Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud
Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud (mostly just "Margareta Leijonhufvud", German: Löwenhaupt ; * January 1, 1516 at Lo Castle in Gräfsnäs in Västergötland ; † August 26, 1551 at Tynnelsö Castle on Mälaren ) was queen from October 1, 1536 until her death of Sweden .
Life
She was born as the daughter of Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufvud and his wife Ebba Eriksdotter from the Wasa family.
Margareta was only four years old when her father was murdered on November 8, 1520 in the Stockholm carnage on the Stortorget in Stockholm.
After the death of his first wife Katharina von Sachsen-Lauenburg on October 1, 1536, the Swedish King Gustav I. Wasa married Margareta Leijonhufvud, who was only 20 years old. Although she was 20 years younger than her husband, she felt very comfortable in her role and with her mild, friendly manner, she had a great influence on Gustav Wasa.
However, Margareta was Catholic and remained true to her Catholic faith while her husband had Catholic churches and monasteries looted.
In their 15-year marriage, she gave birth to ten children:
- Johann III. (December 20, 1537 - November 17, 1592), King of Sweden
- Katharina (June 6, 1539 - December 21, 1610) ⚭ Edzard II, Count of East Frisia
- Cäcilie (born November 6, 1540 - † January 27, 1627) ⚭ November 11, 1564 the Margrave Christoph II of Baden-Rodemachern
- Magnus (born July 25, 1542 - † June 20, 1595), Duke of Östergötland
- Karl (* / † 1544), Prince of Sweden
- Anna Maria (June 9, 1545 - March 3, 1610) ⚭ Georg Johann I of Pfalz-Veldenz
- Sten (1546–1549), Prince of Sweden
- Sophia (October 29, 1547 - March 3, 1611) ⚭ Magnus II of Saxony-Lauenburg
- Elisabeth (April 4, 1549 - November 12, 1597) ⚭ Christoph zu Mecklenburg
- Charles IX (October 4, 1550 - October 30, 1611), King of Sweden
Margareta died in August 1551 after a short illness, Gustav Wasa is said to have been very saddened by her death. She was buried next to Gustav Wasa's first wife in Uppsala Cathedral.
The fact that eight of her ten children, whom she gave birth within 13 years, reached adulthood was unusual for the time.
literature
- Lars O. Lagerqvist, Nils Åberg: Kings and rulers of Sweden . Vincent Publications
- Lena Lidbeck: Kungar och drottningar i Sverige . Rabén & Sjogren
Web links
| predecessor | Office | Successor |
|---|---|---|
| Catherine of Saxony-Lauenburg |
Queen of Sweden 1536–1551 |
Katharina Stenbock |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Margareta Leijonhufvud |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Queen of Sweden |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 1, 1516 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lo Castle, Gräfsnäs , Västergötland |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 26, 1551 |
| Place of death | Tynnelsö Castle on Mälaren |