Katarina Hansdotter

Katarina Hansdotter (* 1539 ; † 1596 ) was the mistress of the Swedish King John III.

Katarina Hansdotter was born as the daughter of the former monk Hans Klasson Kökkemäster and his wife Ingeborg. She worked in the 1550s at the court of Queen Katharina Stenbock (1535–1621). There the later King John III. (1537–1592) Pleased with her. She settled at Turku Castle as John's official lover .

Katarina Hansdotter gave birth to Johann III. four children. The son August Johansson (1557–1560) died as a child. The remaining children were raised to the nobility under the name Gyllenhielm in 1577 and reached adulthood, but also died young. Sofia Gyllenhielm (1559–1585) married the general Pontus De la Gardie and died giving birth to their third child; Julius Gyllenhielm (1560–1581) and Lucretia Gyllenhielm (1562–1585) remained childless.

Katarina Hansdotter was born in 1561 by King Johann III. when he married the younger sister of the Polish King Sigismund II August , Katharina Jagiellonica , for political reasons . After the separation, she moved to Kangasala , where she was compensated with land. She married in Finland initially Klas Andersson Västgöte, after his death, the bailiff Lauri Hordel.