1.
Johan Baptista van Uther
–
Johan Baptista or Hans van Uther was a Dutch Renaissance painter, active in Sweden. No personal details are known about Johan Baptista van Uther, and he is thought to have been born in either Antwerp or Utrecht. He was active in Sweden, from 1562 as court painter, stylistically, portraits attributed to Johan Baptista van Uther show influences from the refined court style of Antonis Mor. In turn, Johan Baptista van Uther taught and influenced court portraitist Holger Hansson and, possibly, media related to Johan Baptista van Uther at Wikimedia Commons
2.
Coronation
–
The ceremony can also be conducted for the monarchs consort, either simultaneously with the monarch or as a separate event. A ceremony without the placement of a crown on the head is known as an enthronement. Coronations are still observed in the United Kingdom, Tonga, in addition to investing the monarch with symbols of state, Western-style coronations have often traditionally involve anointing with holy oil, or chrism as it is often called. Wherever a ruler is anointed in this way, as in Great Britain and Tonga, some other lands use bathing or cleansing rites, the drinking of a sacred beverage, or other religious practices to achieve a comparable effect. Such acts symbolise the granting of divine favour to the monarch within the relevant spiritual-religious paradigm of the country, in the past, concepts of royalty, coronation and deity were often inexorably linked. Rome promulgated the practice of worship, in Medieval Europe. Coronations were once a direct expression of these alleged connections. Thus, coronations have often been discarded altogether or altered to reflect the nature of the states in which they are held. However, some monarchies still choose to retain an overtly religious dimension to their accession rituals, others have adopted simpler enthronement or inauguration ceremonies, or even no ceremony at all. In non-Christian states, coronation rites evolved from a variety of sources, buddhism, for instance, influenced the coronation rituals of Thailand, Cambodia and Bhutan, while Hindu elements played a significant role in Nepalese rites. The ceremonies used in modern Egypt, Malaysia, Brunei and Iran were shaped by Islam, Coronations, in one form or another, have existed since ancient times. Egyptian records show coronation scenes, such as that of Seti I in 1290 BC, judeo-Christian scriptures testify to particular rites associated with the conferring of kingship, the most detailed accounts of which are found in II Kings 11,12 and II Chronicles 23,11. Following the assumption of the diadem by Constantine, Roman and Byzantine emperors continued to wear it as the symbol of their authority. Although no specific coronation ceremony was observed at first, one gradually evolved over the following century, the emperor Julian was hoisted upon a shield and crowned with a gold necklace provided by one of his standard-bearers, he later wore a jewel-studded diadem. Later emperors were crowned and acclaimed in a manner, until the momentous decision was taken to permit the Patriarch of Constantinople to physically place the crown on the emperors head. Historians debate when exactly this first took place, but the precedent was established by the reign of Leo II. This ritual included recitation of prayers by the Byzantine prelate over the crown, after this event, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the ecclesiastical element in the coronation ceremonial rapidly develop. This was usually performed three times, following this, the king was given a spear, and a diadem wrought of silk or linen was bound around his forehead as a token of regal authority
3.
