Pope Alexander VII
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Pope Alexander VII, born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667.
Portrait by Giovanni Battista Gaulli
Fabio Chigi as Papal Nuntius to the Peace of Westphalia negotiations, by Anselm van Hulle (c. 1646)
Alexander VII, by Domenico Guidi
Drawing of Pope Alexander VII by Andrea Sacchi
Christina, Queen of Sweden
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Christina, a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. Her conversion to Catholicism and refusal to marry led her to relinquish her throne and move to Ro
Pope Alexander VII
…Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, from which he bought one hundred slaves in 1662 for his naval squadron. The conversion of Queen Christina of Sweden (1632–1654) occurred during Alexander VII's reign. After her abdication the queen came to reside in Rome, where she was confirmed in her baptism by the…
Portrait by Sébastien Bourdon, who exaggerated her eyes.
Christina's parents, King Gustav II Adolph and Queen Maria Eleonora
Tre Kronor in Stockholm by Govert Dircksz Camphuysen. Most of Sweden's national library and royal archives were destroyed when the castle burned in 1697.
Axel Oxenstierna