Agda Persdotter

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Agda Persdotter or Agda i Porten, (fl. 1565), was a Swedish woman, main royal mistress of King Eric XIV of Sweden during his time as a Crown Prince and during the first years of his reign 1560-1565.

Biography

Agda Persdotter is believed to have been the daughter of the wealthy merchant Peder Klementsson, who lived by St Nicolai port in Stockholm and was known as Pher i porten, though her parentage has not been confirmed. She was described as a very beautiful woman and was called Charitas. She became the mistress of Eric during his time as a crown prince and is the first of his recorded mistresses, was a center of his court at Kalmar Castle 1558, where a chamber, "Agdas kammare", ("Agda's chamber") is still named after her, and their relationship continued after he became king in 1560.

In 1561, she was married to the nobleman Joakim Fleming and given the estate Eknaholm outside Växjö, which had belonged to a monastery, and the relationship ended and continued after she became a widow in 1563. The relationship was not exclusive, as Eric had a large number of other mistresses; the period 1561-65, Anna Larsdotter, Karin Jacobsdotter, Karin Pedersdotter, Sigrid Nilsdotter, Doredi Valentinsdotter and the more anonymous Britta and Ingrid was all listed as the King's mistresses, but Agda was his main mistress. The position of these women was only half official.

She had several daughters with Eric and one daughter with Joakim, Anna, (born 1562). In 1561, the custody of her children was given to the king's sister, Princess Cecilia of Sweden, because: "I know she is not capable of raising them in good discipline and other things". When Cecilia left the country in 1564, the care, as well as the care of the other children of Eric, was given to Princess Elizabeth of Sweden; one of Elizabeth's servants, Karin Månsdotter, took care of Virginia. In 1565, Karin became the one and only mistress of Eric and replaced both Agda and all the others. Agda remarried Christoffer Olsson Stråle av Sjöared, sheriff of Stegeborg.

Children

  • Margareta Eriksdotter (1558–1618), married 1592 to Olov Simonsson, vicar of Horn.
  • Virginia Eriksdotter (1559–1633) (living descendants)
  • Constantia Eriksdotter (1560–1649) (living descendants)
  • Lucretia Eriksdotter (1564–after 1574) died young.

References

  • Hans Gillingstam, "Agda Persdotter, hennes släkt och Erik XIV:s dotter Lucretia. En källkritisk studie", Släkt och Hävd 2001:2-3, s. 156-160.
  • http://runeberg.org/sqvinnor/0012.html
  • Herman Lindqvist, "Historien om Sverige: Gustav Vasa och hans söner och döttrar."
  • Lars-Olof Larsson, "Arvet efter Gustav Vasa"
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