Eric XIV of Sweden
–
Eric XIV was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg and he was also ruler of Estonia, after its conquest by Sweden in 1561. Some scholars claim that his illness began early during his reign, Eric, having been deposed and imprisoned, was most likely murdered. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that he died of arsenic poisoning. Eric XIV was born at Tre Kronor castle, at 9 oclock on the morning of 13 December 1533, before the age of two, he lost his mother. In 1536, his father, Gustav Vasa, married Margaret Leijonhufvud, Erics first teacher was the learned German Georg Norman, whose services were shortly thereafter needed elsewhere within the Swedish state. He was replaced by French Calvinist Dionysius Beurraeus, Dionysius taught both Eric and his brother John, and seems to have been appreciated by both. Eric was very successful in foreign languages and mathematics and he was also an informed historian, a good writer and familiar with astrology. When Eric started to appear in public, he was referred to as the king and after the meeting of parliament in Stockholm in 1560. In 1557, Eric was assigned the fiefdoms of Kalmar, Kronoberg and he took up residence in the city of Kalmar. Against his fathers wishes, Eric entered into negotiations with the future Queen Elizabeth I of England. Tensions between Eric and his father grew, Eric also made unsuccessful marriage proposals to, among others, Mary, Queen of Scots, Renata of Lorraine, Anna of Saxony and Christine of Hesse. He was crowned as Eric XIV, but was not necessarily the 14th king of Sweden named Eric and he and his brother Charles IX adopted regnal numbers according to Johannes Magnuss partly fictitious history of Sweden. There had, however, been at least six earlier Swedish kings with the name of Eric, in domestic politics, Erics ambitions were strongly opposed by the Swedish nobility, including his half-brother, the later John III of Sweden. John was the Duke of Finland and was married to a Polish princess, John pursued an expansionist policy in Livonia which led to contention between the brothers. In 1563, John was seized and tried for treason by Erics order. This expansionism resulted in a clash with his cousin, Frederick II of Denmark, from 1563 onwards, his insanity became pronounced, his rule became even more arbitrary and marked by violence. In 1567, suspicious of high treason, he killed several members of the Sture family, the King probably thought of the killing as an execution rather than murder
4.
Sigismund III Vasa
–
He was the son of King John III of Sweden and his first wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland. Elected to the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sigismund sought to create a union between the Commonwealth and Sweden, and succeeded for a time in 1592. After he had deposed in 1599 from the Swedish throne by his uncle, Charles IX of Sweden. Shortly after his victory over his enemies, Sigismund took advantage of a period of civil unrest in Muscovy and invaded Russia. In 1617 the Polish–Swedish conflict, which had been interrupted by an armistice in 1611, while Sigismunds army was also fighting Ottoman forces in Moldavia, King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden invaded Sigismunds lands, capturing Riga and seizing almost all of Polish Livonia. Sigismund, who concluded the Truce of Altmark with Sweden in 1629 and his Swedish wars resulted, moreover, in Polands loss of Livonia and in a diminution of the kingdoms international prestige. Sigismund remains a controversial figure in Poland. His long reign coincided with the apex of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealths prestige, power, on the other hand, it was during his reign that the symptoms of decline leading to the Commonwealths eventual demise surfaced. However, the question of whether the Commonwealths decline was caused by Sigismunds decisions or had its roots in historical processes beyond his personal control and he was commemorated in Warsaw with Sigismunds Column, commissioned by his son and successor, Władysław IV. Sigismund was born on 20 June 1566 to Catherine Jagiellon and the Grand Duke John of Finland at Gripsholm and his parents, at the time, were being held prisoner by King Eric XIV, but despite the Protestant domination of Sweden young Sigismund was raised as a Roman Catholic. In 1567 Sigismund and his parents where released from prison, and in 1568 Erik XIV was deposed, from 1568 Sigismund was the crown prince of Sweden. His mother was the daughter of Polish king Sigismund I the Old, in 1587 Sigismund stood for election to the Polish throne after the death of his uncle, King Stephen Bathory. He was supported by his aunt Queen Anna, Hetman Jan Zamoyski and it seemed that the issue of who would be King of Poland had been settled when Maximilian III invaded Poland to claim the crown. Hetman Jan Zamoyski defeated Maximilian at the Battle of Byczyna and took him prisoner, however, at the request of Pope Sixtus V, King Sigismund III released Maximilian, who surrendered his claim to Poland in 1589. King Sigismund also tried to maintain peace with his neighbor by marrying Archduchess Anne Habsburg in 1592. It was always his intention to maintain an alliance with Catholic Austria against the Protestant forces, when his father died King Sigismund III asked the Sejm to be allowed to claim his inheritance as the rightful King of Sweden. When he promised to respect Lutheranism as the religion of Sweden. Sigismund was crowned King of Sweden in 1594 and he appointed his uncle, Duke Charles, to rule as regent on his behalf in Sweden while he remained in Poland, since Sweden and the Commonwealth were only in a personal union, not united in one state
5.
