish customs, and allowed herself to
display various peculiarities of dress and manner, so that many people avoided
her. In 1656 and 1657, Christina went to France, the first time with a retinue,
the second time incognito. On the latter trip her conduct excited much
displeasure as, among other eccentricities she dressed as a man. Much more
severe censure was aroused by the trial, without proper legal forms, of an old
servant, Monaldeschi, and his subsequent execution, although as sovereign she
had the right to pronounce sentence of death, or at least believed herself
entitled to this authority. Returned to Rome she gradually fell under the
displeasure of the pope, for like a true daughter of Gustavus Adolphus she at
times defied foreign laws and customs in too arrogant a fashion. Christina
suffered much annoyance from the failure to receive with regularity from Sweden
the income to which she was entitled; sometimes no money came at all. Moreover a
woman so active intellectually had not taste or time for keeping accounts.
Dishonesty in the management of her money affairs naturally followed, and the
disorder in her finances were not overcome until the Curia through Cardinal
Azzolini provided her with a competent bookkeeper.



After the death of Charles Gustavus (1660) she returned to Sweden to have her
rights again legally confirmed. A second visit home (1667) was not of long
duration as, in the pettiest manner, difficulties were thrown in the way of her
exercise of her religion. After this for a time she lived in Hamburg, but she
made her continued stay in that city, then very rigidly Lutheran, impossible by
organizing festivities in honour of the newly-elected pope, which ended in
tumult and bloodshed. In 1668 she returned to Rome and never again left the
Eternal City. Her new home was the Palazzo Riario, and she filled her residence
with great collections of books and objects of art. Her palace became a centre
both for the learned world and for artists and sculptors; to the latter,
Christina gave both aid and generously paid commissions. Her forethought and
care were not limited to her acquaintances and members of her household, the
poor of Rome also found in her a charitable mother. As she grew older she
fulfilled her religious duties with increasing intelligence and zeal, and the
approach of her death had no longer any terrors for her. Piously and bravely she
prepared herself for the end; after arranging her worldly affairs she received
the sacraments with humble devotion and died a true child of the Catholic
Church. Against her express wishes the pope had her body embalmed and brought to
St. Peter's where it was buried under the high altar. Her ostentatious but not
prepossessing monument is the work of Carlo Fontana. Christina made Cardinal
Azzolini her principal heir, while the papal See and various Catholic sovereigns
also received legacies. Unfortunately, after the death of Azzolini much of her
valuable art collection passed into the hands of strangers; the greater part of
her very rich library, however, is in the Vatican. Pictures and plastic art of
various kinds have preserved the knowledge of Christina's features. Although not
beautiful, in her youth her appearance must have been interesting. In later
years she grew too stout to retain any trace of good looks. Only the flashing,
piercing eyes give any evidence of the fiery spirit which the exterior
concealed. The character the northern sovereign remained very much the same
through life. Receptive for everything good and great, she unfalteringly pursued
her quest after knowledge of the truth and after many wanderings found it in the
bosom of the Catholic Church. She had a tender, sympathetic heart, yet was
subject at times to fits of temper, even cruelty. She was no saint, but was
probably better than the members of her former confession pictured her. Any
objective portrait of her will always bear out the judgment of Axel Oxenstiern,
"After all she was the daughter of the Great Adolphus", both in her faults and
in her virtues.




SOURCES

Veibull and Höjèr, ed., Svberiges historia fr'n öldesta tider till v'ra dagar
(1611-1718), IV; Friis, Dronning Christina af Sverrig, 1626-1689 (Copenhagen,
1896), a work of Protestant tendencies; Bildt, Drottning Krsitinas sich ta dagar
(1897), vol. V of the "Scriften"; Woodhead, Memoir of Christina, Queen of Sweden
(London, 1863), II; Bain, Christina, Queen of Sweden (London, 1890);
Dentoche-Grauert, Königin Christine von Schweden und ihr Hof (Bonn, 1838-42, 2
vols.); Busson, Christine von Schweden in Tyrol (Inssbruck, 1884); Fay, Königin
Christine von Schweden, tochter Gustaf Adolfs (Barmen, 1889); Daniels, Christine
von Schweden in Preuss. Jahrbucher (Berlin, 1899), XCVI-XCVII; Arhrenholz,
Mémoirs concernant Christine, Reine de Suède (Paris, 1825); Barine, Christine de
Suède, in the Revue des deux mondes (October, 1888); Treatises in Italian by
Compori, Malagola, Picenardi, Gratanelli, written in the years 1871, 1881, 1889,
and 1896, on Christina's connection with the House of Este, her stay at Bologna,
Pisa, and Roma, especially Clarella, La regina Christina di Suecia in Italia,
1655-1689 (1892).


ABOUT THIS PAGE

APA citation. Wittmann, P. (1908). Christina Alexandra. In The Catholic
Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03722a.htm

MLA citation. Wittmann, Pius. "Christina Alexandra." The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03722a.htm>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by M. Donahue.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.

Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address
is webmaster at newadvent.org. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I
greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical
errors and inappropriate ads.

Copyright © 2023 by New Advent LLC. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

CONTACT US | ADVERTISE WITH NEW ADVENT