Stegeborg Castle
–
Stegeborg Castle is a ruined castle in St Anna parish, Söderköping, Östergötland, located on an island in a narrow sound at the bay of Slätbaken. The oldest part of the castle is a brick tower in the southeast corner, built in the early 13th century. A simple fortified residence was added during the 14th century, expanded and supplemented by a wall, during the 16th and 17th centuries the building was further expanded, especially during the reign of John III of Sweden, when the round tower attained its present height. In addition, a church was added to the north wing. Several of the Vasa kings lived in Stegeborg, which was allotted 1652–1689 to the Palatine counts John Casimir, the crown sold the castle in the 1730s for building materials. The bottom floors large masonry protected it against complete destruction, until 1689 the castle was the center of the Östergötland archipelagos local government. The new castle, a whitewashed three-storey building in neoclassical style, the castle is mentioned in 1310 as Stækaborg, the name comes from stæk, mediaeval Swedish for stock, pile, or the other place name Stäket. Stäk refers to systems of pilings - stakes - submerged in the water which blocked the channel. The oldest of these systems has been dated between the 7th and 9th century, pilings dating back to the 11th century have been discovered in the waters north of the island. The purpose of the barriers was to prevent or hinder shipping. These pilings were still extant in the 19th century, and therefore vessels had to pass the island on the side to reach Söderköping. The early history of Stegeborg is tied with the estate of Skällsvik, a farm is attested as early as 1287, when it belonged to the Bishop of Linköping, Benedict Birgersson. His successor Lars Albrektsson kept the property and its strategic location at the entrance to Söderköping, at the time one of the countrys wealthiest cities, was obvious to Birger Magnussons guardianship, which was led by the marsk Torkel Knutsson. In 1305 at the latest the bishops farm was sold to king Birger, subsequently, a castle was built on the islet, which is in the sea channel leading toward Söderköping. Its appearance and extent are unknown, during the period 1310–1316 the king sent several letters from Stegeborg and one can assume that he remained there for long periods. After the Nyköping Banquet a rebellion broke out against King Birger and he left Stegeborg and sailed to Visby, but left his son Magnus Birgersson as commander of Stegeborg. The castle was besieged, presumably from Easter until the end of August 1318, Magnus was taken prisoner to Stockholm and was sentenced to death in June 1320. He is buried in Riddarholmskyrkan in Stockholm next to Magnus III of Sweden, according to the Eric Chronicles Stegeborg was demolished after the capitulation
6.
Tre Kronor (castle)
–
Tre Kronor was a castle located in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site where Stockholm Palace is today. It is believed to have been a citadel that Birger Jarl built into a castle in the middle of the 13th century. The name Tre Kronor is believed to have given to the castle during the reign of King Magnus IV in the middle of the 14th century. Most of Swedens national library and royal archives were destroyed when the castle burned down in 1697, when King Gustav Vasa broke Sweden free from the Kalmar Union and made Sweden independent again, Tre Kronor Castle became his most important royal seat. The keep may have existed previous to the 16th century, but in a smaller form than on the pictures from the beginning. The tower was then about the half of the height in the end of the 16th century, the castle consisted of two parts, the main castle and the walled in gardens surrounding it with the high tower in the middle. On May 7,1697 a large fire broke out in Tre Kronor that completely demolished the majority of this now more-than-400-year-old castle, the fire was discovered by the castles keeper, Georg Stiernhoff. The fire marshal, Sven Lindberg, informed the staff that he could not get to the fire extinguishing equipment because the fire blocked his access to it. The royal family and court were forced to evacuate the castle, the servants attempted to save as much as possible of the royal possessions. The fire spread quickly to all parts of the castle, since the castle was made out of wood and copper, the hot copper plates set the roof on fire. As mentioned, due to the fire most of Swedens national library, shortly after the fire died out, the investigation into why it was not discovered before it was too late got underway. A royal court found three possible culprits, Sven Lindberg – the fire marshal for the castle – and Anders Andersson and Mattias Hansson, soldiers on fire watch for the night, reporting to Sven Lindberg. It is revealed that Anders Andersson was running an errand for the fire marshals wife, Mattias Hansson had left his post, going into the kitchen to get some food. Mattias claimed that the fire marshals wife had given permission to do so – a statement she denied, the royal court concluded that the fire marshal had used the soldier for his and his wifes private errands. It was also found that he had accepted bribes in exchange for hiring people into certain positions at the castle, in February,1698 the sentences were handed out. Sven Lindberg and Mattias Hanson were sentenced to death since they had neglected their duty. Anders Andersson was sentenced to run the gauntlet, the death sentences were both later commuted to running the gauntlet and six years of forced labour at Carlsten fortress. Sven Lindberg died while running the gauntlet, plans were made to rebuild a new castle on the old foundation
7.
Uppsala Cathedral
–
Uppsala Cathedral is a cathedral located between Uppsala University and the River Fyris in the centre of Uppsala, southeastern Sweden. Controlled by the Lutheran Church of Sweden, Uppsala Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Uppsala, the archbishop is Antje Jackelén and the current bishop is Ragnar Persenius. The cathedral dates to the late 13th century and at a height of 118.7 metres, originally built under Roman Catholicism, it was used for coronations of Swedish monarchs for a lengthy period following the Protestant Reformation. Several of its chapels were converted to house the tombs of Swedish monarchs, including Gustav Vasa, Carl Linnaeus, Olaus Rudbeck, Emanuel Swedenborg, and several archbishops are also buried here. The church was designed in the French Gothic style by French architects including Étienne de Bonneuil and it is in the form of a cross formed by the nave and transept. Most of the structure was built between 1272 and 1420 but the end was completed only in the middle of the 15th century. Twin towers were built shortly afterwards on the west end of the church, High spires were added later, but after a fire in 1702, they were adorned with low helms by Carl Hårleman in 1735. They were completely redesigned by Helgo Zetterwall who undertook substantial changes to the building in the 1880s, the cathedrals principal construction material is brick but the pillars and many details are of Gotland limestone. The vaults were all built according to the original 13th-century plan although some of them were erected as late as around 1440, in addition to the artwork in the funeral chapels, several of the churchs older furnishings can be seen in the Treasury Museum. In 1702, many features were destroyed in a major fire, during the renovation work carried out in the 1970s, many of the medieval frescoes which had been whitewashed over after the Reformation were uncovered and restored. At the end of the Viking Era, the temple at Gamla Uppsala. Although the exact date of its construction is not known, in 1123 Siward was ordained Bishop of Uppsala by the Archbishop of Bremen-Hamburg and it is however uncertain if Siward ever assumed office, as he had been expelled and was in Germany in the early 1130s. The catalogue of bishops mentions Severeinus as the first bishop, henrik, ‘Finlands Apostle’, was the fourth bishop. In 1164, Sweden became an archbishopric under the control of Lund, the first archbishop was the Cistercian monk Stefan of Alvastra. After the cathedral in Gamla Uppsala was damaged by fire in 1204, Pope Alexander IV granted this request in 1258 on condition that the name of Uppsala be maintained. At a meeting in Söderköping in September 1270, Archbishop Fulco Angelus, formal authorization of the move was issued in 1271 by Bishop Carolus of Västerås whom the Pope had appointed to oversee the case. About 1272, work began on building a new cathedral in Östra Aros near the Fyris River to the south and it was constructed on the site of the earlier stone church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, located almost exactly where the cathedrals chancel now stands. It was here that Swedens patron saint Eric Jedvardsson had attended mass before he was murdered in 1160, the name of Uppsala was kept, and the surrounding town Östra Aros soon changed its name accordingly
8.
Catherine Jagiellon
–
Catherine Jagiellon was a Polish princess and the wife of John III of Sweden. As such, she was Duchess of Finland, Queen of Sweden, Catherine had significant influence over state affairs during the reign of her spouse, and negotiated with the pope to introduce a counter reformation in Sweden. Catherine Jagiellon was born in Kraków as the youngest daughter of King Sigismund I the Old of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Catherine became the spouse of King John III of Sweden and mother of the future Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland. After the death of her father in 1548, she and her sister Anna moved to Masovia with their mother, after their mothers departure to Italy in 1558, they lived there alone. The sisters were not close to their brother Sigismund II Augustus of Poland, Catherine could reportedly speak Italian and Latin, and was described as more attractive than Anna, and most marriage suggestions were directed toward her. Duke Albert of Prussia, Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria and Tsar Ivan IV of Russia were among her suitors, in 1560, John resumed the negotiations on his own initiative and without the consent of Eric XIV. On 4 October 1562, Catherine was married in the Lower Castle of Vilnius, Lithuania, to Duke John of Finland, John had not received his brothers permission for the marriage and there were already tensions between them, since John pursued an independent foreign policy. The marriage was conducted in a Catholic ceremony, Catherine brought a large entourage and luxurious possessions, but actually her dowry and inheritance after her mother was never given. The couple set up house in Turku Castle in Turku, Finland, Duke Johns dealings in Livonia caused King Eric XIV to declare war on his brother. Eric sent 10,000 men to besiege the castle, on 12 August 1563 the castle capitulated, Catherine and John were taken to Sweden and imprisoned in Gripsholm Castle. Catherine was offered by Eric to return to Poland, but chose to accompany John in prison. She asked for the part of her entourage to be sent home, only keeping some Polish ladies-in-waiting and her Court dwarf Dorothea Ostrelska. During her incarceration, Catherine gave birth first to her eldest daughter Isabella of Finland in 1564, Catherine was used as a valuable hostage by Eric, but because of her, the imprisonment was lenient. In October 1567, John reconciled with Eric, and the couple was released, Catherine and John apparently developed a close relationship during the years of imprisonment. Catherines unsuccessful suitor Tsar Ivan was in negotiations with Eric in hopes of separating her from John and this caused alarm with Catherine and her relations. In popular opinion, this discussion was one of the reasons for the Swedish peoples growing dissatisfaction with the increasingly insane Eric, King Eric agreed to hand over Catherine to Ivan, but the Swedish king was deposed before Catherine could be sent away. As his brother John succeeded him, the problem disappeared, Catherine was at Vadstena during the rebellion. According to a witness, she answered, Pontus, I have heard your advise and the reasons you present well and good, and they are all very correct and just, but hard to realise
9.
Gunilla Bielke
–
Gunilla Bielke, Swedish, Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke af Åkerö was Queen of Sweden as the second spouse King John III. Queen Gunilla is acknowledged to have acted as the adviser to John III. Gunilla Bielke was the daughter of the cousin of John III, the governor of Östergötland Johan Axelsson Bielke. Early orphaned, she was raised at the court since she was ten years old as a playmate of the Kings daughter. In 1582, she was maid of honour to the Queen. About half a year after the death of his first queen in 1583, John III chose her to be his next consort, after first having considered Sigrid Brahe. Bielke is described by her contemporaries as a blonde, though the portraits preserved by her are considered to be to stylistic to give a true image of her appearance. Asked why he did not marry a member of a house, he openly stated that he wished to have a beautiful consort. Therefore, it would be wiser, To marry a person in this country, similar to the mother and step-mother of John III, Margareta Leijonhufvud and Katarina Stenbock, Gunilla was engaged when the King decided to marry her. She was engaged to the noble Per Jonsson Liljesparre, and initially refused the proposal on her own initiative. According to tradition, the King was so enraged by her refusal that he slapped her in the face with his gloves and her family, however, forced her to agree, retract her refusal and consent to the marriage. Her engagement was broken, and her wedding to the king was arranged, the marriage was controversial and regarded by the kings family, who opposed to it, to be a misalliance. They considered it a misalliance because of the difference in rank, despite the fact that their own mother was also a member of the nobility, the wedding ceremony took place in Västerås the 21 February 1585, followed by the coronation of Gunilla the following day. The Kings siblings, however, all refused to attend the wedding, the only exception was his sister Sophia, who was resident in Sweden and dependent upon his allowance for her income. For this, he punished his sisters economically and entered into a long going conflict with his brother Charles, Gunilla was given a very large allowance and is regarded as one of the richest of the queens of Sweden. Queen Gunilla had a significant influence on John III and she is credited with having influenced his policy regarding religion in favor of Protestantism, similar to the way his first spouse, Catherine Jagiellon, had influenced him in favor of Catholicism. Gunilla accompanied John III to the council in Reval in Swedish Estonia in 1589 and she acted as a mediator between the monarch and the deposed Councillors during the conflict. Eventually, in 1590, the King released the prisoners, members of the parliament, on her request
10.
Anna Vasa of Sweden
–
Anna Vasa of Sweden was a Polish and Swedish princess, starosta of Brodnica and Golub. She was the youngest child of King John III of Sweden and she was close to her brother Sigismund Vasa, King of Poland and King of Sweden. Raised a Catholic, Anna converted to Lutheranism in 1584 which made her ineligible bride for many of Europes Catholic royals, Anna was the youngest child of Duke John of Finland and Catherine Jagiellon, sister of King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland. She was born in Eskilstuna just after her family was released from captivity at Gripsholm Castle and her father ascended in 1569 to the throne of Sweden as John III. Like her brother Sigismund, Anna was raised a Catholic by her mother, when her Catholic aunt Princess Cecilia of Sweden suggested a Catholic royal match for her in 1585, John III replied that Anna had converted to Lutheranism the year before. The queen sent the Jesuit away, but it made Anna feel distaste for the falseness of Roman Catholicism. After the death of her mother, her maternal aunt Queen Anna Jagiellon suggested that she be sent to Poland to be raised there and she had her own court, supervised by her mothers former Mistress of the Robes, Karin Gyllenstierna. In 1587, her brother Sigismund was elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania as Sigismund III, Anna left with Sigismund for Poland 12 September 1587 and was present at his coronation. During her stay at the Polish court, she attracted attention by celebrating Lutheran masses with her court. In 1589, Anna accompanied Sigismund to the meeting with their father in Reval and she was present during the stormy sessions of Riksråd where King John insisted that Sigismund abdicated the Polish throne and came back to Sweden. Swedish councilors protested the idea and furious John promised to persecute them, erik Sparre asked Anna to intercede as mediator and calm her father. While Sigismund returned to Poland, Anna followed her back to Sweden. In 1592, Anna returned to Poland to attend the wedding between her brother and Anna of Austria, the Archbishop was so provoked by her Lutheran services that he threatened both Anna and Sigismund with excommunication. Her sister-in-law Anna of Austria, however, prevented any persecution, in July 1593, she carried her new niece Anna Maria at her baptismal. Cardinal Andrew Báthory proposed a marriage for her with the Prince of Transylvania, however, Anna engaged herself to marry her fathers first cousin Count Gustav Brahe, son of Per Brahe the Elder and a future general in Poland. He was raised at the court and she fell in love with him as a child. The couple would meet at the house of Brahes sister Ebba, the meetings were considered scandalous and it was said that Brahe had plans for the throne through marriage with Anna. In 1589, Brahe came to Poland and her brother Sigismund was not averse to the idea of the marriage, although it was not the most desirable marriage proposed, Anna declined all other suitors
